Smuggler Archive

1. 3 spices per level Novice- spice 1-4 and Master for a total of 18 spices

• Double the "bump"


• double the duration


• cut downer time or effect in half?

Any thoughts

---

Mi-T-Feesh wrote:

Now with the change to the Combat Balance , and our Revamp coming afterwards
I have several questions

Will a "spam" spice be of any utility ?

---

As I understand the combat balance this is how specials will work as it relates to ham usage.

• Instead of specials reducing the amount of ham like damage currently does, specials will lower your maximum ham value without causing damage. To explain further: with the current system, if you have a max health of 100 (low numbers for ease of calculations) and you use a special for 10 health, you would then have 90/100 health or90% ofyour hit points. With the combat balance, if you have a max health of 100 and use a special for 10 health, you would have 90/90 health or 100% of your hitpoints though at a lower max value.


• Secondaries, such as strength, still effect how much ham is used for a special. To explain further: with the current system, your special uses 10 health as a base but you have enough strength to lower that by 10%. Your special now only uses 9 healthleaving you with91/100 health or 91% of your maximum hit points. With the combat balance, your special uses 10 health as a base but you have enough strength to lower that by 10%. Your special now only uses 9 health leaving you with 91/91 health or 100% of your maximum hitpoints though at a lower max value.


• Secondaries, such as constitution, are where the changeis really evident. These control the regeneration of health reduced by damage while your maximum value regenerates at a set rate which is much higher than the normal rate. To explain further: with the current system, your special uses 10 health leaving you with 90/100 health or 90% of your maximum hitpoints. Your health then regenerates to 100%of your maximum hit pointsat the rate dictated by your constitution. With the new system, your special uses 10 health leaving you with 90/90 health or 100% of your hitpoints though at a lower max value. Because your hitpoints are at 100% constitution does nothing. However, if you are hit for 10 health damage, constitution works like normal and regnerates your health to 100% of your hitpoints.

As you can see, under the new system, spam spices will still make a difference. In fact, I would say they make more of a difference since special use will lower your maximum values.

I'ld answer more but I'm getting really tiredand my thoughts are beginning to jumble. I'll beback after I sleep

Message Edited by Raanan on 05-12-2004 03:59 AM

Thats a great plan. Another thing I would like to see are spices for certain circunstances. Like Crafting Bonus Spice, or Mod Spices.

I don't believe that experimentation is necessary for spice to be a sellable item. It just needs to be better in it's unaltered form. All of the things you say should be experimented should just be made better in the base stats of the stuff so it's useful. Downer time isn't a huge problem because there's a food that reduces it. Since food is our biggest competition and what makes spice sell less, I'll use it for comparisons.

An example (numbers are examples as well for food as it's variable, which is why spice should be unexperimented, you always know what you're getting...):
- Garrmorl increases Health and secondaries by 250 for 45 mins and say you take 2 of them. Throw in 1 Accarragm to boost Action and secondaries for 300 for 45 minutes. You now have +500 Health and secondaries and +300 Action and secondaries for 45 minutes with no downer, and that fills your Drink meter.
- Neutron Pixie gives +1000 Health, +200 Strength, +200 Constitution, +500 Action, +50 Quickness, +50 Stamina for 10 minutes with a 3 minute downer.
That's not a bad comparison for stat bonuses (+2400 bonus from the food and +2000 from the spice, increase the Action secondaries to +100 each, and it would be better), and you only took 1 spice as opposed to 3 food items. The time duration is the real problem here. If the spice lasted for 20 minutes (or about half the time similar food lasts) with a downer of 3 minutes, it would be much better. Also, you could still take more food that uses the Food meter, so maybe allowing someone to be under the effects of 2 different spices at once would balance that.

Another example (again, numbers for food are examples):
- Synthsteak gives 25% damage reduction for 40 hits. No downer.
- Add a spice that gives 50% damage reduction for 5 minutes with a 1 minute downer (times can be adjusted, just an example) during which you are "Stunned". Higher damage reduction, and probably longer lasting (doesn't take long to get 40 hits on you). Has a rough downer, but not for too long.

Now, these are examples, but what would be best is for some spices to give benefits food doesn't. That would make both item desired by the community. If there's no "this food is better than that spice and this spice is better than this food", everyone has a valuable product. There's not much that one food or another doesn't cover, but there's some things we could come up with.

Example: There was mention of a Poison Mitigation Spice, so why not Melee and Ranged Mitigation spices. Those with one Mitigation or the other (or none) could use the spice to give them the other for a limited time. Or maybe it gives a bonus of 1 level if you already have that type of Mitigation (up to level 4 - 80%, which doesn't exist but spice could give that benefit to someone with level 3).

Anyway, just ideas.

Message Edited by DRWolfe on 05-12-2004 09:49 AM

I'd like to see the effects last longer and effects that are unique to spices. This is really the only way to make spice desirable and be able to compete against chefs and doc buffs.

Further, I'd like to be able to be able to take a lot of the same spice at once but perhaps taking too much makes you overdose...like an automatic incap or something.

Spice right now just doesnt appeal to the customers, keeping the downers is fine, but just make sure the positive effects are good enough to offset the negative effects or the spice market will never be there.

---

Raanan wrote:

---

Mi-T-Feesh wrote:

Now with the change to the Combat Balance , and our Revamp coming afterwards
I have several questions

Will a "spam" spice be of any utility ?

---

As I understand the combat balance this is how specials will work as it relates to ham usage.

• Instead of specials reducing the amount of ham like damage currently does, specials will lower your maximum ham value without causing damage. To explain further: with the current system, if you have a max health of 100 (low numbers for ease of calculations) and you use a special for 10 health, you would then have 90/100 health or90% ofyour hit points. With the combat balance, if you have a max health of 100 and use a special for 10 health, you would have 90/90 health or 100% of your hitpoints though at a lower max value.


• Secondaries, such as strength, still effect how much ham is used for a special. To explain further: with the current system, your special uses 10 health as a base but you have enough strength to lower that by 10%. Your special now only uses 9 healthleaving you with91/100 health or 91% of your maximum hit points. With the combat balance, your special uses 10 health as a base but you have enough strength to lower that by 10%. Your special now only uses 9 health leaving you with 91/91 health or 100% of your maximum hitpoints though at a lower max value.


• Secondaries, such as constitution, are where the changeis really evident. These control the regeneration of health reduced by damage while your maximum value regenerates at a set rate which is much higher than the normal rate. To explain further: with the current system, your special uses 10 health leaving you with 90/100 health or 90% of your maximum hitpoints. Your health then regenerates to 100%of your maximum hit pointsat the rate dictated by your constitution. With the new system, your special uses 10 health leaving you with 90/90 health or 100% of your hitpoints though at a lower max value. Because your hitpoints are at 100% constitution does nothing. However, if you are hit for 10 health damage, constitution works like normal and regnerates your health to 100% of your hitpoints.

As you can see, under the new system, spam spices will still make a difference. In fact, I would say they make more of a difference since special use will lower your maximum values.

I'ld answer more but I'm getting really tiredand my thoughts are beginning to jumble. I'll beback after I sleep

Message Edited by Raanan on 05-12-2004 03:59 AM

---

Thanks for the clarification , Raanan. I was always fuzzy on that aspect ( ok most aspects) of the combat rebalance.

My idea's are just that. Idea's I'm seeking to come up with a way of making the current system less ragtag and more concise. I'd love to get a whizbang , knock my eyes out new spice tree. But Thunderheart said as much as possible idea's that don't require them to "re-invent the wheel" ( i.e. take time to develop and code) would be more useful.

So perhaps change the spice types, I'd still want to lose the redunancies, and perhaps throw in some special. thats my thought.

I really like idea above for "naturals" spices with no kick or downer for a boost. I think that makes perfect sense for novice spice level, spices that give you oh, say a 200 point boost on either your health , action or Mind with a downer in name only...

Well, back to the grind