Re: corpses

[Simon McIntosh-Smith <simonm@talisker.pact.srf.ac.uk>]

> If you want them for atmosphere, then perhaps they should be added in
> the same way other treasures are.  This allows you to control the
> frequency of corpses, so that you don't turn a field of orcs into a
> field of corpses.  (At least, I think it would look better if there
> were only a scattering of corpses, but it's easy to experiment with.)

This is a big point. I too think corpses are a great idea, but if every
monster produced a corpse, we'd end up with far too many of them.
Why not use the same method as other games, such as Nethack? Here,
not every monster you kill leaves a corpse. Perhaps before leaving
a corpse a quick check can be made to see how many negative hps the
monster had when it died. The more negative the hp level, the more
the monster was "chopped" by the attack that killed it, and it will be
less likely to leave an intact corpse. So, a high level warrior wading through
a sea of orcs will leave very few corpses behind as he blasts his way
through. A low level fighter though will be finding it tough going, and
it's likely that orcs he manages to kill will leave bodies that are relatively
intact, hence more corpses will remain. This would also have the effect that 
monsters with loads of hps will be more likely to leave a corpse than
lower level monsters. The original hp level of the monster will probably
need to be taken into account, something like:

	if (hp after death < -100% of total)
		definitely no corpse left
	else if (hp after death < -50% of total)
		some chance that a corpse is left
	else if (hp after death < -10% of total)
		corpse definitely left

(all numbers plucked out of the air completely at random)

Just a thought...

Sy

Simon McIntosh-Smith, SGS-Thomson Inmos Ltd |  Email : simonm@pact.srf.ac.uk
PACT, 10 Priory Road, Bristol, BS8 1TU, UK  |  Phone : +44 (0)272 707162
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