Rampant Gaming!

[Coyote]

So after a bit of playtesting (and me frantically trying to get the last little bits done), it has become apparent that the trap system, as portrayed in the Frayed Knights pilot, doesn't work. No amount of me trying to "explain it better" is gonna fix that.

People seem to get the idea - you do stuff to the different components until the trap is deactivated or blows up in your face - but the execution failed.

So I'm working on abstracting out some of the details that made it overly complicated and confusing, but trying to keep the essence of the "mini-game" intact. The idea here was to make picking locks and disarming traps a little bit like combat, with lots of interesting choices in a race between the "disarm level" and the "danger level." (You want the former to hit the goal line before the latter does...

Details later - I'm still working them out.

/Sigh.
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[Coyote]

Here's a VERY work-in-progress screenshot. Since most people kind of ignored the trap interface because it made no sense to them before, you probably won't be able to tell the differences:


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[Coyote]

So here are the current rules. The new trap system probably resembles a combat system more than anything else. Here's how it goes:

BASIC RULES

#1 - You goal is to to get the trap to 100% completion (fully disarmed) before it hits 100% danger level and goes off.

#2 - You get to 100% completion by fully disarming all of the components in a single category (triggers, mechanisms, or payloads).

#3 - Each component has a type, a difficulty level, a number of disarm stages (usually 1-3, but may be as many as 5), and a Threat Level.

#4 - You disarm a component by selecting it and pressing the Disarm button (or using an appropriate tool on it). If you succeed, you raise it one disarm stage. When you have filled in all the disarm stages, that component is now completely disarmed.

#5 - If you fail, the component's Threat Level (usually in a range of 10% - 50%) gets added to the trap's Danger Level.

#6 - If the Danger Level hits 100%, the trap goes off, hitting the disarming character (and sometimes the entire party) with it's remaining (non-disarmed) payloads.

#7 - If you abandon a trap, there's a chance equal to its current Danger Level that it will go off anyway.

So yeah, no more worrying about what components influence other components, how many times an individual component can be failed, or how much a failure will affect the danger level (it's all there).

Oh, and the axe that says "Blah Blah" doesn't do anything - I was experimenting. And there will be something cool in the text line that says, "Something cool gets written here."
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[Coyote]

And THESE are still very subject to change based on playtesting results.

But in a way, you can think of this as a combat system. The component "Disarm Stage" is how many "hit points" they have, the overall "Danger" level is your own "hit points" (well, in reverse), and the component Threat Level is how hard they hit you in return if you miss. Pick your targets and expend your resources carefully.

ADVANCED RULES

#8 - When you completely disarm a component, half of its threat value is SUBTRACTED from the danger level (to a minimum of zero).

This might make it worthwhile to tackle an easy component in a different category - just to jam stuff up more so the trap is less likely to go off.

#9 - On a Critical Success when disarming a component, the component will improve TWO disarm stages instead of just one.

#10 - On a Critical Failure when disarming a component, the component will increase the Danger level by 2x its Threat rating.

#11 - Each component has one of three types. The type and category dictate which tools work best with it. The type might not be visible - I haven't decided yet. But you should be able to guess based upon the name and the tool description. Some tools can be re-used, but the better ones will get used up.

#12 - Some tools are special-use items. For example, the 10-foot pole gives you a penalty on any disarm attempt, but gives you a bonus to avoid getting hit by the payload if the trap goes off.

#13 - If the trap goes off, only those non-disabled payloads will hit. So there may be an advantage to disarming the most dangerous payload even if you aren't focusing on the payload category.

UPDATE: 'Cuz I forgot the first time...

#14 - You can swap out characters at any time. The game will default to the character with the highest skill. But if Dirk is low on hit points, you may want to tag him out with Arianna or someone else to try and complete the last couple of stages, just in case something goes wrong.
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[Coyote]

And last but not least... Locks

LOCK RULES

#1 - Locks are treated the same as traps, except there is no payload. Instead there's a lock category (the lock itself) and the mechanism category (whatever the lock holds in place). So, for example, on a padlock you can either try to pick the lock (disable the lock category), or go after the locking bar & shank in the "mechanism" category.

#2 - Regular tools will usually work on the "mechanism" category, but only special tools are required for the "lock" category (lockpicks and tension wrench). It's always assumed that your characters have SOME kind of lockpicks handy - the special lockpick tools are enhanced versions.

#3 - If the "Danger" level hits 100%, the lock resets noisily, a turn passes, and there's an enhanced chance of a wandering monster noticing your activity and coming by.

#4 - If you abandon the lock prematurely, the lock may reset normally as in #3. Or, it may reset quietly, a turn still passes, but there's no enhanced chance of a wandering monster being attracted.
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[Jacob]

I think a tutorial or text that explains that you have to take out all of one stage is all that is needed to get the concept. Maybe have Dirk narrate during the first trap or two? Give him a speech bubble when hovering over the sections, maybe? Once grasped, that's pretty easy to remember. Much easier to remember than to intuit from any kind of layout changes.

And it'd help with the items if you had some way to indicate what they did. At the very least tooltip text when hovering over them, but even better if you can highlight the tasks/elements they affect. Maybe a green overlay if it benefits and a red one if it detracts?

Jacob

[Coyote]

Okay, traps are taking a little more time developing than anticipated, and it's all my fault.

Anyway - new rule. On critical failure, you'll also lose whatever tool you were using if it's a reusable one. You did something bad, and bent / broke your device.

However, you can ALWAYS disarm traps and pick locks - all of the tools are optional and just provide you with bonuses or special actions.
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[skavenhorde]

Sounds like it makes sense. Every would-be adventurer has at least 500 paper clips on them at all times

Seriously, it's good that you have some kind of punishment for a critical failure, but it's not so bad that you would have to trek all the way back to town just to buy some new lockpicks.

BTW, I love the complexity to your traps and locks, but I have to admit that in the pilot I didn't really understand it too well. Now it makes a lot more sense. Just warn people to RTFM or have a really good tutorial on it for the first lock they encounter.

[Coyote]

Yeah, now that it has been revised, it's a LOT easier to use (and to create traps for - I made my own job easier). But I imagine it's still a little baffling at first glance.

I'm thinking of creating an "auto disarm" button, with it automatically just attempting to disarm every trap in whatever category you have selected (if you haven't chosen any components yet, it may pick at random).

The big trick is providing lots of tools. With the tools, it's very fun. Without tools, your choices are fewer and not quite as interesting.
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