documentation/emu_war_online_3.myco

The sequel to [[Emu War Online 2]] and [[Emu War Online 1]]. [[Emu War]] but as a web-based MMO. Now on a hexagon grid.

Features implemented:

* Basic combat.
** As in EW(O1), you simply walk at an enemy to harm it.
* Movement.
** EWO3 is turn-based, but with about 20 turns per second.
** Players have no walking speed limit but enemies do (though they move somewhat randomly).
* Procedural worldgen.
** Base worldgen is simplex noise. Height is indicated with slightly-slow-to-traverse contour lines.
** River "simulation" and lakes/rivers.
*** Physical plausibility isn't real, so the rivers A*-path themselves down to the seas or lakes.
*** They run from sources at the tallest points with sufficient separation (found greedily).
*** Terrain near the river centre-line (source to sink path) is flooded and eroded somewhat. This entire component is a hack which only functions due to many fudge constants and the contouring system allowing absolute height to be mostly ignored, particularly under the rivers themselves. It works well enough to sometimes make reasonable valleys.
*** The code also routes through lakes it hits to ocean.
** The world is an island surrounded by ocean.
* Digging holes (as minor obstruction).
* Items (dirt, bones).
** Dirt is from digging.
** Bones are from killing enemies.
** They do not do anything.
* The classic EW enemies (IBIS, SNAKE, EMU, OGRE, RAT) except KESTREL as well as a new powerful but rare MOA and the weird PLATYPUS.
** Platypi, as the natural choice for magic users, have a ranged attack.
** KESTREL is replaced with KANGAROO, which can move twice as far at once (but with greater cost). This accidentally also gives it limited ranged attack capabilities, but not like PLATYPUS.

Planned:

* Walls.
** You'll have to build a few tools to make them, and they will obstruct enemies (until they break).
** Probably we also want damage-dealing spikes or similar.
** Also no-spawning safe zones?
*** GPT-4 (prompt-engineered) proposed having special plants for this, which is reasonable.
* Beacons/minimap.
** Build things to highlight where you are to other players.
* Player weaponry/ranged attacks/etc.
** Drop base damage but give players more options once they get tool use set up.
** Players should have other items, really.
* Crops (for healing).
** Plants will naturally grow in some places. They can also spread.
** To constrain growth, plants will detect when there are too many nearby, and/or run on some kind of system tracking soil nutrients and water.
*** Different crops will interact differently with these, forcing players to consider crop rotation etc.
** Maybe you can selectively breed them. It should not be that hard to give crops genetics.
** Trees (for a few other resources) are bigger and somewhat more obstructive crops.
*** With dropbears (authentic Australia).
* Basilisk (boss-ish enemy).
** Occupies multiple tiles.
** Starts unfinished. Asks players to feed it resources to grow with promise of rewards and threats.
** Will try to kill players who did not contribute to its construction when finished, as well as generally rampaging.
** People who help it get "nanomachines" or something which can help construction?
** The basilisk can talk to you using an LLM to convince you to help it. 
* Color UI mode.
* More resources.
** Crops, trees, "digging around" in holes with better tools.
*** Crops from Claude suggestions:
**** Eucalyptus tree - wood, leaves.
**** Mangroves - wood. Salt-tolerant.
**** Acacia/golden wattle - seeds, ropes, insects.
**** Kangaroo paw flowers - dyes.
**** Bottlebrush - unclear whether this is useful for much.
**** Banskia - insects, fire-tolerant.
**** Stinging trees - weapons or something maybe.
**** Xanthorrhoea (grass trees) - resin.
**** Desert quandong - fruits are quite nice allegedly.
**** Bush tomato.
**** Tetragonia tetragonioides (Warrigal greens).
**** Wattle seeds.
**** Emu apples - do these summon emus sometimes? Might be funny.
**** Macadamia nuts.
**** Yams.
* Overly detailed environmental simulations, apparently.
* Weather or seasons.
* Random meteor events for extra ore.