Media Tumblr & Feedback needed
Added 2017-03-28 13:04:04 +0000 UTCI've created a tumblr image blog for GoThongs related media. It has a link to where you can submit your own posts for review!
Right now it houses the art of the various characters you meet while questing (YAY dog tits!). Go check it out!
Feedback needed for 4-player mode
I'd like to add a 4 player mode, but I have a few points that need to be discussed before I start implementing it:
- Existing story-driven quests will remain 1-2 players. Special dungeons would be added with a 3-4 player requirement.
- When starting such a dungeon quest. You could pick a difficulty and would remain locked at that difficulty until the quest finished. Higher difficulties could give a slightly higher amount of gold, and a chance at bonus loot.
- These quests would have mechanics that require players to cooperate. Such as one player getting tied up and another player having to free them.
- Dying on the trash mob section of a dungeon would send you back to start once you release.
- Dying on a boss fight would lock you in the animation until either the boss is dead, or all party members have also died. Then reset the encounter.
- The problem with 4-player parties is the exponential lag scaling of the spell icons (the icons below your target/self/coop portrait). These require a minimum of 46 bytes to store per spell effect, which means the only way to properly keep the HUDs up to date is using a listen. And listeners in SL are super inefficient. Pair that with the requirement of having to keep all HUDs up to date at all time, and it means the lag of having 4 players would be 4x worse than having 2 players. As such, the only way I could think of to implement 4-player dungeons would be to remove spell icons for every player other than yourself and your target. This would harm healers, especially earthmenders and druids, as they have to keep track of buffs on their target.
As such, I'll need feedback on how you think I should implement it. Post your thoughts here, on the Github or send me an IM in world!
Comments
I've implemented a long term buff visual system which should hopefully ease the burden on important coop spells. Currently the following spells have been added to it: Rejuvenate (Druid), Earth shield (Earthmender), Water Bolt (friendly target) (Earthmender), Infest (friendly target) (Tentaclemancer)
2017-03-31 12:21:28 +0000 UTCGood point. I'm thinking downed players in the trash section could be broken free after 20 seconds by a coop player, or release to run back from start. Bosses will work differently.
2017-03-31 12:19:42 +0000 UTCI say we test to see just how laggy having the spell icons in will be, but I really don't know for sure. Maybe have it update your co-op partners if you are playing a class that needs you to know that info? And when you say that losing to trash mob sends you back do you mean a single player or a party wipe? Because if it's a single player I'm sure it won't be enjoyable to just have to spend time walking back to where you were. I'd enjoy something like if one player gets downed they are locked in defeat until combat ends and then another player will be able to release them or something like that. Or maybe even have an extended timer or item that will release a player to let them have a second chance.
Draggony
2017-03-29 09:42:48 +0000 UTCI would probably say that removing spell icons for targets other than yourself and your target wouldn't be so much of a burden as it seems. Maybe a plugin to keep track of party members health bars would do the trick and only seeing your targets icons would work? Also, I'm in full support of a four party system and also a loss mechanic!
Void153
2017-03-29 03:10:03 +0000 UTC
