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Author Topic: Ghosts  (Read 15703 times)

FantasticDorf

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Re: Ghosts
« Reply #15 on: December 28, 2020, 05:40:09 am »

I get troll ghosts in my fortress. So, any sentient being may become ghost, even mute and SLOW_LEARNER, and sentient creatures may be generated.

That's just based on your personal modding experiences for wider scope of intelligent and part intelligent creatures, but does raise the point that generating the result should probably not be determined on a existing pallete bias of typical humanoid creatures.

Popping in just the head on a generic ghost creature (if assets are needed for indescribable ethereal entities) maybe would also be fine unless its a gorlak with some sort of specific rule about the head.
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JesterHell696

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Re: Ghosts
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2021, 03:03:56 am »

When it comes to showing clothing, that would not only requiring the ghosts to have an inventory, as mentioned, but would also require that inventory to be populated with ghostly copies of the clothes that are lying in a heap with the corpse. Those ghostly clothes would then also have to cease to exist together with the ghost, would be immune to efforts to mark them for dropping or dumping, and be blocked from showing up in the fortress inventory. Thus, a whole new set of rules would have to be coded in for a visual effect that has no effect in the game as such. So, in my view, it's a nice idea, but too much work required to be worth it.

I don't think that's needed, when a creature that can become a ghost dies on map have the game make a "stamp" of their current sprite cloths, gear and all.

The stamp would just be a sprite assembly instructions for that ghost if that creature does raise as a ghost use the stamp for its sprite, the ghosts sprite's look and appearance will be "set" at death and never change after death.

Then you're only telling the game to assemble ghost sprites differently but not changing anything else, is it worth it? IMHO yes, but I also want paper doll face portraits for adventure mode conversations, to me the only real question is can it be done not should it be done.
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"The long-term goal is to create a fantasy world simulator in which it is possible to take part in a rich history, occupying a variety of roles through the course of several games." Bay 12 DF development page

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PatrikLundell

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Re: Ghosts
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2021, 04:36:39 am »

I guess it might be possible to retain the sprite generated for the creature as a "ghost version" that's also given a "ghost treatment" (see through, etc.) for use should the creature rise (or be raised after Myth & Magic) as a ghost.

Still probably not worth it from a effort/benefit point of view, though.
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