Henchman Interaction a must! Options

[MadSkills]

If the henchman interaction is made to be at least as interesting as KOTOR, or even half that, yoiu will have a much more compelling game.

The best part of having henchman in the bioware games is that when they interact with you, it makes them feel more alive while you fight with them, not just computer-controlled characters. It adds an element of unpredicatbility so that the game dosn't devolve into hack-slash quicksave like NWN 1 single player did.


So please, make sure to have tons of henchman interjections.

[Volourn]

The expansions already did this... HOTU, in fact, did it MUCH better than KOTOR.

[Judge Hades]

I wouldn't go that far, Volourn, but if they continue the cycle of improving there will be some interesting interactions.

[Volourn]

I would, and I did.

[Unholyracket]

Henchman interaction can make a poor plot bearable. Not that I am advocating a poor plot! The OC in NWN was as interesting for the developing relationship with Aribeth as it was for the main plot. Deekin was perfect comic relief. Even the green armoured tiefling's grudging respect was worth it in HotU. I love this type of interaction because it makes me care about henchmen and not use them as meat shields. A poorly developed henchman is really frustrating, Dorna in SoU anyone...

More inter-henchman interaction would be appreciated too. I favour the multiple henchman scenario (2-3) with squabbling, flirting and even fighting amongst the group. Ideally this should be something the PC can even get involved with in true leadership stylie. Would you stand idly by if one of your group started battering another one, or even started flirting with your romance target?

[Phosphor]

I thought Dorna (from as much I could bear to play of SOU anyways) was one of the more intersting NPCs in NWN.
Anyways, I agree that fully developed party companions can make the game a heck of a lot more interesting. If I'm going to be travelling with a person or two, I want to feel that they are truly companions, with all the arguing, friendship etc that such a term entails, rather than just "henchmen" which are nothing but fodder and meat shields.

[Superlative]

I think a lot of ideas can be taken from the Japanese. I have never been more interested in NPC team-mates as when I played "Final Fantasy 8". The way they created a love triangle between Squall, Quistis and Rinoa were fantastic. They even made me "fall in love" with Rinoa - the story and interaction were fantastic.

It's too bad that the West is so far behind the Japanese when it comes to story. The West knows how to make good game mechanics, but know very little about how to make a good story. On a scale of 1 to 10 for story, FF8 was a 10, and NWN1 was a 2 at best. Bloody awful story. Aribeth was poorly executed, and it wasn't very compelling to fall in love with her.

Would it be so bloody difficult to have some romantic kissing animations?

[Superlative]

by the way - when I first saw the FF8 movie - I was so compelled that I bought a Playstation just to play the game. I was not disappointed. Although the game itself could be vastly improved - just the depth of the story and characters and sheer number of different "secret" places where you could go (and collect cards for example) made the game go for a very long time. Games can last for 70 hours if you take your time to explore everywhere. I only wished that games from the West had this kind of depth of story.

Going on from my suggestions in the other thread - if the developers could develop a world that people could add to, and do it in such a way that even the NPC interactions can be tampered with - imagine how wonderful this world could be!

Example:
1) John develops this magical lab on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere. If you add this module, whenever you travel to this remote island on this map you get to encounter a really funny side story.

2) The Developers add a famous Courtesan NPC to one of the cities somewhere in the world. They do it so well that players love to interact with her and involve her somehow in their modules as a recurring character. Because of the game design, players can continually add dialog responses and reaction animations so this Courtesan NPC itself can be continually evolving as players add to this character

3) similarly for NPC "henchmen". Players should be able to develop henchmen and their personalities, and then place them somewhere on the globe. To get these henchman, you download the add-on and then go to the place on the map where they can be recruited.

I'm getting more excited about this "Dynamic world" idea - the possibilities are endless! Not only can you have the Final Fantasy type side stories as players keep adding on modules to expand the world, but you can evolve or create new characters too!


(note: the above idea differs completely from the NWN1 method of module adding, which were self-contained worlds - one module had not connection with another module. The idea above is where players continually ADD to a single world and continually evolve this world, and where modules and add-ons fully compliment each other and together help to evolve this singular world)

[Ellester]

Well, I’ve never played any Japanese games, because I can’t get past the horrible animi fascination. But I do hear the do this stuff very well if you can get past the graphics..

I don’t think you should compare NWN NPC’s and the OC Story to the Japanese. Bio has done much better. But I will say Deekin was a pretty good NPC, as he felt like a real partner in your party. Too bad the other NPC’s weren’t as fleshed out as Deekin to make you care about them. And, Bio kicked it up a notch on their storytelling in HoTU, it was a lot better than the NWN OC.

Also, when you talk about 70 hours of non-linear gameplay I suggest trying out BG1 or BG2, Divine Divinity, Beyond Divinity, PS:T, FO2, or Morrowind (and many others). Not all have 70 hours, but all are real close or better and all have many side quests and things to do besides the plot. There are many games that do the things you are asking for that are made by the west, it’s just NWN wasn’t one of them.

Anyway to BG2, the BG2 NPC’s were well thought out. They interjected banter in certain situations, talked when you entered an area that they had something to say about. Approached you and asked you questions. Bantered between themselves and even some came to blows between the NPC’s if they didn’t like each other. And, there was also the romance option, as you could advance a romance with a NPC. Use all of these features with the NWN2 NPC’s and you’ll have NPC’s that you care about. I think all of us had some feelings for our NPC’s in BG2 and quite a few shed a tear at the end of TOB. Heck I still feel guilty as hell when I don't except Imoen in my party in Spellhold. BG2 NPC's brought out those types of feelings.

So, if you can make the NPC’s like the BG2 NPC’s in terms of interaction (No, I don’t want to control them) I would be very happy

[AlanC9]

Going on from my suggestions in the other thread - if the developers could develop a world that people could add to, and do it in such a way that even the NPC interactions can be tampered with - imagine how wonderful this world could be!


(snip)

Maybe you should have left those observations in the other thread -- which thread was that, anyway? (edit: nevermind-- I see it) This sort of world building is tangentially related to henchmen at best.

Having said that, henchmen are already portable between modules via .erf files. Obviously, the henchman won't have anything to say about the plot of the new module without manual intervention, but random comments and whatnot would work just fine if the mod builder follows the conventions for random interjection triggers.

[RealSlimShadowen]

They need to model henchman interaction after Planescape: Torment. That game is the mothafuggin' standard for CRPGs, and will be, in my eye, for a long time.

And "henchman"? What kind of crap is this? thought I the first time I played NWN, over a year and a half ago. When I play a D&D game, I want a fricking party, thank you very much.

Your choice in NWN was one of three things: be a rogue, pick Tomi, or die a horrible horrible death.

[Ferret]

The people that follow the player in NWN2 are going to be full-fledged companions (not henchmen for hire). And yup, they're going to interact with each other, you, and many situations. It won't be non-stop chatter, but enough so that you get a sense of who they are.

-Ferret

[Phosphor]

The people that follow the player in NWN2 are going to be full-fledged companions (not henchmen for hire). And yup, they're going to interact with each other, you, and many situations. It won't be non-stop chatter, but enough so that you get a sense of who they are.

Good, good. I particularly like that they will interact/react with situations that arise. It would be great fun to have one of them perhaps be less-than-diplomatic and leave the player struggling to spin what the tactless NPC has said to another!

[Judge Hades]

Hey, it is one of the many things BG2 did right. If you keep it at BG2 level or around it, I'll be happy.

[Phosphor]

Indeed. As long as the NPCs have some sense of appropriate timing in which to bring up discussions, unlike the BG2 NPCs. Nothing like planning your tactics to take out the Big Bad, casting spells, laying traps, getting into position etc and suddenly your love interest wants to talk about the relationship. And if you're short with her/him, it botches the relationship from then on in.