I was thinking of ditching str,int etc as the prime attributes for character makeup. Instead i''d try and work out a way to use sight,smell,touch,taste and hearing as the attributes for a character. The player would use these attributes to work things out in the game like overhearing conversations or tasting ingredients or looking for things in the dark etc. Strength, intelligence would be secondary attributes that would be altered via implants. The 5 sences could also be altered via the use of drugs. And then atop this there would be skills and weapon use. I think this would help emphasis less combat and more dialog in the game although this was not the idea. What do you think would be the positive and negatives of this characterisation system? "So you're the one that designed that game are you?" *Gulp* "Umm, yeah"

Yeah, I like the idea. It would allow for a lot of interesting interactions w/ the environment. I can''t think of much to add though

"'Nazrix is cool' -- Nazrix" --Darkmage --Godfree

That really is a good idea, you''d have to think how to set it all up so there is actually a point to have say taste for example

the senses are Perception, that is they are passive. so you forget half of the abilities of a being. You still need to express in some way the ability to Emit.
Of course, I am biased as I still think the Simulacres system is cool. you have an Action or Perception Mean. You combine it with a Composant (Body, Heart, Mind, Instincts), and you can even refine more by using other Energies, or Realms (Mineral, Vegetal, etc).

5 senses is nice as it would be based around something very symbolic. But it''s not very useful in itself. Of course, if you could make those 5 useful in a game, you would have something cool there, but I''d bet you''d end up as a puzzle game, rather than something more generalist.

youpla :-P

It''s definitly not easy but he''s some thoughts off the top of my head:
Taste
- Would assist the character in not using drugs that could do harm.
- Detection of poisons
Smell
- Allow the character to predict danger
- Chemical aware
Hearing
- Gives the character balance
- Gives the player 3D sound
- Inititive in combat modifier
Sight
- Inititive in combat modifer
- More information about people you meet
Touch
- Accurate damage readings
- Allows the player to know what affects implants have on them.

That just some for now...

"So you're the one that designed that game are you?"
*Gulp* "Umm, yeah"

Uh, maybe I wasn''t clear as usual. I don''t deny the value of your idea. I am just saying : "why would you focus so much on this little part of someone ?".
Yes, I agree it would be nice to increase the importance of the 5 senses in a game, as it would offer some very cool game possibilities (that you list there).
But why restrict yourself to only that ? What about the 6th sense ? What about the rest of the character ?
Or maybe you could keep this idea, and add an ''active'' side to each sense ?
Hearing / talking ?
Touch / Strength ?
Sight / Dexterity ?
Smell taste ?
It''s really from the top of my head ... I am jsut trying to show you that even though the idea is a good one, you shouldn''t just keep it on its own. Why exchange a limited system for another one ? Just because it''s a cooler one doesn''t seem enough justification for me.

What these resolve to really depends on what types of gameplay you have in your game. But here''s some suggestions (limited to combat):

Hearing
-Detect Enemies On Level (maybe you can detect out in concentric
rings that decrease with distance)
-Define Detected Enemies (Uhhh... that''s a Dragon!!!)


Touch
-Vibrations? Tho'', this would just work out to be another enemy sense thing (for heavier enemies)
-Damage / Armor: If your damage model distinguishes between cutting or fire damage and all others, then you might have "SynthSkin Armor"
-Pressure Differential (Find hidden doors)


Taste
-Chemical composition
-Electromagnetic Detection (wet sensor )

Smell
-Second sight in darkness, blindfolded
-Atmosphere filter (breathe in poisonous environs)

Sight
-Detect Traps
-See Small Items (Inventory?)
-Light Amplification
-Wider field of view / perception (requires peripheral vision)


--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...

That''s really cool Wavinator The better your smell the sooner you become aware of poisons in the air. I was thinking that hearing would probably be better for fighting semi/blind. But it doesn''t matter, that list you''ve made there is very good and very thought provoking too.

quote: By ahw:
"why would you focus so much on this little part of someone ?".

It''s actually quite amazing that they are not common place on rpg''s these days. What''s a character without their senses? A robot is my answer

quote:
keep this idea, and add an ''active'' side to each sense ?

So the obvious route to working out how to do this is to look at ourselves i guess. We don''t think about using our senses though they are automated into our lives. So it''s probably time to rejudge to gameplay in order to provide a more interactive purpose the 5 s''s.

However, maybe i''m being a little short sighted. There are people who do deliberatly use there 5 senses manually (with a concious act behind them). People like detectives (all 5 s''s), manual labourers (touch and smell), doctors (sight and hearing), teachers and students (hearing), infantry (sight and hearing) etc etc.

So i guess that it makes sense (sorry about the pun) to make the skills in the game act as a way of allowing the player to deliberatly use there 5 senses. An implant doesn''t improve their skill, it just gives them a skill and the level the characters senses determine how good these skills are. It''s definity an option. This would allow eliminate the problem of working out if a skill is permanently learnt or part there of when an implant is removed.

Implant uses Sense.
No implant then no use of sense.
So no skill is usable.

It''s simple and easy for the player to understand which is good too. And for those who must know more then they can go online to the website and find out the in''s and out''s of this system (background info).

The senses can still have there own purposes as well just like Wavinator and i have been discussing. This is getting really good, the senses have a lot of purpose. COOL! Thank god this is starting to pull together at last.

I wonder if i could invent a new sense no ones heard of before, ah that might be biting off more than i can chew

"So you're the one that designed that game are you?"
*Gulp* "Umm, yeah"

Hearing could also be used for Thieving skill''s e.g. Lock Pick, Sneaking around.

Sight could be used for just about everything. Especially battle.
You can''t hit what you can''t see. Sight = Accuracy

Just my 2Cents

quote: By DarkAngel16
Sight could be used for just about everything. Especially battle.
You can''t hit what you can''t see. Sight = Accuracy

I can''t explain why but there''s this little voice telling me to make sure that each sense has a balanced usage to each other. Probably because the player will be able to alter them from time to time and if there''s "One Major Sense" then this could make the game become 1 tracked. I makes sens.. *ahem*

"So you're the one that designed that game are you?"
*Gulp* "Umm, yeah"