Meditation and a new Meditate System

Have a new general feature to suggest, or think one should be tweaked? Share your ideas here.
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Lexx416
Posts: 563
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 6:14 pm

Meditation and a new Meditate System

Post by Lexx416 »

I've been pondering on this the last few weeks, and Meditation (while useful) seems a bit lackluster, as it only really passively interacts with anything in the game. I'd love it if we had a some kind of Meditate Mini-Game that put your character into a state similar to unconsciousness, where they can no longer move, speak, or generally use most commands that interact with the game (including INFO/Score, but I think allowing for Tell/Question/who to still work would be fine.

Ideally, I'd love to see characters able to go to specific rooms where the NPC/vNPC in the room leads them on a "Guided Meditation" (it'd be really cool if the location/NPC flavored the thematics of the meditation, see below for more) wherein their bodies are placed in an unconscious state while their "minds" (ie, our view of the game) is sent off to a special, instanced area, where they need to explore and possibly complete some kind of puzzle or challenge to proceed.

This is the part of the idea where I start drawing a blank - I'm not sure what exactly should constitute the challenges, or what the rooms should look like, or be. But I think overall what I'd like to see is a different (maybe procedurally generated?) set of challenges for each Guide Location that's aesthetically flavored based off of the location/NPC, with each "challenge" being either some kind of puzzle to solve or a roll of the meditation skill vs a target number (based off of your meditation - higher meditation = harder challenges).

I think that each completed challenge (which could be very abstract, or very literal) should progress the Guided Meditation area a little bit, reward a small bit of skill gain and experience, and ultimately if someone is able to complete the Guided Meditation they should get a (higher) bump to their meditation skill as well as a bit more experience - similar to how when you hunt beasts in the wilderness, you get that extra bonus bump from completing the hunt. I also think there should be a little bonus "buff" reward for people that complete a full session without failing any of the challenges (and, I would have each challenge able to be attempted once per Meditation Session) - something like a temporarily high sanity ceiling, a resistance to losing sanity, a bonus to getting that morale reroll, maybe even a resistance to losing morale, or a bit more of an EXP sip per bucket drop.

What this would do is allow Meditation to be changed over to a "practiced" skill instead of a "raise it up instantly" skill, as well as reward people who pursue a higher meditation in a tangible way that isn't just another way to earn riln. I also think it'd be great for the folks that want to RP out being a very contemplative character - anyone can say they go off and meditate, but being able to talk about these weird, self-reflective inner journeys would be a lot of fun to me, with the right PC. I'd probably put it on a cooldown timer similar to the Lore Studying system - something like 8 or 12 bells between sessions for the mind to recuperate.

Additionally, as mentioned above I'd love it if there was a thematic flavor/aesthetic for each location that offers Guided Meditation. Having the Church of Light spot meditation services be flavored around the Church of Light and Inner Light, the Primalist/Druidic Guide that takes the character (I'd have it open to anyone that can get to it, personally, NOT just Druids) on some kind of inner primal quest in a chaotic primal land, a Rook parlour guided meditation service that has characters delve into dark and terrifying places in their minds, an Arcanist at Qamar that offers Guided Meditation services to delve into abstract thoughts and arcane principles, etc. You could even have each location have some kind of unique little penalty for failing those Meditation Challenges.


I'd love to hear other thoughts on something like this. It's a pretty weird, abstract, maybe "very hard to code" idea, but I hope it's useful in making Meditation more of a Cool, Fun thing instead of something people grab just to ward off debuffs.
"You hear the Woses, the Wild Men of the Woods... Remnants of an older time they be, living few and secretly, wild and wary as beasts."
Navi
Posts: 350
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:07 am

Re: Meditation and a new Meditate System

Post by Navi »

My suggestion is a quick time style sequence when you choose to meditate. I’m personally in the camp that meditation can be done while performing any activity, especially tasks that require repetitive motions. This could be something that’s done while crafting, or just sitting around the commons or something.
The sequence would go something like this:
A thought bubbles to the surface of your consciousness, it leaves you feeling entitled, and focusing on what you lack rather than what you have.
Then you have to select the appropriate element from a list associated with meditation, like the storytelling minigame.
Here are a few suggestions for the thought bubble text.
feeling ungrateful, entitled, and focusing on what you lack rather than what you have.
being judgmental, critical, and lacking empathy towards yourself and others, and failing to understand their experiences and perspectives.
being distracted, absent-minded, and disconnected from the present moment, and allowing your thoughts and emotions to control you.
experiencing tension, stress, and discomfort in your body and mind, and feeling restless and agitated.
experiencing negative emotions like sadness, disappointment, and fear, and cultivating a sense of pessimism and hopelessness.
being easily distracted, unfocused, and unable to concentrate on a specific object or task, and struggling to stay attentive and productive.
lacking self-awareness, failing to understand your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and lacking self-acceptance and self-esteem.
experiencing inner turmoil and restlessness, feeling overwhelmed by external circumstances or challenges, and lacking a sense of calm and tranquility.
And here is a list of some meditation elements and their definitions.
Gratitude: feeling thankful and appreciative for what you have in your life, and recognizing the abundance around you.
Compassion: showing kindness and empathy towards yourself and others, and developing a deeper understanding of their experiences and perspectives.
Mindfulness: being present in the moment and fully aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment or distraction.
Relaxation: releasing tension and stress from your body and mind, promoting a sense of calmness and ease.
Joy: experiencing positive emotions like happiness, contentment, and excitement, and cultivating a sense of optimism and hopefulness.
Focus: training your mind to concentrate on a specific object or task, improving your ability to stay attentive and productive.
Self-awareness: gaining a deeper understanding of your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and developing greater self-acceptance and self-esteem.
Inner peace: experiencing a sense of inner calm and tranquility, regardless of external circumstances or challenges.

In general, the length of your meditation will likely be based on your skill. Longer sessions should give more practice, but perhaps maybe one thought bubble for every 25 skill of meditation you have. I would also argue that this should be one of the few skills that should lower over time if you do not perform this meditation practice regularly.
HTH
wander without wanting, thrust into lands unknown. the shadows shift and change, and the worlds with them.
I'm not a soldier but I'm fighting
Can you hear me through the silence?
I won't give up 'cause there will be a day
We'll meet again
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