Re: CF: Quest & Characters and Alchemy

["Doug wilder" <doug_wilder@hotmail.com>]

>An alchemist can probably be considered comparable to a pastry chef.
>
>The fanciest desserts require both technique and knowledge.  When
>someone is starting out then as he learns more then he learns
>to do.  So, for instance he can advance from cakes and figure out
>how to make brownies and pies.  Now he would have been able to
>make pies and brownies earlier if he knew the recipe for them as
>making them requires similar skills as making cakes.
>
>But, at the upper end of the scale there are techniques that he
>needs to learn from a master of that technique or he will probably
>never figure it out.  There is a technique called "pulled sugar"
>which one works with a particular sugar mixture at a particular temp
>which allows one to create sugar decorations that look like fine
>crystal.  It is something that a person could spend a lifetime
>figuring out the correct mixture, the correct temp, how to keep
>it at the correct temp while working it, how to properly work it
>(not too fast or too slow) and so on.  A person can also know
>now to make pulled sugar, but lose the feel for it and find himself
>unable to make it.  At which point he must be retaught if he is
>to make it again.
>
>With this in mind I have the following suggestions for how alchemy
>should be added the CF gameplay.
>1) An alchemist starts off basically able to do chemistry.  Take
>sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter in order to make an explosive
>powder.  Likewise able to make aspirin (mild pain reliever),
>knockout gasses and so on.  Advancing at alchemy should require
>spending lots of money for quality compounds and acquiring some
>alchemist books.  The actual advancement comes from successfully
>making the desired compound.  At this level the alchemist should
>have a "Lab stuff" item.  And presumably that item could have
>different bonuses depending on how well it was made and how much
>it has been used.
>
>2) As the alchemist becomes highly advanced in making chemical
>compounds then he starts realizing there are odd things happening.
>Sort of like how physics goes bizarre at the subatomic level.
>At this point the alchemist starts to realize that these items
>know as "Cauldrons" are not merely highly prized decorative
>cooking pots.  So anyway, the alchemist discovers he can carefully
>mix precise amounts of very pure compounds together in a calderon,
>cast a magic spell and the result is a magic potion or such.  The
>formula should be hard to acquire since the seller is reducing his
>income since he will not be able to sell his potions for as much
>when others can make it themselves.
>
>3) Alchemical formulas consist of not only the compounds and their
>amounts, but how once places the materials together and mixes them
>prior to casting the spell.  That explanation is to justify that
>there is a technique aspect of alchemy.  This is important since I
>strongly suggest that alchemists must reqularly be making each
>recipe or else find themselves unable to make it.  Thus, a factor
>in whether an alchemical spell over a calderon is successful should
>be how long since last successful at this potion (the end of an
>alchemical quest would be everything set up in the calderon for
>the casting of spell so the alchemist sees the compounds, how they
>are mixed and upon casting the spell, realizes what they make).
>Also, if the alchemist is unsuccessful at some later attempt at
>making the potion then that slightly decreases his odds of
>successfully making it next time.  This would be cumulative so
>that an alchemist could easily lose the touch for how to make a
>particular potion and need to relearn it again from some quest.
>
>This would seem to set up for interesting gameplay that doesn't
>ruin playbalance.  An alchemist could be quite powerful making
>potions as needed, but he'd really have to dedicate himself to
>getting the compounds and making potions or risk losing being
>able to make that potion.  So with the advantage of the skill
>comes the curse of having to maintain it.
>
>
>The above would be implemented presumably by alchemy formula
>being an invisible item containing attributes including:
>player's skill level at making this compound
>Last time successfully made
>Number of failures since last success
>total number success
>where formula acquired
>when acquired
>
>This invisible item could be given to the player upon entering the
>lab and then used when player casts the alchemy spell.  Various
>events such as mental impairments could cause the item to be
>removed from the player.  Item is removed when player's skill at
>this formula falls too low.
>
>-
This sounds good, BUT as far as game mechanics work this would cause you to 
have to include another character class called the alchemist. Which i don't 
think is the way the programs wish to take the game. I agree with most of 
what you say but keep in mind that under the present system part of the fun 
is when you die you lose part of your experience which is distributed 
between your skills. The way you would have it set up would have your 
experience points be added and subtracted at a much higher rate than is 
currently done and would probably cause a major rewrite of the game. Alchemy 
as a skill only gives you the ability to determine what the potion is and 
really doesn't give you any experience points for doing it. (a lot of the 
skills do that i.e jumping, woodsman) You just dont get experience points 
from these skills, I'm not saying whether thats right or wrong right now. 
Since all skills are based off of the main stat used, i think in this case 
INT, it falls under wizardy or mage which is where it gets most of the 
experience to boost the power. I can see making alchemy tougher by giving it 
its own classification.


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