Power Creep

Was bit overly hyped about this project yesterday, and was pondering on what else could be implemented, if a prototype was made (which is something that's outside my expertise--unfortunately). One thing stood out, right from the very beginning, was the old phenomena of Power Creep. [The stuff that grows on you, when you solely design a system, based on ever increasing numbers.] Clearly, in a loot based game, it cannot be avoided, right? Well yes and no . . . unless you give it some time and some thought. In fact this has been done many times before: just look at D&D, or similar games. And that is exactly what would happen with EOTH as well. The number crunching would be divided into several parts, making it harder for those pesky-little-numbers to grow out of control. This way, hopefully, your gear would make more sense, and would not become as easily obsolete--as the game progresses. This would also mean that--mostly--only you will level up, giving additional edge to your damage, and so forth . . .

Gear, Loot and Drops #D&D

This ties into the next thing: having set levels for items. Meaning, a certain type of weapon will have a certain attribute associated to it, regardless you've found it in early game or not. [Based on their material type, craftsmanship and additional modifiers.] Also, this gave me an interesting idea: Mr. Brevik talked about the fact that they wanted to use mob drops in Diablo 2, but was ultimately scrapped in the end. This sounded just like the thing I needed, in order to balance out the lack of "traditional" [excel spreadsheet type of] variables. You'd be able to use the bits-and-bobs that enemies leave behind, for your concoctions. [Potions, magic, enchanting, etc.] Of course, it wouldn't become a gore-fest, more like a curated version of it, combined with similar crafting I've seen in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. [Gathering and making your own ingredients, then combining them in a sort of realistic way.] This would also pave the way for a full blown Alchemy system . . .

PS: Would also tinker with different ways to determine an enemy's attributes. Would be fun to experiment, lets say with hit points, if they were based on volume (and area of surface). [As a standard.] Or having the ability to differentiate between the different type of damage. [e.g.: Piercing, bludgeoning, etc.]

Eccentric Design

Forgot to mention last time that there would be another map feature in EOTH: It would deploy a more Eccentric Design philosophy. Zones, dungeons, and quests would be laid out as see fit, rather than progressively further from your initial starting point. Of course, some locations would be warned ahead of time (by NPCs and such), but others would be kept a secret [Or be gated behind quests.]. Think this non-concentric (non-onion layout) would benefit more in the risk vs. reward department. [Where you'd never know what might be lurking nearby, when exploring, giving you a sense of genuine discovery.]