some old ideas needing implementations

[Legacy_Calgacus]

               I make logic puzzles for NWN and need a way to import them into the game from a database file and incorporate them into convo files.  Also the players answers to the puzzles needs to be validated.  Each puzzles consistes of A)a description of story and a variable number of clues and C) a solution.

All the parts of the puzzle need to be incorporated into various NPC convos except the solution but that still needs to be validated against when the player tries to answer the puzzle.

Here is an example of the puzzles:
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Theme Name and Puzzle Id: Dragon Slayer 2219
Introduction: The dragon Vesuvius must be slain. The previous adventures who tried knew something of how it could be done. Each had possessed one magic weapon, each of which must now be used to kill the dragon. Each ghost had been a notorious adventurer(Darth,Henrak,Lucone) and in life each ghost had a magic weapon (arrow,halberd,spear) each weapon has special kind of magical effect(cold,shock,stun). Each weapon must be used in its sepcific order. The ghosts of the previous would be dragon slayers, trustworthy all, made statements. Deduce the method of killing the worm.
Clues
The spear was not used by Lucone.
The spear must be used before the halberd.
Darth's weapon must be used after the weapon with the stun effect.
The spear was not used by Henrak.
The weapon with the cold effect was used by Henrak.

See more samples on my website at http://thelogicpuzzles.hobby-site.com/ and select the Dragon Slayer theme.
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So imagine a mod with lots of these puzzles and each NPC gets different clues for various puzzles.  Eventually  the players finish the mod and then would like to play again with new puzzles in the mod so they just download another puzzle database, drop it in the database directory and thats it they are off to the races to replay the same mod but with new puzzles!  That is the basic goal here and the main idea I wated to discuss.

That said there is a related idea here, the idea that the player must also sometimes give a clue to get a clue - hence the players are in a race to solve the puzzles first - like in the board game Clue.  But not just in multiplayer games, in single player too.  Hence I'll need a system which can run the NPCs intelligence, maybe something simple like once an NPC gets all the clues they get a chance per hour to figure it out.  Once they do they teleport to the place they need to be or whatever.  Then the question of whether or not the PC can lie to them and how that would play out (hurt reputation, kill chance to get info from that NPC later, etc).

But also, since the puzzles change then maybe the role of each NPC can change too.  For example sometimes an NPC will be allied to Boss A and other times to Boss B - the players will have to wonder.  Another layer of intrigue. When the players give info to an NPC they also give it to the Boss the NPC is allied too.  Each may be trying to be the first to solve a puzzle - or to prevent it from being solved.

Further in this line variable NPC identity questions can vary with each play through - secret identities, double agents and such. 

Anyhoo, I'm rambling now.  These are some ideas I've had for years and never got around to implementing (except the puzzle generator which I have working and a labyrinth mini-game also working in NWN  but not released though a web version is up at http://wonderland.ho....com/HedgeMaze/ ) so I thought I may as well throw them out there to see if anyone else is interesting in working with me to get these things off the ground.   I'm more interested here in making some good systems that others could incorporate into their mods than in making my own mod.  

Anyone want to talk about this stuff or get involved? Good idea, bad idea, done aready?  what do you think?
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Calgacus, 25 juillet 2010 - 06:40 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Fester Pot]

               I like how you describe this system but I'm unable to get to your sites. Both are down, although when I do a search via Google for them, they are listed.



FP!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_TSMDude]

               If you set each answer to a given variable and let the area randomize it on enter so people coming in would always have something different to look at.

2 scripts I would look at that can be adapted for you very easily would be found on the vault and could be good starting points or ideas to look at.

One is the Riddler by Bloodsong and the other is a Puzzle Traps I think it is called and I forget who made them. Both are excellent even if for just as examples.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Calgacus]

               Fester, my sites should be back up now, my router seems to have been down this morning,  not sure why but the connection came back online by itself eventually.

TSMDude,  thanks I'll check them out.  

Yes area reuse is something I've been thinking about too, I'd like to make a mod with a loads of them,see if I could make the setting seem epic in scale so the player would walk around all these areas getting clues to find the place he's looking for -eg  the place you want is east of the the dragons egg, the place you want is north of the waterfall etc.

I guess I'd have to make up regions of similar area types - a forest , a city etc.  might be interesting but one problem is I'd probably have is - too many area transitions between fairly small  places, which would be a drag for the player.