ID:3405
 
Today I got a good couple of hours work done on Cheese City. While I'm trying my best to keep it light on the RPG elements (IE: no experience, only three equipment slots, lack of predefined classes) I already felt the game was definitely lacking something in the way of character development. So I went down the all to common path of adding magic. While such a solution works, I have a regular problem with this all too common solution.

Magic is boring. It's always the same buffs, de-buffs, roots and attacks. I also dislike using the words magic, magic points, mana, etc. Since I had already stolen and than perverted Tolkien like magic for Race Warz I didn't want to do a variation on the whole music is magic theme. So I got stuck trying to think up, not a new idea, but at least something different. Took a break, went for a bike ride, bought some raw sugarcane sugar, arrived home, fed my kefir grains, sat down... wait that's it, kefir grains!

If you don't know about these strange, real life, symbiotic bacterial and yeast colonies that make up the "grains" check them out, very interesting reading. Only vague and varying theories exist on how they came to be. Including one that this living material is the Manna sent by God which sustained Moses's people while in the desert.

While I'm not a big fan of kefir (a milk and kefir grain brew) I do drink a glass or two of kefir tea (a water, sugar and kefir grain brew) every day. Never though of using them for a magic-like but I think it'll work well for this game. Going to go with the kefir (milk based) drink since it's dairy and the game is after all called Cheese City.

So here's my ideas so far on how to implement this concept into the game while keeping away from the regular magic standbys...

- Characters have to reach a certain point into the game before they have the option to acquire and learn the secrets of using kefir grains.

- Like in real life, the only way to get kefir grains is from other kefir grains. Players who wish to learn the brewing secrets and get the grains make this choice with a trade off. Having to pay a NPC and suffer a double cost, from that point on, to increase physical stats.

- A semi-rare item drop will exist in game called Potion of Milk. Can be found, picked up, dropped and traded by anyone but only utilized by those who have paid to learn the kefir brewing secrets.

- Utilizing the Potion of Milk involves adding grains to the milk and waiting. Players are free to go fight mobs, shop, trade, chat, etc. while the kefir is brewing. Each set increment of days that pass (for every hour the player is logged in a day worth of brewing goes by) the kefir becomes more potent. Think I'm going to go with 1 day = +1, 2 days = +2, 3/4 days = +3, 5/6/7/8/9 days = +5, 10 or more days = +10.

- Mature Potions of Kefir can be used both as an offense and defense. I'm not sure how exactly I plan to have these types of potions be used but I do know I want them to be usable by brewers and non-brewers alike, provide long term (hours or even days) effects when consumed and be highly sought after due to the rarity of Milk Potion drops, required brewing time and penalties imposed on those who choose to learn the brewing skills.

I'm going to give myself a few days thinking over ideas for this concept before writing any code. As always, feedback of any kind is greatly appreciated and always welcome.