6/4/2007
Made progress over the weekend: although I had some writers block Saturday morning. Still, I was able to get some stuff done at least.
I wrote up description of two megacorporations (for factions section): MoFoCo and Warlock Industries. Also, started some notes on vehicle maneuvers.
6/5/2007
I added the two new factions (see previous) to the rules. I also wrote text for shells and armor (which I didn't get done last night due to waining self confidence).
I stumbled across Google Books today which might be a way to improve visibilty for the game once it's published. Just a thought since it's free!
Since the next chapter is about starships, I've been revisiting my thoughts on that. Today I was playing around with speeds: and I may go with using mach numbers. Don't want to go into detail, but basically mach 1 would equal 1 space square (1,500 m) per round. Starships speeds would around mach 5-15. This is not exact (1 mach is greater in m/sec per round) but it's close enough to be clean and convenient.
6/7/2007
I've written up rules for Shells, Armor, Weapons, and Force Fields which I just need to add to the actual rules document itself (not just the Google scratch document I've been using). Basically, for each chapter I've been using a Google spreadsheet for raw data and tables, and a Google Doc for text. This allows me to access these files wherever I am, and then add them into the rules document when I'm at home.
6/8/2007
I put my notes into the main rules last night, but I'm still not satisfied with the armor section. I'm thinking I'll go back my original plan of having diff. thicknesses to keep it simple. I hate being indecisive, but I want to make it right.
So, I went back to the "thickness model" and I'm going to stick with that (until I change my mind again). ;-)
I started assembling the actual robot stats (similar to creatures) that can drop into the rules (hopefully soon).
6/11/2007
Friday night and Sunday, I made good progress on the rules. I even rendered three images for the different robots. I also added this game diary to my regular blog (one post per month w/ all the stuff from that month). Since I doubt people really see this diary, I wanted to give it greater visibility (for the few more people that read the blog).
6/12/2007
I wrote and added a robot design example to the rules last night. However, I still need to add costs as well.
6/13/2007
Yesterday I created stats for some of the nonstandard weapons (ie: blow torch, arc welder, nail gun). I'm putting their stats as part of the device desc, instead of in the weapons section since they aren't technically weapons.
6/18/2007
The robot chapter is nearly done: only the section listing rogue robots and their stats, and maybe a few loose ends to complete. The next chapter will have spaceships and space combat. I intend to take some of lessons I've learned (components, etc) for robots and use it for starships.
I updated the wiki to include some of the robot examples. I'll add pictures once I've reduced the resolution of the ones in the rulebook.
6/19/2007
I reviewed my previous starship notes, and added some to my online doc. I had a bunch of notes on scrap paper, so i needed to transfer some of that to my google docs.
Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to do that FTL fuel: whether to have takes based on slot sizes or not. I woke up at 5:30 this morning thinking about it and couldn't fall back to sleep. :-(
I've made significant progress today w/ some of the starship data.
6/20/2007
Continued with creating data for starships: mostly worked on weapons today. Trying to figure out how I want to do hit dice since I don't want to give starships actual XP levels.
6/21/2007
I'm really struggling with the hit dice (hit points) issue: trying to balance the small ships with the large ships is difficult. Either the small ones are too weak or the large ones are too stong (too many hit points).
6/22/2007
For now I've settled on the hit points. I'll see how it goes when I start doing some testing later. Meanwhile, I've also filled in lots of data so I'm happy with how things are going. I'll be gone this weekend, so I won't be able to work on the game.
6/25/2007
Although I didn't work directly on the game over the weekend, I did think of some things during our long periods of driving. For one thing, I decided to go with actual fuel consumption rates instead of having a set number of days of FTL travel. In other words, instead of having a built-in 5 days of travel per engine, I'm having a rate (mtons of fuel per light-year). This will allow for having actual fuel tanks that are separate from the engines. This will require using additional slots however.
I've been all about missiles today: figuring out how they will work in combat. I've been going back and forth a bit, but basically there will be guided or self-guided using radar and/or IR.
6/26/2007
Created 3 practice ships: after the second one, I changed the # of slots (increased them). While I was doing that, I discovered a huge mistake in the robot's chapter (forgot to actually list how much EPs each power plant produces!!). That was embarrassing.
6/27/2007
I turned one of the sample ships from yesterday into a gunboat. However, I'm still concerned that I'm not allowing for enough slots per hull because they're at a premium when I do a design: there isn't any space for additional stuff like extra staterooms, etc.
6/28/2007
I created another fighter, this one 50 tons. I'm a little more confident about the slot situation. I also added a few more components: drone bays and hangers. I also filled in data for countermeasures like flares and chaff.
6/29/2007
As I make practice ships, I find new things I need to adjust in the stats. This is good but of course then I have to go back and change the practice ships. ;-) Today I made a fuel tanker that provides fuel to military ships that don't have fuel scoops themselves (or streamlining to get their own fuel). Later, after yet more adjustments, I created a pirate raider.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Game Diary Summary - May
5/31/2007 I created two new robots (HK-1 and HK-2) which are a hunter/killer team: the first is the scout and the other is the killer.
5/30/2007 I completed most of the tables for robots, which is not really hard but kinda busy work. I showed off a draft copy of the whole rules to some of my coworkers: they said it looked like a lot of work and that I had too much time on my hands. ;-)
5/29/2007 Over the holiday i made good progress on the rules, incorporating the changes I had made. I also formatted some of the tables and added those into the rules. I need to also add an Example section that steps the reader through the building process (for robots).
5/25/2007 Yesterday I created another two robots: a PAbot (for personal assistant) like Cornelius, Prince Richard's robot; and the Interpeterbot like the spy used by the Magna Embassador.
I just reread my game diary for the last month (concerning the Robots chapter): it's interesting how much this chapter has evolved over the last month.
5/24/2007 I've started to rewrite the robot rules to reflect the changes I made. I can keep most of what I've already done, so I don't think I'll lose too much time doing this. Yesterday, I also created a sweeperbot (the same one that appeared in Ch1 of Alexander the Prince) and a GenBot (which appeared in several different chapters (including Ch1).
5/23/2007 Using the changes I made to robots, I created a medical and attack bot. I'm fairly happy with the outcome so I might go with the current rules. As for my suggestion of changing some stuff in the Encounters chapter, after rereading the chapter, I'm going to just leave things the way they are. At this point, changing stuff might do more harm than good.
5/22/2007 I'm back from my vacation and I used the long drive times to think about the game. I decided to do some consolidation in the Encounter section to make the species more relevant. For robots, I added Attributes directly to the chassis table, with some attributes modified by controller, shell, arms, and hands. Also, I've changed the armor section to be more consistant with the armor in the Gear chapter.
Currently I'm using a cost multiplier (of the base chassis cost) instead of set prices. However, for components that don't actually change in size/power for different chassis sizes, it's not very fair to charge more for larger robots. I will probably have to go with flat prices per component.
5/16/2007 With the new robot system, the biggest stumbling block is the allocation of the slots: how many hi, lo, and average slots the player gets. The total number is easy, but dividing them up is proving hard for me. I think instead of having a set number of slots, I'm going to start with a base number of slots and allow the player to divide up them between hi, lo, and av; but with the max hi slots depending on PP.
I've been making more tweaks: Instead of slots only known by their power, I've changed it to have slots by sizes (small, med, large) and then the player needs to power those slots (if necessary). I'm going back to using EPs, but in a much simpler way (again using lo, av, and hi power that cost 1, 2, and 3 EPs respectively). I've been doing some more tests and so far it's promising. I hope I don't find something that ruins my day.
5/15/2007 Okay, I decided that my original robot design simply isn't working the way I want: it's just too complicated and anything that has too much math cannot be good. J/K. However, I struck on an idea I had for starships (borrowed from Eve Online) involving low, average, and high energy slots. I'm going to play with that and see if it works better. I'll be out of town Thur through Monday so I'll have some time to contemplate what I want to do.
I've been able to essentially redo everything already and I'm pretty happy with the result: it's much more simple, but still allows for great variety.
5/14/2007 Started working on weapons: going to have set CP across sizes since the weapon doesn't get bigger on larger sized robots. Debated about doing this for other components; will likely redo sensors and comm.
After making the changes above, and reducing the EP output of the reactors, I went back at the three practice robots and I'm happier with the result. Of course, I need to do more testing, especially for military bots.
I ended up recalculating the Drive Train values also. Trying not to get depressed . . .
5/12/2007 After redoing some of the CPs for some of the components, I decided I needed to change the total number of CPs per chassis (up by 25%). I may now look at reducing the EP capacity by 25% but i need to run some more tests first. Keep in mind that I was using the old values to determine the CP costs for each individual component.
5/11/2007 I completed most of the EP numbers and now I'm done enough that I can actually start creating robot builds. To that end, this morning I started to create the little robot from Alexander the Prince. During this process, I made changes to the CPs for Standard/Positronic/Gravitronic CPUs.
My first impressions are that CPs seem a little low and EPs seem a little high. I may need to adjust them accordingly.
5/8/2007 Today I'd like to write up some notes on communications and sensors for robots: there will be a default and enhanced version, plus additional ones for greater capabilities.
5/7/2007 Got some more done on robots over the weekend (controllers). At this rate, however, I doubt i'll be able to publish the rules by the Fall as I had hoped: I'm just taking way too much time to get things done (and I have no one to blame but myself, or perhaps the makers of LOTRO)
5/4/2007 I wrote alittle about the Robot Freedom League and what could be described as an underground railroad for runaway robots.
5/2/2007 I'm struggling with what i want to do with robot programs. I want to make it fairly straight forward, but I also want to give the game flexibility.
Need to add rules for changing out robot components (cybernetics roll)
5/1/2007 I updated the Wiki to include Factions & Reputation, and the overview of robots. Sunday, I wrote more about controllers, end effectors, and arms. For controllers, there;'s still a lot of details to do, like stats on hacking and operations: might include set "programs" that a robot can run with a particular cpu.
5/30/2007 I completed most of the tables for robots, which is not really hard but kinda busy work. I showed off a draft copy of the whole rules to some of my coworkers: they said it looked like a lot of work and that I had too much time on my hands. ;-)
5/29/2007 Over the holiday i made good progress on the rules, incorporating the changes I had made. I also formatted some of the tables and added those into the rules. I need to also add an Example section that steps the reader through the building process (for robots).
5/25/2007 Yesterday I created another two robots: a PAbot (for personal assistant) like Cornelius, Prince Richard's robot; and the Interpeterbot like the spy used by the Magna Embassador.
I just reread my game diary for the last month (concerning the Robots chapter): it's interesting how much this chapter has evolved over the last month.
5/24/2007 I've started to rewrite the robot rules to reflect the changes I made. I can keep most of what I've already done, so I don't think I'll lose too much time doing this. Yesterday, I also created a sweeperbot (the same one that appeared in Ch1 of Alexander the Prince) and a GenBot (which appeared in several different chapters (including Ch1).
5/23/2007 Using the changes I made to robots, I created a medical and attack bot. I'm fairly happy with the outcome so I might go with the current rules. As for my suggestion of changing some stuff in the Encounters chapter, after rereading the chapter, I'm going to just leave things the way they are. At this point, changing stuff might do more harm than good.
5/22/2007 I'm back from my vacation and I used the long drive times to think about the game. I decided to do some consolidation in the Encounter section to make the species more relevant. For robots, I added Attributes directly to the chassis table, with some attributes modified by controller, shell, arms, and hands. Also, I've changed the armor section to be more consistant with the armor in the Gear chapter.
Currently I'm using a cost multiplier (of the base chassis cost) instead of set prices. However, for components that don't actually change in size/power for different chassis sizes, it's not very fair to charge more for larger robots. I will probably have to go with flat prices per component.
5/16/2007 With the new robot system, the biggest stumbling block is the allocation of the slots: how many hi, lo, and average slots the player gets. The total number is easy, but dividing them up is proving hard for me. I think instead of having a set number of slots, I'm going to start with a base number of slots and allow the player to divide up them between hi, lo, and av; but with the max hi slots depending on PP.
I've been making more tweaks: Instead of slots only known by their power, I've changed it to have slots by sizes (small, med, large) and then the player needs to power those slots (if necessary). I'm going back to using EPs, but in a much simpler way (again using lo, av, and hi power that cost 1, 2, and 3 EPs respectively). I've been doing some more tests and so far it's promising. I hope I don't find something that ruins my day.
5/15/2007 Okay, I decided that my original robot design simply isn't working the way I want: it's just too complicated and anything that has too much math cannot be good. J/K. However, I struck on an idea I had for starships (borrowed from Eve Online) involving low, average, and high energy slots. I'm going to play with that and see if it works better. I'll be out of town Thur through Monday so I'll have some time to contemplate what I want to do.
I've been able to essentially redo everything already and I'm pretty happy with the result: it's much more simple, but still allows for great variety.
5/14/2007 Started working on weapons: going to have set CP across sizes since the weapon doesn't get bigger on larger sized robots. Debated about doing this for other components; will likely redo sensors and comm.
After making the changes above, and reducing the EP output of the reactors, I went back at the three practice robots and I'm happier with the result. Of course, I need to do more testing, especially for military bots.
I ended up recalculating the Drive Train values also. Trying not to get depressed . . .
5/12/2007 After redoing some of the CPs for some of the components, I decided I needed to change the total number of CPs per chassis (up by 25%). I may now look at reducing the EP capacity by 25% but i need to run some more tests first. Keep in mind that I was using the old values to determine the CP costs for each individual component.
5/11/2007 I completed most of the EP numbers and now I'm done enough that I can actually start creating robot builds. To that end, this morning I started to create the little robot from Alexander the Prince. During this process, I made changes to the CPs for Standard/Positronic/Gravitronic CPUs.
My first impressions are that CPs seem a little low and EPs seem a little high. I may need to adjust them accordingly.
5/8/2007 Today I'd like to write up some notes on communications and sensors for robots: there will be a default and enhanced version, plus additional ones for greater capabilities.
5/7/2007 Got some more done on robots over the weekend (controllers). At this rate, however, I doubt i'll be able to publish the rules by the Fall as I had hoped: I'm just taking way too much time to get things done (and I have no one to blame but myself, or perhaps the makers of LOTRO)
5/4/2007 I wrote alittle about the Robot Freedom League and what could be described as an underground railroad for runaway robots.
5/2/2007 I'm struggling with what i want to do with robot programs. I want to make it fairly straight forward, but I also want to give the game flexibility.
Need to add rules for changing out robot components (cybernetics roll)
5/1/2007 I updated the Wiki to include Factions & Reputation, and the overview of robots. Sunday, I wrote more about controllers, end effectors, and arms. For controllers, there;'s still a lot of details to do, like stats on hacking and operations: might include set "programs" that a robot can run with a particular cpu.
Game Diary Summary - April
4/24/2007 I need to update the Wiki to include some of this robot info (and also some faction info from the previous chapter). I haven't updated the wiki lately (although I'm not sure if anyone actually reads it or not). ;-)
I removed the Imperium faction from the rules, but I'm having second thoughts. Having a low Imp faction might mean characters cannot get a starship loan.
4/23/2007 Over the weekend, I added into the rules what I had completed so far for robots. I also started putting in some of the tables. It's a little tricky because there's a lot that needs to be included, including price. I'm trying to keep the tables simple without have too many extra tables if possible.
Starting to incorporate prices as well. Using a cost multiplier (of the chassis base price) for each component instead of having individual prices. This will make the tables cleaner and make things scale better.
4/20/2007 Wrote rules for chassis and drive trains. Happy with progress.
4/19/2007 I stayed off the computer last night, although I got a few minor things done during the day. I would like to start putting some of the info I've created into the rules soon but it might be until this weekend before that happens.
I wrote a lot more robots stats today (controllers, arms, hands, and power plants).
4/17/2007 I think I may modify Law Levels. Not sure if I'll get rid of them entirely or just combine them with something similar to the d20 system (restricted, military, and illegal items).
I've largely decided to eliminate the law level system and use the simpler system above. I wrote up my version of this (twice since Google docs crapped out on me after the first attempt). I will need to add this into the rules. Also, along with that I'm going to add the Streetwise skill that will help characters buy/sell items on the blackmarket (find a fence), etc.
4/16/2007 I worked on actual stats for chassis and drive trains. For Drive Trains, I played around with the numbers for awhile but came up with a general percentage of the total for space for a particular chassis.
I've been creating more robot stats today, but I just realized that I have a problem: do i have robots at different XP levels, like i do for creatures. The main reason to do this is to determine number of HPs. I was thinking about assigned HPs by chassis size, but now I'm not sure.
After thinking more, I decided that I will assign hit dice per chassis which will increase with level (just like creatures). This will give a more constant rule set then if i have something different for creatures and robots.
4/13/2007 Made a good start on Robots.
4/12/2007 To help get me out of the duldrums, I've decided to move on to the next chapter (Robots). The Encounters chapter is basically done and I can always go back and finish it up later.
I've been taking notes for the robot chapter. I wrote stuff for it a long time ago so I'm hopeful I can use some of that work. However, I've made a good start on what I did today.
4/11/2007 I worked a little last night, but not much. I'm having some creative problems at the moment: not able to create anything; my mind just doesn't seem to want to give anything. Rainy days aren't helping my mood either.
4/10/2007 I added Safe Fall skill to the rules. I also added Poison to Gear, although I need to add some examples.
The Encounter chapter is taking a long time. Partly because I've been playing LOTRO a lot over the last couple of weeks, but also there's just a lot to do for the chapter. Also, I've been backfilling stuff in previous chapters. In the case of the last two things, at least I'm making progress. As for playing LOTRO, we all have our addictions, I guess. ;-)
4/9/2007 Friday I was able to add section on Encounters. However, I will likely remove it since I don't think it works well.
I created two new mutants (giant scorpion and spitting beatle) and added desc for the three Void Spawn types. Also added affect of social class on faction standing. Wrote notes on Safe Fall skill.
4/6/2007 Created five new melee-related abilities. Wrote up rules for Poisons (for Gear chapter). Wrote up additional concequences for faction rating. Last night, wasn't able to work on computer at all due to problem with my leg (pinched nerve). This weekend, I'll be out of town for Easter, so I won't be able to work on game then either.
4/5/2007 I added Commerce to skills; redid the beginning of the abilities chapter to be more clear.
4/3/2007 Using my new ToDo List, I updated the rules with the new Racial resistance value, added racial traits (although I need to do more), and added sonic weapons. After I get our tax refund, I will feel more comfortable buying some more models from Daz3d.com so I can do more renders for the creatures (like Jotun and Void Spawn).
4/2/2007 I didn't work on the game over the weekend. I was taking a break so I could play Lord of the Rings Online that just came out. Today I will make a To Do list for the misc things I need to get done (not the Big things like chapters, etc.).
I removed the Imperium faction from the rules, but I'm having second thoughts. Having a low Imp faction might mean characters cannot get a starship loan.
4/23/2007 Over the weekend, I added into the rules what I had completed so far for robots. I also started putting in some of the tables. It's a little tricky because there's a lot that needs to be included, including price. I'm trying to keep the tables simple without have too many extra tables if possible.
Starting to incorporate prices as well. Using a cost multiplier (of the chassis base price) for each component instead of having individual prices. This will make the tables cleaner and make things scale better.
4/20/2007 Wrote rules for chassis and drive trains. Happy with progress.
4/19/2007 I stayed off the computer last night, although I got a few minor things done during the day. I would like to start putting some of the info I've created into the rules soon but it might be until this weekend before that happens.
I wrote a lot more robots stats today (controllers, arms, hands, and power plants).
4/17/2007 I think I may modify Law Levels. Not sure if I'll get rid of them entirely or just combine them with something similar to the d20 system (restricted, military, and illegal items).
I've largely decided to eliminate the law level system and use the simpler system above. I wrote up my version of this (twice since Google docs crapped out on me after the first attempt). I will need to add this into the rules. Also, along with that I'm going to add the Streetwise skill that will help characters buy/sell items on the blackmarket (find a fence), etc.
4/16/2007 I worked on actual stats for chassis and drive trains. For Drive Trains, I played around with the numbers for awhile but came up with a general percentage of the total for space for a particular chassis.
I've been creating more robot stats today, but I just realized that I have a problem: do i have robots at different XP levels, like i do for creatures. The main reason to do this is to determine number of HPs. I was thinking about assigned HPs by chassis size, but now I'm not sure.
After thinking more, I decided that I will assign hit dice per chassis which will increase with level (just like creatures). This will give a more constant rule set then if i have something different for creatures and robots.
4/13/2007 Made a good start on Robots.
4/12/2007 To help get me out of the duldrums, I've decided to move on to the next chapter (Robots). The Encounters chapter is basically done and I can always go back and finish it up later.
I've been taking notes for the robot chapter. I wrote stuff for it a long time ago so I'm hopeful I can use some of that work. However, I've made a good start on what I did today.
4/11/2007 I worked a little last night, but not much. I'm having some creative problems at the moment: not able to create anything; my mind just doesn't seem to want to give anything. Rainy days aren't helping my mood either.
4/10/2007 I added Safe Fall skill to the rules. I also added Poison to Gear, although I need to add some examples.
The Encounter chapter is taking a long time. Partly because I've been playing LOTRO a lot over the last couple of weeks, but also there's just a lot to do for the chapter. Also, I've been backfilling stuff in previous chapters. In the case of the last two things, at least I'm making progress. As for playing LOTRO, we all have our addictions, I guess. ;-)
4/9/2007 Friday I was able to add section on Encounters. However, I will likely remove it since I don't think it works well.
I created two new mutants (giant scorpion and spitting beatle) and added desc for the three Void Spawn types. Also added affect of social class on faction standing. Wrote notes on Safe Fall skill.
4/6/2007 Created five new melee-related abilities. Wrote up rules for Poisons (for Gear chapter). Wrote up additional concequences for faction rating. Last night, wasn't able to work on computer at all due to problem with my leg (pinched nerve). This weekend, I'll be out of town for Easter, so I won't be able to work on game then either.
4/5/2007 I added Commerce to skills; redid the beginning of the abilities chapter to be more clear.
4/3/2007 Using my new ToDo List, I updated the rules with the new Racial resistance value, added racial traits (although I need to do more), and added sonic weapons. After I get our tax refund, I will feel more comfortable buying some more models from Daz3d.com so I can do more renders for the creatures (like Jotun and Void Spawn).
4/2/2007 I didn't work on the game over the weekend. I was taking a break so I could play Lord of the Rings Online that just came out. Today I will make a To Do list for the misc things I need to get done (not the Big things like chapters, etc.).
Game Diary Summary - March
3/30/2007 I've taken some notes on poisons (and will add that to the Gear chapter). I also put in some stubs for some faction member examples. I decided to keep ones that I don't have examples for. However, i decided to remove the Fur Is Murder Bregades. I just didn't feel right about using them.
3/29/2007 Yesterday I put a posting (similar to the one on pen-paper.net) on another game forum (RPGnet). This time, I've gotten a lot more views, so I'm happy about that.
I wrote a few notes about Factions/Reputation, about agendas etc. I had written some notes about NPC motivations, and that got me thinking about how that relates to how factions work. Basically, a faction's agenda dictates its motivations/actions. Also, I'm very interested in the idea that there is no good or evil, just people with conflicting agendas, so I wrote a little about that too.
3/28/2007 Nothing done last night. I'll try again tonight.
3/27/2007 I started a section about NPCs at the end of Chapter 6, but not much else. I looked at the chapters I've done so far and it looks like I have 3-4 more chapters to go. The last chapter may be a sample adventure, or perhaps mission ideas.
3/26/2007 After a slow start, I got a lot done over the weekend. I added descriptions for the different types of Ghul and Jotuns, and then added those to the Wiki. I also added the section on Factions & Reputation, although I'm needing to fine tune that. I also added two new types of elemental resistance: acid and sonic. I wasn't sure about sonic, but it will allow me to add sonic weapons and maybe some creature attacks.
For factions, I will remove some of them and focus on the ones I will have examples for. I want to reduce my workload a little since things are taking a lot of time and I'd like to have a beta draft in another couple of months.
I need to add default racial traits such as Scent for Vogar and Aqute Hearing for the Akiak (and claw attacks).
At the end of the Encounters chapter, I think I'll add a section NonPlayer Characters and Notable NPCs.
3/22/2007 I created an entry for King Rats and put in some stubs for a few of the minor races. I will need to go back and fill those in.
3/21/2007 I added the creatures I have done so far to the wiki. I also took some notes for the Mutant section, identifying some creature ideas.
Over lunch, I had the bright idea of linking the creatures that appear in my stories from the wiki to the page of the story where they appear. For example, I liked the wiki info on the tubby wubbies to the page in Alexander the Prince where they first appear.
3/20/2007 Last night I added the XP information to the first chapter. I also added another creature to Chapter 6. As I was adding another creature, I realized that I wasn't calculating the Def mod correctly (which is impacted by two different tables, not just one). I'm a little concerned that the system I've created for creatures doesn't give enough variety. Not sure what I should do about that.
I would like to start organizing creatures in ranges of levels (ie: XP Level 1-5, 6-10, etc), referring to them as Tiers). I want to make sure that I'm not neglecting one tier over another (so there'll be a good selection of mobs per tier).
3/19/2007 Very good progress over the weekend: entered 8-9 creatures incl. 3 renders. Discovered I haven't yet included info on XP. Not sure how to proceed with that (where to put it).
3/15/2007 I wasn't able to work on the game last night since my eyes were all dilated from an eye appointment. However, I had done some work during the day so it wasn't a total loss. I had created a new creature idea called the Breeder that gives birth to young which it then throws at opponents. The young then attack the opponent. I also wrote some brief notes on the VoidSpawn, giving some background.
Btw, the posting I put on the Pen&Paper forum has gone largely unnoticed and unread. I will have to find other ways to raise awareness.
3/14/2007 I completed the wiki (as far as the current imperium databank stuff goes) and linked it to the main site. Now that I'm hopefully done procrastinating, I can indeed work on the rules.
3/13/2007 Made very good progress last night with Wiki. I'm mostly done with the skin and I created a new logo (based on the old Imperium Online logo). Of course, I need to stop working on the wiki and turn back to working on rules so I have something to actually put IN the wiki. ;-)
3/12/2007 I installed MediaWiki on Friday night. It's going to take me awhile though to see if it's going to work for me. It has its own markup language etc. -- I've taken a look at the markup and it's actually pretty straightforward. I did the About page, using links, etc. and it was pretty easy. ;-)
I didn't get as much done in the rules as I would've liked. However, I did start on the abilities.
I was playing around with the "skin" for wiki. I've made progress so I'm happy with it.
3/9/2007 I posted a message and link about the game on a pen&paper forum (www.pen-paper.net). Don't know if it will increase awareness at all, but I guess it can't hurt.
3/8/2007 I was able to add the rework of attacks to the rules. It seems to look okay. I'm getting close to being able to start on creature examples; over the last several days I've created several sample ideas (although they're not fleshed out yet).
3/7/2007 I was too tired last night to work on the game. Hopefully tonight I'll have better luck.
Today I wrote some notes on the rework of attacks (see previous post). I think it works better so I'm happy with it. I'm thinking about adding so-called Minor races as their own category, perhaps under Factions. For example, some factions might be by minor race while others might be by organization, etc.
3/6/2007 I ran into a roadblock last night working on Attacks. It wasn't comprehensive or universal enough, so I tried to fix it but just got frustrated. Lying in bed, I came up with an idea that I'll try to flesh out today when I have time. Basically, I will split it up into "Attack Type" (Melee/Ranged) and "Weapon Type" (Natural/Manufactured).
3/5/2007 Over the weekend, I got a lot done for the Encounters chapter. I finished the species and then went on to hit dice and a couple of tables. Doesn't sound like much, but it took awhile to get done. However, I'm left with some feelings that it's not good enough. I think I'm just my usual insecurity.
On Friday I started creating some new sample creatures, including two "ironic" ones: the Fire Fox and the MicroSloth. The latter was actually suggested by Jeff, my boss, and then I ran with it (writing the desc etc.). However, I still have several more that I need to write.
The more I think about it, the more I think I'll fold the faction guys into the regular creatures. In other words, instead of having a separate section for playable race "creatures", I'm thinking I'll simply put them with everyone else. Of course, that also opens up whether I should do the same with robots also. Sigh. So many design decisions to make!
3/2/2007 Last night I finished redoing the species, although I still need to do Fungi and Exotic (which I forgot!). Also, I need to add stuff on creature's speed: I plan to divide them by size and speed (slow, average, fast) and by type of locomotion (wings, legs, fins, etc). I won't be going out of town this weekend, so I should hopefully get more stuff done.
On second thought, I decided (for speed) to just go by type of locomotion and speed (v. slow, slow, av, fast, v. fast) to simplify it. GM will need to decide if size of creature matters and incorporate that into the speed.
3/1/2007 Last night I started redoing the species section, but I got chased off the computer by some bad thunderstorms. However, what i did get done wasn't bad.
I mentioned before about adding a wiki to the website. I think I will use that to replace the "databank" pages I currently use. That way, I can use the wiki for both game info and also general Imperium universe info.
3/29/2007 Yesterday I put a posting (similar to the one on pen-paper.net) on another game forum (RPGnet). This time, I've gotten a lot more views, so I'm happy about that.
I wrote a few notes about Factions/Reputation, about agendas etc. I had written some notes about NPC motivations, and that got me thinking about how that relates to how factions work. Basically, a faction's agenda dictates its motivations/actions. Also, I'm very interested in the idea that there is no good or evil, just people with conflicting agendas, so I wrote a little about that too.
3/28/2007 Nothing done last night. I'll try again tonight.
3/27/2007 I started a section about NPCs at the end of Chapter 6, but not much else. I looked at the chapters I've done so far and it looks like I have 3-4 more chapters to go. The last chapter may be a sample adventure, or perhaps mission ideas.
3/26/2007 After a slow start, I got a lot done over the weekend. I added descriptions for the different types of Ghul and Jotuns, and then added those to the Wiki. I also added the section on Factions & Reputation, although I'm needing to fine tune that. I also added two new types of elemental resistance: acid and sonic. I wasn't sure about sonic, but it will allow me to add sonic weapons and maybe some creature attacks.
For factions, I will remove some of them and focus on the ones I will have examples for. I want to reduce my workload a little since things are taking a lot of time and I'd like to have a beta draft in another couple of months.
I need to add default racial traits such as Scent for Vogar and Aqute Hearing for the Akiak (and claw attacks).
At the end of the Encounters chapter, I think I'll add a section NonPlayer Characters and Notable NPCs.
3/22/2007 I created an entry for King Rats and put in some stubs for a few of the minor races. I will need to go back and fill those in.
3/21/2007 I added the creatures I have done so far to the wiki. I also took some notes for the Mutant section, identifying some creature ideas.
Over lunch, I had the bright idea of linking the creatures that appear in my stories from the wiki to the page of the story where they appear. For example, I liked the wiki info on the tubby wubbies to the page in Alexander the Prince where they first appear.
3/20/2007 Last night I added the XP information to the first chapter. I also added another creature to Chapter 6. As I was adding another creature, I realized that I wasn't calculating the Def mod correctly (which is impacted by two different tables, not just one). I'm a little concerned that the system I've created for creatures doesn't give enough variety. Not sure what I should do about that.
I would like to start organizing creatures in ranges of levels (ie: XP Level 1-5, 6-10, etc), referring to them as Tiers). I want to make sure that I'm not neglecting one tier over another (so there'll be a good selection of mobs per tier).
3/19/2007 Very good progress over the weekend: entered 8-9 creatures incl. 3 renders. Discovered I haven't yet included info on XP. Not sure how to proceed with that (where to put it).
3/15/2007 I wasn't able to work on the game last night since my eyes were all dilated from an eye appointment. However, I had done some work during the day so it wasn't a total loss. I had created a new creature idea called the Breeder that gives birth to young which it then throws at opponents. The young then attack the opponent. I also wrote some brief notes on the VoidSpawn, giving some background.
Btw, the posting I put on the Pen&Paper forum has gone largely unnoticed and unread. I will have to find other ways to raise awareness.
3/14/2007 I completed the wiki (as far as the current imperium databank stuff goes) and linked it to the main site. Now that I'm hopefully done procrastinating, I can indeed work on the rules.
3/13/2007 Made very good progress last night with Wiki. I'm mostly done with the skin and I created a new logo (based on the old Imperium Online logo). Of course, I need to stop working on the wiki and turn back to working on rules so I have something to actually put IN the wiki. ;-)
3/12/2007 I installed MediaWiki on Friday night. It's going to take me awhile though to see if it's going to work for me. It has its own markup language etc. -- I've taken a look at the markup and it's actually pretty straightforward. I did the About page, using links, etc. and it was pretty easy. ;-)
I didn't get as much done in the rules as I would've liked. However, I did start on the abilities.
I was playing around with the "skin" for wiki. I've made progress so I'm happy with it.
3/9/2007 I posted a message and link about the game on a pen&paper forum (www.pen-paper.net). Don't know if it will increase awareness at all, but I guess it can't hurt.
3/8/2007 I was able to add the rework of attacks to the rules. It seems to look okay. I'm getting close to being able to start on creature examples; over the last several days I've created several sample ideas (although they're not fleshed out yet).
3/7/2007 I was too tired last night to work on the game. Hopefully tonight I'll have better luck.
Today I wrote some notes on the rework of attacks (see previous post). I think it works better so I'm happy with it. I'm thinking about adding so-called Minor races as their own category, perhaps under Factions. For example, some factions might be by minor race while others might be by organization, etc.
3/6/2007 I ran into a roadblock last night working on Attacks. It wasn't comprehensive or universal enough, so I tried to fix it but just got frustrated. Lying in bed, I came up with an idea that I'll try to flesh out today when I have time. Basically, I will split it up into "Attack Type" (Melee/Ranged) and "Weapon Type" (Natural/Manufactured).
3/5/2007 Over the weekend, I got a lot done for the Encounters chapter. I finished the species and then went on to hit dice and a couple of tables. Doesn't sound like much, but it took awhile to get done. However, I'm left with some feelings that it's not good enough. I think I'm just my usual insecurity.
On Friday I started creating some new sample creatures, including two "ironic" ones: the Fire Fox and the MicroSloth. The latter was actually suggested by Jeff, my boss, and then I ran with it (writing the desc etc.). However, I still have several more that I need to write.
The more I think about it, the more I think I'll fold the faction guys into the regular creatures. In other words, instead of having a separate section for playable race "creatures", I'm thinking I'll simply put them with everyone else. Of course, that also opens up whether I should do the same with robots also. Sigh. So many design decisions to make!
3/2/2007 Last night I finished redoing the species, although I still need to do Fungi and Exotic (which I forgot!). Also, I need to add stuff on creature's speed: I plan to divide them by size and speed (slow, average, fast) and by type of locomotion (wings, legs, fins, etc). I won't be going out of town this weekend, so I should hopefully get more stuff done.
On second thought, I decided (for speed) to just go by type of locomotion and speed (v. slow, slow, av, fast, v. fast) to simplify it. GM will need to decide if size of creature matters and incorporate that into the speed.
3/1/2007 Last night I started redoing the species section, but I got chased off the computer by some bad thunderstorms. However, what i did get done wasn't bad.
I mentioned before about adding a wiki to the website. I think I will use that to replace the "databank" pages I currently use. That way, I can use the wiki for both game info and also general Imperium universe info.
Game Diary Summary - February
2/28/2007 I'm debating whether I should indeed include factions&reputation within the encounters chapter or in its own chapter. Since I intend to include the descriptions/stats for various members of these factions, I thought i should include it with encounters, but now i'm not sure that's the best way of organizing these.
2/27/2007 I continued writing the species section of encounters. However, i stopped because i need to redo these, making them more game related instead of sounding like a biology lesson. ;-)
2/26/2007 I had an idea in the shower today: i'm going to regulate attack/defense modifiers based on type of Mob (ie: carnivore, omnivore, herbivore). I created the chart for this; not sure yet whether i like how the numbers pan out.
In the evening I made a good start on Chapter 6: Encounters.
2/25/2007 Did extensive research for encounters: looked at different species types on Wikipedia. Not sure if I will use this or not, but I'd like to. I have to think about to incorporate this.
2/24/2007 Completed scanners and protective gear. Getting ready for next chapter: encounters
2/23/2007 Website page is almost done; Just need to create a couple more images and then publish it hopefully tonight.
2/22/2007 Worked on website last night. Created new image based on the one I did inside the rules (one showing all the races). Main page has the image as a teaser, and if you click on it, the viewer goes to another page with details about what the game will offer. Not done yet though, so I haven't published it to the live site.
2/21/2007 I basically did nothing last night, which makes 3 days in a row. Just too mentally tired. I tried to look at redoing the website, but my original plan won't work so i'll have to rework it somewhat. I've started keeping some of my notes on a Google spread sheet (like this one).
Btw, while i was doing research for vacc suits, I found that firearms can indeed be used in a vacuum. I should add a section into the combat chapter about fighting in vacuum or underwater.
2/20/2007 I wrote up some quick notes for attacks (around 8-10 diff ones so far. Basically, they'll be three kinds: Regular, Special, and Weapons. For defenses, I'm thinking about diff natural armors such as scales, hides, etc.
I'm going to add a new section to my website talking about the RPG. I wrote some notes and within a week or so I'd like to put it online. I have no idea if anyone will care, but at least they'll be some visibility on the site as a "work in progress" so people will know i'm actually working on something. At this point, I don't think the game will be ready at all until Fall 2006.
2/19/2007 "Need to add Visibility rules (and LOS) to Combat chapter. Also, need to complete abilities, esp for Psionics. I wrote the notes on LOS and Visibility.
The next chap will cover encounters (opponents). I'm thinking of having various generic attacks and defenses based on size."
2/17/2007 Completed kits. Added Forgery to skill section.
2/16/2007 I decided not to go into quite the same detail for gen equip (for things like basic equip--rope, binoculars, etc.). Right now I'm going to do the kits/tools for the skills and leave it at that. Also, I'm not going to worry about regular clothes, and just focus on clothes for diff environments
2/15/2007 I completed the vehicle desc and filled in much of the vehicle table. Next I need to go through the skills and see what equip/kits are needed for each and add them in a General Equip section.
2/14/2007 I didn't work last night. Today, however, I wrote some notes about Planet/Moon orbits: planets will be by AU (ie. 0.3, 1.0, 55.0) and moons will be #x10,000km (ie. 52.7 = 527,000km).
2/13/2007 Instead of Clothing, I decided to work on Vehicles next. I made a list of the diff vehicles for reach type (Air, Land, Water) and then started writing the desc. I will need to add Sizes for them akin to the character sizes, to help determine defense mods. I'm thinking I'll need to add vehicle combat to the Combat chapter.
2/12/2007 "Over the weekend, I completed most of the enhancements. Yesterday, I did research on vehicles. I added Medical Science to Skills and Surgery as an Ability. Also, added the Social Class notes into the rules.
I need to do a graphic with some of the weapons."
2/9/2007 "I made good progress on enhancements, completing implants and half of nanos. I struggled with the tables for these, and I'm not happy with what I ended up with. The stats are too generic, so I will need to return to that later. Next I need to do the drug enhancements, although I can use the names from previous drafts.
2/8/2007 "I completed armor last night and now I can turn to enhancements. I should be able to copy in much of the text from previous drafts, although I'll need to fill in more detail/stats. I am still undecide about adding weapon enhancements as well. I might leave it off for now and add it later.
I've been debating whether to add a social class component: basically you pick which of the 3 social classes at the beginning and it impacts your Faction when dealing with other social classes."
2/7/2007 "Last night I redid some of the renders for the diff races. I then spent 2 hours doing a composite of all the races together to show their respective heights. I'm happy with how it turned out. However, I've decided that I need to redo the desc of the Vogar: they currently are called ""friendly"" but the only poser models I have are too viscous looking, so I'm going to change their desc accordingly.
I've been debating whether to add a social class component: basically you pick which of the 3 social classes at the beginning and it impacts your Faction when dealing with other social classes.
2/6/2007 I've been thinking about adding weapons mods (increased accuracy, range, etc). Not sure if I'd add them as part of the weapons section or under enhancements. I thought of adding a section called "Protective Clothing." It would include: Vacc Suit, Vacc Patch, Oxygen tanks, rebreather, cold weather suit, desert ("water") suit.
For the vacc patch, basically, whenever a vacc suit is hit that hit causes a leak that must be patched before a certain # of rounds elapse, otherwise character begins to take damage (DoT)
2/5/2007 Tried to work, but I was too tired in the evening. Couldn't concentrate at all.
2/4/2007 Finished melee weapon desc, and started armor. Realized that I had not included personal force field proficiency as an ability. I will need to remember to add this.
2/3/2007 Finished ranged weapon descriptions for Ch 5: Gear
2/27/2007 I continued writing the species section of encounters. However, i stopped because i need to redo these, making them more game related instead of sounding like a biology lesson. ;-)
2/26/2007 I had an idea in the shower today: i'm going to regulate attack/defense modifiers based on type of Mob (ie: carnivore, omnivore, herbivore). I created the chart for this; not sure yet whether i like how the numbers pan out.
In the evening I made a good start on Chapter 6: Encounters.
2/25/2007 Did extensive research for encounters: looked at different species types on Wikipedia. Not sure if I will use this or not, but I'd like to. I have to think about to incorporate this.
2/24/2007 Completed scanners and protective gear. Getting ready for next chapter: encounters
2/23/2007 Website page is almost done; Just need to create a couple more images and then publish it hopefully tonight.
2/22/2007 Worked on website last night. Created new image based on the one I did inside the rules (one showing all the races). Main page has the image as a teaser, and if you click on it, the viewer goes to another page with details about what the game will offer. Not done yet though, so I haven't published it to the live site.
2/21/2007 I basically did nothing last night, which makes 3 days in a row. Just too mentally tired. I tried to look at redoing the website, but my original plan won't work so i'll have to rework it somewhat. I've started keeping some of my notes on a Google spread sheet (like this one).
Btw, while i was doing research for vacc suits, I found that firearms can indeed be used in a vacuum. I should add a section into the combat chapter about fighting in vacuum or underwater.
2/20/2007 I wrote up some quick notes for attacks (around 8-10 diff ones so far. Basically, they'll be three kinds: Regular, Special, and Weapons. For defenses, I'm thinking about diff natural armors such as scales, hides, etc.
I'm going to add a new section to my website talking about the RPG. I wrote some notes and within a week or so I'd like to put it online. I have no idea if anyone will care, but at least they'll be some visibility on the site as a "work in progress" so people will know i'm actually working on something. At this point, I don't think the game will be ready at all until Fall 2006.
2/19/2007 "Need to add Visibility rules (and LOS) to Combat chapter. Also, need to complete abilities, esp for Psionics. I wrote the notes on LOS and Visibility.
The next chap will cover encounters (opponents). I'm thinking of having various generic attacks and defenses based on size."
2/17/2007 Completed kits. Added Forgery to skill section.
2/16/2007 I decided not to go into quite the same detail for gen equip (for things like basic equip--rope, binoculars, etc.). Right now I'm going to do the kits/tools for the skills and leave it at that. Also, I'm not going to worry about regular clothes, and just focus on clothes for diff environments
2/15/2007 I completed the vehicle desc and filled in much of the vehicle table. Next I need to go through the skills and see what equip/kits are needed for each and add them in a General Equip section.
2/14/2007 I didn't work last night. Today, however, I wrote some notes about Planet/Moon orbits: planets will be by AU (ie. 0.3, 1.0, 55.0) and moons will be #x10,000km (ie. 52.7 = 527,000km).
2/13/2007 Instead of Clothing, I decided to work on Vehicles next. I made a list of the diff vehicles for reach type (Air, Land, Water) and then started writing the desc. I will need to add Sizes for them akin to the character sizes, to help determine defense mods. I'm thinking I'll need to add vehicle combat to the Combat chapter.
2/12/2007 "Over the weekend, I completed most of the enhancements. Yesterday, I did research on vehicles. I added Medical Science to Skills and Surgery as an Ability. Also, added the Social Class notes into the rules.
I need to do a graphic with some of the weapons."
2/9/2007 "I made good progress on enhancements, completing implants and half of nanos. I struggled with the tables for these, and I'm not happy with what I ended up with. The stats are too generic, so I will need to return to that later. Next I need to do the drug enhancements, although I can use the names from previous drafts.
2/8/2007 "I completed armor last night and now I can turn to enhancements. I should be able to copy in much of the text from previous drafts, although I'll need to fill in more detail/stats. I am still undecide about adding weapon enhancements as well. I might leave it off for now and add it later.
I've been debating whether to add a social class component: basically you pick which of the 3 social classes at the beginning and it impacts your Faction when dealing with other social classes."
2/7/2007 "Last night I redid some of the renders for the diff races. I then spent 2 hours doing a composite of all the races together to show their respective heights. I'm happy with how it turned out. However, I've decided that I need to redo the desc of the Vogar: they currently are called ""friendly"" but the only poser models I have are too viscous looking, so I'm going to change their desc accordingly.
I've been debating whether to add a social class component: basically you pick which of the 3 social classes at the beginning and it impacts your Faction when dealing with other social classes.
2/6/2007 I've been thinking about adding weapons mods (increased accuracy, range, etc). Not sure if I'd add them as part of the weapons section or under enhancements. I thought of adding a section called "Protective Clothing." It would include: Vacc Suit, Vacc Patch, Oxygen tanks, rebreather, cold weather suit, desert ("water") suit.
For the vacc patch, basically, whenever a vacc suit is hit that hit causes a leak that must be patched before a certain # of rounds elapse, otherwise character begins to take damage (DoT)
2/5/2007 Tried to work, but I was too tired in the evening. Couldn't concentrate at all.
2/4/2007 Finished melee weapon desc, and started armor. Realized that I had not included personal force field proficiency as an ability. I will need to remember to add this.
2/3/2007 Finished ranged weapon descriptions for Ch 5: Gear
Game Diary - January
1/27/2007 Redid ranged weapons: created more variety. Also decided to include so-called exotic weapons (ie: cryo pistol) with regular weapons instead of having its own section and ability.
1/25/2007 Wrote outline for the diff types of gear, incl. armor, weapons, vehicles, etc.
1/24/2007 Wrote info on diff types of armor.
1/19/2007 Looked at MediaWiki for future use later on. Looked at wikipedia article about D&D Feats - they use a lot of diff types incl ones for creating items etc. Looked at resources re. campaign ideas. I would like to have a supplement called "Missions" imitating the sort of short missions (and story arcs) from MMORPGs
1/25/2007 Wrote outline for the diff types of gear, incl. armor, weapons, vehicles, etc.
1/24/2007 Wrote info on diff types of armor.
1/19/2007 Looked at MediaWiki for future use later on. Looked at wikipedia article about D&D Feats - they use a lot of diff types incl ones for creating items etc. Looked at resources re. campaign ideas. I would like to have a supplement called "Missions" imitating the sort of short missions (and story arcs) from MMORPGs
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)