Suggestion for OHRRPGCE: Pullable objects?

[Valigarmander]

We already have pushable objects (NPCs) programmed into the engine. But what about pullable objects?

While diddling around with the OHR, I was trying to make a pushable object puzzle when I realized it was very easy for the player to push an object into a corner or against a wall, in which it would be impossible to get it away. In some cases (mine, for instance), this would be a problem you couldn't work around or try to turn into a challenge for the player.

Then I thought, why not have pullable objects along with pushable objects? That way, if the player screws himself over by pushing himself into a deadlock, he doesn't have to start the map over, he can just pull it back out and try again.

If an NPC has the option to be Pushable/Pullable, then this would make it easier to maneuver objects around the map. Let's say there's a chair, and you want to be able to move it. People can pull a chair as easily as they can push it. Then, if you have an object like a boulder, that's still light enough to move but has no viable grapple point to pull with, you should be able to push it as you would normally, but you shouldn't be able to "pull" a boulder in your direction. Another similar example would be with NPCs. Sometimes you want the player to be able to push NPCs out of the way if they're blocking an entrance or something, but you shouldn't be able to pull an NPC and drag the poor guy along with you wherever you please.

So, I'm suggesting a pushable/pullable option to go along with the pushable option. The game designer can choose whether or not an NPC is pushable/pullable, just pushable, or not moveable by the player at all. As a general bitset for the game, a "pull" key can be set to allow the player to pull objects (i.e., the shift key is set as the pull key; the player approaches a pullable object and holds shift and moves away from the object to drag it along with him; he approaches a pullable object and moves away without holding the shift key, nothing happens). This would open up for a whole new level of the typical RPG "Push Block Maze" puzzle or whatever.

So programmers, if you think this is a good idea, I'd appreciate it if you threw it in. I'd like to help as much as I can, but seeing as my past experiments with fiddling around the OHR engine have all been disastrous, there's probably not much I can do. Share your thoughts and ideas, OHRans.

[Nathan Karr]

I nominate the Shift Key as the default.

Also, it would be nice to set an "if grabbed" tag on an NPC-by-NPC basis(for example, a woman would probably give you entirely different text depending on whether you just talked to her, or grabbed her and started talking to her).

[msw188]

There are some questions to be worked out here. What happens if the player tries to pull the NPC sideways? I mean, if the player is facing an NPC directly north of him, and holds SHIFT to grab it, and then presses to the left. Should the NPC move west (to stay north of the player, as if they are dancing) or south (to replace the spot where the player was standing)? What happens if the player tries to pull the NPC through a step-on NPC?

[Bob the Hamster]

Good idea. worth further consideration. I like the idea of pullable NPCs but I don't like the idea of allocating a new key.

I am sure this feature could be plotscripted, but I am not sure yet how easy or hard it would be. I would have to try it.