Can we change the name of stamina to vitality please?

[Hormalakh]

A lot of people on the forums have been trying to incorporate stamina into a variety of different actions and mechanisms that apparently the devs didn't have in mind. Per J.Sawyer [source needed] stamina is meant to be mainly a combat-specific marker, and not used for things like encumbrance, magic "points", running, etc.

 

I don't blame these members because stamina usually implies energy used for doing a series of different jobs. I frankly don't like the term stamina as a term used mainly for combat or "hit points." Instead, I propose that the devs use the term "vitality" to describe this term. It has more of a combat-oriented connotation, and will not confuse players as to the actual use of the mechanic. "Health" as it stands for a long-term hit point system works. But "stamina" doesn't. Use vitality instead. The definitions (per dictionary.com are listed below)

 

Stamina:

noun

strength of physical constitution; power to endure disease, fatigue, privation, etc.

 

Vitality

 

noun

1. exuberant physical strength or mental vigor: a person of great vitality.

2. capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence: the vitality of an institution.

3. power to live or grow: the vitality of a language.

4. vital force or principle.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Hormalakh

[Thangorodrim]

I would support that ... I am more used to the concept of stamina in RPGs limiting the number of repeated tasks you can perform or the amount of time you can perform draining tasks (running, combat, etc) ... I am much more used to thinking of vitality in relationship to health and Hit Points

[Metabot]

Stamina perfectly describes what they're doing with the mechanic. Why would you use vitality for this and not the health aspect instead?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I would prefer "Structural Damage Capacity" TBH. Bonus points if you get the reference.

 

It really doesn't matter much as I see it. If anything Vitality should replace Health.

[Elerond]

I would prefer "Structural Damage Capacity" TBH. Bonus points if you get the reference.

 

Megaversal?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I would prefer "Structural Damage Capacity" TBH. Bonus points if you get the reference.

 

Megaversal?

 

Yes. From what I understand, the proposed system is quite similar to the SDC/HP system found there.

[Tigranes]

I don't care, whatever you call it I'll get used to it in 5 minutes anwyay.

[Hormalakh]

Stamina perfectly describes what they're doing with the mechanic. Why would you use vitality for this and not the health aspect instead?

 

The whole point is for vitality to remind you of hit points because that's what the devs are aiming for with the "stamina" mechanism. They're both hitpoints (stamina/vitality and health). Health is a fairly constant (over short periods of time, barring damage) factor whereas "stamina" is a more variable (in short periods of time) factor representing hitpoints.

 

The fact that vitality evokes images of health to you speaks to the point that I'm trying to make: stamina is only meant to be used as a hitpoint mechanism and not any other mechanism.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Hormalakh

[AGX-17]

The definition of stamina you provided seems to fit PE's concept of stamina more closely than vitality. Vitality is derived from the latin vita, which literally means "life." Vitality would be more appropriate for the "health" stat whose loss results in permanent death.

 

e.g. Vita is the root of the word "vital," as in "vital organs." It's life itself. It's the difference between you and I typing on our machines and the corpses buried in the ground.

 

To call the non-mortal variety of wounding (whose worst-case scenario is unconsciousness,) "vitality" would be misleading, because even a nick or scratch would then be a "vital wound."

[Tamerlane]

I get that stamina brings to mind Diablo 2's "how long can I run" bar or DAO's "mana for jocks", but the name itself seems pretty accurate to what it represents.

 

I'm fine as is; won't get upset if it changes to something else.

[Larkaloke]

I think that Stamina fits best what it is being used for, but as the name does not matter to the functionality of it I don't care much what it ends up being called. Although, I would find having both Health and Vitality to be somewhat confusing -- I find them much more similar than Stamina and Vitality. If anything, Health = Vitality would make more sense to me.

[Haerski]

Stamina perfectly describes what they're doing with the mechanic. Why would you use vitality for this and not the health aspect instead?

 

The whole point is for vitality to remind you of hit points because that's what the devs are aiming for with the "stamina" mechanism. They're both hitpoints (stamina/vitality and health). Health is a fairly constant (over short periods of time, barring damage) factor whereas "stamina" is a more variable (in short periods of time) factor representing hitpoints.

 

The fact that vitality evokes images of health to you speaks to the point that I'm trying to make: stamina is only meant to be used as a hitpoint mechanism and not any other mechanism.

Different vitality and health bars would just make things very confusing for someone who doesn't know the mechanic beforehand. Stamina as word describes much better what they intend to do with that mechanic: When you run out of stamina you are fatigued and can't fight for a while until regaining your strength. Logically if you run out of vitality you are dead.

[Soranor]

The "power to endure [...] fatigue".

 

There you have it, stamina is correct.

[nikolokolus]

A rose by any other name ...

[Sensuki]

Personally I don't care but

 

Stamina could be Hit Points and Hit Points could be Vitality or health. Whatever really.

[Soranor]

I think people still didn't get that when you are hit, you get hurt (health goes down) and you get exhausted (stamina goes down). When your health reaches 0, you die. When your stamina reaches 0, you can't fight on and fall unconscious.

[Thangorodrim]

I think people still didn't get that when you are hit, you get hurt (health goes down) and you get exhausted (stamina goes down). When your health reaches 0, you die. When your stamina reaches 0, you can't fight on and fall unconscious.

 

Balancing those things out is still going to be tricky though ... a lot of the combat in IWD or BG could run 4-5 turns (especially at the start) ... if my fighters all drop to the floor with fatigue after 2 rounds it is going to force consistent tactics like missile attacks or other things ... as long as they can balance it so my fighters can last more than 5 turns of combat without passing out I will be okay with whatever they call the two statistics

[Juneau]

I look at my stats and think:

 

Stuff I can cast magic with

Stuff that makes my big numbers hurt more

Thing that causes me to die if it hits zero

Number of stuff left to fire/shoot/throw

 

Etc... Though I can understand the point of having names that properly describe something, I don't think it really matters in the end. It had a meaning and it's explained HOW it applies. That will suit me.

[FlintlockJazz]

I'm with AGX-17, stamina is better and vitality indicates health to me. If you absolutely can't go with Stamina then use Endurance or Fatigue instead instead.

[Hormalakh]

The masses have spoken! Stamina it is.

[Hellfell]

Frankly speaking, the gaming word stamina is so tied to the concept of non-magic resource for warrior or rouge abilities that it will only make confusion if it stayed.

 

I'd gladly prefer "fortitude" or even better "resilience".

[Elerond]

I think people still didn't get that when you are hit, you get hurt (health goes down) and you get exhausted (stamina goes down). When your health reaches 0, you die. When your stamina reaches 0, you can't fight on and fall unconscious.

 

Balancing those things out is still going to be tricky though ... a lot of the combat in IWD or BG could run 4-5 turns (especially at the start) ... if my fighters all drop to the floor with fatigue after 2 rounds it is going to force consistent tactics like missile attacks or other things ... as long as they can balance it so my fighters can last more than 5 turns of combat without passing out I will be okay with whatever they call the two statistics

 

In BG and IWD your warrior can drop dead after one combat turn if enemy got critical hit on you (especually at the start). And with bad luck fighter will go down in couple turns even if enemy don't get any critical hits, so in my opinion it is big plus if they only drop unconscious istead of dead. Usually fights last several turns because both sides missed most of their attacks, but that had nothing to do with combat resource points.

[Hormalakh]

Frankly speaking, the gaming word stamina is so tied to the concept of non-magic resource for warrior or rouge abilities that it will only make confusion if it stayed.

 

I'd gladly prefer "fortitude" or even better "resilience".

 

As long as we agree stamina isn't a good term, I'm happy.

[Soranor]

I don't think there has been a statement that excluded stamina from being a resource for non-magic skills/abilities apart of being the non-lethal hitpoints. And I see how this can be balanced rather well by giving warriors skills/stats that increase their stamina by a large amount, like hardiness or endurance as a passive skill.

[kabaliero]

i think there will be both