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Re: My take on the Unique Quests/Castle in Scorn thing



> On Wed, 14 Jun 2000, Peter Mardahl wrote:
> effort involved in making one thats good and interesting, too. What I
> was referring to was the random questmap generator creating *random* maps
> with specific features and styles as set out by the story for the quest,
> that seem vaguely as though they were designed.

I'm rather confused.  I really don't see why this isn't an application
of the already-existing random map code, or an enhancement/extension of it.

I mean, my understanding of your ideas is that it'd be a very cool way
to expand on the work I've already done with random maps.

Have you read through crossfire/doc/RandomMaps.doc and played through
some of the random maps?


>   Sure, in different ways, that should be seen as an even taller order-
> but the algorithm's already mostly formed in my head, and I'm quite
> certain it's possible- they'll just tend to be a bit samey, not too
> imaginitive. After playing a few you'll probably not find them much of a
> challenge. The maps may take longer than usual to generate, too.

I've found that the time needed to generate random maps is not very
noticeable.

> > You could do something similar to the key code (door.c):  
> > i.e., make this particular
> > door special and locate handles for it inside and outside.
>   Do you mean like something in the random map code to sometimes replace a
> knock-down type door with a openy-closey gate thing in the map?

Yes.  Right now I have it sometimes replace a door with a locked door/
keypair.  You could do the same with a lever.

> > One thing you could do is enhance the random map code by: 
> > 1)  making your own layout (layouts are arrays of characters:
> > only > < # * C have meaning right now, I think.  You could extend this to
> > have more features, such as connected handles/teleporters...)
>   I picked up a cvs snapshot last night, but I couldn't seem to find much
> about these layouts. Do you mean that some of the code generates the
> layout randomly and the layout is translated directly into a map (looks
> like nethack characters), or the layout is a stored array and used as a
> guide/template to randomly create the map?

The "layout" is a randomly generated template for the walls and the doors
and some other special things only.  Not included in layouts (as yet)
are:  monsters, treasures, decor, specialmaps and misc. specials.

>  I'll be moving stuff over weekend, but should have something vaguely
> functional (probably in perl or pseudocode or summat:P) by Tuesday or
> Wednesday, at a guess. Initially, it'll prolly be a standalone thing with
> some data files (eg maps) to produce fairly faceless maps. Could I put it
> in CVS somewhere if it doesn't interfere with anything else, or post it to
> the list, or what? At a pinch I could put it in our ISP's webspace if
> that's preferrable.

Have you got CVS access?

PeterM