Gems Overhaul

[Etherdrifter]

Item Change : Gem
New Weight : 0
New Trader Restock : False
New Value : 18 gold coins
Note : Traders will no longer offer to sell gems, they are a one time treat and must be earned from now on.

New NPC : Gem Bearing Rock
HP : 25
Attacks : 5%
Damage : 4
Attack Description "Mining the seam causes a small cascade of rocks to pummel you for 4 damage"
Spawns : Caverns
Notes : Cannot move, can only be damaged by a pickaxe, when killed drops 2-4 gems.

New Item : Pickaxe
Base Accuracy : 25%
Damage : 2 (+1 with body building)
Weight : 2
Trader Value : 4gc to buy

Optional Skill : Prospecting
Requirements : Scout, Explorer, Villager, Settler
Effect : Double damage to gem bearing rock.

A little maths, without body building it would take 50ap to mine gems (50ap for 40-80 coins + exploration).  With it would take 33.3[3].  Gem baring rocks should be rare-ish, not too rare though.

Using the npc mechanics to our advantage might not be too bad a thing.  The only new mechanics are making the npc vulnerable to only one weapon (something that would be handy for later updates) and an item drop on NPC death (again something that would be handy for later updates.  The optional update adds another new mechanic, namely specific double damage (hence why it is optional).

[Dani]

Question: Why would I want a gem?

[Etherdrifter]

Question: Why would I want a gem?

High value for purchase of supplies and goods.

[Raffles]

Like parts 1 & 4 (although only the principle in which a skill makes gems easier to get), dislike parts 2 and 3.

[Dani]

The trouble is that gems are kind of useless right now, since gold takes up no inventory space, but my problem with this suggestion is that gems still wouldnt do anything, they would just be harder to get.

[Iceman]

Although I'd put this in the same gameplay category as brewing and planting - Mostly Useless but Harmless Entertainment if You're Easily Entertained* - I think it has some definite potential. Especially if (or, hopefully, when) other things are also implemented to stimulate the current stale economy and general uselessness of gold. On the proviso that you can kill people with the pickaxe, I see no reason for Simon not to have a look at this.

*note to self: work needed on category names, make zingier, more succinct

[Raffles]

I don't know why he just doesn't make a phenomenally expensive weapon that costs 100gc a shot and can only be bought from a trader. Gold thereby useful.

[Iceman]

That's what this suggestion would be ideal for - providing a way of getting the funds together to buy those sort of things. Not to derail the thread too much, but currently there are very few viable mechanics for gaining gold, and the main one - resource farming - is extraordinarily dull. Assuming some decent items/services are introduced to a) create a meaningful use for gold, and b) create a meaningful reason to go out and get it in the first place, you're going to need several ways of getting it, if that aspect of the game is going to be balanced and well-rounded.

By itself, this is much of a muchness. But it does allow the development of an area of gameplay that badly needs it, and for that should be given some decent consideration. Also, at the moment gems are fairly pointless, since they have inventory weight whereas gold has none, yet serve exactly the same purpose - the saving of a couple of AP aside, if you're buying in bulk.

[Johnny Hobo]

Not to be a nitpicker, but inanimate objects can't be considered NPC's.

[Etherdrifter]

Not to be a nitpicker, but inanimate objects can't be considered NPC's.

Re-use of existing objects, saves coding.  Simon could create an entirely new set of things called "objects" with identical stats to animals and identical behaviour.  All in all it's better to just use what is there.

[Milkchew]

Ive buried about one hundred gems in a single location in Shartak.  Maybe one day ill do something with them.........

[Katie Calhoun]

and the coordinates are.....

[Milkchew]

and the coordinates are.....

I didnt actually jot down the co-ords, but I know where they are..........didnt even weypoint it.  But they are in a location where if I told you you could go right there and know exactly where.  Of course they are not all buried in one hole, I think about four seperate holes, so yeah that would make it ninty six in total, never did manage to go back and `plant` the other four.  

No idea why I did it either.

Edit:

Blimey, thats 864gc worth.