New Physicker ability: Basic Cure Tonics

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Rias
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New Physicker ability: Basic Cure Tonics

Post by Rias »

Since *someone* discovered how to get an upset stomach, I figured it was probably a good idea to actually implement a way to provide a treatment. Basic Cure Tonics currently provides treatment to the upset stomach condition, which isn't terribly common (but might become moreso ...). As additional annoying-or-embarrassing-but-overall-fairly-minor illnesses crop up, their cures will be added to this ability. And now that this ability is out, I want to add more ...

Ehem. But yes, these cures require a basic medical alchemy table, which is in the back room of the Shadgard and Mistral Lake infirmaries. (P.S. The Mistral Lake infirmary got a back room added today, too.) The cures also don't last very long before losing potency, meaning this isn't a stock-up-and-forget cure item. One will need to seed a physicker to whip them up a cure when they need actually it. This following the theme we have with Physickers and of wanting them to actually be present, rather than just popping on once every so often to concoct a bunch of stuff, throw it on the market, and then go into hibernation again.

I also want to make the actual concoction process more involved at some point. Right now it's just a single command, which is pretty sad. Not that I want to overcomplicate it, but as it is it's not really giving that feel of, uh ... concocting. Which is sad, because the process and how things feel is a big part of how satisfying they can be to do and how special one can feel for being one who decided to specialize in that particular thing.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
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Serity
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Re: New Physicker ability: Basic Cure Tonics

Post by Serity »

Illnesses and concoctions to deal with it have been requested for quite a long time, so I imagine a lot of players will be quite thrilled, and it will be very interesting to actually see them in play.

I want to touch one part of the post above though, and I apologize if any of this comes off as aggressive, because it is meant to be in good faith and I genuinely want to hear thoughts on the matter:
Rias wrote:This following the theme we have with Physickers and of wanting them to actually be present, rather than just popping on once every so often to concoct a bunch of stuff, throw it on the market, and then go into hibernation again.
Why are physickers specifically being noted as wanting them to be present (reading this as 'playing often'), rather than being reasonable to play an hour a day or however long they want? A crafter, they can go out and collect materials for an hour or buy off the market and craft and be done for the day and have fun (including physickers who want to make unguents), a combatant can go out and smack ravens (or whatever) for an hour. Weapons or armor, we can buy backups and extras and settle for weaker versions, and use NPC repairs in the meantime, but - with this message it seems to be implying that the intent is to encourage physickers to be online more and more rather than being able to play at their own leisure - because if they aren't always on, everybody else is penalized for it.

I do note that it does say "annoying-but-overall-fairly-minor", but fractures and frostbite have always been a rather sore point - there is only one frequent physicker in Mistral, and (at least?) one that semi-wanders on occasion, but late at night there aren't any on at all and the effects that currently exist become a game-ender for combatants as it is - progression becomes very risky unless one of those very few players are on to solve the problem, so "I want to play now" becomes "log out and wait until tomorrow and idle until they're around".

Now, obviously, upset stomachs (and other minor illnesses) aren't as bad as fractures (well, I hope!), and complaining about fractures is practically a dead horse, but the way I am reading this implies that no-lifing Physickers is an ideal and desirable thing, which... perhaps I am alone in this, I am not a physicker after all, but this seems like a gameplay pattern that would discourage new physickers, and the quote above, to me, suggests that more things will be added to reinforce this line of thought, which feels concerning.

I know that physicians hemorrhage PCs and I agree that more things to do is good, but I feel very hesitant that applying pressure on them to be more necessary is the method to solve this.

-

edit: I want to leave this message here that was written in Discord in response to my concerns, to note that the concerns above has at least been seen and replied to.
Ansarian wrote: I don't speak for Rias by any means, but I find it highly unlikely he means that physickers are wanted online constantly. Likely he intended that he'd like to see them around more, have more reasons to be around, rather than just have a few minor tasks they do and then vanish into the sunset. Sort of like how warriors can make a whole day out of going out to hit things. As physickers are further developed they will have more things to do consistently.
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Rias
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Re: New Physicker ability: Basic Cure Tonics

Post by Rias »

Serity wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 7:46 pm Why are physickers specifically being noted as wanting them to be present (reading this as 'playing often'), rather than being reasonable to play an hour a day or however long they want? [...] with this message it seems to be implying that the intent is to encourage physickers to be online more and more rather than being able to play at their own leisure
What I meant is that I'd like Physickers to have more to do when they're online that gets them actually into their activity and interaction with others. If we stuck to the model of "make healing item, put healing item on market, done" for the majority of their services I think that would be reinforcing an unhealthy approach to the game. It'd be like giving locksmiths the ability to make, uh ... lockpick guns that pick as well as they can pick, so they could just put those on the market and then call it good and log out, rather than having to actually be there and perform the services when they're needed. Or warriors selling a simulacrum of themselves that fights as well as that warrior without the actual warrior having to be logged in. These are silly examples, but hopefully they help explain the point I'm trying to make. In most games healing is largely a "get a healer in the party so they can heal us" thing, not an "I bought a ton of use-later heal spells from a healer couple weeks back, we don't need the healer to actually be in the party" thing. With our more conventional/non-magical healing approach in COGG the approach and logistics of the situation is a bit different, but having short shelf lives on some of the healing items seemed a good way to add some value to a Physicker actually being present, even if it's not because they have to be within range to cast a spell.

I'm not saying nothing else by Physickers should ever be possible to put on the market and used well after that physicker is logged out or otherwise away, but I don't want that to be their perceived design. Admittedly, I also want to discourage the idea of having a phsyicker alt that one unshelves once a month to make a new batch of physicker-in-a-bottle items for their friends/alts/the market, and then re-shelve them. Crafting can use some similar benefits to being online-at-the-time as well, beyond performing repairs. And I think crafters generally better understand the downside that is losing one's value after the customers have built up their stockpile of items and don't need you for anything anymore, or at least not for a rather long while.

I have to imagine it's going to be a lot more satisfying to play a Physicker when it's "Hey I'm glad you're here Physicker Phil, we could use your services!" instead of "oh hey Phil, nah we're good, still all stocked up on healing potions from last time, thanks for offering though."
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
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Gorth
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Re: New Physicker ability: Basic Cure Tonics

Post by Gorth »

As talked about in Topic: Physicker PSA, I played a Physicker a long while ago and kind of just stopped, after a while, both because I could do everything and was appreciated for none of it. It was one of those things that I've experienced on most crafters, I.E. walk in, ask for item, get item, walk out. Or walk in, ask for item, give mailbox, walk out, wait for item, don't ever speak to me again.

Which is alright, and I think I bring it on myself in some ways, mostly being verbose and roleplaying too much? (what, oh well, people complain about it). But I think things like this will help that feeling. But then again, it might just be yet another thing Physickers are demanded for into silence. We'll see how it goes. I'm moderately hopeful.
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