Dear Dredmorians, I present here for all to see the following decrees and suggestions: 1. Make Gems more useful by allowing the following two mechanics: a. Create an item called "duct tape" and allow for heroes to use duct tape + gems to add "+1" abilities to items and armor. Each gem could correspond to various properties and can be socketed...I mean duck-taped...to various bits of armor b. Allow gems to be thrown to a space within the visible radius around the character. When monsters see the gem on the ground they go "ooooh, shiny!" and run towards it...providing a form of crowd control. 2. In general, steal an idea from "100 Rogues" and let all items be "throwable". Most items could be thrown for minimal damage, while others could have funy, devastating, and generally hilarious effects when thrown. This would make it that no item in your inventory was ever truly useless, since you could at least throw it at an enemy to deal damage or create an effect. 3. Allow armorers to create rings and trinkets that are at level 3, 4 and 5. Currently rings top out at level 2 and I think this is a missed opportunity. 4. Bridge building - create a skill in an existing skill tree or new one that lets characters construct small bridges (out of sticks or something) letting them cross over areas such as lava and water 5. Ensure craftable items sell for more than their individual parts. For example, crafting a ring from various metals often results in a ring that sell for less than the metals. This doesn't provide any reward/incentive to learn higher level crafting skills to earn money. Seems like a relatively simple math fix. I could be totally wrong.
Hi Ocelot, I like 1a, seems funny, and because gems were always special in roguelikes I played I collect them... but usually end up selling them anyway (right before I get a recipe that enables me to do things with it heh). Of course it should not upset any balance so the +1 should be fairly weak or duct tape fairly hard to make. I like 1b too, but it could become 'too powerful' maybe, especially since once you have 1 gem you can do this infinite times. Maybe offset this with a random chance the monsters chew up/dissolve/break the gem (method of destruction dependent on the monster). About 3, there are higher level rings in the game as recepies. 4, to me personally, doesn't seem all that useful: there's 2 teleport spells, a teleport potion, a leap ability, and probably some other ways to get across I forgot.
Thanks for the comments Godwin! Regarding 1b, I definitely think the gems should have a chance of being stolen, disappearing, etc. Agree with you about number 3 - just found a recipe for a ring at level 4...but man are they tough to find. Would be nice to start with a few higher level recipes. You are probably right about 4. Would be cool if the ladder let you instantly go up a dungeon level in addition to the other affect.
I really like 1a, a clever implementation of enchanting in many rpgs. 3: The game does need some more ring recipes. But there's almost always new recipes with every patch so who knows. 5: Agreed with this, of course.
I'd also like to suggest that crafted items be uncraftable. There's nothing more frustrating than needing an iron ingot and having 4-5 iron axes/swords/maces instead. You should be able to put almost any weapon or armor into the smelter and/or ingot grinder and then smelter and have the result be an ingot -- even if it's just one.
You know, that could be a cool crafting skill altogether too. Disassemble equipment for mats and general items.
I have definitely felt quite often that it would be great to "uncraft" items and get the mats back...especially early in the game. I think after level 5 or so, you could be "swimming" in mats. In my current game, while on level 6, I have already crafted all the level 5 weapons and equipment that I have recipes for and that fit with my character. I'm not wandering around the dungeon hoping to find a useful recipe. So if they do add an "uncraft" skill, it would need to be balanced so that it is not overpowered in the beginning yet underwhelming near the mid to late game. Quite a challenge i think.
Not sure what i think of the ideas, but gems have very little use now. I would prefer they be MUCH rarer and then have decent vendor value.
