[MUD-Dev] Alternative Hit Point Systems?

[Paul]

From: Sie Ming <SieMing at sewardweb.com>
> At 01:39 PM 7/27/2002 -0700, Britt wrote: (assuming Sie got the
> quote right this time)

>> I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or concepts for a
>> different way of doing hit points?

> Does anyone know of a game that gives combat summaries like this?

This sounds a bit like where I'd like to go with the combat for
Magicosm, although in its current form, it is most applicable to 1v1
dueling.  (Incidentally, the Castle Marrach dueling scheme over on
the fencing thread is also a good example of a combat system that is
not based on the attrition of hit points.)  Here's a writeup I did
on our development website.

****************************************

I envision a couple of adversaries engaging in combat where a
relatively complex series of forms are woven together in a
challenge/response sort of manner. Only when a challenge is not met
with an adequate response (i.e. the one challenged does not yet
possess knowledge that is an adequate response or fails a
proficiency check when attempting to perform the response) does a
hit get scored. Things like hit points and endurance are still
relevant to the combat, acting as pools of resources that need to be
managed properly, but CombatForms? that are known, your proficiency
with those forms, and especially your strategy in employing them are
primary. In my mind, the number of forms available as well as the
complexity of combat makes it necessary for some sort of scripting
to be used so that characters react in real time even though the
challenge/response has the sort of deep strategy you'd expect from a
turn-based system. Perhaps it would be best if I just tried to walk
through an example of the kind of combat I'm thinking about.

Buffy engages my character Bubba in combat. She opens up with a
plink to try to feel me out.

     Buffy performs a Thrust aimed at your chest.

My Default script kicks in here. My character really doesn't have a
lot of endurance, preferring to take the fight to others. He has
forgone a bit of endurance training, instead working to hone some
pretty decent OffensiveForms?. I took this into account when
programming my default script, so my scripted response to Buffy's
plink is to escalate the fight by first performing a sweep that
moves me towards Buffy's right flank (my response; a DefensiveForm?) 
and then follwing that up with the Star Falls To Dragon's Head form
(my challenge), which targets Buffy's exposed neck. This is a medium
level OffensiveForm? that I've practiced a lot to lower my chances
of failing proficiency. It is relatively common, since it can be
performed from the stance in which a sweep will end.

     You respond with a Sweep, blocking the attack.
     Your response moves you to the left.

     You perform Star Falls To Dragon's Head aimed at Buffy's neck.

     Buffy responds with Breeze Passes Through Rushes, blocking the attack.
     Buffy's response causes her to pivot, facing you.

     Buffy performs a Thrust aimed at your chest.

To this point, I've been watching the combat closely, but now I need
to consider changing from my Default tactics. Buffy has adequately
responded to my OffensiveForm? with an appropriate DefensiveForm?,
which would indicate a certain degree of knowledge and proficiency,
yet she has gone back to a simple thrust. Why would she do this? I
surmise that she is playing for time. It may well be that she has
concentrated on endurance training and defensive forms, planning to
wear down opponents to the point that they begin to suffer penalties
to proficiency because of flagging endurance levels. My Sweep (with
its flanking movement) and OffensiveForm? take up quite a bit of
endurance, while she (although using a similarly difficult form for
her response) is conserving a little bit of energy by only pivoting
to face me and a lot of energy by performing a very simple
Thrust. If I had more confidence in my conditioning, I might press
F4 to activate my Conserve Energy script and take her on in this
game, but I know I'm weak in that area and suspect from her actions
that she has more endurance. (Of course, Buffy may have been
bluffing to make me think exactly this.) So I press F8 to activate
my Max Agression script. In the meantime, we've gone through the
cycle above a second time, but this time I respond differently to
Buffy's plink since a different script is in effect.

     Buffy performs a Thrust aimed at your chest.

     You attempt to respond with the Heron Floats Over Oak Gambit.
     You do not succeed!
     Buffy scores a hit to your chest!
     Your steel breastplate takes damage!
     Your steel breastplate holds.
     Your response failed and did not change your stance.

     You perform Sun Bursts Through Clouds aimed at Buffy's chest.

     Buffy responds with Cedar Sways In Wind, blocking your attack.

     Buffy performs a Thrust aimed at your chest.

Now you are starting to sweat. Your Max Agression script is set up
so that you will attempt to use a defensive gambit as your response
to Buffy's plink. A gambit is a form for which success is less than
100% even if you pass proficiency. The percentage of success varies
from one gambit to another, based on the potential advantage the
gambit might bring to the combat. This particular gambit is a
DefensiveForm?, that if successful, will protect your chest from
certain attacks and concurrently move to a very advantageous stance
from which you can employ the most advanced OffensiveForm? you
know. If you had succeeded, you think it is unlikely that Buffy
would have known a response adequate enough to block the attack.
However, since the gambit failed, not only did you let Buffy's
little plink past your guard and receive damage to your armour, but
you also did not transition to the desired stance and had to settle
for a less advanced OffensiveForm? which Buffy appears to have
blocked with little difficulty. You've wasted even more energy on
these advanced forms and are now just hoping to make it out of
combat without having to yield to Buffy in order to save your
life. Since your Max Agression script uses a lot of energy and is a
chancy prospect, you've programmed it to run only once before
calling your Default script again, so you are back to your Sweep &
Star cycle (since Buffy continues to merely thrust).  Fortunately,
you have one last chance to get out of this situation. You recently
completed a quest in which you learned an offensive gambit which, if
successful may hamstring an opponent.  You had never heard of this
form before and believe that it may get past Buffy's defenses. You
hope only to wound her enough to disengage and prevent her from
pursuing. You don't have it hot-keyed, so you type /do
Hamstring. Your Hamstring script is now in effect.

     Buffy performs a Thrust aimed at your chest.

     You respond with Moon Sinks Below Horizon, blocking the attack.
     Your response moves you to a crouched stance.

     You perform the River Undercuts Bank Gambit aimed at Buffy's right
     ankle.

     Buffy responds with a Sweep, but does not block the attack!
     Buffy's right bronze boot takes damage!
     Buffy's right bronze boot fails!
     Buffy's right ankle takes damage!
     Buffy loses endurance and agility!

     Buffy performs a Thrust aimed at your chest.

  [Note: I edited the above to reflect that Buffy does successfully
  perform the Sweep maneuver. However, her script selected it from
  her known defensive maneuvers as the most likely to block your
  attack for which she does not know an appropriate response. (If
  Buffy knows nothing at all about the form you used against her,
  then this is simply a default attempt to block an unknown form. On
  the other hand if Buffy does know a bit about the form you used
  against her, she may know that, of the defensive maneuvers she
  knows, this one has the highest chance of success even though it
  is not really an appropriate resonse to the challenge.) Similar to
  a gambit, this means that even when passing proficiency and
  completing the maneuver, there is a less than 100% chance that the
  maneuver will block an attack. The percentage is based upon how
  close the maneuver is to being an appropriate response.]

Whew! You press the F10 key, putting your Disengage script into
action. After blocking Buffy's thrust, you disengage from combat and
run away, counting yourself lucky.

*************************************************

Anyway, that's the sort of thing I envision.  I think that this sort
of system might work well either for a text-based or graphical MUD.

If you are interested, you can see some other details about this
system at:

  http://www.sword-and-sorcery.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/000033.html

The thoughts are incomplete at this time, but you should be able to
get a pretty good idea as to where I'm going with it.

--Phinehas


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