Esoteric Update #187 - Locks, Keys And Tools

Update time. And let's start with the lore:

Lore: Of Non-linear Time

There will be no article this time, as I've not written anything new, at least not to completion.

Now, for the update. I spent the last week doing some of the usual tasks - writing some narration, integrating content, fixing bugs, etc. But apart from that, I focused on the interface and finishing up some loose ends related to locks. So, in no particular order...

So let's talk about tools... Tools now have their own extended, unique interface representations. These include both mundane tools and arcane tools. The description will contain a list of actions the item can be used to perform, including their degrees. Do note that a higher degree of action isn't better; it's just different. Some tools will thus be capable only of higher degrees or actions.

You might also note that there are now hybrid tools that can be used as talismans but also have physical actions attached.

Secondly, I did some more work on locks. Reviewing the issue of what locks even exist, I noticed a rather specific hole in my implementation. Well, two holes. Combination locks and electronic locks (which I then divided into electronic locks with keys, like RFID locks, electronic combination locks and biometric locks). I've decided to work on including all of them in the implementation and did as much. Now, the way this works is actually interesting because locks like this allow you to bring up an interface to enter the combination:

That's just one example; the combination locks are parametric. You can see more examples on my Twitter, they're a bit older, so the implementation isn't 100% in line with how it currently looks.

Now, the more interesting part of it is how this works. As you can see above, the effect of using a lock that requires special actions brings up the normal interface asking you to use items, but below, you will also see actions you can perform on the lock without using a tool. This opens a lot of possibilities in the future! One of those possibilities is if you might be wondering, chopping off someone's finger to use as a key. Remember: they can't say no if they are dead~

Now, there are more details here that I could talk about. For example, how this actually works in terms of the coding, since this is pretty interesting, but also in terms of some other minor changes I implemented here and there. I won't drag this for longer than needed, though.

Primarily, for the moment, I just want to be done with locks and keys.