Difference between revisions of "GAMEPLAY"
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''The player moves forward. In stalking mode, this is slow and cautious. As the player gets within range of the target, the character raises his weapon to indicate this. As the player nears his target there is a chance he will give away his position due to sound or sight (modified by gear, abilities, etc). Here the player gave away his position by sound, but as he reacted fast enough he wasn’t compromised.'' | ''The player moves forward. In stalking mode, this is slow and cautious. As the player gets within range of the target, the character raises his weapon to indicate this. As the player nears his target there is a chance he will give away his position due to sound or sight (modified by gear, abilities, etc). Here the player gave away his position by sound, but as he reacted fast enough he wasn’t compromised.'' | ||
| − | + | As soon as the boar begins to turn, the man lurches to motion, sharply driving the spear down into the animal. The pig squeals as the tip dives through the corner of its front leg, and reels around to charge its attacker. Unable to recover quickly enough, the boar smashes hard into the hunter's leg, throwing him to the ground. As the boar circles around to charge its helpless victim, the man raises the spear at the last moment to skewer the animal through its chest. | |
''The animal begins to move, so the player makes a heavy attack (using more of his agility), his cursor over the animals heart at the time. Following through the attack, and given the players skill level, the attack lands in the leg, instead. The boar retaliates against the player, who is off balance due to the heavy attack he just made. The animal is also wounded, but manages to hit the player hard in the leg, which will now hinder the player’s maximum agility, maximum movement speed, and will need to be treated later on. This “trip attack” knocks out the rest of the player’s agility, knocking him to the ground. The boar is turning to attack again before the player has time to recover his agility or get out of the way, so the player instead decides to attack from the ground (a risky maneuver, as if he doesn’t succeed he will be exposed to the boar’s attack). Luckily he hits it, and coupled with his first blow it is enough to stop the pig in its tracks.'' | ''The animal begins to move, so the player makes a heavy attack (using more of his agility), his cursor over the animals heart at the time. Following through the attack, and given the players skill level, the attack lands in the leg, instead. The boar retaliates against the player, who is off balance due to the heavy attack he just made. The animal is also wounded, but manages to hit the player hard in the leg, which will now hinder the player’s maximum agility, maximum movement speed, and will need to be treated later on. This “trip attack” knocks out the rest of the player’s agility, knocking him to the ground. The boar is turning to attack again before the player has time to recover his agility or get out of the way, so the player instead decides to attack from the ground (a risky maneuver, as if he doesn’t succeed he will be exposed to the boar’s attack). Luckily he hits it, and coupled with his first blow it is enough to stop the pig in its tracks.'' | ||
| − | + | He quickly looks around to see if any others from the pack had heard the noise, but hears nothing but the distant song of sparrows. Feeling uncomfortable, he drags the heavy corpse to the nearby stream, limping from his bruised leg. He skins and cleans the boar, scraping the fat of the animal across the hide and setting it next to the sand to dry in the sun. It's just the right size to make a pair of leggings from, and thick enough to cushion any future blows. Looking up at the sun, he sees he should get moving if he wishes to get back to his shelter before nightfall. | |
''The player hasn’t been in these lands long, so he doesn’t know what might be waiting for him around any corner. Given the weight of the boar, it is something that must be carried separately and not just thrown into the backpack. This isn’t made any easier by the hampered movement from his injury. Animal parts will be vital to the player’s survival, both from food and from crafted items. The player plans of using the hide he carved to make leggings which will effectively protect his from other attacks (not to mention keep him warm). Every time the player uses a skill, such as the spear while fighting or his skinning skill, it slowly improves. The next time the player skins and tans, he’ll waste less leather, and the final product will be higher quality (each time it’s “processed” the quality lowers: from the original animal to the leather, from the leather to the items, and possibly from cutting up other items to make new items).'' | ''The player hasn’t been in these lands long, so he doesn’t know what might be waiting for him around any corner. Given the weight of the boar, it is something that must be carried separately and not just thrown into the backpack. This isn’t made any easier by the hampered movement from his injury. Animal parts will be vital to the player’s survival, both from food and from crafted items. The player plans of using the hide he carved to make leggings which will effectively protect his from other attacks (not to mention keep him warm). Every time the player uses a skill, such as the spear while fighting or his skinning skill, it slowly improves. The next time the player skins and tans, he’ll waste less leather, and the final product will be higher quality (each time it’s “processed” the quality lowers: from the original animal to the leather, from the leather to the items, and possibly from cutting up other items to make new items).'' | ||
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''The player could have just taken some of the boar meat which would have fit in his pack, but as he is trying to keep all of it he still must “haul” it, carrying it over his shoulder. This can attract the attention of predators who might smell it, it slows the player, and it takes time to drop it and ready a weapon if attacked (it’s assumed anything in the backpack cannot be smelled, for simplicity). The player hasn’t eaten for a long time, and the character is starting to show symptoms; occasional dips in agility, grumbling, growling stomach, etc. The player sets some meat by the fire to cook (the best he knows how due to his skills) and goes off to refill his water supply, currently held with buckets the player crafted. At the river he uses his skill to treat his injury, but due to his limited inventory is limited to simply washing the bruise. Luckily, this is enough for the injury, as it wasn’t that severe. The player takes a moment to enjoy the majestic vista, then returns to camp.'' | ''The player could have just taken some of the boar meat which would have fit in his pack, but as he is trying to keep all of it he still must “haul” it, carrying it over his shoulder. This can attract the attention of predators who might smell it, it slows the player, and it takes time to drop it and ready a weapon if attacked (it’s assumed anything in the backpack cannot be smelled, for simplicity). The player hasn’t eaten for a long time, and the character is starting to show symptoms; occasional dips in agility, grumbling, growling stomach, etc. The player sets some meat by the fire to cook (the best he knows how due to his skills) and goes off to refill his water supply, currently held with buckets the player crafted. At the river he uses his skill to treat his injury, but due to his limited inventory is limited to simply washing the bruise. Luckily, this is enough for the injury, as it wasn’t that severe. The player takes a moment to enjoy the majestic vista, then returns to camp.'' | ||
| − | + | He returns just in time to scare away a small weasel that was attracted by the smell of roasted food, and settles down next to the warm blaze as the cold night winds begin to blow up from the south. He pulls out a massive bear fur from his lean-to and wraps it around himself, thinking of the battle with the boar. He casually runs his fingers across a scar on his shoulder while he hungrily wolfs down his food. | |
''The animals in the world are always acting and reacting in the world around the player, regardless of his intervention. Wolves will hunt deer, deer will graze on grass… The player can cause changes in the ecological landscape the same as any other large predator; he can overhunt, scare away game, disrupt animal trails… but he also presents a food source to the predators in the woods around him; either the food that the player has with him, or the player himself. The player returns to find a weasel attracted to the food at his campsite which is easily scared off. It’s likely to return though, as it now counts his campsite as a possible – although dangerous – source of food. The weather has been getting colder in the world, but the player is keeping warm by keeping close to his campfire, and equipping a large heavy cloak he made from a bear earlier in his life. Although the cloak offers great warmth and armor protection, the weight of it severely restricts the player’s agility. Given this player’s combat tactics, he prefers to use it only as a source of warmth at night. Severe wounds can leave scars, or worse if not treated properly. The player still has a large scar on his shoulder from his fight with a bear, which was a severe enough injury to leave a permanent mark.'' | ''The animals in the world are always acting and reacting in the world around the player, regardless of his intervention. Wolves will hunt deer, deer will graze on grass… The player can cause changes in the ecological landscape the same as any other large predator; he can overhunt, scare away game, disrupt animal trails… but he also presents a food source to the predators in the woods around him; either the food that the player has with him, or the player himself. The player returns to find a weasel attracted to the food at his campsite which is easily scared off. It’s likely to return though, as it now counts his campsite as a possible – although dangerous – source of food. The weather has been getting colder in the world, but the player is keeping warm by keeping close to his campfire, and equipping a large heavy cloak he made from a bear earlier in his life. Although the cloak offers great warmth and armor protection, the weight of it severely restricts the player’s agility. Given this player’s combat tactics, he prefers to use it only as a source of warmth at night. Severe wounds can leave scars, or worse if not treated properly. The player still has a large scar on his shoulder from his fight with a bear, which was a severe enough injury to leave a permanent mark.'' | ||
| − | + | After sealing the remaining meat and burying it in the ground, he pulls up under his shelter of sticks and woven grass. Pulling the heavy bear pelt around him, he hears the soft patters of rain as it gently swells over his roof, lulling him to sleep… | |
Latest revision as of 21:34, 21 October 2008
Gameplay
• Hunting, trapping, stalking, fighting, crafting, traveling, exploring, surviving, improving
• Find a partner to hunt with
• Find a mate
• Begin a family
• Grow a family tree into a tribe
• Befriend or even join an existing tribe
• Gain position in a tribe, defend against or lead raids on other tribes, expand
• Stay on the edges of societies as a robber, feeding off other’s success
• Create a homestead out in the wilderness with a strong advanced shelter, fire, tools, crops, etc.
• Wander across the world, sleeping wherever your feet stop.
• Survive in the harsh snow covered peaks, or the humid heat of the jungle
• Create an elaborate trap maze
• Make the clothing you find aesthetically appealing, the highest quality, the strongest, the warmest, of a particular species (wolf fur, etc.)
• Customize your tools and weapons with personalized carvings
• Maximize a trade skill, or many trade skills
• Maximize a statistic, or many statistics
• Fight a bear. Bare-handed. And Naked. And on the highest chilly peak. In winter. While it’s snowing. While injured.
Scenario Example
As clouds sift across the sky casting fluttering shadows through the leaves of the oaks, a hand raises up to gently press against the trunk for support. A face masked in mud peeks across a patch of weeds at a boar, rutting through a pile of rotting logs for insects to eat.
The player has been in stalking mode(shift), following a set of hooved tracks that show they are fresh.
Rolling his weight forward, the hunched figure gently places one foot in front of the other, slowly rising a shaft of wood sharpened to a point above his head. The beast snorts suddenly, pulling his head from the splintering logs and swivels his ears back. For a moment both the hunter and the prey are absolutely still, melding with the shadows of swaying leaves.
The player moves forward. In stalking mode, this is slow and cautious. As the player gets within range of the target, the character raises his weapon to indicate this. As the player nears his target there is a chance he will give away his position due to sound or sight (modified by gear, abilities, etc). Here the player gave away his position by sound, but as he reacted fast enough he wasn’t compromised.
As soon as the boar begins to turn, the man lurches to motion, sharply driving the spear down into the animal. The pig squeals as the tip dives through the corner of its front leg, and reels around to charge its attacker. Unable to recover quickly enough, the boar smashes hard into the hunter's leg, throwing him to the ground. As the boar circles around to charge its helpless victim, the man raises the spear at the last moment to skewer the animal through its chest.
The animal begins to move, so the player makes a heavy attack (using more of his agility), his cursor over the animals heart at the time. Following through the attack, and given the players skill level, the attack lands in the leg, instead. The boar retaliates against the player, who is off balance due to the heavy attack he just made. The animal is also wounded, but manages to hit the player hard in the leg, which will now hinder the player’s maximum agility, maximum movement speed, and will need to be treated later on. This “trip attack” knocks out the rest of the player’s agility, knocking him to the ground. The boar is turning to attack again before the player has time to recover his agility or get out of the way, so the player instead decides to attack from the ground (a risky maneuver, as if he doesn’t succeed he will be exposed to the boar’s attack). Luckily he hits it, and coupled with his first blow it is enough to stop the pig in its tracks.
He quickly looks around to see if any others from the pack had heard the noise, but hears nothing but the distant song of sparrows. Feeling uncomfortable, he drags the heavy corpse to the nearby stream, limping from his bruised leg. He skins and cleans the boar, scraping the fat of the animal across the hide and setting it next to the sand to dry in the sun. It's just the right size to make a pair of leggings from, and thick enough to cushion any future blows. Looking up at the sun, he sees he should get moving if he wishes to get back to his shelter before nightfall.
The player hasn’t been in these lands long, so he doesn’t know what might be waiting for him around any corner. Given the weight of the boar, it is something that must be carried separately and not just thrown into the backpack. This isn’t made any easier by the hampered movement from his injury. Animal parts will be vital to the player’s survival, both from food and from crafted items. The player plans of using the hide he carved to make leggings which will effectively protect his from other attacks (not to mention keep him warm). Every time the player uses a skill, such as the spear while fighting or his skinning skill, it slowly improves. The next time the player skins and tans, he’ll waste less leather, and the final product will be higher quality (each time it’s “processed” the quality lowers: from the original animal to the leather, from the leather to the items, and possibly from cutting up other items to make new items).
Just as the sun turns crescent red on the horizon, he hauls himself and the boar meat up to a small clearing. He cuts the meat on a plate of bark pulled off a tree, and already feeling the pangs of hunger he begins to spark a fire on the kindling that he had gathered earlier. Setting a hunk of meat on a stick next to the fire to roast, he takes a short walk back to the stream with a pair of buckets he hand-carved from the trees. At the stream, he inspects the bruise on his knee, and gently wipes it down with a handful of fresh water. The stoic figure pauses for a moment by the river to look down the trickling path, squinting into the crimson shine of the dying sun filtering through the leaves.
The player could have just taken some of the boar meat which would have fit in his pack, but as he is trying to keep all of it he still must “haul” it, carrying it over his shoulder. This can attract the attention of predators who might smell it, it slows the player, and it takes time to drop it and ready a weapon if attacked (it’s assumed anything in the backpack cannot be smelled, for simplicity). The player hasn’t eaten for a long time, and the character is starting to show symptoms; occasional dips in agility, grumbling, growling stomach, etc. The player sets some meat by the fire to cook (the best he knows how due to his skills) and goes off to refill his water supply, currently held with buckets the player crafted. At the river he uses his skill to treat his injury, but due to his limited inventory is limited to simply washing the bruise. Luckily, this is enough for the injury, as it wasn’t that severe. The player takes a moment to enjoy the majestic vista, then returns to camp.
He returns just in time to scare away a small weasel that was attracted by the smell of roasted food, and settles down next to the warm blaze as the cold night winds begin to blow up from the south. He pulls out a massive bear fur from his lean-to and wraps it around himself, thinking of the battle with the boar. He casually runs his fingers across a scar on his shoulder while he hungrily wolfs down his food.
The animals in the world are always acting and reacting in the world around the player, regardless of his intervention. Wolves will hunt deer, deer will graze on grass… The player can cause changes in the ecological landscape the same as any other large predator; he can overhunt, scare away game, disrupt animal trails… but he also presents a food source to the predators in the woods around him; either the food that the player has with him, or the player himself. The player returns to find a weasel attracted to the food at his campsite which is easily scared off. It’s likely to return though, as it now counts his campsite as a possible – although dangerous – source of food. The weather has been getting colder in the world, but the player is keeping warm by keeping close to his campfire, and equipping a large heavy cloak he made from a bear earlier in his life. Although the cloak offers great warmth and armor protection, the weight of it severely restricts the player’s agility. Given this player’s combat tactics, he prefers to use it only as a source of warmth at night. Severe wounds can leave scars, or worse if not treated properly. The player still has a large scar on his shoulder from his fight with a bear, which was a severe enough injury to leave a permanent mark.
After sealing the remaining meat and burying it in the ground, he pulls up under his shelter of sticks and woven grass. Pulling the heavy bear pelt around him, he hears the soft patters of rain as it gently swells over his roof, lulling him to sleep…
