Formalizing the Shopmap

Maggit rocks! :joy: Thanks.

Well, I plan on there not being any rusty weapons for sale on the shopmap at all. Frankly, I always thought that looked kind of foolish: why would a legitimate merchant peddle that junk? It seems more like stuff you'd collect from some RE with poorly equipped monsters.

Indeed, I plan on there being at least two of everything. And as many as eight of some of the most common things - longswords, long bows, etc. - that players may want to equip an entire 'theme' party with. We have to juggle two concepts with the shopmap: the appearance of a real merchant caravan, and functionality for player customization.

The idea as I see it though is that there simply shouldn't be low level PCs running around in typically higher level gear, whether the other PCs are naked or not. To do so disrupts game balance and progression balance. There's a reason why Troika didn't do that (and most other CRPGs don't), and I think our deviating from that course was a mistake that contributed to our current woes, both perceptually and practically. If you could start the game with Scather, that would have an undeniable effect on gameplay, and it seems no different to me for lesser but still overpowered items. Saying 'here's eveything you could ever want in the game' right from the get-go is like cutting your own throat in a way. You eliminate the thrill of level progression and the concept of PC 'achievements' - advance in level, get better gear, kick more ass. :shrug:

 

Update: Inventory Icons needed

For clothing:

• a proper icon for Cujo's pointed green hat (currently uses wizard hat icon)
• an icon that more closely matches the bright blue of the blue cape
• a proper icon for Cujo's black and yellow long coat (currently uses the grey robe icon. there already is an icon for the red and yellow version btw)
• an icon that matches the new and improved blue of HK's blue mystic garb
• a proper icon for the black dress (currently uses the black robe icon)
• a proper icon for the corset (currently uses the black robe icon)
• a proper icon for the oriental garb (currently uses the green elven chain icon)

For armor:

• a proper icon for red chainmail (we'll make the original the icon for our custom plain chainmail, since it's plain)
• a proper icon for fine chainmail (currently uses same old chainmail icon)
• a proper icon for golden chainmail (currently uses same old chainmail icon)
• proper icons for two additional variations of brigand leather armor (after a close look I've found that the brigand variations are basically black, grey, and tan. we'll use the existing icon for tan, because it looks tan, so we need new ones for black and grey)
• proper icon for what is now black banded mail (had been black studded leather but looked just like banded mail. currently uses regular banded mail icon)
• proper icon for druid hide (currently uses same icon as hide armor)
• proper icon for Cujo's scale mail variation (now called 'fine scale mail.' currently uses the regular scale mail icon. this is the armor that all sensible scale mail wearing babes use when they're feeling sexy - midriff baring)

 

My understanding is composite bows do not require a special feat though they did in 3.0 (and the game recognises this) so I agree they should only come in later (or I agree if other people say so - I have on various occasions bought my ranger a composite bow and a rusty bastard sword at the start, but it seems I won't have that option any more )

But I disagree on the 'double' weapons (which I take to mean the dwarven axe and the gnome hammer) and the repeating crossbow. Sure, they are rare, but the whole point of the caravan is to sidestep that bit of reality: people who only want to buy whats available in Hommlet can just start there. If a person burns a feat for those weapons and starts at the caravan, they should be able to get one.

 

I think I have to agree with Ted there to some extent - the point of the caravan from the get-go has been to allow for customization, not to dramatically portray what a real merchant caravan would be like. That's why I wanted to do away with the RP aspect.

But we still have the problem of providing PCs with overpowered weapons at the start though, so it's prudent to limit those regardless of how the caravan is being portrayed. This means the criteria have to be as stated above.

That said, I'm inclined to give a nod to RP when possible, so the rusty stuff and hyper-exotic stuff can sit this one out.

 

They'll get their gnome hooked hammer at the shopmap. Won't they won't get there is their katanas, Hatori Hanzo Steel, and ninja tattoos.

 

As long as 0rion's mistake of using Jaroo's loot chest as the inventory chest forhis shop I don't have a problem with this idea.

<Allyx shudders at the thought of 0rions "complete fixes">

 

FYI, I grouped all the needed icons listings into post #33 for convenience. (The red type there btw is to indicate what's done and not done, not to indicate "Hurry up!" )

I tried to do a couple of the simpler of these myself incidentally, but the graphics program I use can't handle the transparency aspect, so I'm SOL on that end.