Re: Quick, short descriptions
I think you're hitting the nail on the head here, Spoke, and why this is such a decision for me. There's probably no "right" answer, which is why the discussion helps work through all the possible issues in addition to possibly creating a few fun mechanics and code projects.
On Threshold, all of our unique objects are "named". People really like getting their hands on these things, and it's almost like graphics for them. They know they have something REALLY COOL, and I like to maintain that. Unfortunately, we didn't start out with a solid plan when we were creating items and their short descriptions, so a few things got "named" that probably shouldn't have been. Now, with a new game that has an incredible number of objects and the ability to create unique objects, I feel that having a naming protocol is the best way to go. So, my goal is how to I keep the "REALLY COOL" factor for some objects, and in giving all that information away in a single glance, how does that impact the discovery factor for other players? Some players really enjoy discovering not only areas but items as well, and they like that they're able to recognize things by sight that other people really don't know much about.
I lean more towards giving more information to players and letting them decide what their characters know, but I'm pretty intrigued by a "recognition system" for items as well as areas.
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