rpg

So I have recently implemented and committed RPG Achieve in the RPG module series for Drupal. This allows games to record achievements of players, such as "You have slain 14 dragons", or "You were the first to summit Ploggers Peak". Next in that progression will be RPG Quest, which will allow achievements to be grouped together.

I'm going to bring up an old discussion now. I don't think there's been much discussion in forums (but if so, maybe someone can dig up some posts). But there has been much over the past couple of years in IRC.

This has to do with integrating RPG with the Drupal node system. The current RPG module is its own entity, entirely unattached to nodes. This is a reversal of earlier versions of the module. Originally, I'd planned to fully integrate it with CCK and Views, and if you look at the first few dozen commits, you'll see that RPG objects were actually node types, and the attributes were fields.

Eventually, I ran into several problems. Some issues were merely difficult, while others seemed nearly insurmountable. Thus, I rewrote the engine, making RPG objects an entirely separate entity in the database.

Now I'm writing graphical support for RPG, and am finding myself duplicating code, and questioning (yet again) my original decision to detach RPG from nodes. Here are some Pro's and Con's of using node types & fields for RPG objects:

There's combat now! Well, in a manner of speaking.

If you create a character at DrupalRPG.org, you can also try to hit other characters. Nothing beyond notifications of hit or miss really happen right now. But you can pick up wiffle bats you might see lying around. Or even experiment with making your own.

NOTE: In the last message, I mislead you. When creating the PC, you have to insert your UID for the PC value, not the number 1. Again, make sure to give yourself a location too, or you'll be in limbo.

You can certainly game the system (such as it is right now). For instance, there are fields for attack and defend skills, which are pretty generic. Soon, that will be out of the realm of character creation, or at least not without using character points or something.

Here's a screenshot (click for full view), where you can also see a hint of some fancy jquery in the right sidebar: