Brett's Blog GD3 Meters Apr 29, 2009 | 7:31 pm One of the features of GD3 is the use of meters. These were always present in GDi as health meters, but they are much more open in GD3. In fact, they mimic the health meters in older PI games like Unbidden and The Colonies almost identically. This advanced form of meter is integral to the design of The Colonies 2.0 (for nano-dependency and contagions), which is one of the reasons it was included in GD3. More than just health meters, they can track fame, fortune, EM signatures, magical power, chi, and so on. Pick a threshold (either fixed or dependent on an ability rating), determine what each grade affects (penalty, bonus, special power, etc.), decide how it is increased and decreased, and give it a name. That's pretty much how easy they are to use. I'd love to know what custom meters are being used in your custom games. 5 Comments | Add Comment | Permanent Link | Return to Overview krakajak Commented: Apr 29, 2009 | 10:19 pm The meters (I call 'em tracks!) were, by far, the coolest open mechanic I've ever seen. I've used them to track Persona, aka the little demons that live inside teenagers. I can see so many uses for them though...Money, Mana, Radiation, Weapon/Armor durablity, Fatigue, crowd reaction, remaining clones. . .definately. cknason Commented: Apr 30, 2009 | 10:13 am I'm currently messing around with a Focus meter. In my as-yet-unnamed game, Focus is a kind of "Zen-like state" that player characters can use to do crazy stuff to themselves. For example, jumping higher or farther than normal people, hitting a bullseye, adding oomph to a punch, getting a skill boost, etc. Focus starts at nothing but acquires grades as it's used. Meditation - clearing one's mind - removes this "damage" and allows Focus to be used again. Push the Focus meter over the edge and you could lose Focus, which can cause all kinds of bad things, like going berserk or stressing out and "shutting down" your brain. More on this later when I put the campaign synopsis on the forums... Brett Commented: Apr 30, 2009 | 12:25 pm krakajak, what does Persona do when maxed out? cknason, I really like how you've molded focus. Excellent idea. krakajak Commented: Apr 30, 2009 | 10:54 pm Brett: Usually it means that the summoner can't beckon a Persona or it's Powers. Avatars (who transform into their Persona) become more hungry making it difficult to deny their cannibalistic nature. Controllers' demons become more unruly and cause mischief or mayhem. Summoners are just unable to summon for a while. It's like a cross between a Mana pool and a Life meter for the Demon. Which one it's more like shifts depending on what kind of wielder the PC is. mtwofive Commented: May 01, 2009 | 7:25 pm I like that you can not only port the meters, but also the resistance/damage rolls to other concepts. I want to implement a Profile meter (as in 'keep a low profile') for a shadow ops game where penalties make you more likely to attract unwanted attention from adversary groups, media, etc. And for resistance rolls, throw in concepts like disguises, and maybe a 'forgettable face' gimmick. Add Comment