MV Design Doc
The design Document for Mountains and Valleys, dated 9-24-2009:
Intro
Controls:
Movement: WASD Auto-mouse-look Space bar: Jump Tab: fast 180-degree turn Caps lock: toggle run/walk Q: auto-run
Combat: Left-Mouse: Attack Right-Mouse: Magic
Camera: Scroll wheel zooms camera in and out Mouse-look
Other: 10 ‘ready’ slots assigned to numbers 1-0, these can be equipped with spells, potions, different weapons, or special items that can be used by hitting the appropriate number either on the main keyboard row or on the number pad.
Arrow keys should also double for WASD.
Combat
For the sake of simplicity, combat will be simple. You cannot attack unless you are in range. If you ARE in range, there is a check to determine whether or not you can hit your enemy.
Your Attack Value is calculated based on Weapon Skill, Strength, and the Handling value attached to the weapon itself. When you try to attack, the computer takes your AV and rolls that many 6-sided dice. The total is then added up.
The same is done with the receiving mob’s Defend Value; if your Attack is higher than their Defend, the attack hits, and we move on to damage calculation.
Example:
Your AV is 2 and the mobs AV is 2. You both roll two 6-sided dice. Your roll two 6s, the mob rolls two 1s, since you have 12 and he has 2, you hit.
Damage Calculation:
Strength + Weapon Damage.
Being Attacked:
Your Defend Value is your dexterity plus any bonuses from items. Armor can also reduce your dexterity while not adding anything to your DV. DV is only used for determining whether or not you take the hit.
When a mob tries to attack you, it rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to it’s Attack Value while you roll equal to your Defend Value. If it gets a higher roll, you get hit.
Then comes damage calculation.
Damage – Armor Rating.
Done.
A very rudimentary combat engine, should be no problem to program.
Magic
I’m sure we’ll make up a magic system eventually.
Leveling
Level: You begin the game as Level 1. Each level you gain a certain amount of Constitution and Manna. You also receive one Skill Point, one Stat Point, and one Magic Point. Each increases something in the appropriate area. You gain levels by collecting XP, either given to you as quest rewards or earned through killing stuff. Also, as a princess, you have the option to buy XP for cold, hard cash. (Note: you can also beg Daddy for it, but this only works so many times.)
The actual level-curve will be determined later. There is no maximum level cap.
Stats:
You have 3 basic stats: Dexterity, Strength, and Wisdom. Strength is used in weapon damage calculation, Wisdom is used in spell damage, and Dex is used for avoiding attacks. These stats are also used for minimum requirements for weapons and spells.
Skills:
Skills are basic and consist of 1-handed weapons, 2-handed weapons, and armor. Weapon stats control how well you use a given weapon. Your skill level is the minimum damage for any blow that lands, it is also used to calculate weather or not an attack will hit. Your armor skill reduces the armor’s dexterity penalty while raising your over-all Armor Rating.
Armor Rating:
There are 8 wearable item slots in the game: Head, Chest, Feet, Pendant, Ring 1, Ring 2, Cloak, and Belt. Each wearable item can have an AR stat. Items like rings, pendants, cloaks, and belts will typically not include this stat, but items like Head, Chest, and Feet always will(these being the traditional places one wear’s armor). The AR of all equipped items is totaled to determine your over-all Armor Rating.
Additionally, these item slots can carry various stat bonuses. Stat bonuses are not counted by weapon and armor requirements, in order to equip an item you must actually have the necessary level while naked. The AR of everything you’re wearing is added up to determine Total AR
Constitution:
Your Maximum possible health level. This is usually determined by level but can be increased with items.
Manna:
How much Manna you have for casting spells, again determined by level but can be increased through item usage.
Attack:
Not a damage rating but an Attack Check used to calculate whether or not you can hit your target in combat. Used in calculating Attack Value.
Defend:
Check value used to determine whether or not your enemy can hit you. Used in calculating Defend Value.
Storyline
Opening video:
(Still frames, midevil-style artwork, voice over.)
The Master: The dual kingdoms of Mountain and Valley have been beset by a terrible evil. Wayne, the mad inventor, terrorizes the land with his cruel machinations. And now, he has kidnapped the Valley Princess, the fair and beautiful Princess Nadia.
The First Knight, Max Fightmaster, has answered the call to action.
Opening video shows Max suited up full plate armor walking proudly out of the castle past a cheering crowd of onlookers. He crosses the moat, trips, falls in, and drowns.
Camera cuts to shot of Princess Nadine.
Nadine: “Oh great, that was out only knight! Fine, I guess I’ll go rescue the princess myself.”
Game Starts.
(Game begins with player in hallway in Mountain Castle, player is given control of Princess Nadia, her father, The King, is walking slowly down the hall beside her.)
The King: “Naw, you’ll need to pick up some gear a-fore you get out thar. Head on down to tha royal armory, unlessin you wanna wear that pretty pretty pink armor a yours.”
(At this point, directions on the screen indicate how to reach the princesses’s chambers, the royal armory, and the castle gates. )
After gearing up, you leave the castle when The Master calls out to you.
The Master: “Nadine. Go out into the kingdoms, kill the Four Machinations of Wayne. Each one carries a key, the keys will admit you to his castle, the Death Fortress!”
Upon exiting the Mountain City you may find the Mystic’s Yurt. He can, after some effort, tell you things. What he communicates is basically this: in each region of the kingdoms, one of Wayne’s robots resides, causing havoc.
The basic outline follows like so: In each of the four regions there is a miniboss. There is no quest that has to be followed to kill it, you just have to find it and kill it. The challenge will be actually defeating it, as you will have to get strong enough by leveling. Each one holds a key, all 4 keys are required to gain access to Wayne’s Death fortress.
Done.
Mobs
Mobs will attack when enemy gets within certain range.
Mobs have a Regular Attack and a Strong Attack, these will be listed simple as Attack Values(no stats). They will also have a set damage range. Mobs will have a Defend Value and an Armor Class. Each mob will yield a specific value of XP.
Loot system: design it later.
Spawn Points: mob spawns should be a drop-in item with some variables adjustable in-game. A spawn should create a mob every certain time period, unless the last mob it created still lives. EG, if the mob is killed, it should wait say for 1 hour of game play before re-spawning. Mobs should walk a set patrol route around their spawn.
Characters
Items
Inventory:
The inventory system is both visual and textual. Each item has an icon and a bit of text attached to it describing exactly what it is. Mousing over the item will bring up a bubble with more details. Such as item stats, further description, etc.
There is no space limit and no movement-penalty for carrying lots of junk. In a word, the player’s inventory is infinite. Why? Because that’s what we decided, take it or leave it.
The main inventory window will contain a list of all items in their block/icon form. Various tabs will bring up specific things like armor, weapons, jewelry, etc. Sub tabs within these tabs will get more specific: helmets, chest-armor, leggings, etc. This will allow the player to very quickly and intuitively navigate the system.
Ultimately, ease of use and intuitiveness becomes more important than realism. Suspension of disbelief will allow players to ignore a sleep, simplistic GUI if they can move through it quickly. Clunk bag-icons and attempts to re-create actual packs will ultimately cause more gameplay-interruption than infinite storage.
• Weapons • Armor • Potions • Other
