The Dink Network

Hmm... I wasn't quite sure which exacty Category to put this thread in, but, Preview seemed good enough.

Anyway, I've been fiddling around with something for a bit, and I'm actually very pleased with what I've come up with. I have a new potion system!
The way it works, is, you have 'Small', 'Medium', 'Large', and 'Massive' potions, in the categories of 'Healing Elixirs', 'Strength Potions', 'Defense Potions', and 'Magic Potions'. Basically, the bigger the size, the more health/strength/defense/magic the potion gives you. That's just the basics, though.
I've taken the whole Stackables system that everyone's been using for a while now to a whole 'nother level! Instead of having each type of potion stack up in your inventory in different slots for different types of potions, I've used millions and millions of choice() and if statements to create a Potion Bag.
Basically, you 'use' the bag, you get the option of using a health elixir, or strength potion and so on. Then, after making your selection of which type of potion you want, you then get to choose the size of the potion you want. I actually think the whole thing is pretty cool, and am surprised it hasn't been done before. (At least I don't think it's been done before...)

I stole the graphic used for the bag in Erwin's Survival (I'm assuming it's free to use?) and used it for the potion bag, in case anyone was wondering.

Now, I have a question for you all, my fellow loyal worshippers of the Carcass of our Lord, The Dead Dragon: Should I release this to the Dink Network? I wasn't quite sure whether to simply keep it for personal use, and 'release' it in a D-Mod one day, or to release it as a pack now, so anyone can use it. Would you all like to see something like this uploaded? I, personally, believe it would be to the benefit of the Network, because these days, almost any file is a good file.
So, opinions?

Also, what do you think of the whole system?

Size does matter DinkDude, small- med - large AND massive!!

That system sounds awesome actually... I would love to have a look at it, so, in my humble girly opinion, I recon you go right ahead and upload it! NOW hehe
Well done!

Sounds a little excessive.
Anyway, you posted a preview thread. Now you don't have a choice, Upload!!

EDIT: "Size does matter"... then she puts emphasis on massive :3

Sounds good but what comes to mind is that the good thing about health potions is that you can just chug them down in the middle of a battle to keep from dying, won't this system be a little awkward?

Fighting:
"Oh hold on a sec mr pillbug..."
*rummages through bag for health potion*
2 minutes later:
"Ok healed, let's carry on!"

Hmm, yes, I see your point, Sparrowhawk. I'm actually not quite sure what to do about that, so suggestions would lovely right about now. At the moment the script checks for monsters and if it finds them it prevents you from checking the bag.

I could try using stop_entire_game(); but doesn't that remove all non-editor sprites or something?

Not sure what stop_entire_game; does really... I tried using that in my Questlog tests but it seems to only work on Choice menus.

What about you hit a key (say F for fill) as you fight? I always run round topping up hehe I get killed a lot.

Edit: and that would use maybe a small??

Sounds good, upload it!

Oh, and I played through that little test of yours, DinkDude, I've sent you an email...
EDIT: Got your answer.

Oh, and I played through that little test of yours, DinkDude, I've sent you an email...

On it.

What about you hit a key (say F for fill) as you fight? I always run round topping up hehe I get killed a lot.

MsDink, you're a genius! I like that idea! I think that yes, if I was to do this the hotkey would probably make Dink drink a small. But what if Dink has no smalls? I suppose I could make 4 different hotkeys, but that might get a little too annoying to remember...

The item sets what you want the key to use, the key uses what was set in the item's choice menu. From the biggest size down, if you run out of max healers. Mkay?

If he has no smalls then he cant use any? Hit f it says Oh no I am all out. Don't make too many hot keys... F = small and u better have some if u wanna live lol

Perhaps I could use some clever code to set the key to use whatever potion will heal the most life to get Dink closest to his lifemax without exceding it?

But then there's no skill in the fight - you just keep topping up. Dunno DinkDude - tis your idea and sounds really good
I spose it could start at the smallest and hitting F fills you up and when they are gone - it "steps" to the next potion size... until they're all gone and you die in a blaze of glory and dead duck heads hehee

But then there's no skill in the fight - you just keep topping up.

I'm afraid I beg to differ, MsDink. Without the bag system, the user can do this anyway. The whole idea of healing elixirs is to heal your life either during, or after a fight.

I spose it could start at the smallest and fill you up and "steps" to the next potion size as you run out

I'm not quite sure I like this idea. Hmm, I shall use an imaginary scenario to demonstrate:
Dink is fighting a boss, he's very close to empty HP, and he wants to heal. So he presses the hotkey to use a healing elixir. Oh no! Since he's up to the boss, he must have a huge lifemax, which means that it only heals him a fraction of his health! So he decides he must do it again! Oh no, another fraction! And again, another fraction! But, ahh... now it heals him a little more. Okay, so now he's up to a reasonable life level, and manages to defeat the boss.

Later on...

Dink is about to fight another boss, but his life is just a little below his lifemax, so he decides to use a small elixir- but oh no! He's all out! dang coders and their stupid hotkeys... So he decides to use a large, the smallest he has. He now has full life. But when he goes to fight the boss, he has very few elixirs! He ends up dying... Poor dink.

Please excuse the stupidity of that scenario, but that's the kind of thing I want to avoid. Being forced to use a potion that is either not going to heal you enough, or is going to heal you too much. See what I mean?

Yes I see what you mean - and totally agree... but he would fill up properly before a boss fight I would have thought. That suggestion is just if he runs low during a fight so he didn't use up all his large potions unnecessarily

Edit: other times he would use the pack as you suggested earlier?? /me shrugs your call

"I could try using stop_entire_game(); but doesn't that remove all non-editor sprites or something?"

Yes, pretty annoying. All dead bodies, blood etc will disappear - it seems to do a load_screen, draw_screen or something like that.
And ExDeath yes I think it's only meant to be used with choice menus.

I'd like to see your automatic potion drinker. I would probably use some math to determine current life as a percentage of the total, save it as a variable (25%, 50, 75 etc), then act accordingly to top up. Depending on whether your potions restore a fixed value of health, or a percentage of total health.

Otherwise lifemax - life saved to a variable with a series of if statements may work. (if <= 5 drink small etc.) But then of course the problems of having one large potion left, and only requiring minimal healing comes into the mix. Drinking my last large potion accidentally when I am missing 2HP would piss me right off. Maybe warning them somehow/getting confirmation. You'll have to think all this through to prevent it from becoming a botched system.

Map it to a key as well. (Z, X, A, bottom row.). I don't want to go into the inventory and through loads of choice menus just to heal. I'd sooner use Ultimate Cheat.

I thought the potion system in Day of the Carcass worked the best. It's been done before too (FB3 and others).

If you pull this off, it will be as cool as cooltext.

Okay, I spent ages last night simply staring at my monitor trying to figure out what I was going to do, it turned out to be rather simple, and it seems to work perfectly!
BTW, I've set the hotkey to key 'H', and for a few reasons.
1.) H = Health Elixir
2.) It's not in the immediate vicinity of either of your hands, so you won't press it accidentally, and it's really not hard to reach out your index figure and press it.
I'm thinking I'll package it up later today (only just woke up so I'm very drowsy) and upload it, because it's looking very good (and I say this in the most humble of ways).

I just finished packaging it up into a nice little D-Mod, and uploaded it. I guess now I wait...

The suspense of uploading!

EDIT: Where is the time when that suspense could last for months?

Metatarasal, aren't you staff? Do you not have the power to upload files? Or is it only given to the higher-uppers, like the Nobles?

I'm on it

Of the bards, I think it's only me and Christiaan for files.

Edit: Yep.