design question:game skill system

[Ramchandra Apte]

On Wednesday, 3 October 2012 14:19:57 UTC+5:30, Jean-Michel Pichavant  wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> 
> > Hello all:
> 
> > I'm looking at a skill/perk system, where the player builds up his
> 
> > char
> 
> > by using perk points to add abilities.
> 
> > Each perk is under a category, and generally costs go up as you
> 
> > increase
> 
> > the perk.
> 
> > So I'm trying to figure something out; first, I'd really like the
> 
> > cost
> 
> > calculation and all of that to be dynamic, so that I don't have to
> 
> > write
> 
> > a calculateCost per object. I'd also like to be able to specify
> 
> > dependencies and say a level, as well as other factors before a
> 
> > player
> 
> > can obtain a perk and have them self documenting. The idea is that a
> 
> > player could do something like:
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> > data perk extended health
> 
> > and it would tell them they require health at 50 before they can
> 
> > purchase extended health, as well as the cost, the increase per level
> 
> > and the total overall cost.
> 
> > Any ideas on how to set this up would be really appreciated.
> 
> > Finally, I'm curious how to store and calculate these. I thought
> 
> > about
> 
> > using a uid per perk, then storing something like: {uid:level} on the
> 
> > player, but means that I have to lookup the name somehow still in the
> 
> > main perk database, then use that uid to check if the player has it.
> 
> > Are
> 
> > there better ways of storing skills? I'm also thinking about
> 
> > calculation; currently the CalculateMaxHp method would have to add up
> 
> > all the possible perks for health, then add stats and all that. That
> 
> > could get really rough on performance if it's called often; would
> 
> > something like a cache work, where you have something like:
> 
> > {attribute:dirty}? So if I call CalculateHealth, it checks for the
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> > dirty
> 
> > flag, and if it doesn't exist just returns the previous max HP, but
> 
> > if
> 
> > the dirty flag is set, it recalculates? Then anything modifying
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> > health
> 
> > (level gains, perks, stat increases/etc) would just set the dirty
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> > flag
> 
> > and call calculate?
> 
> > Thoughts/ideas would be welcome.
> 
> > Thanks,
> 
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> 
> 
> Again, do not think about performances before actually having an issue with them. What's the point to optimize something that doesn't need it ?
> 
> 
> 
> For your cache problem, google "python memoize decorator" for a bunch of decorators that will allow you to cache your data without any effort.
> 
> 
> 
> JM

True, but I always have an irresistible urge to optimize to every yoctosecond even if its absolutely useless to optimize.