User:Silden/Test of the Seeker

This test is based upon the ability of there being NPCs (players that are controlled by automation rather than a real person), and that the NPC is able to walk in the game between two locations, and which a player can interact with.

Test Brief

Scholars at the University are so busy, they need your help to deliver special artifacts. Are you up to the challenge? Do so seven times, and you will be forever known as a successful Seeker! Alas, we're not informed enough to be able to tell you exactly where you can obtain the items from, and we don't always know exactly where it needs to go. Are your Body skills up to finding where they've got to be collected from, and where they need to be delivered to?

Mechanics

For this test, the world will be populated by a number of NPCs that will move around the game world. They walk a set path between two points, usually along some kind of path (be it a road, on a river bank, direct through unspoiled terrain). When you visit a university to ask for a delivery schedule, the information will initially be extremely vague. After a month has passed, the player can return to the university to see if they have any further information about the delivery schedule. When a player comes across an NPC in the world, they can interact with them, and may be told more by the NPC what they are doing.

The university will give you a delivery schedule that would say something like: "Professor Bertie Langdon is in urgent need of the Sceptre of Idle Curiosity, which is being conveyed by Eddie Jessdown, last seen walking on the road between two schools. Find him, get the Sceptre, and bring it to the Professor who can be found on the river bank."

In code speak, this would be "%TARGET_NPC% is in urgent need of the Sceptre of %SCEPTRE_TYPE%, which is being conveyed by %SOURCE_NPC%, last seen %SOURCE_HINT[1]%. Find %SOURCE_GENDER%?him:her, get the Sceptre, and bring it to %SOURCE_NPC% who can be found %TARGET_HINT[0]%".

When you find the target, he will tell you "I've got the Sceptre of Idle Curiosity, can you take it to Professor Bertie Langdon for me? The last I heard, he was on the river bank". In code speak, "I've got the Sceptre of %SCEPTRE_TYPE%, can you take it to %TARGET_NPC% for me? The last I heard, %SOURCE_GENDER%?he:she was %SOURCE_HINT[0]%".

After a month has passed since obtaining the test, and you haven't found the first target, the university will say "Eddie Jessdown was last seen in South Egypt". In code speak, "%SOURCE_NPC% was last seen %SOURCE_HINT[1]%".

After a month has passed since finding the first target, and you haven't found the second target, the university will say "Professor Bertie Langdon was last seen at the School of Harmony". In code speak, "%SOURCE_NPC% was last seen %SOURCE_HINT[1]%". Months 2 would show _HINT[2], and Month 3 would show _HINT[3].

Month four would then take a random coordinate from _COORDSLIST[]. The university will say "We've received word that he was spotted on the bridge near 1933, -4822". In code speak, "We've received word that %SOURCE_GENDER%?he:she was spotted near %SOURCE_COORDLIST[random.Next()]"

The source and target NPCs are taken from the same list, and so the code will need to make sure the same one has not been pulled for both source and target. A sample of what the NPC database could contain:

_NPC	_GENDER	_HINT[0]	_HINT[1]	_HINT[2]	_HINT[3]	_COORDSLIST[]
Professor Eddie Jessdown	Male	on the road between two schools	at the School of Body	in Seven Lakes	on a bridge	coords from SBody in South Egypt to SThought in Seven Lakes along the road to the east of the Nile.
Professor Bertie Langdon	Male	on a river bank	at the School of Harmony	at a School of Architecture	in Seven Lakes	coords from SHarmony in Seven Lakes to SArch in Seven Lakes along the along the southern river bank.
Professor William Lyver	Male	in Old Egypt	at the mouth of the Nile	at the University of Body	in Midland Valley	coords from 885,7655 to River Plain's UBody via the road.
Professor Dolores Jill Umtunnel	Female	between two Common Altars	in Cradle of the Sun	on a mountain	by a lake	coords from 3003, -1117 to 3091, -1108

What the Developers Say

Malard

• try and come up with a test that uses mechanics the game lacks

Pluribus

• They cant react independently of a player clicking, (anything that requires them to aware of thier surroundings (ANY object) cant happen with a player triggering it)
• if they just need to move around it is likely doable, but I dont think the animation queue will run (does a tree falling in the woods make any noise if there no observer) (Engine limitation)