Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

If the topic doesn't fit anywhere else, discuss it here.
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

General Questions and Lore

Q: When will COGG become IC?
A: IC will be as soon as I open it up, since the lore's already all figured out, and I think I've got all the basic mechanics in a decent state. So, it should actually be soon.

Q: What does Contrarium Mean?
A: I've had various nicknames and other associations with sea snails for a long while, just because I think sea snails are cool. "Busycon contrarium" is a type of sea snail. I thought "contrarium" both sounded nice and was entertainingly similar to the word "contrarian", and a top-level domain was available for it, so here we are.

Q: Is Riln only used in the Lost Lands?
A: Elsewhere too. Aetgard kind of made it the standard, and a lot of people adopted its use.

Q: Is it reasonable to assume it has been around a long time as even ancient ruins and stuff have it or is that reading too much into it?
A: No, it's been around a goodly while. And while you shouldn't necessarily say "This type of mob drops riln, so it must be XYZ", I think it's safe to say it makes sense to be found in most of the ruins and whatnot.

Q: What is riln?
A: Right now, riln is just a kind of silver coin. Nothing exciting.

Q: How has Mistral Lake fared? Are there still canim?
A: They still have a canim problem, but I won't say more at the moment.

Q: What’s happened with the Dominion since CLOK?
A: Dominion has expanded its influence a bit, but they're far from taking over the whole area you saw in CLOK. Pesky resistances keep resisting.

Q: Are the Hillfolk and Faewyr still being awesome?
A: Yep! Hillfolk are enjoying being mostly left alone between the Fey Forest and the Quarantine Wall.

Q: Will races have special bonuses?
A: I'm meh on racial abilities. Makes people pick a race because they want that +1 instead of because that's a race that they think has a cool feel and lore. That said, I could see a few plus/minus possibilities. Like
Giganti with the option for extra strength (because Giganti) at the expense of less ... something else.

Q: Can we expect to see all the old metals, or are you removing any?
A: I'll probably rename cobalt, just because it bugs me that there's a real cobalt that wouldn't work well as applied in CLOK. But I can't think of any I want to outright remove. And I've added one very cool new metal. At least, I think it’s very cool.

Q: So this brings up another question, are there going to be any ultra-rare metals akin to Clok? Or do you think this sort of breakage system will allow you to make them less rare and input them into the game and see them used?
A: Some will continue to be ultra-rare for sure, because there always has to be that super rare thing. But I'm adding some new semi-rare materials.

Q: Just saying. We should have those crazy Lapis as a race. They are a part of the setting! Xenophobic and all!
A: They wouldn't be mysterious xenophobes if all their info was planted on the wiki for players to peruse as they made their characters.

Q: Will Lapis be a playable race?
A: No, no Lapis playable race, sorry. They're an NPC faction. They're a notoriously xenophobic people. You can't know all their seeeeeeecrets.

Q: Will there be decent progress with sanitation in future CLOK? I'd love to see more water closets.
A: Actually, yes. I was thinking about that specifically just yesterday.

Q: Will testers of Somnium have any special perks? I heard there might be a special bar.
A: Regarding the private bar thing, it'd be just a little novelty perk for the people who helped me test Somnium. I really am considering it, or something like it. Just for fun.

Q: This might be a spoiler, but is the Rook Parlour still around?
A: Well I'll spoil it for you anyway, since it should be common knowledge: Rook Parlour is definitely still around

Q: Where does COGG take place?
A: It's a new area, a bit west-southwest from the area CLOK players are familiar with. Off the known map.

Q: Is it a different area of the quarantine?
A: Same Lost Lands, and you'll be able to visit most of the old sites you knew from CLOK, but the main town is from beyond the southwest border of the CLOK map. Some slight geographic shuffling of minor areas may or may not occur. I have a few spots I want to shift closer to the town.

Q: Will it be one town?
A: One town, with a diverse political scene so people can not feel the need to evacuate just because they have differing ideals or opinions.

Q: Any major guild list changes?
A: Not that I'm willing to bring up at the moment. Nothing final as far as any removals, though.

Q: Will druidic commune still work?
A: Yeah, there'll be communing. That was always super cool. Slightly more involved to perform, though.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics

Q: Will there be helpfiles?
A: I've resigned myself to the fact that I need to write up documentation. There's already a bunch of crafting help articles on the wiki, which can also be viewed in-game for those with wikiphobia.

Q: Lag is awful, am I right?
A: Things are still running very smoothly on the new Somnium engine as of now, even after having imported thousands of rooms from CLOK. We'll see how it holds up when players are running around and more NPCs have spawned and whatnot, but I'm optimistic. If lag starts becoming a thing again, I do have a list of things I did (or haven't gotten to yet) out of laziness that I can overhaul for increased performance.

Q: Will the ESP system be the same as it was in CLOK or is that going to be closer to the Somnium system?
A: It "listens" to an audible spoken message, and transmits that over the network to listeners' thoughts. No more needing to debate over what can or can't be transmitted via thought. It's pretty much a magic walky-talkie.

Q: Is morale still intended?
A: Character morale, yes. I think it's a fun that that isn't game-breaking for those who largely ignore it, but a nice little bonus for those who want to take it more into account.

Q: What do you mean by character morale bonuses?
A: Various things can raise or lower your character's morale, and morale adds a small amount of weighting to skill rolls. Low morale, weighted down a little. High morale, weighted up a little. So, you have at least a small mechanical reason to want to seek out food produced by a good cook instead of just eating hardtack rations all day.

Q: Are there different stats or is there just a common pool like energy again?
A: We've got Energy and Balance now. Balance currently only applies to combat, but I could see it affecting other things eventually. We also have Risk. The higher your risk, the less likely your risk-based actions are to succeed. Currently only applies to stealing, plan to add it to some spiffy combat moves that can be awesome but shouldn't be "spammed". That’s also going to apply to risky occult practices.

Q: Can high levels of Risk also invite bad times onto characters?
A: I don't know that I want to generalize it too much into general overall bad luck, but performing risk-based actions with high risk is essentially inviting bad luck.

Q: So I noticed in a few places about how tiring it is to wear heavier armors and to get a horse. Because there is no wilderness, how does this translate? Is there a fatigue penalty for moving around in any room? Is it just really severe in combat? Beyond doing stuff like climbing that is.
A: Honestly, not sure at this point. It was mostly in relation to moving from place to place, but without the wilderness thing, it's moot. And I did consider the move penalty just from any room to room, but that seemed kind of terrible.

Q: I know you were talking, at one point, about having like... a hidden "wealth" value attached to PCs so that they're more likely to have stuff stolen from them, to help curb hoarding behavior. Is that something you're still considering?
A: Oh, that was more like, if you walk around in your super fancy duds and carrying bulging coin pouches in the bad area of town, you're more likely to be targeted by NPC thieves. So that people can't always be like "I'm missing some money, and I know Jaster is on because I see him on WHO, so it MUST have been him".

Q: What’s the “watch” command”
A: Watch is good for watching people you suspect are about to try and hide from you or hit you with a dirty trick or something.

Q: Can I ask for some clarification? I never knew whether or not it being dark out actually affected gameplay other than stealth. Will being in the presence of light/darkness have gameplay impacts?
A: It does, yes. Stealth/perception mostly. And it actually gets darker and lighter depending on time of day, now. In outdoor areas, of course.

Q: How clockwork will COGG be?
A: I want clockwork and steam and natural gas techs to be more present in the theme (particularly in the main town), but that doesn't mean there are going to be hordes of new mechanical items utilizing these technologies. There will certainly be some, but it's more of a flavor upgrade than like a mechanical one.

Q: Will there be clocks everywhere?
A: I don't know about clocks "everywhere", but they won't be quite so rare. And the town will have gas pipes and lighting, probably some steam stuff too. Nice tall clock tower in town square.

Q: New here, so COGG has a specific way of dealing with/preventing the grind?
A: I wouldn't say preventing, but hopefully it's less a pain. First off, you get to pick some starting skills, so you don't start completely unskilled. Second, general experience can be put into any skill, though you still do have to utilize the skill a bit to get up to your full potential. So you can't be a masterful blacksmith without ever having ... blacksmithed. But shouldn't be as monotonously demanding as CLOK was. So, still a little bit of a grind, because I feel there still needs to be a journey, but not as much.

Q: Will the death mechanics and alt policy be the same as Somnium or CLOK?
A: Somnium version. Both alt policy and death system. Death was just too much of a triviality in CLOK. Having a survival gimme with a cooldown period should make people take it at least slightly more seriously, I hope.

Town Life

Q: Is there only one town?
A: Yes. Do your best to coexist with any enemies you might happen to make. There may well be opposing faction leanings within town.

Q: Are we still going to have one main town?
A: To start, yes. Depending on how things go, an alternative for "bad guys" may become available. I did like the faction conflict aspect of CLOK, before it got too out of hand (too many factions, too many strongholds).

Q: How can we tell between PCs and NPCs?
A: Right now, PCs show up as blue and NPCs as yellow. I realize this doesn't work for everyone. Also, while all PCs follow the same "generic name" formula, NPC names can differ to help them stand out when necessary.

Q: Will there be town districts and stuff?
A: Sort of. There won't be a whole bunch of districts for every walk of life or anything, but there will be some areas more accommodating of this or that than others.

Q: So how volatile is the situation where the main town is? I mean are people still traveling freely through and into the lost lands even if they can't get out? Is it still used as a dumping point? Or is being sandwiched been two factions mostly cutting off travel?
A: Thankfully, there's still a good deal of land beetween Lapis and Dominion lands. They get caught in the middle of the conflict occasionally, but not enough to really destabilize the town. I mean it has an effect, but it's not killing off the town or anything. It's often used as a sort of neutral ground as far as the Lapis-Dominion conflict.

The Quarantine is still officially in effect, but the eastern lands are having trouble enforcing it because of all the conflict on their side of the mountains. I'm still hashing out all the whys and hows, but it's looking ugly over there right now, so most of the effort they might have been putting toward enforcing quarantine has been pulled back to help at home.

So there's more hope than ever of getting out of the Quarantine, though it's still plenty risky. The Rullendbolg Giganti in particular still enjoy patrolling the waters and stealing any ships, crew, and cargo they find.
Lands routes are still physically blocked off, so the only real hope is by sea.

And yes, the Lost Lands are still used as a place to dump undesirables from other nations.

Skills, Professions, and Crafted Items

Q: Will player characters be able to mend broken bones and stuff?
A: Yes. Characters with a higher Medical skill will be able to help with that type of thing.

Q: So, is every character going to end up/want to be a medical expert? Or is it the sort of thing that wounds of a serious level, if you're wearing armor, aren't as common so you're not bandaging yourself constantly, and when you are injured, you'll have to head to town or find an expert.
A: I'd say for most people Medical will be a one-point wonder, to allow bandaging of just about any bleeder. Going beyond Novice level will be more for specialists who want to perform the more dedicated healing-related procedures like sutures and even surgeries and stuff (gross), since Thaumaturgy is going to have a lesser presence. But for field stoppage of bleeders so you can get back to town to receive medical attention, Novice level should be sufficient.

Q: Is crafting going to be like it was in CLOK?
A: Kind of, only a hundred billion times awesomer.

Q: Will my character be able to be self-sufficient?
A: Are we talking Dunwyr/Snowpine level self-sufficiency where you want to hunt your own food, make and repair your own tools and gear, etc., or are you talking you want to be self-sufficient in a particular role? I'm not sure why you'd need to ask someone for help every 5 minutes.

Q: Can we make our own tea?
A: Sure. Don't forget to put points into Brewing so you can pick up Tea Specialization

Q: Is preparing herbs for tea going to be under herbalism?
A: Could work with that or brewing, I imagine. Kind of like how foraging some items can take the better of your Herbalism or Bushcraft.

Q: Are some abilities locked behind skills and vice versa, like prerequisites?
A: Yes, many abilities will have skill prerequisites. And of course, attempting some rituals without the prerequisite knowledge or specialization could well result in Bad Things (tm). So anyone with enough Arcana skill could, say, perform a basic ritual detailed on a scroll, but only a member of Rook Parlour would be able to perform some advanced sorcerous ritual that's considered a trade secret of sorts.

Q: So, does that mean there won't be an arbitrary amount of slots [for abilities], and it will depend instead on your skills or am I misunderstanding?
A: Ideally, I'd like it to be based on skills, but there are some abilities that aren't linked to any skill, so…

Q: So, can crafters break down most items for components then?
A: Not currently, but it's planned where it makes sense, yes. And hey, at least they don't retain every rivet, tiny wooden wedge, and binding cordage. Though it does make for fun in customizing items, since you can look at each individual component individually.

... individual individual individual.

And it also means if someone skimps on your sword and puts a crappy copper cross guard instead of a nice steel one, you'll know.

Q: Item quality was hard to judge in CLOK – especially degradation. Will it be easier in COGG?
A: Well, the new system is improved in that it handles dynamic descriptions better. Like the CLOK items could degrade and sometimes it wouldn't reflect in the item name. In COGG, you examine your dagger, you see the overall description, then you see the components: blade, cross guard, grip, pommel. Each saying what its quality level is.
Character Creation

Q: Will players allocate some skill points during character generation?
A: Yes, though there's nothing forcing someone to use all (or any) of those starter skill points if they don’t want to.

Q: Is there a character limit?
A: 2

Q: What about accounts for alts?
A: Account-based system so link them up, keep any transferable benefits we dream up.

Guilds

Q: Player-organized groups and guilds. Wait, what?
A: I still plan to have a player-organized group (POG?) system to facilitate people setting up their own groups and whatnot. This would be aside from the ability-granting guilds. It'll be pretty much entirely for RP purposes, and will probably be nice for people that prefer not to join any of the guilds, so they can still have the option to join a group. If a group got big or influential enough, they might be able to secure some kind of modest facilities in town. Maybe.

Q: Can I worship Serafina, but also be devoted to an aspect or Aengel?
A: The Church doesn't worship Serafina, they just follow her guidance and occasionally seek her aid.

Q: Will continuous combat be required for certain guilds/playstyles?
A: An anti-resen warrior wouldn't stop just because they got really good at fighting. They're out to get rid of the infested, not on a Progress Quest. So, it's certainly not required, but I can definitely seeing perfectly acceptable character concepts that would spend the majority of their time fighting away.
Combat

Q: How will occultism work?
A: Occultism/magic will be less pew-pew focused, and more about enhancements, utility, and preparation beforehand. Generally speaking, I don't envision people performing occult rituals mid-battle. But for the sake of argument, let's say there's one that ... I don't know, creates a miniature nether-well and allows you to fling globs of nether at your foes. That type of thing would involve Ranged skill as far as combat offense and defense.

Q: So, anyone wanting to utilize "Magic" in combat, should also make sure they grab Ranged then. Also, how bad are armors going to be for failure rates?
A: Considering the procedures won't be things you can just up and do at a moment's notice, armor probably won't have much effect at all. Draw your occult circles and diagrams while wearing your metal. Even unarmored, you're not going to be able to do that while engaged in combat. Makes it kind of hard to draw precise geometric patterns and whatnot.

Q: How will stealth attacks work?
A: Stealth attacks take into account the target's combat ability at least a little, even if they're completely undetected. So no more no-combat Nancy ganking uber-warrior Uther just because Nancy has super high stealth.

Q: Will guns be uber powerful?
A: They'll have their own strengths and weaknesses. I'm still working out the details on firearms, since in Somnium I didn't intend to have them at all.

Q: I take it that armor will play a role in balance, especially regaining it? I'm assuming round losses for armor type (well more weight carried) exist still?
A: I'm still deciding on that, honestly. The energy issues with heavier armor seemed like they might have been a tad too much. Maybe. I didn't do a lot of playing with heavy armor though, what are your thoughts on the experience? I do want heavy armor to have some significant penalties though, because it really is very good at keeping you alive. Even more so in COGG, though lighter armors have seem more relative improvement in that area than heavier. (Note: Seriously, if you're going to do combat, wear armor. Even light leather mitigates a lot.)

Q: Are there specific weapon skills anymore?
A: Melee has been pretty simplified, so right now they're just squashed in with the Melee skill. Might be a specialization ability to use them particularly effectively, rather than a skill.

Q: So will weapon specialization be akin to ability points?
A: Yes.

Q: How advanced will ranged weaponry be? Will there still be firearms?
A: Yeah, there'll still be firearms. Crossbows are fun. I'm keeping the firearms tech level down intentionally. Don't want them to obsolete all the cool stuff.

Leadership

Q: Will GMs from CLOK be involved?
A: I don't want there to be this impression that I'm bringing all the GMs from CLOK over, though. I'm definitely not. Noctere has agreed to help out with make-the-world-alive events and to be part of my idea brainstorming group (because I always do better with people to brainstorm with). So, if you had issues with him, contact me and I'm happy to discuss. Really though, feel free to send me an email (rias@contrarium.net) if you have concerns that you don't want to discuss publicly.
User avatar
Rias
DEV
Posts: 2024
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:06 pm
Location: Wandering Temicotli

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Rias »

Thanks for compiling and posting this! I've stickied it, so hopefully we won't have too many repeat questions when people might have otherwise missed them on Discord.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

General Questions and Lore

Q: Which God is your favorite creation, Rias?
A: Favorite Immortal, hrrrrm. I don't think I could pick just one. I've always been particularly fond of the Mountain Father, Serafina, Malfant, Toteoh, and Verungnr. And Teonanacatl! So cool. I like Serafina largely because she's like "Don't worship me and don't expect me to solve all your problems, just be nice to each other. Also here's some guidance on how to awaken your own inner light so you can better serve one another."

Q: A hundred years later, are the huec more civilized than before? Or are they still culture shock.
A: They've always been the peak of civilization. If you think differently, you're clearly a barbarian.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics

Q: How is the concept of being undying going to mesh with the death/permadeath? Is undying still a thing since (I'm guessing) actual death will be actual death. Or will church folks/rooks still be able to return a soul for PCs on a risk-based, limited basis?
A: I'd really love to retcon the Undying thing into oblivion. Remember that COGG is presented as a "potential future alternate reality" in relation to CLOK, not a 100% carbon copy. Undying were a thing solely for gameplay reasons, and I frankly hated it from a lore perspective.

Q: Will there be rescues still? Is there a lore reason behind second chance mechanics?
A: I don't have any big lore reason behind the second chance thing, honestly. It's in there pretty much because I would feel terrible offing people just due to bad luck or not realizing a situation was as serious as it actually was. Suspension of disbelief for now, stay tuned for any additional explanations. Mechanically, currently, it just zaps you to town, which is terrible. I'd like to keep the concept of rescues, so maybe when you have your near-death experience, you ... I don't know, stagger away to a safer spot, and go near unconscious. And you can mumble on ESP about the area you're lost in, so people can know where you are to try and go rescue you? I don't know, something like that would be nice.

Town Life

Q: What's the overall justice system like?
A: Justice system: Do a terrible thing, get in trouble.

Q: Players are... not going to be responsible for the justice system, I'm presuming? At least not in main enforcement?
A: Correct. One might be able to get involved in enforcement, but that'd be supplemental to the NPC justice officers. And honestly would be heavily, heavily scrutinized

Q: Will we have a coastal area?
A: The town is a coastal port, so yes.

Skills, Professions, and Crafted Items

*****

Character Creation

Q: Will COGG have the same subraces as CLOK?
A: Same subraces, with possible slight alterations due to "intellectual property" stuff.

Q: Is CLOK a seperate IP? Will that affect races?
A: Regarding the IP comment, it's because one of the races [Fasa] was not my creation, and despite my best intentions I really don't think I'll be able to do it justice per the creator's vision. So there may be some changes there because A) I admit I won't be able to make it exactly like how its creator did and B) if it's a similar-but-different thing I have the freedom (and lack of guilt) to do with it what I will while still trying to keep to the spirit of the original as much as possible.

Guilds and Organizations

Q: I was always under the impression that, while the Church of Light was certainly the organization that really taught thaumaturgy, thaumaturgy itself wasn't inherently limited to those of the Church (mechanically it was certainly that way, though I'm not sure how it actually may be within lore, since I'm still fairly new). Is the role of thaumaturgy, even in its very limited form, still pretty much confined to the Church or will it be open in different manners?
A: Thaumaturgy can in rare circumstances be discovered by someone independently, and can of course technically be taught to anyone, but it's largely the Church that knows the more minute details as far as meditation practices and mental disciplines and whatnot to really harness the inner light. People tend to gravitate toward the expert organization, so it's naturally sort of stayed a Church "thing". And it should be noted that the Church doesn't say "This is the only way to be a good person" or even "this is the best way to be a good person." It's just the way they know best, so it's the one they're qualified to teach and promote for those whom are interested.

Q: Is Thaumaturgy an indication of goodness?
A: Thaumaturgy doesn't necessarily 100% equate with "goodness". It just seems to align with general compassionate or selfless mindsets. So I guess what I'm saying is, thaumaturgy isn't some sort of proof that someone is a good person, and the lack thereof isn't some sort of proof that they aren't. In the end, it's a mental discipline, not some Achievement Award for being the goodest person ever.

Q: Why does the Church of Light/thaumaturgy have a lesser presence?
A: For a number of reasons, but perhaps the biggest one is that the Dominion has not been kind to the Church, which already had a rather small and limited presence when the Dominion was rising to power. They always seem to find reasons to go after the Church and its more prominent members - particularly those seeking to learn the ways of thaumaturgy. Word on the street is that it's dangerous to even proclaim too much support for the Church these days because bad things might happen to you, though certainly there's some exaggeration there ... probably. This isn't to say there aren't any members left, and they have a modest facility in town, but overall the Church has fallen on hard times in the Lost Lands.

Combat

*****

Leadership

*****
Last edited by Kiyaani on Tue Sep 12, 2017 10:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

Answered by Karma this time:

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics

Q: Are emotes going to be shoved into parentheses?
A: No!

Q: Can we set our own tones?
A: Yes. You can choose your own TONE. You don't have to pick from a list!

Q: Can we use multiple names in a targeted emote?
A: Yes. The same emote syntax CLOK had will be in COGG. For example: Flashing a thumbs up, @me shows off her sweet emote skills to @barius.

Q: Will everyone see my character's name automatically?
A: No. There's not obvious names now. You have to give someone a name. You don't know their names at all at first.
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

General Questions and Lore

Q: So are Mummers going to be in COGG?
A: Regarding Mummers: 89% likely to still be a thing. And rising the more I think about it specifically.

Q: Is the occasional curse word okay in here [Discord/OOC Chat] out of curiosity? I figured I'd ask.
A: I'd prefer the "big bad" curses not be used here. Aside from he fact that I know some younger people played CLOK and therefore may play COGG, I just don't enjoy observing their use. So, uh ... F, S, and B? And absolutely no slurs, please.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics


Q: Is skill lowering instant or is it a gradual thing? Will you be able to unlearn abilities?
A: Skill lowering and ability unlearning are gradual.

Town Life

Q: Will NPCs be able to be killed?
A: Key NPCs -will- be death-proof in COGG, and will run away to safety at worst. Sorry if anyone's immersion suffers for it. Barring special events that might warrant their deaths, of course.
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

General Questions and Lore

Q: When is the game coming out?!
A: Not quite as soon as I'd hoped, because work is being crazy at me at the moment. I'm still saying early October at the latest, because Octum is the best. Expect things to sort of come in phases. The very start will be solely skills, no abilities or guilds yet. Some areas to wander around in, gather resources from to craft with, some baddies to fight, real basic stuff. And also treasure to find! Don't forget the treasure! Give me a little more time to polish the giant statue of Ardor in Mistral Lake Square.

Q: Will Rhuidim have their own language?
A: I like the idea that they have their own "we don't trust anyone" language heavily based on Nuumic, but many know standard Nuumic as well.

Q: How many languages are there again?
A: Fasa, Nuumic, Viali, Rhuidic (yes, it shall be a thing), Huec, Faewyr, Giganti, uh ... technically the Constantian and several Angawatu languages as well. And Hyra, but good luck finding a way to learn that.

Q: Will players be able to learn Giganti runes?
A: Learning the Pure Giganti runes may be possible under the right circumstances, but I don't want that to be a thing anyone can just say "hey that looks cool" and pick up. Some, I should say. Not like all of them, because even the Runskjaere don't claim to know all of them. Part of their occupation is trying to discover new ones.

Q: What's the status of guns? Are they more reliable than in CLOK, or less so? What types of guns exist?
A: It might make sense for firearms to have advanced, but I don't want them to outclass other stuff, so they probably won't be terribly different. Or I could make old style ones take significantly longer to load and all that and be relatively bad compared to most other stuff, and the newer ones are fairly quick (on par with other weapons, but faster than the old-style stuff) to load and use.

Bottom line though, I don't want firearms to be superweapons compared to the traditional stuff. If we can find some ways to give them balanced pros and cons that would be great, but the key there is "balanced".

Q: How much are players going to have to correspond with GMs if they want to be involved in anything interesting?
A: Ideally, most of the interesting things will be player-driven within a framework of interesting locations/clues built into the world that won't require GM oversight beyond the initial building or any extra inquiries.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics

Q: How are you expecting the relative "power" of skills to shift through the ranks if you don't mind me asking? Are you foreseeing that each skill rank will give a huge jump in say a % chance of success of an action, so that the difference between 0-7 is a massive spread, or do you more foresee the % jump between each rank be fairly small with the real bonus/"power" from a new skill rank being the abilities that are able to be learned at the new rank?
A: Your rolls weigh toward your skill, so someone with a Proficient(4) in Melee will have a significant advantage over someone who is Competent(3), but not overwhelmingly so. Also, how far along you are to the next skill level does play into things a bit. So two people being Competent, but one of them 25% on the way to Proficient and the other 75% on the way to Proficient, the latter will enjoy a small advantage. Each tier also takes increasingly longer to achieve, so it's going to take a lot longer to get from 6 to 7 than it will from 1 to 2.

I don't want to explain too much about the formula (partially because I want to keep them intentionally obfuscated, and partially because I'm sure they'll change as things go), but the earlier levels could be seen as more important than the later, thanks to a diminishing returns effect. As far as skill rolls. Higher skill level does mean unlocking more related abilities, though. So the master won't have a massive advantage over an exceptional skillrollwise, but they have more ability points related to that skill to play with. Which admittedly can mean different things depending on how I go with the ability acquisition system. I'm strongly considering having total skill points spend on a skill translate into that many points to spend on abilities related to that skill, and some abilities might cost more than others. So someone with level 7 in a skill would have 7 more to spend on related abilities than someone with a 6. Because I'm always changing my mind on how things work, and I am terrible.

For crafters skill points is largely translates into more recipes able to be learned, with of course the base benefit of being able to achieve higher quality craftsmanship at higher skill levels.

Q: So there won't be abilities to do with crafting?
A: I'd love to have some crafty abilities that are more than recipe unlocks and Boring Bonuses, so feel free to suggest. I mean there are things like special alloys and ability to extract and utilize special materials, but I kind of group those in with 'recipes'. Not that they aren't cool, because I think some of this stuff is pretty cool.

Q: So it won’t feel pointless being a crafter, but not in an official crafting guild?
A: Right. As long as they're [abilities] interesting and useful, and not like ... +5% chance to get the next higher quality level. Those are the worst.

Q: Is there a threshold at which you can stop training an armor skill because all the Boring Bonuses have been achieve and it's just abilities after that?
A: Well there won't be a point at which the skill does nothing for your chances to negate penalties, so more will always be better. Like CLOK, it'll be partially chance-based, so you can always improve your odds a little more.

Q: Is the same policy for scripts going to be allowed as in CLOK, in that you can script/trigger without limit but you have to be present at the keys and paying attention?
A: Yes, script away as long as you're actually paying attention. And please don't get uppity and offended if you find yourself being subjected to a script check. We mean no offense. Considering the policy that scripting can be okay, we expect most people to do so, but this also means we expect to script check people often just to make sure.

Q: Are mounts going to change room travel time? Is armor?
A: Not sure if I want armor to slow movement time. I almost want it to, but I also feel it would be awful. If we want armor to have some movement-related penalties, might be better to have it be energy-related or something. Mounts will scoot you along faster. Zooooooom!

Q: How much CvC do you intend may/could happen in COGG and what might the debilitating effects of losing a battle to another character be if things come to fighting, compared to normally "dying"?
A: Still something we're considering. No particular different to being attacked by an NPC, at the moment.

Town Life

*****

Skills, Professions, and Crafted Items

Q: Out of curiosity, how would one go about getting practice with lore or linguistics?
A: Nerding out doing (admittedly boring) tasks at the library, studying scrolls discovered and brought back by treasure seekers and the like. You want to be a scholar, you get to enjoy scholarly boredom!

Q: So are there already areas in-game and/or is it the desire to ahead of time build areas that will actively reward those who invest into things like linguistics, arcana, lore, or will the primary reward of those skills be during larger RPs and staff-driven plot lines?
A: Lore is a highly RP-oriented skill. You won't necessarily get mechanical benefits from knowing what that weird symbol painted on the wall in blood means while nobody else can figure it out, but it'll sure be cool to be the one who can inform everyone. Linguistics and arcana will have a more direct mechanical benefit for those who are seeking occult powers. Arcana the most, Linguistics not as much but still useful. And you can't utilize an arcane scroll if you don't know what the instructions on it are because they're in another language.

Q: In regards to lore then, are you saying that there are currently many blood-marked symbols on walls already, or will those mostly appear/matter during special events more so than exist in areas yet to be discovered by players?
A: While they aren't placed currently, the plan is to sprinkle a bunch of little things all over the place that the layman walks by and see and thinks 'Huh' and keeps walking, but someone skilled in Lore is prompted to study further and, over however many study sessions it's set to require, learns more and more about that thing and what it means (or might mean). So you’re encouraged to explore and find things on your own, don't have to wait for GMs for everything.
Character Creation

Guilds

Q: Is pickpocketing/lock picking going to be guild-related, or like thaumaturgy is it mostly going to require getting some specialized training of some sort first?
A: Picking pockets is a pretty controversial skill, so I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to have its effectiveness more limited outside of specific groups, though just picking up the skill itself I don't think needs to be restricted.
And most of you know my biases on picking locks - I prefer it to be specialized knowledge rather than just something anyone picks up because they thought it'd be fun. If the information to bypass locks is out there for anyone to peruse at their leisure, locks become pretty ineffective. So I'd probably have the higher levels at least be gated somehow to specific groups that have access to those trade secrets so to speak, or maybe just restrict distribution of the tools of the trade to those with the proper connections.

Q: What will the general guild/organization structure be? Are certain abilities or skills going to be locked behind the organization structure or will they all be available to anyone who puts points in it?
A: Right now I'm kind of seeing three "tiers" for organizations.
  • Guilds: Largely for things that are heavy RP and/or can teach special (usually arcane/occult somehow) powers. We'll call that, uh, tier 1 because I don't know what to call tier 2 other than "tier 2".
  • Tier 2: Organizations like a group of bounty hunters, or thieves, or crafters, stuff like that. Join up even if you're in a tier-1. Enjoy something like neat facilities, maybe some tasks and a couple special purpose items and stuff. Less "I'm dedicated my life to this" and more "I'm joining this special interest group." I guess. Can only be in a single Tier 2.
  • Tier 3: Player-organized groups. Players make them, manage them, maintain them. Some mechanics to facilitate things like membership tracking and ranking, officers, and if the group catches on enough to warrant it, access to some kind of facilities they might secure around town. And you can be in as many tier-3/POGs as people will allow you to be in.
Q: Will you have to RP to get into a Guild/Tier 1 organization then? What about Tier 2?
A: T1 would require some RP to get into, yeah. Can't just hand out the superpowers to anyone walking in with a filled out membership form. T2, would depend, but they wouldn't be as heavy and focused. Like hey, I joined the local bounty hunter's guild. We hunt bounties. Nothing really personal and involved about it, I go to the dispatcher, the dispatcher tells me what to kill, I go kill it, I get paid. T1 you're kind of pledging yourself to the group and their cause or ideals, it's a more personal and involved thing. T2, you figure you have a knack or interest for what this group does, they're happy to have anyone who walks in and is qualified.

Q: Is there a reason you can't cross mingle T2 if they're not that heavy into the RP?
A: I wouldn't want to add any special things to them if I knew people could just up and join all of them. Join all the T2s because you can get all the opportunities and things.

Q: Because COGG is going to be fairly fluid as you design, progress, and balance, is there going to be any fluidity between guilds and organizations? RPed out, or otherwise? (AKA Guild Switching)
A: I don't know. I feel like if I say "yes", people will start working it into their plans. I could see it as a possibility with the T2s, but without some magic memory charm to drain your knowledge you've gained of secrets and special powers from the T1s, I can't see it happening.

Q: Are guilds required to get access to recipes for crafters?
A: No, it won't be like all the good crafting recipes/options require being in a super crafter's guild. In fact, some of them will have to be discovered by players by going out and recovering mysteeeeerious lost records and whatnot. Which doesn't require a guild.

Combat

Q: Should we expect such a broad range of weaponry as CLOK? Will some require specialization?
A: Chained weapons will likely require a specialization to prevent yourself from frequently hitting yourself on accident. Eh, I'll just say I stripped down the weapons list significantly, and we'll build back up from there.

Q: How do weapons work? Are they simply, certain weapons hit harder? Or does it depend on what armor they hit against? Akin to GS and their damage vs type?
A: Right now, they all have fairly similar damage ranges, actually. But still CLOK style: damage type vs armor, rather than weapon type vs armor. The latter would allow for more fine tuning, but it'd also be a pain.

Q: Are whips going to be in the game, and if so are they considered melee weapons or ranged weapons?
A: In, and melee. I don't expect them to be used as dedicated combat weapons, since they're ... whips.
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

General Questions and Lore

Q: Is the resen still going to be around?
A: Yes, the resen still has a firm hold in the Lost Lands.

Q: What’s the fate of Shadgard?
A: No comment at this time. (Mwaha.)

Q: What are symbiant/canim/normal people relations like in the future? Are normal people more accepting of the afflicted and sickly? And is there still nether taint? Or purity?
A: Infested are still generally hated/feared. Even the ones that may seem to be in control are suspected and kept out of town. Any visible signs of infestation and the guards will turn you away. After all, even if an infested is in control of their own mind/body, you still have to worry about contagious ... ness. Similar for canim, though they aren't quiiiiite as totally feared. People seem to be slightly more accepting of the idea that a canim might be able to keep it together. While, not quite as totally mistrusted, I should say. Canim are definitely feared and considered super scary. "Purity" is a non-issue. There's no way to detect it. Tainted people are often regarded with suspicion, nothing has really changed there.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics


*****

Town Life

*****

Skills, Professions, and Crafted Items

Q: Will there be a custom description command for item creation?
A: Yes, for skilled crafters.

Q: Will cooks be able to come up with their own recipes or specialties?
A: It could be neat for skilled cooks to be able to come up with their own little specialties. Like any competent cook could make, I don't know ... pumpkin pie. But a particular cook could come up with their own specific eat messaging for theirs, and essentially have their own little secret recipe with unique flavor (literally and figuratively). I think I'm going to add that to the to-do list. Something to help the skilled cooks feel a little specialer (yes, specialer.)

Q: Will crafters using custom descriptions or recipe flavors have to have those approved?
A: Yes. Player-created custom options will need to be approved. In the case of good food flavor messages, those that are approved can be reused for repeat creations.

Q: Would it be possible to dig up information about old CLOK players, history, previous events using the lore skill and a library?
A: Yes! We plan to put little nods and evidences of past PCs and their deeds. It can be a little iffy sometimes with faulty memories and differing perspectives, but we'll do our absolute best to do CLOK characters justice.

Q: Can people with sufficient Armor or Combat skill apply any type of bonus to their or another’s gear?
A: That sounds kind of like the armor adjusting ability ideas I've been considering. Someone skilled in armor can adjust not only their own, but other peoples' armor as well, to temporarily grant things like lessened stealth penalty (light armor), less armor chink chance, stuff like that. I also like the idea that if a crafter makes a weapon specifically for a particular character, that weapon will receive some small balance bonuses when wielded by that character.

Character Creation

Q: What would your guidelines be on claiming our characters are descendants of our previous characters if we came from CLOK? Avoid it, or is it okay within reason, as long as you don't try to claim "My pappy's pappy taught me how to be an awesome swordsman, so I should have a higher starting skill!"?
A: I honestly expect a lot of people will do it, and I think it's fine. It might seem a tad goofy at first, but really, where else are these descendants of the CLOK characters going to go? Makes sense that they'd end up in one of the few free population centers left in the Lost Lands. Don't expect any mechanical advantages or anything from it, but I can understand people wanting to maintain connections of some kind to their old characters if they want.
While people are thinking about connections to CLOK descendants and CLOK in general, do keep in mind that the whole "Undying" thing is almost certainly going to be retconned away. If you wish your character to retain their history from CLOK, substitute "deaths" with very narrow escapes of some kind.

Q: Can I make a character who's the descendant of other people's characters?
A: Hah. Descendants of your own characters only, I'd say, unless you have the other player's permission.

Q: If my CLOK character had an affliction can my COGG character have inherited it?
A: Having a CLOK character with a particular unique situation, scenario, or condition does not mean a COGG character can have the same situation due to being a descendant.

Q: My character is a descendant of another character from CLOK. Can they inherit any conditions, afflictions, items, wealth, status, faction standing, guild association, other affiliation, or other benefit that is not purely RP history/backstory?
A: Nope, sorry.

Guilds and Organizations

Q: Wasn't Tse Gaiyan someone else's creation? Will they be returning?
A: Still undecided on Tse Gaiyan. They went through so many bumps and changes that I'd really prefer a fresh inspired-by-but-not-the-same start.

Q: Are the Harbingers still around?
A: Harbingers are still binging hars around the Lost Lands. Give me a moment to look through the backlog I missed while typing.

Q: Will some guilds from CLOK end up being "Tier 2" organizations in COGG instead of "Tier 1"?
A: Snowpine will. It'll still have a test of bushcraft skill to enter, though.

Q: Wyrvardn?
A: Eeeeeehhhh ... Tier-2 at best.

Q: Are POGs (player-organized-groups, or "Tier 3" groups) something you actually join?
A: Yes. The group leader manages membership, and memberships are mechanically tracked by the game for purposes like tracking membership records, dues (if applicable), access to any kind of designated facility (if applicable), and so on. But there's no limit to how many POGs a character can be a member of.

Combat

*****
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

General Questions and Lore

Q: Are the scarecrows still around?
A: Rumors of a forest haunted by walking scarecrows persist. Might be interesting to look into when you get a chance.

Q: Are the Dunwyr still around? They live so closely to the dominions capital, and it's been a while
A: The Dunwyr are still going strong. They continue to frustrate their enemies by not staying condensed into a single location for convenient eradication.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics


*****

Town Life

*****

Skills, Professions, and Crafted Items

Q: I'd like to see auto-aliasing in a free form cooking system.
A: Whatever the case, to start out, cooking will be recipe-based. Having it allow for more freedom makes for a great goal and I'd like to see it happen, but I wouldn't put it high on the priority list.

Q: Can you make mending clothing as simple as holding the item and a needle with some thread nearby/on your person? I'd totally repair worn or torn clothes for almost nothing if I get to RP with others the entire time instead of being stuck in a workshop.
A: Mend it before it gets too bad and you should fine.

Character Creation

*****

Guilds

*****

Combat

*****
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

YAY FOR THREAD REVIVALS

This will be starting from March 17th to the morning of April 8, 2019. Anything missed before that we can just assume will be covered later if re-asked or may have changed over time. Questions around the same line of interest will be somewhat grouped together and there was some editing/combining made to translate better from Discord to Forums, but the intent should be intact. It should be assumed that all answers are from Rias unless noted otherwise. Apologies in advance for any errors.

No-question-related Answers:

NOTE FROM RIAS: Just as a general exhortation: Don't abandon a character concept just because someone else is doing it. If you like your character, stick with it. I think it's safe to say that there's going to be overlap no matter what you do.

General Questions and Lore

Q: How common would battles and skirmishes between Nuum and the Khaldeans be?
A: They probably have little skirmishes on their border fairly frequently. There's a good amount of hate there. While some of it is just fueled by prejudiced hatred, there are also border disputes. There's probably a strip of land there between the two that's constantly being claimed by one, then the other, with some battered forts whose flags are constantly changing as one or the other gains the upper hand.

Q: Oh, is the balance of power more even in Cogg, then? Clok lore makes it sound as if Elemancy makes Nuum far more powerful, and Grum is only okay because of Viali helpfulness.
A: Nuum can be a fairly tenuous sort of empire, with the different regions having a lot of autonomy. The Nuum on the border are pretty much fighting their own fight, while the rest of the Nuum are thinking "Not my land, not my problem." They're not exactly swarming over to help their fellow Nuum on the border. Everyone has their own ambitions and problems to worry about, and there's little drive to get bogged down by the affairs of others.

Of course, if the Khaldeans started really pushing through and claiming a ton of land, then there'd be more of a response, because then it'd be more of a threat. But with the situation more or less keeping itself in check for the most part, most of Nuum is content to let it be. If all the Nuum united for a singular purpose they'd be a powerful force for sure, but good luck making that happen. Too many individuals with individual ambitions.

Q: So it's like the Viali system of multiple rulers with their own lands, but far less organized?
A: Kind of, yeah. With the concept of some mortals having claimed the power of the gods (and these of course being the leaders), individual pride and ambition are up to 11 in Nuum. Any one of them would leap at any opportunity to either become completely independent or, better, take over the empire for themselves. The Viali, while still having their own share of political games and backbiting and whatnot, have a much more solid sense of national unity and patriotism.

Q: How do Hillfolk from Karnath arrive at the Lost Lands?
A: Presumably by ship or boat skirting the Fey Forest. That's not a place to enter lightly.

Q: Was there a reason they were not pursued around the forest on ships? Or after they escaped did Aetgard not care so much anymore?
A: It can be assumed after Gudleifr lost a large chunk of his loyal military during a rather controversial period of conflict, he then had higher priorities trying to maintain his position at home rather than send his remaining supporting military abroad.

Q: I have some questions about the Faewyr tribes. There are no clans listed, but what are they like? Are there a set number? Is there much structure to them?
A: There are the 12 Realms of Tyr-Gwyrd, and numerous clans within each Realm, though there are more major over-arching ones that are prominent in each Realm. There's no specifics posted on those yet, but when there is, yes, you can assume there will be other clans besides the more prominent listed ones.

Q: Are there people that respect or admire or somehow see canim in a more favorable light? Maybe the Faewyr or Dwaedn Wyr because of their druidry calling on animal spirits, or even maybe the Dunwyr?
A: Respecters of animal spirits (as the Faewyr have a cultural tendency toward) may respect canim as arguably being more in touch with their feral, primal nature, but pretty much everyone still acknowledges that canim are scary, unpredictable, and dangerous. I could see some saying to just leave them to their own business rather than seeking to confront/eradicate them. Further investigation into this question should be done in-game.

Q: How much is occultism tied to the spoken word, if at all? Or is it primarily diagrams and runes?
A: There's some that can be activated at least partially by words, like Mummer Words and Templar Chants you know from CLOK, and there may well be some song-type stuff for the bardic types as well. It's more than anyone just saying the right word, though.

Q: Is ship traffic in Porto D'esilio mostly fishing because of the quarantine? Or are there any places ships can trade to?
A: Quarantine limits trade, but there are places within the quarantine they see traffic from, including a major Huecatn city that is an official port of trade through the Quarantine (though under heavy regulation and scrutiny, of course), Giganti territories to the north, Karnath to the south, and a few other ports within the Lost Lands itself. So while it's not a huge international trade hub by any means, it's definitely a hot trade spot for routes that stay within Quarantine borders.

So it sees quite a bit of ship traffic. There are enough other ports within the Quarantine for it to be fairly bustling.

Q: Can any boat go on river or in the ocean? Or are there specific kinds of ships for each?
A: I'm not especially knowledgeable on the subject myself, but I know there are differences between seafaring vessels and river vessels. A larger vessel would run aground in a river, a smaller vessel would be tossed around and capsize in the ocean. Depending on the properties of the rivers, of course. Some could be large and deep enough to accommodate larger ships.

Q: Would it be an equal mix of river and sea-faring ships at D'esilio? Or is one route more common than the other? I imagine the Huecatn city has ocean access, but the other ports around the Lost Lands, or Sirak Drauth?
A: It's solely a sea port. I didn't envision them having rivercraft, aside from possibly some owned by individuals for whatever personal reasons, like simple fishing boats. The river running through the town is pretty small, and it's fed from a waterfall not far to the south, so there's not much reason to have rivercraft in the relatively short expanse of navigable river. When I say ports, I specifically mean sea ports, not river. Though the Mistveil Dominion has a decent amount of traffic along the greater rivers of the Northern Lost Lands.

Q: I assumed north and south were mostly self-contained in terms of economy, Lapis because they hate everyone not Lapis and Mistveil because they are all spooky creepy sorcery-powered, but is that not necessarily true?
A: Lapis definitely keeps to itself, and is ever-paranoid of foreign diseases and corruptions and whatnot. If they do ever trade/import anything, it's extremely rare. The Dominion, on the other hand, is very open to trade and actively seeks trade opportunities, and while it's true some people have issues with the Dominion's particular flavor of [heavily enforced] order and prosperity, and/or their open use of nether and nether-entities for various labors, there are also plenty who are more than happy to trade with them. I imagine there are a fair number of merchants who make the trek between Porto D'esilio and Dominion trade posts.

The Dominion's influence is fairly large, but they haven't managed to secure any coastal territory, so no sea trade for them. (I think. I haven't got my ducks 100% in a row yet when it comes to the Northern Lost Lands.)

Q: What are relations like between Dominion and Sirak Drauth since it sounds like they're in the same area?
A: They're close, but not in the same area. The Giganti will of course not tolerate even the slightest hint of the Dominion expanding into Sirak Drauth itself, and I think the Dominion is smart enough to not try it. They know their history, and how the Giganti clans, while normally at constant war with one another, are liable to temporarily put aside their differences and unite to crush any outside threat to their homeland. I imagine there's a little trade between the two, but overall I'd say the Giganti are wary of the Dominion, while the Dominion is trying to establish better relations and get more trade going.

Q: Is Mistral being part of the much older Vatnfjall ruins still true here? And are canim still an issue for them? Also, how much is known about the leaders of Mistral? In terms of their history--were they or are they descendants of Aetgard, or did you mean more regional history?
A: Mistral is still on the lake as technically part of Vatnfjall, the nearby ruins on the shore. As for the canim population in Vatnfjall, I think that's much less a thing. The Dominion in a more powerful position at this point, so I don't think they'd still be having major canim neighbor issues, though Vatnfjall is still deemed unfit for population and still ruins-y.

Vatnfjall was originally part of the Kingdom of Aetgard. After the Plague, nobody's sure exactly how or when it happened, but the lake became mist-shrouded as it is today, and the frustratingly mysterious Master of Mistveil Keep came to be in power there, using various liaisons to communicate his/her/its will to the people that gathered there post-Plague.

Q: What is voidglass?
A: That may or may not be alluding to a special material that's not yet released.

Q: Where's the Western Coalition?
A: No Western Coalition. Kerpoof.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics

Q: Is there a way to log out of a character but not the account?
A: Use the LOGOUT command.

Q: Can mute people use the esp network? I know you described it as others hearing your voice in their head, but does it impact the voice if someone does not know what their voice sounds like?
A: It literally takes the sound from verbal speech and broadcasts it into the minds of pendant users, so ... that does make things difficult for mute characters. Hrm.

Q: They could just choose the voice of someone they like and imitate it?
A: I think the main question is, "Can people who don't speak use the pendants?" to which the answer would be "no", since you literally speak out loud to make them work.

Q: Wait, really? SO if you speak on the pendants with someone next to you then they will hear you also?
A: Yep. Use the ESP command and you'll notice that you speak out loud when you do it. I got tired of all the debates over what could be communicated via ESP, if emotes were appropriate, if languages should be considered, if accents should be used or not - so I just made them into walky-talkies. Except that they don't emit sound when receiving. It's echoed in the wearer's thoughts.

Q: If I need to step away for a minute, is there a way to communicate that to players without breaking character?
A: You can use the AFK command.

Q: Is fury implemented yet?
A: Fury is not in yet.

Town Life

Q: Is the locksmith shop functional yet?
A: It is not.

Skills, Professions, and Crafted Items

Q: Is it going to be possible to weave grasses/reeds/etc. into baskets and backpacks eventually?
A: There are some basic clothes and gear in the tailor shop/general store if you want to get by before there are enough players around to provide goods via crafting.

Q: Can you obtain branches without logging?
A: To-doed!

Q: Is there a way to check livestock prices before renting farmland so you can tell how much riln you need to get started with?
A: Not currently. You're going to need shelters for the animals first also.

Q: Is bronze really better than steel in certain cases for weapons?
A: COGG-wise, bronze is tougher and slightly heavier than iron, not quite as tough as steel and a bit heavier. So it's a sort of step between iron and steel in general, I'd say. Bronze is also cast, while steel is forged.

Q: Do I need a carpenter available to get started with farming?
A: Fencing and animal sheds etc. are only required for livestock. I'm considering adding NPC service options, and they just give you inferior products. For instance, an NPC-purchased coop could house say 3 chickens, and a PC-built (or upgraded) one would house, say, 6. Numbers pulled out of thin air.

Q: What kinds of items can you make molds from when it comes to blacksmithing?
A: You can make a mold of any type of item that has metalcasting data. So for instance it's possible to metalcast a shortsword blade, so it's possible to make a mold of a shortsword blade. That is to say, generally speaking you make molds of the individual components, not the completed item. You cannot make molds of knapped components.

Q: How does making cordage work?
Player 1 Answer: You have the plant fiber. You go to a weaver workshop, type recipe. Learn hand-woven cordage.
Player 2 Answer: You also need to crush the plant fibers after foraging them. 1 thornleaf = 1 fiber = 1/13 of a cordage
Q: I thought it was possible to make it with bushcrafting.
Player 2 Answer: It is. But you go to a weaver's workshop to learn to make the cordage itself.
A: P.S. Hand-woven cordage can also be learned via bushcraft. Both are possible. So for instance, the new Hunter's Lounge in Shadgard, which teaches bushcraft, offers the recipe.

Q: How many skills do you foresee most people capping, if some kind of "standard spread" ever kind of...develops?
A: I figure a lot of people will cap at least 1 skill that their character is essentially based around. Those who want to be more narrow in their array of skill focus could cap more, while people who want to dip into more activities will have to settle for less. Uh ... I don't have actual numbers for you, though.

I've tried to lessen the crafting strain a little in that you don't necessarily need to get super high levels to produce quality goods, it's more for being able to unlock more recipes and have diversity that way. So you should be picky about which recipes you're learning if you want to minimize your skill investment.

Q: So there will be no scale of terrible-poor-average-good-better-great like on Clok?
A: I increased the level cap, but yes, capping a skill takes a pretty huge investment. It's not meant to be the standard, but those who want to be "the best of the best of the best" at something can sacrifice to do it. There's still a quality scale based on skill, it's just generally centered lower on the skill range, rather than assuming everyone will cap the skill. The quality is based on skill vs the recipe difficulty, rather than skill vs the skill cap.

Q: So, you might release recipes into the system, that only a master could actually create to maintain rarity of it?
A: Right, I could technically release a recipe that requires 700 skill (the cap) to learn.

Character Creation

*****

Guilds/Classes/Societies

Q: How many guilds/societies can I join?
A: All characters can be in 1 Guild and 1 Society.

Q: How were you envisioning classes to work?
A: Pretty much as guild specializations are now. How you can join the warrior guild and specialize into guardian, dreadnought, duelist, etc. Those are essentially classes already.

Q: Oh, so you were wondering whether players should even have the decision to not join one?
A: I'm mostly trying to find a perspective to plan from. If someone really didn't want to join one that could be an option, though I wouldn't want to hear complaints that they didn't have as much potential as others as a result. Because that'd be kind of like saying you don't want to go to school, but then complaining that people who went to school have an edge on you because they learned skills there. (And remember there are no free online tutorials available in the Lost Lands). If I plan from the perspective that guilds are optional, things become a lot more muddied and unbalanced. So it can be technically left as optional, but people should be made known that it's the expectation.

Q: Is there currently somewhere to learn the adventurer specializations?
A: I've been throwing them (adventurer specializations) together the past couple days, so they should be available soonish.

Combat

Q: One of my favorite character build ideas has always been the magic brawler. Using rituals and runes tattooed on yourself to make yourself a weapon. Growing claws for druidry, freezing attacks if there is an equivalent to cryomancy, solid claws of nether and blood, and so on. Will there be more options for that in COGG?
A: I'll give you a solid maybe. I do have plans for ensorcelling, druidic imbuements, and a few other "enchanting"-type things.

Q: How do I change stance to alter my defense and offensive stats?
A: Use the STANCE command to alternate between stance offense and stance defense, stacking that first number toward offense or defense respectively.
User avatar
Kiyaani
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Questions from Discord - Ongoing Thread

Post by Kiyaani »

No-question-related Answers:

*****

General Questions and Lore

Q: Does Thaelsh exist here?
A: An equivalent will. There'll be some differences.

Q: So is Thaumaturgy not going to be used by PCs?
A: Correct. I'm avoiding that whole mess.

Q: Is it not a concept that exists here? Or only not a system available to players?
A: It still exists as a concept, and there will be some NPCs that can use it for things like NPC resurrections of Undying PCs. I'm just done defending the rules of my own world to people who think they're not working right or fairly. Thaumaturgy was always extra touchy.

Q: Hmm, in this setting, would ghostly white be...a concept? Because ghosts are nethrim, and nethrim are black.
A: Ghosts are different from nethrim. A ghost is a lost or lingering spirit, no nether influence implied.

Q: So ghost white is a thing?
A: Yep. I think it's actually one of the aura colors you can choose, so that should make it extra canon. And that's where ghostroot get their name. They're a ghostly white color. And they just look creepy.

User Interface and General Gameplay Mechanics

Q: Is it possible to starve to death?
A: No, but you won't regenerate energy, so it's still not a great situation to be starving.

Town Life

*****

Skills, Professions, and Crafted Items

Q: Is there a planned benefit for skinning skill levels, besides being able to skin more exotic critters?
A: If I can think of any, I'd love to add some.

Q: It'd be nice if player made cloaks could have little pockets in it, to keep small items in.
A: Adding pocketses to certain types of garment could definitely be a thing.

Q: Are thornleaf cloaks warm?
A: Thornleaf cloth warmth is, unfortunately, on the lower side.

Q: Is alchemy out yet?
A: Uh, no alchemy as of yet. There's all sorts of crafting stuff, but that one's still on the to-do list.

Q: Is the medical system more advanced?
A: Oh yeah, the medical system is still in its newer stages, but it's going to encompass all sorts of stuff, including said antidotes and cures, as well as things like preemptive immunization boosters and even some enhancives.

Q: Will there be a dedicated poison skill or will it be something else?
A: Probably not. Creating poisons would be bundled into something like herbalism.

Q: Rias, is there a herbalism training?
A: Nope. I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it in its current form or not. Maybe. I keep wanting to merge into something more encompassing, but then change my mind. So I might just have to be stuck with it.


Character Creation

*****

Guilds/Classes/Societies

Q: How do you pay guild dues if there are no guild leaders or anything besides recruiters right now?
A: They don't actually do anything yet. So don't worry about it quite yet.

Q: Do you plan on having specializations for the Physicker guild?
A: If I can think up enough ideas and abilities to justify splitting them up. Something like those specializing in healing all the everything, and maybe another branch specializing more with enhancers and stuff.

Combat

Q: Will dual-wielding be a thing?
A: That's the plan, but dual wielding is shelved until who-knows-when. (And will be limited to specific weapons and combinations)

Q: Should it be at all possible to hunt with melee weapons, even if it's far more difficult?
A: Skittish prey like deer and such are generally going to just bolt the moment they're aware of you, not giving you many opportunities to melee attack them. Ranged attacks are the way to go for that kind of hunting. It's possible with some luck and stealth, yes. Just not as efficient as using ranged attacks for hunting skittish prey.
Post Reply