User:Luisa Bourgoin/broomsrace

Approaching Halloween, and following a sunday's Show & Tell presentation event I am pondering about a "Broom's Race" game which might call associations with Quidditch on first glance

Some experience flowing in comes from the Snail Races. Counting in SL mechanics like world wide distribution of participants and network latencies, even a race has to make compromises about real time action. On the other side, I want to include some design goals:

1. Game should contain a strategy compontent
2. Social construct. Players forming up teams (bigger then one person) where each broom needs at least a co-pilot to take advantage of all possible game moves. Third player optionally, on Sim supporters for telemetry gathering at any numbers (people who IM the pilot positions of goal loops, which are randomly changing their fly-through order number on each round start) (it should still be possible for a single pilot to enter, but making a strong point that it's all about teaming up even if just temporary for a single race event)
3. Should not be earth bound, relying on the sim's surface patch. So can take place at some 1000 meters skywords, too
4. Wide variety of space useage adapting to available prims and square meters. Every place is different.
   1. ... to be continued ...

So people gather on a starting line, in direct sight of the loop number one to fly through right after start. The pilot's decision are simple regarding speed and direction. The faster a broom team flys, the wider the resulting turning angles. The loop hops need to be flown through in order that is unknown at the start shoot. When 1st broom flys through loop one, the other loops are dicing out their number (which is shown in very big lettering, seen from far away). Pilot flys in Mouselook view so can't watch round that well, but has finer steering controls.

Each needle loop hole can get passed by one broom at every time slice. The whole flying mechanisms are worked out using llFrameAnimation() so it comes in "time slices". This is no rocket science, this is quantum physics. A flashlight on each broom blinks when the next round granularity triggers. These can changed in speed by the game master so there can be slow races, fast races according to sim geometry and circumstance.

The co-pilot wears several attachements in the form of belt pouches (or similar additions to the broom. but are all worn on player attachement points). By touching a dice these pouches message out their capabilities, and the dice selects some three out of the set that are activated. Player gets clickable cards on HUD screen to act them out. (Somewhere on track 2nd or 3rd dice can be placed for players to recharge) I want saddles! Facing all sky directions, like in a flying fortress. Besides the early base design beeing a Broom's Race for the theme and cuteness factor, this will become a space race by one day incuding bigger ships witch more trick capabilities.

The tricks one can play are for placing obstacles aiming against the competition. I head for an interactive component there, so that players are able to change the race track's condition. Like placing a cobweb that tears on flying through, but removes flying speed from the broom (which results in better turning angle, but more time to reach the pathpoint). Pumpkins that are solid hills in the air (suboptimal if you are currently on top velocity). Mist. Clouds. Darkness. Womping trees & stuff. More ideas wanted there! (the "tricks" design should be opened up by a decision comitee where one presents them, getting an okay or change request if they are to savage) (at this stage strictly "no explosions" policy)

That's the game mechanic design drafts so far. From what I have seen there should be some development goals

1. Open up to developers for participating in the designs. The skills span a wide variety from painting Tarot like cards for the on screen HUD, from Mesh design for loop goals and brooms. Animation work for pilots (this can get any detail depths or just stay a rigid pose). LSL script work (my own skill). Game rule ballancings, which cannot be drafted on paper ... those have to be played out to develop
2. Wandering sims on a weekly shedule, so one can order Broom's Race to draw some traffic on a place.
3. Get in touch with all races and liveforms, from a dark Helloween setting up to a colorfull smurf village, from big to tiny, you know the variety.