Topics

1

Suggestions / Simplifying keystrokes?

« on: February 13, 2021, 11:53:12 PM »

So, as a longtime player, I'm used to using the keyboard commands, but sometimes they require more fingerwork than feels comfortable when doing things repetitively, and it gets tiring.

One example is the Look command, because the situation in which I commonly use that is when I'm wandering around villages looking for something to buy. Its simpler than it used to be, because now you can select a target and then move the target on to the next item, and the next. But, I'm still moving my right hand up from the arrow keys to the L key; so there's still a tendency of me just wanting to move over the items to see what they are instead of using the Look command, because that would require me to lift my fingers up.

It would be a lot simpler, say, if I could press something close to the arrow keys, like the Shift key. On my keyboard, Shift is close to both the arrows and the numpad -- so, using either, I could pivot to Shift without much tedious fingerwork. Another possibility is using the Space key, because even though its not next to either the arrows or the numpad, I can at least use it with my left hand, and don't need to move my right hand. My preference for this kind of quick access is the Shift key.

In any case, this would be "Look mode".

Then, from there, it seems to me you can simplify some other common activities. For example, there are common reasons you would want to look at an NPC or animal: to determine who to talk to, or determine who to attack. It would simplify things greatly if once the Info Box came up with the description of the NPC or animal you're looking at, you could press the commands to chat (C) or attack (1 or 2 or T for throw) immediately, without having to retarget the NPC or animal, by pressing Esc, then pressing Esc again, then C or 1 or 2 or T, and then Enter a second time. Or if not at the Info Box, then at the targeting cursor. This would get rid of one or two keystrokes.

You would of course have to determine for directional attacks whether the target is next to the player. If that's done, though, he same mechanics could also apply to things like picking up or moving things, though. So you could go into Look, and if you find the right pile of things, you can then press the , key to pick something up without exiting Look first.

These are just my suggestions, but I think they would reduce hand fatigue.

2

Suggestions / Ambient wildlife

« on: February 12, 2021, 09:32:48 AM »

All of the birds in the game right now are birds that are good for hunting or foraging. That makes sense, since a good part of the game centers around doing those activities.

However, something I enjoy in UrW is just the feeling of wandering in the wilderness, so I think I'd also enjoy seeing birds that aren't what you'd call "useful" to me as a player, but would add to the ambience of the game, such as songbirds. So lets say I wake up at my cabin for a day of fishing, and there's a warbler on my fence singing. Or its just finished raining, and because the ground is muddy, there are birds out looking for worms. And because different birds have different distributions in Finland, I'm guessing that you'd be able to tell what region you were in just by what birds were around and what songs they were singing.

While all of this is probably something that could be done with ambient sounds, too, I think it would add to the game to be able to see them. Besides just the enjoyment of the visual aspect of seeing the songbirds, it would also make it seem less like everything that's in the game is just there as a matter of instrumentalism, as a means to an end, so you could feel like you were in a living breathing world. They would naturally also be more common than game birds, and more commonly keep that sense of a living world in your game experience.

Of course, I wouldn't necessarily expect a small songbird passing by to pause tasks the way the game normally does when animals come into your view. Since they'd be there more for the ambience, the game could assume you'd ignore them.

They would also be prey I assume for predatory birds like owls and goshawks, and you could see them being caught.

I assume there would also be a lot of other small animals, like snakes and toads and field mice and so on, that would be between tall grass or lake reeds or sedge, and would have the same purpose. (And of course these have had a role in magic lore, so they might have that added use).

3

Off-topic / Swedish archaeologists uncover remains of 8,400-year-old dog

« on: September 24, 2020, 03:37:23 AM »

"The remains of a dog dating back several millennia have been uncovered at a pre-Viking era burial site in Sweden, making it the oldest such find in the country.

The dog was discovered at an Iron Age burial site in Blekinge, southern Sweden, along with what archaeologists believe are grave goods – valuable or sentimental possessions buried with the dead.

"This is the oldest burial find of a dog in the country. The dog is well-preserved, and the fact that it lies buried in the middle of a stone age building is unique," said osteologist Ola Magnell."
https://www.thelocal.se/20200923/remains-of-8400-year-old-dog-uncovered-in-sweden

4

Suggestions / Leucism, etc.

« on: November 14, 2017, 10:22:05 PM »

There was a post on this on the old forums, about occasionally finding animals with some sort of pigmentation disorder like leucism, melanism. You would then be able to obtain a fur from them that would be very valuable.

Thought I'd bring it up again after seeing a story about a white elk making news in Sweden

https://www.thelocal.se/20171114/swedes-rally-to-save-famous-white-elk-from-being-shot

5

Suggestions / Corpses

« on: November 06, 2017, 09:20:22 PM »

I know that corpses will attract scavengers, but wouldn't they also be effective in warding off certain types of animals who see it as evidence that there's a threat in the area ?

Just the same, I was thinking about what the effects of leaving Njerpez corpses outside the perimeter of your home would be? Would they scare off Njerpez, and ward them away? Or would they come and investigate? What of the same with foreign traders, adventurers, huntsmen, and other types of NPCs?

It might be worthwhile just to put in a little game logic around how animals and NPCs react to the presence of corpses, jut to make things more interesting and create more depth and emergent behavior.

It would also be interesting to be able to get animal skulls and the like, and skulls from Njperpez you killed for the same purpose (see the thread on the old forum with sprite graphics for skulls, bones, organs, meats). Even putting severed heads on pikes, which is a bit outside of the "normal" gameplay of UrW, and which I wouldn't do myself, but in my view anything that adds to realistic player options in the game's world makes it feel more immersive.

6

Suggestions / Scene pics for time of day

« on: September 27, 2017, 10:13:13 PM »

Currently, if you go into a pine mire at midnight, you'll get a photo of a pine mire in broad daylight. I think it would add to the game if the photos reflected the time of day somehow...

So we could have pictures of certain biomes in twilight hours (maybe with sunset/sunrise), at night, etc.

And it would still be nice I think to see the character pics with some transparency so it could be placed on a type of background representing the biome of the scene you're in.

7

Suggestions / More kinds of structures

« on: September 27, 2017, 04:22:49 AM »

I was reading the thread about bridge-building, and it brought to bear for me the fact that the world of the game would be a lot more interesting if there were kinds of structures other than just villages.

For example,
- Primitive bridges
- Hill forts
- Burial grounds
- Giant's churches
- Various forms of cairns
- Ceremonial/sacrificial sites
- Quarries, iron foundries

As far as hill forts go, I was also reading about the Old Castle at Lieto, and about how there would have been a watchtower, and it also made me think back to the issue of multi-story buildings.

Something that's currently not listed on the long term development plans, but I would certainly like to see as a player, is a revamp of the game system for creating interior spaces. So for example, on houses, this would mean that when you see a house from the outside, you see the building height, the roof on top and smoke from the chimney. You go inside, and you see the floor you go in on, and then can go up and down floors if its multi-story. You could even go down into cellar basements. Sort of how old isometric games like Ultima VII handled it. This would also lead to a better game system for caves, because they could actually be inside mountains and hills rather than inside a group of stones.

While I'm guessing this is definitely require major work compared to other game features, I think it would be something worth seeing.

Also, I don't know if any evidence of this exists for Iron Age Finland, but I know that in other areas, there were stone buildings in forts.

In general, I think the more that there's variety in structures, the more there will be a feeling that you're in a world with a history, and that would also tie into quests and things like that.