Ranger Archive
Thread: Camps: A way to make them useful again!
Kaili
Tue Jul 13, 2004 12:11 am
#14
So are you suggesting to have the group waypoint for the camp up only if a Squad Leader is the leader of the group?
Owen-Lars
Tue Jul 13, 2004 12:37 am
#15
unprotected character were to accumulate battle fatigue (or something) when outside in one of these storms.
A very interesting point and one i fully agree with. I love the idea about setting up camps to stop the, lets say RAPID accumulation of battle fatigue during one of these events.
Perhaps these storms are so potentially hazardous that you can actually see the bf ticking up every other second. It would be up to the player to get out of these conditions fast. Various things would enable to player to resist this 'damage' by atmospheric conditions. These would be:
Tailor Monsoon/Sand Storm Clothing:
These clothing items like you said would decay repidly but also only provide minimal protection to a 'normal' player. The two types would be for their respective weather conditions and have looks accordingly. The monsoon kit would look like those plastic drapesthe soldiershad in Vietnam to protect from extreme weather conditions. The sand storm clothing would look similar to the tusken suits but more 'Arabic' in style. Basically a full body suit that gives minimal protection.
Ranger Storm Bunker:
This camp isnot a module and also does not have any module slots. It has auto-healing capabilities similar to a high tech camp kit, itallows entertainers to heal mind wounds and doctors to heal.
It looks like a small tent similar in size to the image design tents but with lower roof space with reinforced sides, it has an entrance at one endand outside it haswind shields on all sides, weather gauges, flappingrope and atrusty old swinging lamp 
As far as protection goes it provides immunity from environmental effects (acummulation of bf) aslong as the player is inside the tent structure.
Ranger Eniromental Resistance:
The ranger has spent years in the wild and his/her physical conditioning has developed certain resistances. These could be to poisons, diseases and bleeds but more specifically resistances to envornmental effects. A ranger's threshold for pain and effects is farhigher than most and thus he/she can withstand harsh conditions much better. The ranger will still accumulate BF but at an extremely reduced rate and if coupled with a tailor monsoon or sandstorm kit the ranger is more or less imune to its effects. This allow the ranger to hunt in all conditions without physical reductions.
How about this Jakkin?
Message Edited by Owen-Lars on 07-12-2004 08:40 PM
frightwig
Tue Jul 13, 2004 12:45 am
#16
Here's another reason I think the Camp Waypoint would be useful. Not only does it add more of a use for camps, but as Nanuu said, it's a great way rally point! Laying down a camp creates an instant waypoint, whereas the current option to get people to regrouped is to type out the waypoint in group chat. (This works if everyone sees it, assuming the group message wasn't quickly spammed off screen by combat text) There's always a chance of making a typo by doing that though.
If resource surveys, missions, and group "nearest mission" waypoints can be generated, it seems easy enough for the devs to have camps generate a temporary waypoint. Seems like the simplest thing we could ask for until an actual ranger revamp.
If resource surveys, missions, and group "nearest mission" waypoints can be generated, it seems easy enough for the devs to have camps generate a temporary waypoint. Seems like the simplest thing we could ask for until an actual ranger revamp.
Owen-Lars
Tue Jul 13, 2004 3:01 am
#17
Nice mate.
Its a good idea to have lots more effects but i was just concious of the fact most professions except ranger will not want all of these effects in. They could probly accept an accumulation of battle fatigue because it does not impact on hunting or anything, hower i think they will be resistive to beging blinded and stunned all the time, and taking double damage.
Perhaps battle fatigueaccumulation is also accompanied by wounds, say 1 persecond or something major where in a minute they would have 60 wounds going up and up. Wounds do effect combat prety much maybe this could offset the lack of double damage taken.
I like the blind and stun ideas btw, very apropriate, but would rangers still have the resists stated in my last post and would jakkin's monsoon and sandstorm clothing still be an option. Im just thinking about us if we were out hunting, we should be the only ones who could keep going and coupled with the hazard kit we should be imune to the effects.
Also on a harvesting front unless we were imune we would suffer badly as you cannot harvest whilst blinded. Its the most frustrating effect by far in my eyes and i go mad waiting 30 seconds to a minute for it to clear. Now imagine a 10 minute blind hehe, LOCK ME UP NOW!
Message Edited by Owen-Lars on 07-13-2004 11:01 AM
Nanuu
Tue Jul 13, 2004 6:18 am
#18
I agree. As good as the ideas sound, this would take quite a bit of engine work for such ideas to be implemented....in fact it's an overhaul on the games environmental system. I would try to keep the ideas simple and stick to CAMP effects PLAYER ideas rather than overhauling other systems. Think about how Rangers and their camps can be more useful without "nerfing" other non-ranger professions.
Owen-Lars wrote:
Nice mate.
Its a good idea to have lots more effects but i was just concious of the fact most professions except ranger will not want all of these effects in. They could probly accept an accumulation of battle fatigue because it does not impact on hunting or anything, hower i think they will be resistive to beging blinded and stunned all the time, and taking double damage.
Message Edited by Owen-Lars on 07-13-2004 11:01 AM
Message Edited by Nanuu on 07-13-2004 06:19 AM
Owen-Lars
Tue Jul 13, 2004 6:37 am
#19
Yeah although i do think the environmental system in swg needs a massive tweek so it 'feals' more like star wars. Atm you can go to any planet and its more or less the same, the mobs are just different.
It would be cool if these high level planets are actually hazardous and you cant simply go un prepared.
Perhaps the weather conditions could provide bf accumulation and woundage unless protected or in doors or in the ranger storm bunker. This would be the most simplest idea to implement and then the high level respective planets would have these effects: (all would have the same bf accumulation rate)
Dantooine: Monsoon: Similar to the monsoons they have now, and yes there are monsoons on dant but they are very rare, when they happen you cant see more than 5m in front of you, ive only ever been in 2 myself and i had my home on there for months.
Lok: Sandstorm: Similar to tat, maybethe same but wound rate increased
Dathomir: Electrical Storm: Mysterious flashes and crackles in the air lots of wounding
Endor: Monsoon: We all want it
Yavin: Monsoon: Same thing again, but i know i would love flash floods running down mountains to be part of the game 
Tatooine: Sand Storm: Same as lok with a little less wounding.
Rori: Monsoon: Ta rori too, similar wounding rate to tat.
Basically all the planets have the same high bf accumulation rate. Players can recieve minimal protection by equiping a storm kit clothing item (up to 33% reduction). Rangers have an 'always on' 67% resist to natural element effects at master ranger.A Master Ranger wearing a storm kit clothing piece is immune to its effects and anyone inside a ranger built storm shelter is 100% protected too.
This system would negatively effect on everyone but possitively effect the whole game. Groups will be warey of their suroundings after this, they will be worried if a storm is on the horrizon or the weather reports (available from npcs in caninas/taverns) say storms are inbound. Hazardous planets will be hazardous to visit, rangers would be welcome in groups, cities streets will be deserted during monsoon or sandstorms with players gathered inside houses and buildings sitting it out.
The atmosphere this feature would create would be truly impressive. Its would shape how groups are formed, how hunts are layed out and exploration will be truly fun.
Owen-Lars
Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:20 am
#20
Ok how about the looks and set up of this for the Ranger Storm Shelter.
Ranger Storm Shelter:
Basics:
- Available at Frontiering 3
- Requires Metal, Bone, Hide (fornice seats of course)
- Follows same guidlines as a normal camp (placement, duration etc)
- Has the same auto-healing properties as a high tech camp
- Has 0 Module Slots
Functions/Features:
- Allows shelter from extreme weather conditions such as monsoons, sand and electrical storms.
- Door opens and closes by accessing the datapad.
- When a player is inside the structure he/she is 100% protected from the element so doesnt accumulate wounds and bf
- Inside there is seats to fit 20 people in a large circle, stove/fire (visual) and perhaps later holo chess etc.
Images:
Screenshot of the outside of the Storm Shelter:
Storm Shelter SSDrawing of the overhead view inside the Storm Shelter:
Storm Shelter Overhead
Nanuu
Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:30 am
#21
I think this environmental talk, as it is a worthy concept, deserves its own thread.
Owen-Lars wrote:
Yeah although i do think the environmental system in swg needs a massive tweek so it 'feals' more like star wars. Atm you can go to any planet and its more or less the same, the mobs are just different.
It would be cool if these high level planets are actually hazardous and you cant simply go un prepared.
Let's stick to camps on this thread. What simple solutions can be proposed to make camps of different levels more useful?
Kachada
Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:36 am
#22
What simple solutions can be proposed to make camps of different levels more useful?
Have different kinds of camps that perfrom different kinds of functions. Diversity is the key!
Have different kinds of camps that perfrom different kinds of functions. Diversity is the key!
Owen-Lars
Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:41 am
#23
Let's stick to camps on this thread. What simple solutions can be proposed to make camps of different levels more useful?
Sorry hehe
Its just we got talking about ranger camps providing protection from the elements and an idea for a new ranger camp to fullfil this role, backing out the enviromental system was just so we would know how our Storm Shelter camp would work. Its was sort or a sub/semi on topic topic
I mean take a look at the camp idea above, that couldnt of been included if we didnt know what the environmental effects were
Owen-Lars
Tue Jul 13, 2004 8:43 am
#24
Have different kinds of camps that perfrom different kinds of functions. Diversity is the key!
A La Modular
(modular camps for those lacking in french accents heeh)
BabyRancor
Tue Jul 13, 2004 10:57 am
#25
See, this is why I love coming to the Ranger board. There are so many people that just want to make the game better.
As far as the coding Owen. Storms are supposed to give a penalty to hit. I don't know if they do and have never gotten around to testing it, but there are certainly in-game cues that could let the game engine know there's a visual effect occuring.
I know that this thread sort of derailed into talking about the weather system instead of camps, but the two do dovetail. While I really like Owen's suggestions about a storm-shelter camp, the fact is that would be an addition,involving new art and coding aspects that will not be available for a long time to come.
The camps that exist already have a healing mod applied, so a first step towards this vision that would also make all the existing camps have a purpose would be to apply that healing number as a damage reduction mod to environmental damage. This way there is a reason for people to pick up Scout or group with a Scout, and there is value to those who progress to Ranger ina group setting.
All proposals have a much better chance of being heard if they are non-labour intensive (uses existing code as much as possible) and/or have a wider effect than just one class (in this case solving a Scout / Ranger issue, a critical Tailor issue and adding immersion to the game as a whole).
The modular camp proposal is great - but it won't be touched until the "Ranger Revamp" is planned. The best option for fixes now are things that take minimal coding or can slip in with other revamps.
How about a natural fortification-type camp? Sort of like the hunting blind idea from way back when. A constructed fortification that can hold one person and provide defence against incoming fire - sortof like a personal shield generator that doesn't move. Something like this could feasibly slip into the GCW revamp.