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==Geography / Mapping==
If you're interested enough to read the following ideas, please consider leaving some feedback.


I would like to request some sort of a grid-to-tile conversion, to assist with the various stages of mapping.  I was very impressed with the mapping progress in the article for the old area, called [[Xartune]].  I think it would be helpful to use the grids on the world map, as actual coordinates.  I don't care if there is a series of sub-grids within each grid-square, so long as it eventually equates a real coordinate, in terms of tiles in the game environment. 
==swimming & oceanwalking==


If questions of size and perspective arise, we should start to ask questions like, "How long should it realistically take to walk from "point A" to "point B"..?" I don't think this world should be the size of Earth, but it should be "big enough" to keep things reasonably spaced out.  (whatever that means.. ;) Bottom line for the entire world: it'd be nice to somehow promote low-density areas, to keep lag at a minimum.
Swimming does not work in the same manner as it does, on the real world.  On the mana world, the only place where one can swim, is where the water meets air.  Any level of swimming ability probably determines how fast you're able to move across this top layer of airy water.  You can only swim on the surface of the water and can not simply sink, or dive downward to access the ocean floor; No Z-axis.


However, if you have gills or some other method of waterbreathing, you can walk safely on the ocean floor.  As stated, this can not be accomplished by sinking or diving, since the layer of airy water can not be penetrated.  The only common places to access the ocean floor, are beaches.  Beaches serve as ramps to and from the ocean floor.  There probably aren't very many access points to the ocean floor.


With this contrast between swimming and oceanwalking, we can allow people to swim without ever having to depict under-water swimming. (which would require more sprite frames) Swimming can be portrayed as simply as it is in other 2d games, like Zelda and Graal.. where the character's head is (partially) above water, with some simple splashing graphics and sounds to assist the illusion.


==Story Outlines==
Under-water travel on the other hand, could be done fairly exactly as it's done in the SNES title "Breath of Fire".. a method of which I am very fond.


With the "Backstory" broken up the way it is now, it's more comfortable to document world history using two fundamental perspectives.  The timelines are examples of event-driven writing, as are most outlines for stories.  Actual stories however, will probably tend to be slightly more character-driven.  Currently there is a void of character-driven writing, that I hope to begin filling soon.  This should be a great opportunity for anyone interested in devoting some time toward concept art, as well people who are interested in illustration.  As I have mentioned before, I think we should consider illustrating the wiki in the style of an instruction manual or a strategy guide, where appropriate.  Obviously, describing the minute details of every idea, person, place, etc.. can be tiresome for the reader and author alike, creating ample need for visual aid.


We had discussed getting in touch with some people, about creating some web comics and I believe I'm ready for an initial installment of four short stories.  I can do them myself, but I worry that my time constraints would keep them on a back-burner for too long.  I see no reason why it can't be a team approach, to a certain extent.  I usually have enough time and effort in the day, to devote to preliminary outline imagery, but it'd be great to have some help pulling a complete comic out of it all.  Anyhow, the following is a quick run down of my idea for stories.


==elements and materials==


I've been trying to come up with a material tree, based on three fundamentals: The fantasy-style elements that we've adopted, the real-life table of elements and of course, as the governing guideline, the rule of cool.  Unfortunately, I was once again unable to come up with a complete idea on my own, but this is the gist of it.


===the Crystal of Water shatters===


===energy to matter===
Using the following forces, elemental energy can be converted in to various types of matter.


Keep in mind, the intended idea is that after the Gods were banished, mankind never really became aware of the existence of the Crystals.  This is first of the crystals to suddenly shatter, but why exactly did it happen? The God of Water within didn't simply "break free" through its own free will; if it could, it probably would have much earlier, right? Here's how it happened:
*fire = heat
*lightning = electricity
*air = gas? wind?
*ice = cold
*water = moisture
*plant = acid
*earth = pressure
*metal = magnetics? gauss?




During Keshlam's invasion of the newly founded nation of Ancea, a young member of the Tritan royal family is chased by the enemy forces, to the far outskirts of the capital.  Though he manages to elude his pursuers, he finds himself trapped in an underwater cavern, where he had taken refuge.


These could be some of the basic forms of matter that we're able to create from elemental energy.  ''Metal is the only complete set amongst these examples.''


The situation seem dire, when the boy begins to hear a voice calling out to him. 


[[Image:Underwater_cave.jpg]]
;Earth:sulfer (heat), lithium (elec), silicon (pressure), carbon (magnet)


He follows the distant voice through the watery caverns, which eventually lead him to the open sea.  The voice then instructs him on a long journey, coaxing him with promises of safety and help with his troubles.
;Metal:iron (heat), aluminum (elec), titanium (gas), cobalt (cold), tin (moisture), zinc (acid), lead (pressure), nickel (magnet)


''Aside from the potential to be blended in to alloys, each type of metal could have various forms of modification applied to them.''  (hardened, tempered, galvanized, etc..)


After more than a day of playing hide and seek with the Keshlam troops, the boy finally arrives on a small island, far from the capital city, which he had been forced to flee.  The voice gradually becomes faint and its words grow vague, until the messages finally cease.


;Air:nitrogen (cold), hydrogen (moisture), xenon (acid)


As he ventures in to the heart of a small forest, he is greeted by a small lake of fresh water, which almost seems illuminated.  The voice suddenly becomes more intense and suggestive, urging him to explore the depths of the lake; insisting that the solution to all of his problems lie at the bottom.




The boy of course, submits to this claim, proceeding to swim to the lake's deepest point.  The voice ceases and the boy now finds nothing immediately impressive about the area.  Now standing with his flippers on the ground, the Tritan feels a very slight vibration, which seems to hum with a familiar harmony.
''obviously, it's a little easier to do with Metal than the others.''  I imagined this might somehow lead to a the development of a metal / alloy-tree, that would actually have some sort of function beyond sounding cool.  Another purpose was to provide a foundation for at least some level of familiarity.  For example, it's fairly common knowledge that steel is usually made from a mixture of iron and carbon; wouldn't it be cool if that mixture ''actually'' resulted in a steel product, when you tried it in-game?  It would definitely take some discussion to make it usable, but I would love to see a material tree developed beyond a generic list of things like, "ore, wood, blah blah blah.."




Feeling compelled to find the source of this strange vibration, the boy dusts off the surface layer of sand, revealing the surface of an immense crystal.  This crystal actually encompasses most of the area beneath the lake.
Another piece of the idea was to reference historical alchemy.  The above mentioned metals could be basic forms of the precious metals.  Iron could be turned in to Gold, while titanium could be turned in to Silver.  Aluminum (being relative to electricity which is between Silver and Gold) could be turned in to Electrum.  If we did this, an imbalance in currency value could be avoided, by using fiat currency in all civilized areas.  Precious metals might then be reduced to a value more relative to their usable qualities.




When the boy finally places his hand on his discovery, the God of Water musters all of his strength to puncture through the crystal's surface.  The temporary breech lasts long enough for the God to escape, using the boy as a conduit to the outside world.




With the God no longer at its core, the Crystal shatters.
==comments==
 
 
 
 
''The following three stories are about the subsequent Crystals and how they were discovered.  I had hoped to preserve part of Tonori's original intended history, with the tale of the Crystal of Fire.''
 
 
===the Crystal of Fire shatters===
 
When the Kingdom of Tonori was nearly founded, by the gathering tribes of the jungle, two differing opinions about where to build the kingdom began to take shape.  One view, lead mostly by the Ifriton, posed to place the kingdom around the recently active volcano.  The group of mostly Human opposition did not see the volcano as an idol of worship and argued to place the kingdom near the southeastern coast, close to a large and sustaining aquifer.
       
   
A witch who leads the worship of the volcano ends up setting off in to the mountains, where she of course, finds the Crystal of Fire.  Like the god before it, the God of Fire escapes through her body, shattering its former prison.
 
 
Countless crystal fragments now cover the jungle, emitting enough heat to alter the environment.  The jungle, which was recovering so beautifully, becomes a wasteland in a matter of days.
 
 
---
I really wanted to try to keep that whole notion that a witch was somehow responsible for the apparent "spell" cast over the area.  I just thought that it could stand to have a bit more room for folk lore.  Gispaa then tells the story and recants it with a sense of pride and glory, while anyone in Tulimshar would tell it with a twist of hatred and implied evil.  The witch was actually just going to "ask the volcano" for guidance and happened upon the crystal.
 
 
===Etc..===
I don't have much in mind for the other two events, suffice to say that they happened in a similar fashion.  The crystal of Earth is somehow found by someone digging a tunnel or something like that.  Perhaps a Talpan seeking some privacy or building a home.  Nothing extensive to make out of that.  The crystal of Air.. a Sparron finds it, perhaps simply floating in a tucked away spot in the sky.
 
 
 
==the system, in general==
We '''need''' to have the basic foundation of a system laid down by the end of next month, but I think we can do it faster.  I will try again to write a new proposal to consider, tear apart, etc.. ;)  Though a lot of what is already on the wiki gives us a great idea what we're shooting for, it doesn't really serve as steady ground to build a balanced game system on.
 
==the crystal conundrum==
 
Here are some quick examples of how the crystal shards might work, in the game.
 
*they are somehow made to be the backbone of a magic system.
**examples of magic systems like that can be found in a number of games..
***..like final fantasy 6

Latest revision as of 16:28, 8 January 2009

If you're interested enough to read the following ideas, please consider leaving some feedback.

swimming & oceanwalking

Swimming does not work in the same manner as it does, on the real world. On the mana world, the only place where one can swim, is where the water meets air. Any level of swimming ability probably determines how fast you're able to move across this top layer of airy water. You can only swim on the surface of the water and can not simply sink, or dive downward to access the ocean floor; No Z-axis.

However, if you have gills or some other method of waterbreathing, you can walk safely on the ocean floor. As stated, this can not be accomplished by sinking or diving, since the layer of airy water can not be penetrated. The only common places to access the ocean floor, are beaches. Beaches serve as ramps to and from the ocean floor. There probably aren't very many access points to the ocean floor.

With this contrast between swimming and oceanwalking, we can allow people to swim without ever having to depict under-water swimming. (which would require more sprite frames) Swimming can be portrayed as simply as it is in other 2d games, like Zelda and Graal.. where the character's head is (partially) above water, with some simple splashing graphics and sounds to assist the illusion.

Under-water travel on the other hand, could be done fairly exactly as it's done in the SNES title "Breath of Fire".. a method of which I am very fond.


elements and materials

I've been trying to come up with a material tree, based on three fundamentals: The fantasy-style elements that we've adopted, the real-life table of elements and of course, as the governing guideline, the rule of cool. Unfortunately, I was once again unable to come up with a complete idea on my own, but this is the gist of it.


energy to matter

Using the following forces, elemental energy can be converted in to various types of matter.

  • fire = heat
  • lightning = electricity
  • air = gas? wind?
  • ice = cold
  • water = moisture
  • plant = acid
  • earth = pressure
  • metal = magnetics? gauss?


These could be some of the basic forms of matter that we're able to create from elemental energy. Metal is the only complete set amongst these examples.


Earth
sulfer (heat), lithium (elec), silicon (pressure), carbon (magnet)
Metal
iron (heat), aluminum (elec), titanium (gas), cobalt (cold), tin (moisture), zinc (acid), lead (pressure), nickel (magnet)

Aside from the potential to be blended in to alloys, each type of metal could have various forms of modification applied to them. (hardened, tempered, galvanized, etc..)


Air
nitrogen (cold), hydrogen (moisture), xenon (acid)


obviously, it's a little easier to do with Metal than the others. I imagined this might somehow lead to a the development of a metal / alloy-tree, that would actually have some sort of function beyond sounding cool. Another purpose was to provide a foundation for at least some level of familiarity. For example, it's fairly common knowledge that steel is usually made from a mixture of iron and carbon; wouldn't it be cool if that mixture actually resulted in a steel product, when you tried it in-game? It would definitely take some discussion to make it usable, but I would love to see a material tree developed beyond a generic list of things like, "ore, wood, blah blah blah.."


Another piece of the idea was to reference historical alchemy. The above mentioned metals could be basic forms of the precious metals. Iron could be turned in to Gold, while titanium could be turned in to Silver. Aluminum (being relative to electricity which is between Silver and Gold) could be turned in to Electrum. If we did this, an imbalance in currency value could be avoided, by using fiat currency in all civilized areas. Precious metals might then be reduced to a value more relative to their usable qualities.



comments

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