Environment
From Neverend
[edit] Environmental effects
Environmental effects are physical, meaning they change the landscape or the structure of objects, and are cosmetic, meaning they leave a visual effect. Environmental effects may be the most network and processor intensive, and may need to be simplified if they cannot be fully implemented.
Typical effects are landslides, moving rocks and boulders, cave-ins, uprooting trees, collisions with the ground, large footsteps leaving trails, small footsteps in dirt, mud, sand or snow, and cave walls being broken through. Physical attacks and effects can cause rocks and dirt to chip off cave walls and mountainsides, cause rocks to fall from the ceiling, and cause dirt to form dust clouds and flying pebbles.
For buildings, including cities, dungeons, and mines, the most intensive process is the collapse. This requires the entire structure to destroy itself over a set period of time, while showing dust and debris effects, falling bricks and pieces of wall and ceiling. The collapse process, once started, has a set amount of time until it is officially at a collapsed state, where the structure is considered deleted while leaving debris and items behind. In between that time, players can move within the structure and be hit by falling debris. When the collapse is at its final state of turning in to nothing, the landscape is converted to a collapsed cave, collapsed mine, collapsed dungeon, collapsed building, collapsed castle, or collapsed tower. Players, monsters and NPCs are buried alive and dealt severe damage. Items are buried in "coffin" spaces.
Fire is another intensive effect, and may need some simplification to make the process less intensive. Fire on flammable surfaces causes a large, spreading fire effect that damages flammable objects and items, and leaves behind debris and ash. Fire deals damage to building structures, and starts the collapse process when HP is at 0. Players can be harmed by coming in to contact with the fire effect, being within the fire effect, or having the fire effect come to the player. This also applies to NPCs and monsters, though they will try to evacuate to the nearest unblocked exit, and attack any obstacles they can to get through.
Ships have a similar process when destroyed, as each part is destroyed first, then the entire ship is turned in to a lifeless hull. Ship collapses show the masts, sails, front, back and sides ripping, disintegrating, falling off, or burning.
Objects have several damage and collapse effects, based on what they are damaged by, such as a battering ram, rock, spell, physical attack, falling, bludgeoning, or slashing. Objects can be tossed and thrown by larger creatures. Giants and large creatures will typically ram, throw, or toss large objects such as boulders, and collision with constructed objects or buildings leaves serious damage and visual effects. Objects that are only partially damaged will show partial damage, such as a catapult with chipped wood, charred, some beams broken, loose nails, and other effects.
Very large creatures such as dragons and sea serpents have the most interaction with all types of environment- landscape, buildings, objects, items, monsters, and players. Dragons may rest on hillsides, crawl on mountains, walk through forests and knock down trees, land on fences and buildings to destroy them, pick up animals with claws or mouth, knock over objects and players with wings, tail, feet and mouth, and scatter items on the ground when moving. These creatures are the most intensive and must have all these systems in check, predicting when and where things will be beforehand. A dragon in a city has a large potential for destroying many buildings, setting things on fire, destroying animals, items, objects, killing players, tossing things, moving small items and debris around, and causing dirt and dust effects. In order to handle all of these at once, some systems may have to be abstracted, using a simpler or broader effect, ignoring some systems, or not using some if lag is too high.
