agaricus5 wrote:
Perhaps we should have a new type of file (maybe something like *dmc - DROD Monster Creation) to store coded data on particular features such as appearance, behaviour, uses, etc. and then by just placing them in a special folder where the editor can find the files, it can read it and allow you to use the \"creation\".
This is to allow users to customize and create monsters themselves?
There isn\'t anything wrong with this idea. I think DROD would probably be better with this feature than without. The trouble is that it would be months of work to code up something good and get it tested properly.
At the same time, the project is open source and open to including user-submitted patches. The most powerful tool for creating customized monsters is to get the source and write some C++ code. Admittedly, this is also very difficult for people to do if they aren\'t C++ programmers, but anything else that is provided to author monsters is redundant and less powerful.
You can get into different types of monster customization--they tend to lay at different points on the spectrum of ease-of-use and ability-to-express. I think some type of programming language is needed (i.e. like MESH) to do a good job of defining interesting behaviour for a monster, and writing that into DROD is a lot of work.
At the other end of the spectrum you can have a very simple, easy-to-use, non-programming interface. But I think the monsters possible with this interface are going to be samey and lack innovation, so the feature falls flat.
-Erik
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The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
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