While I'm not sure when T-modloader will catch up to 1.4, and I probably won't update this mod before that, I'm thinking about what things to add, once 1.4 will be up-to-date with Journey's End.
And, so, I'm curious about everyone's opinion, and, if you have suggestions, I would love to hear them!
(sorry for the long wall of fle... - cough - text.)
As for start, I think should update the actual NPCs first.
1.) I'm wondering whether to add new NPCs? There are some ideas, regarding NPCs to help with aquiring hard-to-get vanilla items (much like how all the NPCs do, who are in the mod now)
- gravedigger. (a town NPC selling gravestones. he would move in with a zombie banner or something in player's inventory, and so he could be helpful with building a graveyard biome. of course, "aquiring" gravestones is not usually any difficult though (and probably few players play hardchore, I never tried anything besides softcore so far XD)
he would not require a graveyard to spawn (since his main point is to help with creating one) but his preferred biome would be that.
- elf/alraune. I was wondering about all the fruits that are in the game now, and how difficult is to get them, because they're random and rare. the starting idea regarding fruits would been something like a greengrocer of course, but there is such an NPC in Genosis' Furniture & Fun mod, I think, so I wanted something else, and something wackier, so, how about an elf or an alraune or something that would have connections with the forest, and sell the player fruits so they might would cut less trees XD
- waiter/waitress. similarly to the previous idea, just for selling food, perticularly regarding the rare foodstuff. this is nowhere really necessary gameplay-wise, since you could just fish a bit an live on seafood dinner or anything, but might could add more "flavor"? XD ah, and, yeah, would considered a chef or something first, but there's already such in some mods, for example in Thorium (which I love a real lot) and a waiter/waitress could pair up well with him to make a restaurant.
None of these ideas are very necessary, because these things are either relatively easy to aquire (gravestones, by dying) or not very necessary (fruits and rare food), but if there is interest, I might would add these to the mod.
Also should figure out how to make them balanced, because it would be quite OP to be able to just simply be able to buy level 3 food... though, maybe the shops could update as the player defeats more bosses...?
Also wanna hear other ideas too, if you have ideas about other NPCs to add. or what sort of items are hard to aquire enough that a town NPC selling them would be preferred.
2.) now on to the current NPCs
shops should be upgraded here and there. Such as
- adding Decay chamber to corruption fangirl's shop. to begin with, I find it nonsense that you wouldn't be able to aquire that in crimson worlds from any vanilla NPCs? Or can you?
- fangirls sell evil biome crates' hardmode variant in hardmode.
- picklock sell deser key too.
- professor sells biome crates regarding every biomes (and their hardmode varian in hardmode) IF he's housed there. (he sells no evil biome crates, because he cannot be housed there, and the fangirls already sell those anyway.)
- alternatively if scrapping the elf/alraune idea or something, the professor could sell fruits related to a biome he's in, but this would return us to the problem that he can't be housed in evil biomes (and not sure if the fangirls have enough slots to sell fruits too)
- maybe adding a few thematically fitting deco to the professor's shop (when in said biomes) such as some of those new desert wall deco, like fossil, and egyptian mural, etc.
- anything else I forgot XD
3.) NPC happiness. I'm wondering what the biome and neighbor likes and dislikes these NPCs should have?
This is kinda tricky, considering
- evil biomes are invalid for housing, so, the two fangirls probably wouldn't be able to be housed in their logically preferred biome. they might would just prefer the forest then - and having each other as neightbors, dunno who else they would like, or dislike? ah, but, I think both of them would hate to be housed in the hallow, and hate the dryad, because she wants to purify the world from the corruption & crimson.
- what likes and dislikes would fit the picklock? would he prefer rich neighbors or something? who he could either try to steal from, or who would hire him to test if they can't be robbed or whater? XD lol Tax collector...? Nurse...? wait... the richest one around is probably... the goblin tinkerer, isn't he?! XD lol
- scam artist would have similar or so preferences than the merchant, and prefer him as neighbor, because she's his daughter. this would make her easy to house. though, similar to the tavernkeep, her shop gets full in late game, so she should not sell pylons.
- professor's shop varies with biome, so he wouldn't likely have preference regarding that? who would he like or hate as neighbors? he might would prefer some like the witch doctor, because he's interesting, both culturally and regarding not being a human but a lizhard, and the professor might finds that interesting, plus might be interested in condusting researches in the lizhard temple too (not that player could get him to go to the temple though...)
While the NPCs should be higher priority that the guards first, interesting questions what to do with the guards?
1.) some of the things that have old appearances, like goblin army guards. should these be left in the mod (maybe renamed legacy/ancient/whatever? the new ones should get added too.
2.) of course, should add more trypes and looks of guards too. - I'm open for ideas, and, if you send sprites, if I like them, I could just add them in too!
3.) buffs?!
While I still didn't managed to find one in the game yet, there's a thing called Bast Statue, right? which gives +5 def to every players around. Something like this could fit the guards just nearly perfect? How about (if I can get help how to code that)
- guards give a similar buff like "guarded", which adds +5 def to nearby players. this would stack with the bast statues maybe, but does not stack otherwise, so I mean if you have one guard, it gives +5 def, but if you have two, it would simply just give +5 in the area, not +10. to avoid just placing a horde of them for some crazy defense.
It still sounds like they could provide a strong defense boost along with a bast statue. They are easier to aquire though so they could be easily stationed in every towns and here and there in other places too, just as one would expect from guards? - if it's possible, they could boost town NPCs defense too, but it would be just better to have the NPCs invulnerable to attacks, via other mods (or I can try adding such in too, if I can figure out how)
- civilans doesn't seems to be very well armed to guard areas, so tematically them giving that buff sounds odd... but if they require similar things to craft, so they're not free, it sounds unbalanced, if the guards meanwhile actually provide benefits, so... how about something (no idea how to code that, I will need help with that, but, just brainstorming)
civilans add some buff like "market town" or whatever (no idea on name... XD) which provides a 5% discount in the shop of any nearby town NPC? This is a little thing early game, might be even nonexistent, but it could be nice with later game expensive stuff (or otherwise expensive, non late game stuff, like some of the traveling merchant's wares.
Sorry for the huge wall of text.
I would like to hear your opinions on these ideas!