The Cornucopia

[trollson]

This is an example of a powerful artifact for EL; unique in that there can only ever be a single instance of it in the game, and intended to effect guilds rather than an individual. I previously raised the idea of artifacts in Quest for the Holy Grail in April '06.

The Cornucopia

Amalthea fed the infant Zeus milk from a goats horn, which gained the power to give its owner whatever bounty they desired, and so became the Cornucopia, the Horn of Plenty.

The Cornucopia is a unique artifact created by the gods (see below for details of what these are). The common representation of the Cornucopia is as a bountiful supply of food and drink.

 

In EL this can be interpreted in a number of ways, but artifacts are very powerful items -- so the lets not muck around:

1. Primary effect is to negate, or greatly reduce, food cooldown.
   
2. Secondary effect is to negate the day of fasting.
   

These effects apply to the holder's fellow guildmates within visual range, for as long as the item is equipped. Of course, whoever is holding the Cornucopia has their own problems, as described below...

 

 

Unique Artifacts

Unique artifacts are intended to give some bonuses to guilds, and introduce competition to acquire and keep hold of them. Their general properties consist of:

• Only ever one instance of an artifact; if lost it may be reintroduced in a randomly placed hyperspace bag.
  
• Cannot be stored or voluntarily dropped into a bag, or held by bots.
  
• Must be carried or equipped, and can be traded (but not to 'bots).
  
• Cause the carrier to be PK'able.
  
• Always dropped on death, regardless of Rostogol stones.
  
• Effects active when equipped, and apply to the holder's fellow-Guild members within visual range.
  

A unique artifact represents its own object type. They are not made, bought, or dropped by monsters, but enter the world in randomly placed hyperspace bags ("dropped by the gods"). They can be destroyed in combat, or lost if in a death bag which goes 'poof', in which case they will be reintroduced.

 

Their effects can be quite powerful; possessing an artifact should be a major goal for a guild, but keeping it should be non-trivial.

 

Since there is no way to take an item off an uncooperative character other than from their deathbag, characters carrying an artifact are made PK'able. Holding one is a risk.

 

Their affects are typically applied to the holder and fellow guild members within range. Some may have alternate affects which apply to members of other guilds in the same area.

 

 

Other Unique Artifacts:

 

The Cornucopia is intended to be just one of some number of unique artifacts. Not all need to be in play at the same time (they could even re-use item IDs). I suggested a couple in the Holy Grail topic, but what else?

 

 

Outstanding Design Issues:

• Need to prevent them being lost in inactive characters.
  
• Artifacts may gravitate to protected guild maps -- good or bad, increases the incentive to raid?
  
• May migrate up into the hands of a few über fighters -- will this become a problem?
  
• Use by non-guilded character? Normally non-guilded are unaffected, but in this case treat "non-guilded" as a virtual guild?
  

[WildIce]

I like this idea, sounds complicated, but interesting

But i think it can add something exciting to the game

[maximos]

exactly

[Cyprom]

If they're re-introduced in a randomly placed hyperbag, how is anybody ever going to find it?? Seems rather impossible.

Good idea in general though.

[trollson]

If they're re-introduced in a randomly placed hyperbag, how is anybody ever going to find it?? Seems rather impossible.

Thats part of the fun

 

An ancient artifact, a gift from the gods, lost for generations?

 

It may not be found for (RL) years, if ever! Thats what makes it the stuff of legends.

 

Such artifacts would be woven into the mythology of the game, so those who read the background material may get a clue as to what may be out there.

[maximos]

i really like this idea now

[Derin]

I think the outstanding design issues really points out the problems with this item. Being PKable will simply not do the trick, even though I see the point from a RP perspective.

 

If possible it should have some kind of timer device, so that you either cannot hold it for more than X minutes, or make it damage a attribute (not being p/c/w) so that when you reach zero in that attribute the cornucopia will cease to work and you ahve to drop it/give it away to be albe to recover that attribute (vitality perhaps?)

[Tanyia]

I agree with Derin, I like the idea of some sort of timer better than making you PKable. If it makes you PKable, then it will eventually migrate into the hands of the highest fighers. Not great. (Nothing against fighters, I just think it's more interesting if everyone has a shot at having it).

 

Maybe what it drains could depend on what the artifact is. So, an item useful to a fighter could drain phys, etc. I love the overall idea

[trollson]

Being PKable will simply not do the trick...

While not ideal, I don't see another way to make possession of an artifact risky. These are very powerful items, and so possession can never be secure.

 

The ideal solution is to introduce a general thief skill, allowing a character to steal from the inventory or equipment of another (amongst other roguish tasks); then possession of items is never completely safe. However, that is a seperate topic.

 

With timers or attribute degredation, the artifact can be passed safely between guild members on a rotation. There is still no way for another party to come and 'liberate' the item.

 

If the principle problem with the PK'able solution is that artifact migrate to the strongest fighters, then there needs to be some way to disadvantage the holder; for example:

• Health and mana cannot be recovered by any means while in possession of an artifact.
  

Also consider a form of PK'able which is contagious; if you attack such a character, you yourself become similarly PK'able for some period. This would allow other guildmates to help protect the holder of an artifact. Of course this is all very aggressive stuff...

Edited October 21, 2006 by trollson

[Alderan]

The ideal solution is to introduce a general thief skill

 

Although a rogue skill would be nice, it would never be used. Think of bagjumping, for example.

If I see someone die, and I take their stuff, I am now known as a 12 your old loser n00b with no life, and an outcast of the EL community. =/

 

I don't see how the thief skill would be treated any differently.

 

[EDIT]

Some grammer fixes.

Edited October 21, 2006 by Alderan

[The_Knight]

Well I compleatly love the idea, and aggree that having the user who has the item made pkable is a good idea, but lets see if we can make it better. I dont know if it is that simple, but I had an idea.

Ok, this may seem really farfetched and utterly horrible thing to do (if you think so just ignore my idea) To make it even I think anyone who has the item should automaticly be set to pkable, BUT both thier a/d lvls are set to 50

I think even those who are below 50 should be set to 50 is: Imagine with me here, alot of great Alchers, Manuers, Crafters who would be using this item would nessesarily have the a/d to protect this item, in turn they would never be able to keep it, and I think my idea will fix that. Well there is my idea, do whatever you want with it...

,Knight

Edited October 21, 2006 by The_Knight

[trollson]

Alderan -- With a thief/rogue skill as part of the game mechanics, there would be counters and consequences in-game for its use. With bag jumping (etc) there is no recourse for the players, so it become antagonistic. However, I'd prefer to have a seperate thread to discuss thief/rogue skill, rather than go off topic here.

 

The Knight -- A notional A/D level for the artifact replaces that of the character carrying it? Not a bad idea, any side effects? What we need to make sure is that if the top figher carries the artifact, he won't be the top fighter anymore (no stable resting place for the item). Agree entirely that an emphasis on fighters disenfranchises non-combat characters.

[Earl]

 

I think even those who are below 50 should be set to 50 is: Imagine with me here, alot of great Alchers, Manuers, Crafters who would be using this item would nessesarily have the a/d to protect this item, in turn they would never be able to keep it, and I think my idea will fix that.

 

Transform into a monster...

 

 

To avoid the issue of the item being held when the player logs off never to return again, the item could be dropped directly into hyperspace when the player logs off. Then next session the player can use a key to return the bag if it's still there. The trouble then is when the player lags out, it could be expensive when using a key each time.

[WildIce]

Also consider a form of PK'able which is contagious; if you attack such a character, you yourself become similarly PK'able for some period. This would allow other guildmates to help protect the holder of an artifact. Of course this is all very aggressive stuff...

i like this!

 

But the thing is, to find a hyper bag, you have to use ALOT keys... so maybe it will be better if it is hidden with somekind of 'use-that-tree' to find it, like secrets.

 

and Derin and Tanyia: not all those artifacts have to make you pkable

maybe some can just get your mana/hp down very fast or something...

 

Anyway, i like the overall idea, and if they are introduced, make sure they will not be found very soon

[Entropy]

It's a nice idea, however it would be too difficult to implement.

[Rockfall]

despite it being doubtfully inplemented, I still think it is a great idea....

 

But to try and some up what people posted I think that different artifacts should have different disadvantages...

Say one makes you pkable, another stops the restoration of health/mana, a different one you can't eat with, and another restricts attributes... etc

 

The thing that when you log off it drops into a hyperspace bag is a brilliant idea, and will definately prevent inactive people hogging it... and with the random hyperspace bag it spawns into, gives most a free chance to acquire.

 

It really is a shame that it is difficult to implement, since it is such a great idea... maybe if it gets put on a long term list and can be casually worked on??

 

It would definately add a nice feel to the game!!

[trollson]

Its a shame if this is too difficult to implement. What aspects are problematic?

 

I don't know the server architecture, but in more general terms there is nothing that is a show stopper here.

 

Tricky implementation points (as opposed to game balance and play) include:

• Tracking unique objects, identifying when they go out of the game.
  
• Protection against replication.
  
• Area affects.
  

All have generic solutions, which I won't go into here.

 

Area affects are potentially useful in lots of other places as well, but this gets into how effects are applied to characters, and what possible effects are catered for. This is all black box to me though.

[Entropy]

Checking for the area effects would be the most problematic thing. It can be done, but would bring an adiditonal load to the server if it has to check everyone around you for that item.

Checking to see when the item dissapears would also be quite problematic.

[trollson]

Checking for the area effects would be the most problematic thing. It can be done, but would bring an adiditonal load to the server if it has to check everyone around you for that item.

Wouldn't the effect be done from the viewpoint of the artifact user? That entity already has a list of others in visual range, so no additional searches should be needed.

 

Checking to see when the item dissapears would also be quite problematic.

True. You'd have to monitor items lost in expiring bags and destroyed in combat. Although if you already monitor the quantity of any item in play then this should be covered.

[Entropy]

Wouldn't the effect be done from the viewpoint of the artifact user? That entity already has a list of others in visual range, so no additional searches should be needed.

No, because it will affect the one that manufactures, not the one that holds the artefact.

 

True. You'd have to monitor items lost in expiring bags and destroyed in combat. Although if you already monitor the quantity of any item in play then this should be covered.

What do you do when the holder gets locked? Or decides to take a break?

[The_Knight]

That could maybe be fixed, maybe when the user is inactive for a month then it automatically goes to a hyperspace bag.

Maybe?...

[Ice]

What do you do when the holder gets locked? Or decides to take a break?

 

Or takes the item on a guild map, protected by guard bots

[trollson]

Or takes the item on a guild map, protected by guard bots

Thats a different issue to the item being 'lost' in the inventory of an inactive character; held on a Guild map the artifact is still in play.

 

A guild could certainly take the item to their guild map and hide behind guard bots; and maybe they should, given the power of the item.

 

This then gives other guilds a very strong motivation for raiding the Guildmap, to overcome the GuardBots (either kill it or keep it occupied), and go for the artifact. Difficult? Yes, but hopefully not impossible.

 

How would they know that the guild has the artifact? The guild may keep it secret, but secrets have a way of sneaking out, or there may be rumors or magic which reveals that it is in use.

 

Part of the game

Edited October 23, 2006 by trollson

[KarenRei]

One thing you could do would be to make unique artifiacts have to be worn to have an effect -- for example, the Ankh of Mortos, or the Shield of Aluwen -- thus making them visible. You could also have a rule like, "whenever the artifact isn't worn (or the player is logged out), it has a random chance of teleporting away, checked weekly, starting a week after it was last worn." Combine this with your idea about scrying through crystal balls . . .

 

You could also have them wear out after uses, be destroyed for a period of time, and then recreated in the world.

 

Artifact ideas: One per deity, plus others not related to deities.

 

Ankh of Mortos: Random chance of killing anything that kills you. Random chance of poisoning anything that hits you. Double chance of hit. Skeletons have a random chance, every timer click, of becoming followers (like summons), and are never hostile.

 

Shield of Aluwen: High defense. Double chance of evade. Random chance of teleporting you away when you're near death. (Unicorns?) have a random chance of becoming followers (like summons).

 

Glydoc's Chisel: No chance of failure on crafting when you have the rec. level. Wieldable. Counts as having all tools on hand. Gem sanding paper no longer needed. Can be used as a pickaxe in mining. Random chance of finding precious gems when harvesting. Gargoyles have a random chance of becoming followers, and are never hostile.

 

Helm of Unolas: No essences consumed when casting spells. Chimerans have a (low) chance of becoming followers, and are never hostile.

 

Sealan's Cloak: *Any* creature has a random chance of becoming a follower. Counts as MM. Summoning cheaper.

 

Glilin's Hammer: No chance of failure on manu if you have the rec. level. Wieldable. Counts as having all tools on hand. Thread no longer needed. Can be used as a pickaxe in mining. When harvesting while wielding it, there is a boosted chance of finding the rare stones. Trolls have a random chance of becoming followers, and are never hostile.

 

Crown of Elandria: No chance of failure on alch if you have the rec. level. Acts as a crown of life. Random (low) chance of directly mining bars instead of ore. Cyclopses have a random chance of becoming followers, and are never hostile.

[trollson]

KerenRei: Artifacts are so rare and hard to find that their effects can be allowed to be wide reaching, mythic, not just affect the individual weilding them. In fact, I have purposefully avoided saying whether the weilder gets any of the benifits of the artifact; only guildmates within range are mentioned.

Edited November 11, 2006 by trollson