Hi Dark,
True enough. Obviously your Mutants and Masterminds game is a more
complex game where there are lots of different stats to keep track of
and much harder to put into a gamebook in a satisfactory way as you
pointed out. However, the point still stands that generic stats don't
necessarily apply to each and every game out there so its up to a
creator to come up with rules, skills, and stats on a per game basis I
think.
Lastly on the scripting angle right now I'm looking at Python as my
generic gamebook/text adventure language at the moment. Even for
something like writing your typical Infocom type adventure I have
found Python well suited to the task. Oh, I've tried Adrift, Inform,
Tads, etc but Python struck me as the happy balance between the power
of a fully functional programming language and ease of use. Python is
light on sintax so its easy to pick up and learn. Its cross-platform,
and all the documentation is free. Programming doesn't get much better
than that.
For example, lets assume I want to print a intro to my new altra cool
text adventure there really isn't much to it in Python. Its so simple
that it is not much more difficult than writing the text up in html.
def GameIntro():
#Write intro message to the screen
print "Long long ago\n"
print "in a galaxy far far away\n"
print "the heroic Rebel Alliance continues their\n"
print "struggle against the Galactic Empire.\n"
print "Meanwhile the rebel leader, Princess Leia, hurries home\n"
print "with the secret plans of a new Imperial super weapon\n"
print "known as the Death Star.\n"
print "It is feared that this new super weapon\n"
print "may bring an end to the Rebbel Alliance and all they stand for.\n"
#Prompt the player to press return
raw_input("Press return to continue:\n")
#End function
As you can see Python is well suited to quick and easy programming on
the fly. Unlike say C or C++ there is a minimal amount of extraneous
syntax like braces, brackets, semi-colons, and what not which makes
Python suited for exactly this kind of game. Oh, I still love my C and
C++, but why do that when Python can do the same thing with half the
effort required?
Basically, my point is when or if you ever choose to start programming
Python might be a place for you to start if you are thinking of
programming text adventures, gamebooks, or an all out RPG without too
much coding involved.
Cheers!
On 8/16/11, dark <d...@xgam.org> wrote:
> Hi Tom.
>
> what you say about programming makes sense, and that might actually be
> something I'd look into when my phd is finished, sinse creating an rpg has
> always been a desire of mine.
>
> for superhero powers though, I'm afraid mutants is precisely the sort of rp
> system that can! handle just about any power from super strength, to magic,
> to super science.
>
> it has rules for creating a generic close or ranged, attack and fitting it
> with an element or an effect if needed.
>
> For instance, my characters' powered armour has lasers which are simply a
> standard ranged attacked at one targit that do the full degree of my
> characters' damage.
>
> Another character in our party is the reincarnation of a god of sunlight.
> She has a blast of light attack. This is not as damaging as my lasers, but
> has a dazle effect, and also sinse it's a blast of light can affect shadow
> based creatures.
>
> another of our party is a half fae, and she has a bow which she uses to fire
> arrows.
>
> all of us derive our powers from different sources, but mechanically, all of
> the attacks can be classified as ranged attacks against a single targit
> doing different sorts of damage and different sorts of effects, ---- heck my
> armour also has several ranged attacks itself, going from a dimentional
> cannon that can affect insubstantial creatures, to a scope which does less
> damage but has a greater chance of hitting, ----- then I have enhanced
> strenght and can always punch or grapple people too!
>
> As you might guess, i'm prety much the group's main fighter, though other
> people have skilsl like healing, magic rituals, mental manipulation and
> such.
>
> My point however is that actually a full system could be created that could
> handle spells, super powers or whatever, but it would be a hugely complex
> thing to do, ---- mutants afterall is a pretty complex rp game and you
> probably couldn't put the mechanics into a gamebook in a satisfactory way.
>
> Beware the grue!
>
> Dark.
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