Still-to-do: Food System + Hunger, Potions (Mixing/Throwing/Drinking), Companions
Q&A:
1. I was thinking of a potential 'level 0' which would be a base-camp/town offering shops and such. It would also allow lower levels to have a pace and players who want to harm fellow players would be attacked by the town's AI. Good idea?
2. I don't want people to play this game over a long period of time/grind etc. So I was thinking it could be session based. No respawns of monsters, would allow permanent death to be accepted better, and makes most use of randomizing dungeons items. Good idea?
Status Effect Handling, PER(ception): I wrote out the basic status effect handling, for future updates attacks, spells or basically anything can apply status effects. Even though this is more or less a system I was able to write out 'blinding'.
While blinded you won't be able to see anything other than anything you walk on or bump into. I added a new skill of perception, which helps in landing attacks and identifying items, and now helps you hear the foot steps of things you can't see (including invisible things) so you can hear enemies approaching if you're blinded.
Casting off spell books/items:
Wasn't has tricky to implement as I thought it would be. When wearing an enchanted item or carrying a spell book that spell is added to your available spells and marked with a smaller spell icon. They cast like a normal spell and can even be placed on hot-slots. Enchanted items can either have a limited number of uses or have no limit but 3 times the cool down. (Spellbooks always have uses)
Kicking:
Kicking is used by shift and the direction you want to kick in. It has it's own independent cool-down from attacking (but equally long). However, if your attack's cooldown and kick's cooldown overlap the dmg done by either is halved.
Also, Enchanted footwear also casts on the target. Enjoy blessing your friends with a kick to the face!
Artificial Intelligence:
I wanted to try out a new method of AI. Instead of having strict 'hostile/attack' or 'coward/flee' types I made AI use a list of possible patterns.
Overwrites: (Negate other behaviors)
Berserk - attacks anyone and thing
Calmed - walks around
Major:
Passive - doesn't respond unless provoked
Agressive - will respond if in view
Minor:
Hostile - will attack
Coward - will run
Extras:
AttackWeak - will preffer weaker/dying targets
AttackStrong - will attack the strongest targets
DefendWeak - will displace a dying comrade
FearsDeath - will run if health gets too low
I think this method allows for more variation in how AI can act. What I don't want is all AI's acting the same and the only difference is aesthetic.
Some AI behaviors I have that you haven't mentioned here:
*Swarm: Will pick the same target as other monsters of the same type.
*Surround: Will try to get on an opposite side of their target from other monsters.
*Skmirmish: Will retreat briefly after attacking.