Folks...your lives are going to change after Hot Summer Nights. Actually, your DEATHS are going to change, but you'll see what I mean in just a moment.


I've been mulling over this whole issue and after a lot of thought this weekend, I think that its significant enough to warrant some straight discussion now that we've had our fun dropping little hints and teasers. This is just THAT big. That and I'm just very excited about it. :)



In short: There will be a new "stage" of Life and Death that will come to DR this summer....the actual process of "Dying".



GM Towint put together this concept, so I'll use explanation from his design document to help explain this in detail (in the "'s) and I'll add my comments (inside the *'s) with it:



"The purpose of this System is to prevent Death from taking place when initial indications are that it should, but secondary checks indicate that the person was previously healthy and that no critical injuries are present, nor that the person is so far gone that Death should take place instantly."

**Basically, there are currently times when you die that it makes much more sense that you should be "dying" and not just "dead". There will still be what players used to refer to as "Zoha Crits" where "one shot kills" are entirely possible, dependant on where you get hit (head shots, for instance) and how much damage is caused, but.....(read on)**

"Instead, this will put the person into a 'dying' condition that will allow them to be saved or even (possibly) recover on their own if no further injury takes place. This should alter the social dynamic of hunting so as to encourage hunting in pairs or groups, reintroducing that aspect of the game which is no longer present as it used to be in the beginning."

**Note that in normal combat situations, it's very unlikely that you'll recover on your own without help, but it IS possible. I want to stress that this won't make it easier to die AT ALL, so those of you that prefer to hunt alone won't have to worry that your gaming experience is being ruined. In all honesty, this should add a really cool "adrenalin factor" when you're "dying" and all alone. Will you make it? Or will that nasty critter get off another shot and finish the job before you're able to regain your senses? Even better and more importantly, this ALSO brings back something that many of us "old folks" remember very fondly: the fun of hunting in groups, saving each other's hides, and watching each other's backs. This is the most exciting thing about the system, in my opinion. It makes Battle Empaths TRULY able to live up to their titles. This (along with a couple other neat little things that Empaths will see that I'm NOT talking about right now) will allow those Empaths who want to feel the rush of saving lives of their party members in the middle of combat instead of sitting around on their tushies in the "safe rooms" and the Guild Halls will find their wishes have finally been fulfilled. Of course, those that like sitting around can still do it.**

"In terms of physical wounds, it should also be helpful to Empaths in that those who do die in combat are more likely to have more serious wounds than would otherwise be the case, and those who don't die will need healing sooner and on a more urgent basis."

**Transferrence, anyone? :)**

"It is, however, important to note that this in no way increases the likelihood of death taking place. On the contrary, it gives people a chance that they have not had hereto to preserve funds and experience that would otherwise be lost."

**Again...important to stress this. It will not make it "easier" for anyone to die. If anything, it will make it less likely, while still providing an exciting new layer to hunting, combat, and death.**

There will be a very large discussion about this going on at SimuCon, with lots more info and details about the other REALLY neat things that Empaths will see in HSN, so if you're at all curious, you should definitely attend if you can make it. :)


Solomon

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This message was originally posted in Surviving in DragonRealms - Elanthia, On Death. To discuss the above follow the link below.

http://www.play.net/forums/messages.asp?forum=20&category=3&topic=7&message=1234