New Updates and Features! [NEW UPDATE: DICE MOD!]

Hey guys, spent some time messing around with the administration panel
here on the forum, and found out I had a lot more tools in my toolbox
than I originally realized.

First of all, you probably all noticed the new chat-box feature on the
front page! Now all the forum members can interact with each-other in
between in-game posts, and have in-game discussions without the need for
a text-heavy thread. Just keep the name calling to a minimum...Ah, who
am I kidding? Go crazy!

A few other new features are currently in the works, as well, including
being able to connect your Facebook accounts to the forum, and have
access of the game from there in the form of an app.

I'm working on including a new "portal" page for the site that allows
forum access to be smoother, and allows for you to access the latest
threads, see who the top poster is, keep up to date on forum events and
upgrades, and much more! If the forum looks a great deal different when you log on, odds are I'm messing with it. I'll keep you posted.

In addition to all of this, we might also be adding a new "dice mod"
feature to the forum, which will allow combat to be much more
spontaneous, and intense, adding a degree of excitement and uncertainty
to a fight.

Currently the only feature in effect is the chatbox; the other features
only being considered at this point in time. If you have any questions
about these features, or want to show some support for adding a certain
feature, feel free to drop a line or two about it here!

Hey all, just thought I'd let everyone know that the dice mod is now in full swing. You'll notice whenever you go to make a new post in the forum, that underneath the text box where you type everything will be a new drop down box with the words "dice roll" next to it labeled "The Heart beckons...". In order to use the dice roll system, simply click on the Philosopher's Heart option in the drop-down box, and then when you post, a second post will appear afterwards that says "The Heart beckons..." followed by any random number between 1 and 6.

I decided to name the dice The Philosopher's Heart in order to keep with the theme that the Philosopher's Heart controls everything inside the city, including the outcomes of everything that goes on in it. I thought it would make the dice rolling post itself more interesting.

Now, for an example of how the dice mod should be properly used, allow me to show you what an actual in game use of the dice mod would look like:

Player 1's first post: Player 1 walked up to Player 2, and without hesitation, threw a flaming fist at him, aiming for his stupid head!

Dice mod's first post: The Heart beckons...1!

Player 2's first post: Player 2 easily dodged the attack, seeing the malicious intent in Player 1's eyes before he even threw his punch. In retaliation, Player 2 took a handful of throwing knives from his knife belt and whipped them at Player 2, hoping to get a clean shot!

Dice mod's second post: The Heart beckons...3!

Player 1's second post: Player 1 misjudged Player 2's litheness, and was caught off guard as Player 2 retaliated with a handful of knives coming right at him! Still somewhat off balance from his swing at Player 2, Player 1 stepped to the side hoping to dodge the incoming blades, but was too late to avoid injury, and took one of the blades to his leg. Not one to give up over trifle wounds, Player 1 removed the knife from his leg, and charged at Player 2 with a furious burst of speed, arcs of flame trailing behind him. Putting all his strength and weight into his shoulder, he hoped this offensive strike would prove more effective than the last.

Dice mod's third post: The Heart beckons...6!

Player 2's second post: Player 2's eyes widened in disbelief at the sheer force that was coming directly at him with unbelievable speed and fury. Attempting to run, but having been too caught off guard to dodge accordingly, Player 2 took the full force of Player 1's blow, sending him flying back and crashing through the plaster wall behind him. Having all the wind taken out of him, Player 2 struggled to breath as he stood back up, his wobbly knees almost preventing him from doing so. Wiping the spot of blood that started to trickle down his forehead from where he hit his head on the now nonexistent wall, Player 2 held up his hand and slowly walked away, hoping Player 1 would accept a rematch later.

...

Get the idea? Basically, each player responds to the outcome of the dice roll by taking two different things into account:

- The number value that the dice roll comes out to in between each post. Say for instance your character wants to knock down a brick wall with nothing but his brute strength. If your guy is a wimp, rolling 1-4 isn't going to be very effective. If you roll a 5, you might do some damage to the wall. If you roll a 6, the wall would basically crumble to pieces. The higher the value of the dice roll, the more effective the outcome of what you want to do will be.

- Taking into account your characters powers, along with his or her strengths and flaws. If you're doing a player versus player fight, for instance, and your character is a slow but strong brute going up against a small guy with a lot of speed, you're going to have a bit more difficulty hitting him than a normal person. Be sure to take all of these things into account, ESPECIALLY when your actions will be affecting another player. Knowing how your character would fare in these in-game chance situations is key, and knowing how to judge the number values of the dice roll along with your character's strengths and weaknesses is essential to getting the most out of the dice system.

I hope this is all making sense. In summary, the dice mod is a tool that can be used in any situation that you think would require some sort of chance element to it. It can be used by yourself to add flavor to your own individual posts (ex: Player 1 does a post about climbing up a slippery streetlight to reach a back pack hanging from it, and uses the dice mod tool. After the dice mod gives the player the number value, that player can make a second post responding to that action's outcome based on how well the dice roll played out for him); to see who would win in a fight against two player characters (ex: Player 1 does a post about attacking Player 2, and used the dice mod tool to see if his hit connects. Player 2 then responds to the outcome of the dice roll with an action, and then can respond with another action that uses the dice roll to attack back if he/she wishes. The fights can go on for as many dice rolls as both players wish. Judge the fights accordingly based on characters and what their limits are); and so much more!

If anyone has any questions pertaining to the dice mod system and how it's used (I apologize if my explanation was a bit confusing), feel free to leave a response here or send me a private message and I'll be happy to answer your questions as best as I can. For the time being, we're only going to be using a single 6-sided dice to keep things simple and so everyone can get used to using it. Whether or not we'll expand on the feature later is up in the air, but we'll see how this works for the time being, and as always, if you have any suggestions, drop me a line in the Ideas and Suggestions forum. Have fun with the dice mod kiddies! Oh, and one more thing...

The member 'FourStringFingerSting' has done the following action : Dice Roll!

'The Heart beckons...' : 3