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Author Topic: distinguishing artifacts from artifacts from artifacts...  (Read 946 times)

Uzu Bash

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distinguishing artifacts from artifacts from artifacts...
« on: February 14, 2021, 02:11:58 pm »

The pool of artifacts has become a muddy swamp of keepsakes, trophies, heirlooms, relics, etc. How can you tell which ones are the magnum opus of master craftsdwarfs which ones have significant properties, which ones are powerful only to archeologists, and which ones were whimsically named by off-duty soldiers or mercenaries adventurers? How do you tell which ones have personal or factional meaning from the ones that were imbued with the blood, sweat and mania of a determined producer, or the ones imbued with arcane, spiritual or divine power?
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Strik3r

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Re: distinguishing artifacts from artifacts from artifacts...
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2021, 02:15:54 pm »

I think this thread should be in DF Gameplay Questions as it's not really suggesting anything.
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FantasticDorf

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Re: distinguishing artifacts from artifacts from artifacts...
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2021, 02:31:13 pm »

There is a valid strand of thought to this, books & emotionally attached items (likewise 'slayer weapons/items' out of mundane implements for dwarves with enough kills or use) alongiside actual artifacts gets confusing.

I agree the UI should be able to distinguish them in a way that is UI compatible. As far as the reasoning behind how the artifact came to be, most of the time its pretty irrelevant for dwarves right now but might be more important in the future for myth arc, though i guess it should probably make a note to explain who was killed in the making of a fell-mood artifact.

You can already see additional details on built artifacts by filtering through on the R screen to see what building was made by who, along with who designed versus built things like bridges.
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Uzu Bash

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Re: distinguishing artifacts from artifacts from artifacts...
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2021, 02:53:34 pm »

Maybe my suggestion wasn't clearly implied, but literature is one good example of a category that should be separated from artifacts. A quire or blank scroll that was named for personal or cultural reasons should be defined separately from the text it contains. A copy made from it will have one circumstantial value and the medium it was originally inscribed to would have another circumstantial value; look at the market for limited print and special edition publications for an example of that.

Throwing them both into the same category as the unique creations that only dwarves can produce just confuses the definition of artifact. Now peering into the future, how could you distinguish a banner waved by a victorious faction from a holy weapon granted by a god? How do you distinguish a trinket cherished by a family from a wand crafted to conjure phantasms?
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Orange-of-Cthulhu

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Re: distinguishing artifacts from artifacts from artifacts...
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2021, 08:47:04 am »

I guess make sub categories of artefacts?

- powerful weapons and armor

- various valuable items (bracelets, bins)

- books and scrolls

- heirlooms (stuff with no use or much value, but they're still artefacts and nice to have!) Weapons with improper materials should go here IMO. Also like a random named wooden shield should go here.
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eerr

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Re: distinguishing artifacts from artifacts from artifacts...
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2021, 08:44:02 pm »

I agree that we need to keep books/scrolls in another category from actual artifacts. The way I see it, they are listed in the artifact screen as a legacy thing.

If nothing else, they should come at the end of the list of artifacts, to distinguish them.
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