Teraurge: Biweekly update #2

Art

Hydra butt

Purple tiddy

Dev spotlight

Character workshop series:

Character workshop, part 6: Player attributes and where to use them

Since TU is an RPG, or something resembling one, it uses abstract numbers to represent player character's abilities. The PC can't be good at everything, as in the usual RPG fashion there's only a limited number of ability points to be assigned at character creation.

The main thing attributes are supposed to do outside combat is to reinforce a character archetype(s) for the player. The player mindset sees low attributes as a negative and regards events that get triggered based on the low attributes of the PC as failure states. People who play games often see character attributes as a way to get ability and control instead being limited by them.

How do PC attributes relate to writing Amnukhel?

Charisma
This one's easy. You get cooler flirt options and snappier comebacks when talking to people. On the low end you might be too stunted and awkward to actually understand some of the things she's suggesting to you.

Will
Often manifests in dialogue choices as blunt, spiteful or rude options that cut through conversations. An example, after some small talk: "So do you wanna go fuck or do we keep talking for for appearances?". High will stat often just excludes these options from the conversations.

Intelligence
Dialogue options that are enabled by the intelligence stat often dive into topics that include specific knowledge/out-of-the-box thinking. For example, an intelligent player could have a conversation with Amnukhel about the number of mugs of rolli required to get oneself drunk based on their body mass.

Agility
Agility is probably the easiest physical stat to use in normal conversations. Doing party tricks with your hands, catching falling objects or just not falling over when drunkenly staggering through hallways. If the player minmaxed their agility away I'd just make them a huge klutz and spill their drink on Amnukhel.

Strength
As with all physical stats, strength too is used more in actiony scenes or in combat than it is in normal dialogue in a bar. Maybe mr. Slab Bulkhead crushes a mug with his hand to impress Amnukhel. Then again, if she falls asleep on a Twig Nomuscle, he can't get her huge body off of him and has to sleep under the drooling/snoring mutant duck monster.

Endurance
Endurance is probably the least used stat in normal conversations, but it comes up more often in action scenes, and it's pretty useful for fights. Endurance does actually improve your sexual stamina, mind you. Although it only makes you last longer, as it doesn't actually make you better at it.

(Fitness)
This thing is derived from all of the three physical stats (agility, strength, endurance) and it just measures how athletic the player looks like. This is actually very easy to use in dialogue since characters commenting on player's bod is pretty easy to do in flirty dialogue.

The mental attributes (charisma, will, intelligence) in 90% cases, add dialogue options that the player can take, but physical attributes usually do not add dialogue options. The success is usually resolved after the dialogue option that relies on a physical stat "(Crush the mug)" is taken. Weak player can attempt to crush the mug the same as a strong player character, the strong character just succeeds while the weak character fails (dumb jock stuff, like crushing a mug is probably behind a will attribute requirement as well).