Messages

46

Suggestions / Re: Containers update request

« on: September 15, 2017, 05:18:46 PM »

(I did reply to thread about this at bug reports, but let's cover it a bit more here.)

Yeah, it can be confusing that the contents are lost, even though that's how it's always been. I think for the next version we'll be adding at least a confirmation dialog to warn about losing contents if emptying is proceeded.

The reason why emptying containers hasn't been featured from the start is because the quantity and unit of the original items is lost when they are put in a container. 14 pinches of seeds come just a pile of seeds, and 7 perches become just a lump of perch when put in a bag. Getting the contents out could be featured so that you'd simply get "pile of salmon" or "pile of blueberries", but further utilization of those ingredients might cause conflicts elsewhere. To have containers remember the original quantity and units would need quite a bit of reworking the container code, and I haven't really found a good way to go about it.

Most units seem to have a set weight, though. (At least as far as those that are stackable-and-containable goes) Might be an option for the game to just look at the filled container's name to determine units of what item are in there, then take total weight, minus the weight of the container itself, and divide by the per-unit weight of whatever you have in it to calculate the number of units.

Dunno if that would be doable code-wise, but I suspect that would be an easier way to go about it than having the game remember the exact number of units stored in each (partially-)filled container.

EDIT: Wouldn't work for items that are always contained (e.g. everything created into a container), of course, like stews and soups and water and flour, since none of those exist outside containers thus lacking a "singular" base unit with a set weight. Salt pretty much falls in the same category although it's never generated/created by the user.

Then again, liquids are not something you should be able to take out of a container except by pouring it into another or dumping it anyway, and neither flour nor salt could be carried around 'uncontained' except in very small amounts (and even then you'd probably lose half or more of it due to it slipping through your fingers), so not being able to take those out of containers except by putting it into another container/emptying the container is actually sensible and realistic.

47

Solved'n'fixed bug reports / [Typo corrected - Persists in 3.40] Trap trigger message misses a word.

« on: September 15, 2017, 01:39:05 AM »

"You hear a trap being triggered the south-east."
Should be "You hear a trap being triggered in the south-east."

Probably the same for all other directions.

I'd post this in the typo/grammar-fix thread but it doesn't seem the new forums have one of those (yet?).

48

Development News / Re: Random little additions...

« on: July 23, 2017, 10:37:19 PM »

- added: winter skin/fur descriptor

        And as we know winter furs are more valuable, and it's been like that for a long time. Now there's finally
        also an indication of wintertime furs and skins within the item description.
        For example:
        "Fine winter fox fur" or "Poor winter bear-skin"

Any chance the same could be done for Kaumo furs? 

49

Suggestions / Re: Smoke From Fires Visible From Distance

« on: July 23, 2017, 10:13:11 PM »

Perhaps rather than have the smoke from fires always visible, have the game treat it like it treats human/animal tracks/presence; that is, a *chance*
*that the character sees/hears it unprompted;
*of the relevant icon being visible on the overland map (and when getting [l]ooked at, a relevant description popping up);
*that the character sees/hears it when "prompted" (that is, actively looking for such things through tracking),
with written descriptions hinting at the likely size of the fire and the overland map icon differing depending on the size of the fire?

E.g.
"As roaming ahead[,] something suddenly captures your attention.
You notice here/[to the -direction-] a thin wisp[/small spire/thick column/heavy cloud] of smoke." ([,] because the current used statement doesn't actually have a comma, but ought to)

and a similar description when using tracking on the overland map, like

"Using: TRACKING
You walk around a little looking for tracks...
You notice here a [thin wisp/small spire/thick column/heavy cloud] of smoke."

and the description when [l]ooking at a fire overland-map icon, something like
"You see [a little/some/a lot of] smoke in the distance there."

As for smoke attracting other humans, perhaps a radius surrounding the relevant overland-tile depending on the fire's size in which already-generated human NPCs have a heightened chance of being attracted? In other words, the smoke not actually *generating* NPCs to be attracted, but if already-generated human NPCs either already are in the relevant radius when you start the fire or pass through said radius while the fire is burning, there is an increased chance they'll head to your campsite?

Perhaps one overland-tile in all directions surrounding the fire-tile for smaller fires (fires lasting anywhere up to a couple of hours), three for medium fires (lasting less than a day) and five for huge fires. (lasting more than a day)

Many, many (smaller) fires should probably be handled differently--like torching a raided village; torching a forest to make room for farmland; anything resembling a wildfire--fires and smoke attract humans, yes, but if it looks like there's a rampant wildfire most folks will opt to head in the opposite direction.

In any case, those are details that would probably require testing by Sami to figure out what works.

Behaviour should probably also be dependant on the kind of NPC they are--townsfolk shouldn't all start heading over en masse to your camp two tiles away just because you're torching the stack of poor boards they weren't interested in. On the other hand, lost woodsmen looking for help would be rather strongly attracted to a campfire--perhaps even moreso than the hostiles.