User talk:Madalex

rarely meet other people who know the basic tenet of Keep It Simple Stupid.--Spellbinder 00:28, 22 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Actually, it's Keep It Short & Simple if anyone asks me what it means ;) --Madalex 11:53, 22 Nov 2005 (GMT)

In case anyone cares, the AI programmer's version is "Keep it Simple and Stupid". Heh. - KingRaptor 15:37, 23 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Well, if anyone is interested in all particular possible meanings, consult http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?String=exact&Acronym=kiss :) Madalex 15:42, 23 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Whoops, sorry 'bout that. Looks like I accidentally pulled an RSquared. --John Taggart 16:06, 23 Nov 2005 (GMT)

No problem, I put them back in. Madalex 16:15, 23 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Discussion of Priest and the new skill for it

Current starting thoughts on the new skill are that it would be most appropriate if it would grant a / the benefit only in churches. Precedence for this kind of skill now exists with Surgery, so it's codeable. --Madalex 21:18, 24 Nov 2005 (GMT)

I have a few religious skill ideas puttering around in my profile. Feel free to modify and use them if you anything you like. --Kulatu 21:21, 24 Nov 2005 (GMT)

There's a suggestion for a skill called Faith up today. It's getting shot down pretty hard, but the two together might make a good combo. --Dickie Fux 20:12, 26 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Yes, it's from Kulatu and I already had a look at the draft. As somebody else stated, there's a simular mechanism with books already in place. --Madalex 21:58, 27 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Hm, what about something like this (please don't be too harsh, this is a first rough first draft ;)?

Preach

Type: Skill

Scope: New civilian skill

Description: While a character with Preach is in a church or cathedral, any zombie skills under the Scent Fear tree don't work, i.e. characters in the church with the Priest can't be tracked nor are their wound status or their HP shown (although if the zombie also has Diagnosis, it probably would still work). Churches and cathedrals with a character with preach in them would get an added statement like "You can smell incense from inside." when you're outside of them, inside of them you get a message like "Father xyz is preaching and leaves thick trails of incense in his wake.".

Comments: I know one problem is that this currently is constantly working, on the other hand I didn't want to make it time-dependant (turning the preaching character into an incense-generator). Also, I didn't want to add a new item (incense which can only be found in churches and cathedrals) for the same reasons. Turning it on and off at the cost of 1 AP might work good. Next thing is, I've yet to see how Scent Trail works, so I might be off here. If you think different let me know :)

--Madalex 22:21, 24 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Still a bit vague, and honestly it gives them NO way to gain ANY experience during the early game. A step in the right direction though...I have to go out to dinner, but I'll give it some thought while I'm out. --Kulatu 22:35, 24 Nov 2005 (GMT)

I find the notion that something has to directly give you XP for a starting class a little bit troublesome (look at the scout or the consumer). And I think there is an indirect way to gain it. This ability might attrack survivors to the churches and cathedrals, and as you can find FAKs in the churches, you should be able to gain XP. Madalex 22:45, 24 Nov 2005 (GMT)

I don't mean direct XP as in weapon skills or healing or anything like that...the Scout and Consumer both have skills that make it easier for them to gain experience. The Scout can escape from a falling building and immediately seek shelter without looking for a new safehouse. The Consumer can search a mall to get ANYTHING he/she will need. With this Preach skill, all the Priest would become is a target. --Kulatu 08:32, 26 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I read the Preach skill is basically just a nerf of the Scent zombie tree, and honestly I prefer a skill to be something "positive", if you know what I mean. For example, why not make it a skill that gives you a higher chance to find FAKs anywhere (churches + hospitals + drugstores in malls) and - if you want to make it a combat skill - enables the Crucifix as a 2HP damage weapon with 10% hit? Just some ideas. --Seagull Flock 14:11, 25 Nov 2005 (GMT)

You are completely right, all the Preach skill would do is nerf the Scent tree (a tree which doesn't really need nerfing.) --Kulatu 08:32, 26 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Well, I didn't mean to nerf it. Remember it's supposed to work only when the skill user is in a church, providing a reason why people actually flock to churches with Priests in them. The message about the incense would actually alert zombies to those places. Things like Sermon, Charisma, anything social which would fit a priest perfectly, would probably mess with the AP - at least I current can't think of any game effect besides giving AP or bonuses for a certain time period. But even a 5% increase in accuracy or a +1 to damage are big bonuses when applied to large groups of people. *Sigh* I'll keep thinking about it. --Madalex 12:08, 26 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Try and think of an idea that priests can give to other players directly, maybe for small XP gains. I have some ideas of my own, but they don't seem all that balanced so I'm still thinking them up on my own. Also don't want to give them "supernatural" powers, a sentiment you kind of echoed above. Nevertheless, I wish you luck on this suggestion because I think the theme, at the very least, has merit. Riktar 08:46, 27 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Yeah, everything else is scientific in nature. You probably can think of some of the zombie skills as different strains of a virus etc. Look at the message when you revive somebody - "slow molecular work". --Madalex 21:56, 27 Nov 2005 (GMT)

If the morale thingies were to implemented, Preaching would be the perfect way to calm people down, and it would be the optimal way for the preacher to gain xp. But as the morale things most probably weren't to be implemented, you can scrap that. Maybe a priest should have little different costs for buying skills: more xp for skills dedicated for violence, less xp for peace. I know, it's just a wacky idea that will most probably get bashed, but I wanted to say it out loud nevertheless. Perhaps some sort of "detect evil" ability could be iplemented as a subskill for the prieching. Detect evil could be used against zombies to find out if there's still hope for salvation for them (finding out who's got brainrot). But waht comes to the preaching in the first place... I suggest that it should be a XP gatherer skill. 5% higher chance of getting 1/2/(insert a valid number here) xp for each listener in the church, starting from 5% when alone, and 75% at tops. The skill could be used _succesfully_ only once in certain time period (hour? ?hour?), this prevents for fishing huge quanities of xp in no time with a big grou, but would help newbs on gathering some starting xp without risking themselves that much. Jaques Cartier 19:14, 27 Nov 2005 (GMT)

I understand that some way to gain the initial XP should be present, but more or less it is. You can find FAKs in churches, but how do you get the people to go to the churches for healing instead of the hospitals? Hence my idea with the Preach skill. --Madalex 21:56, 27 Nov 2005 (GMT)

How about fleshing out this "detect evil" better. It would be passive. In zombies, it would indicate if they have brain rot. In survivors, it would indicate if they have a guilty conscience (due to the recent killing of a survivor). A priest could be used to sniff out PKers, zombie spies, that sort of thing.--goathens 7:40, 26 May 2005 (GMT)

How about: Shepherd of the Flock - Skill that allows you to keep watch over other survivors. They would know where you are at all times. That's it. However, it would be the prerequisite for:

The Power of Faith - When a preacher with this skill is inside of a church with his assembled believers, the following can happen: barricading the church happens faster and/or first aid kits are found easier and/or the sheer determination of the faithful impedes the progress of the undead. Zombies must spend extra AP to tear down barricades/enter places of worship with a preacher inside. (The survivors lack of fear spurned by their faith in their protector makes them an indomitable force to the zombie meance)

Has anybody suggested a Prayer ability, requiring a crucifix, that can heal infectious bites(and only infections)? It's not that big a stretch is it?

How about a suggestion that "calls to" dead bodies of survivors recently revived, allowing them to stand up for less than 10AP? You know, one time thing for when a zombie is revived and falls over. Riktar 05:36, 1 Dec 2005 (GMT)

The Prayer ability healing infectious bites? Sounds too much like a God Power to me. Some people have pointed Madalex at the Faith suggestion in my profile, I don't know if he ever looked at it though. --Kulatu 13:39, 1 Dec 2005 (GMT)

He did look at all three of your skill drafts in your profile. ;) --Madalex 13:44, 1 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Aye, but it means to have an intonation of a placebic affect. It's not a God power, it's the reaffirmation of the victim's faith and the self-delusion in which the victim's body rejects the hostile virus using its own auto-immune system. You know, like sugar pills or... damnit what was that documented affect? You know, like "laughter cures everything" because it really does; except... with faith. Blind faith is powerful. Oh and Kulatu, that Pillbox idea was teh shecksy. Riktar 20:25, 3 Dec 2005 (GMT)

We need to discuss this more. This idea seriously has merit. Have you considered moving discussion to one of the Suggestion talk pages? Although those have kind of been dead lately too... Riktar 20:30, 3 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Damnit, Madalex! Post your progress on the Priest class =P Riktar 06:48, 17 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Instead of having a faith-based skill, it would be better - at least, I think so - to have a universal skill not restricted to priests but which it would be easy to see priests starting off with. I was going to say that they should last for a certain length of time, but then I read the suggestions page. Now, I'm thinking that it would last until the person moved more than two spaces away from the location the speech was given in.

Something like Charisma: if you Speak in an area, anyone present to hear it will have a 5% increased chance to strike a target. Charisma's effects are not cumulative.

Or perhaps Firmness of Will: for the next X AP, you have a 5% increased chance to strike a target. Firmness of Will's effects are not cumulative. --Wyndallin 05:26, 08 Apr 2006 (GMT)

Having this new Class sounds cool, but considering Priest Skills, will they only be available for Priests? Are Priest left out of Combat Skills? If those Priest Skills are available to everybody, implementing it would mean all high lvl survivors with some spare XP would imediately buy those skills. I think it's a bad idea, and giving Kevan the burden of creating Unique Classes including restricted skills and unique skills.. It sure would be cool, maybey that Cross Item could be of more use then. ;)--Vykos 13:51, 8 April 2006 (BST)

Only problem there is that if he does that for a -new- class, in my mind, that adds the requirement that restricted skills be added for the old classes. All of them. --Wyndallin 11.27 08 APR 2006 (GMT)