rjshae

Yes, save the world scenarios don't leave you anywhere to take the story. Saving just a little corner of it can be enjoyable though.

Well... Altered States was romantic too...

...and now, not so much.

It's probably some weird cult thing, like putting a bone through your nose or gluing a board to your head.

Or perhaps they get hover points that they tend to return to, when there isn't an interesting bush to sniff or rabbit to chase?

It might be interesting for the game to include belief totems; something that you can pick up at a temple for a donation, like a symbol or a book of lore. If you carry it around for a while (in a special equipment slot?) then you get a modest XP bonus and some sort of benefit from the priests of that faith. Maybe a +1 skill luck bonus appropriate to the deity? The designers would have to balance it out somehow. Perhaps just three totem slots per character and they become permanent once you get the XP bonus?

...and they can use the other 0.1 million to make an RPG.

If it's a pantheon, wouldn't you just be picking your favored deity? Prior to monotheism, everybody pretty much worshiped multiple deities. I don't know that having 'a' religion is necessarily appropriate, unless you're a priest. Actually, I think you do. What would you consider a deity that demands blood sacrifice in order for crops to flourish?

When I walk into a pub with a wise cracking, floating skull for a companion, I want the locals to throw a net over it, douse it in vodka, and toss it in the fire. It's the only way to be sure.

Soul spawn; an ill-defined creature that inhabits the subconscious nightmares of those with broken souls.

It depends in part on whether they will allow multiple creatures to be summoned. That went away in NWN2, for example; you could only have one summoned creature and one companion per party member. But yeah, that would be a nice addition. Control of summoned creatures was a bit of a nuisance in the IE games. Then again, animal companions should probably a bit undisciplined and not quite as subject to formation control.

Nah, this concept seems too console-game-like to me. I'd just rather just start over with a different character class/race and follow different paths through the game world.

Yes, an old gaol in the cellar would be colorful; perhaps something left over from a previous owner where he held his disfavored slaves and enemies? Maybe there are rumors of it being haunted by the spirits of those who died there from torment?

Mostly good suggestions. I'd like to see stronghold architecture that is plausibly realistic and medieval in style. No well-lit pool rooms, tea rooms, frilly decorations, or aviaries; just cold, cramped, dimly-lit stone rooms with open, unpaned windows. Something serviceable that a knight would own, rather than a count. Putting it in a defensible location would be a big plus; atop a hill or at a bend in the river. Perhaps an inner courtyard that is open to the sky, a tower for a cranky old wizard to occupy, stables, and a granary and well shaft in case of a siege. Environmental effects would be good, such as the sound of wind whistling through the window cracks and down the chimney, beams of gradually shifting daylight sparking with dust, a water seep where a crack needs fixing, &c. And a frequently used garderobe, of course, just buzzing with flies. But I'm sure I'll be happy with what they give us.

Their implementation of Paladins will be interesting to see. How will this class integrate into the system of reputation? Will the Paladin's decisions be locked into support of a particular faction ahead of time?

Born of a fleshy pod, no doubt. There's kind of the makings of a swamp creature in there. Maybe with some sharper detail, normal maps, and more natural tones it might work out half-way decently.

^^^^^^^^^^^ Yup, plus such items can become a channel or focus for specific soul-based powers, without being magical themselves.

Posters have responded rather negatively to the idea of mini-games in this forum. Vehemently, in fact. But I did enjoy the little games of dice poker in The Witcher.

This is probably the singular element of your list that is the biggest challenge to implement. Good AI covering all of the potential events and contingencies across a multitude of characters can be a lot of work. The remainder just require some careful game design and clear thinking. I don't know, BG2 managed it; Cowled Wizards showing up if you cast magic in the streets, anyone? True. But that is just a small faction responding to a singular type of event. It's easier to code than a large population with diverse responses and complex institutions.

I wonder how much the problem is the result of having a large team of developers with each working on, say, different parts of the map or aspects of the game world? It's much harder to maintain consistency that way. The larger the setting grows, the worse the problem becomes.

It seemed like the way they did spell casting times in D&D v3* worked fine. Most just took a standard action.

It would be preferable if they pre-loaded a random seed key with each game startup so that you get consistent results with each load but different results with each full playthrough. That would add significantly to the replay value.

IIRC, when the party entered into a combat situation in Dragon Age 2, they auto-prepared their weapons and shields using a fairly dramatic animation. Alas, sometimes it was the only clue that you were entering combat because of the nuisance camera angle. But perhaps I'm not remembering the details precisely.

Interesting, well-informed discussion by the way. Thanks.

I'm pretty sure they already have something in mind for the character story.