Searching for Star Wars RPI

Ganymede

@faraday said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

Obviously I didn't spend a lot of time polishing it up. You'd have to add special handling for step 1/2 (because they work weird) and for karma and some error checking, but it's got the basic mechanics down.

Thank you.

Now, a chargen, please. Chop chop.

(Hey, whatever works, right?)

(Thank you!)

Jennkryst

But @Ganymede, this is the thread to make them code stuff for Star Wars: Spehss Biznitches.

faraday

@Jennkryst Since I felt guilty for taking the thread on an Earthdawn tangent, here you go: FFG Roller

But to illustrate my point - doing the die rollers in both Earthdawn and FFG took about half an hour each. Doing chargen or an advanced system like combat/space/econ? Many many hours. (So, no, not something I do for a random fun challenge, sorry @Ganymede :))

Dice are pretty easy to model on a MU because there's (usually) a pretty clear algorithm. Roll (something) (some number of times) and (add/subtract/whatever the results). Tabletop chargen/combat/etc. on the other hand aren't very MU-friendly because they have all kinds of special cases: "If you're an elf, you also get..." or "Pick three of these but not that..." or "And if it's raining and you're standing on your head then it's a -2 modifier..." and so forth.

It can be done (witness @Thenomain's WOD code or the various Star Wars/Shadowrun games that have come and gone), but it's a big undertaking and usually requires some compromises on the rules to make them work on an online game. I mean, ultimately that's why I created FS3. I wanted something that was designed from the ground up to work well on a MU and be easy to code. (Side note: Since the mechanics are designed for a computer, it would be just as awkward to do FS3 combat on tabletop as it would to do Shadowrun combat on a MU.)

Ganymede

@faraday said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

But to illustrate my point - doing the die rollers in both Earthdawn and FFG took about half an hour each. Doing chargen or an advanced system like combat/space/econ? Many many hours. (So, no, not something I do for a random fun challenge, sorry @Ganymede :))

Clearly. I'm trying to use my Force Choke command on you, and it's not working.

Tinuviel

@Ganymede You're gripping the wrong bit.

Misadventure

Now I need an adult.

Ganymede

@Tinuviel said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

You're gripping the wrong bit.

That's not what he said.

Jennkryst

I feel chargen would be super easy if you don't code in all the prerequisites... just let the players fill everything in manually, and then staff combs it for accuracy after. It's not shadowrun or rifts, here.

Thenomain

@Jennkryst said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

I feel chargen would be super easy if you don't code in all the prerequisites... just let the players fill everything in manually, and then staff combs it for accuracy after. It's not shadowrun or rifts, here.

This is a 100% valid way to do it. This is how we did it in WoD, and some people still do. There is nothing wrong with it, the question is always where to put the bulk of the work. On players? On staff? On code?

In my [incoherent mumbling] years of coding chargens, I can follow a fairly steady path of that. Game opens, players join, staff discovers that they have to either focus on players or on administration, staff asks code to take work off their plate.

This is the way it should go, IMO. But then I see this happening:

Staff takes on extra responsibilities via house rules, mini-games, and character actions; staff discovers that they have to either focus on players or on administration; staff asks code to take work off their plate. Repeat.

I can't blame anyone for doing this. People have ideas, people want their ideas to be fun and cool and add to the game. Since this is a hobby, people aren't thinking, "I'd better do some kind of analysis to see how this would affect things including my own time and the time of those around me."

I can't blame anyone for doing this.

But this is why occasionally, someone sits down and says, "You know, I know this. Let me create, from scratch, a system that will answer some of the most common problems that will come up if we get even moderately popular."

Many, many thanks and adorations to staff who are willing to deal with the problems of imperfect systems as they come up, and calm the player down when it doesn't give them precisely what was promised to them. Just as many thanks to the players who are okay with this.

Ganymede

@Thenomain said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

This is a 100% valid way to do it. This is how we did it in WoD, and some people still do. There is nothing wrong with it, the question is always where to put the bulk of the work.

Will you make an Earthdawn chargen for me? @faraday is being mean.

Thenomain

@Ganymede said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

@Thenomain said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

This is a 100% valid way to do it. This is how we did it in WoD, and some people still do. There is nothing wrong with it, the question is always where to put the bulk of the work.

Will you make an Earthdawn chargen for me? @faraday is being mean.

You lie; @faraday is physically incapable of being mean.

Ganymede

@Thenomain said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

You lie; @faraday is physically incapable of being mean.

As the only robot-lawyer here, I am the only person physically incapable of being mean, pursuant to Asimov's laws.

Thenomain

@Ganymede said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

@Thenomain said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

You lie; @faraday is physically incapable of being mean.

As the only robot-lawyer here, I am the only person physically incapable of being mean, pursuant to Asimov's laws.

Checking the Three (or Four) Laws of Robotics, I don't see anything in there about a robot not being mean. Also, you break the 2nd Law pretty much constantly. Therefore, not only can you be mean, but you do not even follow Asimov's laws, QED.

Ganymede

@Thenomain said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

Checking the Three (or Four) Laws of Robotics, I don't see anything in there about a robot not being mean. Also, you break the 2nd Law pretty much constantly. Therefore, not only can you be mean, but you do not even follow Asimov's laws, QED.

No. You're wrong. The Russians said otherwise. I'm not taking any questions from you any more.

Thenomain

@Ganymede said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

@Thenomain said in Searching for Star Wars RPI:

Checking the Three (or Four) Laws of Robotics, I don't see anything in there about a robot not being mean. Also, you break the 2nd Law pretty much constantly. Therefore, not only can you be mean, but you do not even follow Asimov's laws, QED.

No. You're wrong. The Russians said otherwise. I'm not taking any questions from you any more.

Holy shit, Vladimir Putin is the anti-Asimov!

Jennkryst

Followup question: if we buy you pizza, will you code all of the chargenz?

Bossmek

Star Wars AoA is actually moving into a post Episode 9 era, aiming to have overall plot be heavily player driven and with options for Jedi/Sith to be available to players.as well.

http://www.swaoa-mush.com/wiki/Main_Page

swaoa-mush.com port 5500

Pop on, page staff - folks are generally happy to help.

Warma Sheen

6 years later!?! ROFLMAO

fairyknifefight

@Warma-Sheen

After the mass exodus due to the dude posting they're tugging at any thread to try and pull in new players lmao

Templari

This post is deleted!