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Thread: Cities

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
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    Default Cities

    Thread about cities.

    - Size (depending on what? Age of town or its importance?)
    - Structure (types of structures: narrow, chaotic, triangular, square, round).
    - Buildings and other (walls, castle, churches, cathedral, museum, theaters, inns, water tanks, rivers, bridges, lake, statues, fountains, parks ...)
    - Society (division of the city by the rich, the middle class, the poor; another option: races, guilds).
    - Trade(marketplaces, caravans, rise and fall of prices; => good economic model => Elite roguelike = buy something, travel to another city and sell it with profit!).
    - Transfer of citizens (home > work > home > fun > home > sleep) and Player's movement inside the city (cities are really huge, that's great, but it would be good to have some quick travel option: 1. Inns, 2.Guilds, 3.shops, 4. Castle, 5. Church. - Just press the number).

    ETC.

    Just write your own ideas.
    Last edited by Artran; 03-31-2008 at 03:24 AM.

  2. #2

    Default

    Great first post, you really hit all the main points. There's two overarching issues with cities: intra and inter city relations. Your post hits in intracity aspects: the layout, the people, the merchants, etc. I'm guessing much of this thread will discuss that, and rightfully so. With that said, I hope there's an element of intercity relations in JADE. Some cities might be allies, and quests can start in one city and end in others. Others could be neutral, and a quest could revolve around opening trade routes. Some cities could be enemies, and you could solve a quest to bring them together, or pick a side and help destroy the enemy city.

  3. #3
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    Mar 2008
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    Default

    I like the quick travel Idea in cities, especially of larger sizes...

    Although It would probably be a Pain in the a$$ to code, something like a few signs brown "t"'s scattered around that would give you those options and put you within like a square or two of a 1.merchant 2.mayor 3.inn etc....

    and then perhaps smaller communities may or may not have signs depending....

    Thinking about how to code it sounds difficult though as you would 1st have to determine which things were in aforementioned city, where the merchants, innkeepers, mayors were upon reading the "t" sign, whether there is occupiable space next to it. etc.. Although It would be really nice to see in a later release of jade... Damn Thomas, I'd hate to have your job, every post I read just add's more on to your plate... heheheh... better you than me and thanks again for creating adom and putting up with us on your development of Jade

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
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    203

    Lightbulb city features

    Hi,

    I've read the news about the upcoming JADE game with great interest and have some ideas about things to be found in Jade's towns & cities. Sorry, if they have been discussed before, they're just my 3 cents.

    1) Taverns - a mainstay in fantasy rpg, every city should have at least one. Taverns are places where adventurers (and questgivers) gather. You could have an ale, hear the local news and buy rations for the upcoming expedition there. Inns and taverns should possibly have names, or the inkeepers should be named characters.

    2) Shops! Since towns are centres of economy and commerce, even the most humble one should have at leat a general store (or Munchies Mall ). Bigger cities could have weapons and armor shops and magical emporiums. Specialized shops (like with potions or rings) could be found in grand cities or some exotic locations. Maybe shops should be aligned along the main street or around the square for convenience.

    3) Temples, with appropriately aligned altars and a named priest/druid.

    4) Graveyards with graves that could be robbed by evil PCs. But watch out for the gravekeepers or above mentioned priests! Cementaries in bigger cities could also have minor mausoleums to explore.

    5) Castles or forts in administrative centres. That's where the local ruler would siege. Every real castle has some catacombs underneath of course! Villages could have village halls and village elders instead.

    6) Law enforcement in neutral and lawful cities, to prevent the PC from causing wanton destruction. City guards/militias (led by a named captain) in cities, sheriffs in small settlements.

    7) Sewers under major cities. This may not sound original, but a fairly simple linear dungeon could be a good place for green PCs to kill some rats or kobolds. Sewers could also house colonies of beggars/outlaws or black market traders. Or maybe passages to even deeper subterrains!

    8) Home adress system - I've read a post concerned with the difficulty of finding the right place in big cities. A simple coordinate system could be used: let every horizontal street be called 'street' and every vertical one 'alley'. Let them be numbered from top of screen to bottom and from left to right. Every crossing of street and alley could be then identified easily. "Visit Waldenbrook's Magicks Emporium at the corner of 21st & 56th!" for instance. This may sound more like exploring Manhattan than a medieval town, but it's practical at least .

    9) Notice boards near city gates or at crossroads - for adventurers to learn about questing opportunities in the area.

    Thanks on any feedback on those ideas! A salute to all ADoM fanatics! A hail to the Creator!
    Last edited by reich; 03-30-2008 at 07:57 PM.

  5. #5
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    Mar 2008
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by reich View Post
    8) Home adress system - I've read a post concerned with the difficulty of finding the right place in big cities. A simple coordinate system could be used: let every horizontal street be called 'street' and every vertical one 'alley'. Let them be numbered from top of screen to bottom and from left to right. Every crossing of street and alley could be then identified easily. "Visit Waldenbrook's Magicks Emporium at the corner of 21st & 56th!" for instance. This may sound more like exploring Manhattan than a medieval town, but it's practical at least .
    Your system requires rather narrow city with good organization of streets and houses (but this could be monotonous and boring on the whole - or maybe not... I don't know... Hmm... every city must have it's own specific feeling - that's all). The houses could have street numbers also.

    I like your other ideas, however (although they are common in most of RPGs). Especially the sewers and the guards (with prison for thieves :-D )

  6. #6
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    Mar 2008
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    Cleveland, OH
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    Default

    the one thing i didnt like about the cityi n the jade video is it was like all of a sudden BAM your're in a big city!!! Cities dont work like that, they have outskirts with skatered farms and whatever, they would have big city walls if they're in the world of ancardia as attacks from anything could come at any time. Put in jails sherifs officers, mr pairre finally got his own building to lock people up in!

  7. #7
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    Well since it's a fantasy setting let's consider what's realistic for different sized cities. "Corner of 21st and 56th" ain't exactly what you'd be expecting anywhere outside of America :P Different cultures might have different organisations, but my idea of what towns/cities should be like would follow the following ideas:

    Hamlet
    -2-8 residences
    -Food store, well
    -Maybe inn
    -Usually occupied by poor farmers, but one richer building might contain a local leader
    -All buildings centres on the one main road, though they may be spread out

    Village
    -6-15 residences
    -Food store, well, inn
    -Maybe other stores and small chapel
    -Occupied by farmers or tradesmen (miners etc - depends on local area). Will have village leader, sherriff and a few more individual NPCs that might offer minor quests, etc.
    -All buildings lined along crossroads, or chaotically centred on a central feature like the well

    Town
    -15-50 residences
    -Several stores, wells, inns, temple
    -Maybe more temples, possibly hidden cult temple, graveyard
    -Small black market, minor guild operations, guards' hut
    -Occupied by people of many trades, though community may be centred around one resource. Will have lord/baron, or maybe even competing leaders. Many other individual NPC such as guard captain, priests, etc.
    -All buildings centred around market area, or around some small keep or fortified building in the middle. Streets may be well organised and patterned, or could be more chaotic/organic. One area will be slightly more upper class. May have minor defences around the perimeters and guard check points at the roads leading in.

    City
    -50+ residences
    -Big central marketplace, and maybe smaller shops dotted around town. Several inns and temples.
    -Black market (maybe competing ones), major guilds, large city guard operations
    -Numerous tradesmen of all description, though certain trades may dominate. Will be heavily dependant on trade with other cities. Ruled by a lord or king, or several people in unison, though there may be competing factions. Numerous NPCs with many quests available (both major and minor).
    -Buildings centred around castle in the middle, with high class areas usually on the south of the castle. There will be slums etc. Maybe central river/canal/lake. Major city walls around the place, with only access to city through strongly patrolled checkpoints at the exits.

    There could be all sorts of different themes to cities that would give them more distinct flavours. A fishing town could be planted right no the edge of a huge lake, with a pier and a small dockyards. An elven city may actually be housed on a group of trees, with the PC required to ascend different levels to see different areas. A dwarf town could in a huge undergournd cavern, with all the homes and shops dotted in tunnels around one huge main feasting hall. A small gnome village might be a confusing mix of little tunnels in the side of some hills. There's a lot more ideas could be had...

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