Dragoonlordz

Stats all set as minimum possible. No armour or weapons. Cannot move. It's abilities are "trash talk" or "huff and puff". It's a monster that is static and cannot defend itself so it tries to intimidate anyone who comes near it by way of verbal abuse and making threats it cannot possibly in in reality carry out in essence all bark no bite. Bit like black night from monty python's holy grail after had his legs and arms chopped off or like the talking rocks in whispered world adventure game.

I felt Eschalon had nice enough system, lock pick tools (chance to break upon failure) + skill (higher level higher chance to succeed). The game also had nice touch of randomisation of what find inside chests, crates and other things. It added to replay value and if did not like what got could reload and get something potentially different. It also had the ability to blow up doors using explosive barrels rather than lock picking from time to time and could bash/smash open chests and such but with risk of damaging or breaking whats inside. I found that games system for it to be nice enough, random enough to add to replay value and complexity about right level.

Lockpicking as more than just one click I am all for (stats, skill based maybe even puzzle). but your idea I think takes bit too far in the complex direction.

Heh, I read that fighting fantasy book like few days ago though my edition is the wizard published edition so cover is different. My cover looks like this. However I do remember that creature from the book. I had some lucky rolls and managed to run around it slashing at it's tentacles.

I hope there is part of the game which can take a boat somewhere and have to face a Leviathan / Krakken or just some truly massive scale oceanic monster.

A 200ft long flying centipede with dragons wings, a spiders eyes, elephants trunk and tusks, seven mile long barbed tounge, spews acid, each leg has thousand needles which will paralyse and it is carrying a million eggs, which if you kill their mother they all hatch at once and you have a million tiny little bugs eat you instead. Oh and it's made of titanium.

Sock Puppet or imaginary pet only your character can see.

A barge pole so I don't have to touch the peasants of that world. "shoo, shoo peasant! Be gone with you foul stinky fiend!"

My pet rock would be a living rock! It can roll around on it's belly, jump as far as my springboard hand will allow and good in combat situations using its flying lunge attack which can be quite devestating plus it like talks with me and stuff but only me because I am 'special' and it only trusts me to hear what it has to say... "What do you mean Ms Splurgerock? You don't think people on this forum like you? Don't be so silly that's crazy talk! They love you."

Your right they may not have any known species we have in our world. One thing they should have plenty of will however be rocks so... Pet rock.

A pet rodent would be of more use than pet dog, rodent for example could steal keys from guards when locked up or scout ahead without raising suspicion or being noticed by enemies but same cannot be said for dogs they are too big, too loud and do not blend into all situation possible enviroments to be much use in either those situations (imho). While a dog might help in a fight, thats what your actual companions exist for, a dog is not required for such things.

I voted no but for specific reason dogs have been overused as companions to characters, I want a different species as companion/pet if have such.

Correct me if I am wrong but seems they do not even own the trademark for the name they filing under against all the publishers and developers...

He may be counting on fact asking for jury for them. Sway opinion rather than relying on prior evidence, he may also be hoping some evidence comes up during the course of each case maybe making a claim like he has reason to believe x or y has used z but x or y would not let him check to find out so wants them to hand over the code for all their game engines have used in past decade during cases for examination. There is simply no way for him to have proof that over 100+ developers or publishers have done what he claims. There is also no evidence supplied in the filings themselves and no reference to any that I could see.

It's not on the talking heads, it's about the actual process of how those talking heads work. There are different methods of lip synching and talking heads out there. This one addresses a particular form of branching which determines how those talking heads work. The claim is that instead of another branching tree or different process...the determination of the lip synching utilized the particular creation of the rights holder rather than other forms created by others, This could be easy to show, though it's going to be interesting to see how they discovered which process was used by the companies without having violated the rights of the companies they are accusing in the process (they'd have to open and look at the code, then analyze it in order to do that, and this is where Blue could have violated the rights of whoever owns THOSE). He has no proof any developer or publisher has done what he claimed, what he is doing is fishing in the sense he is filing against every single one in the hopes that can prove any of them did do it. He is not filing against specific ones has proof against, filing against everyone just incase and this is what fishing refers to. He is a chancer, he is taking them all to court every single publisher and developer he can find (with individual cases) because has no evidence any did anything wrong. Hoping on random chance one of them might have done what claims but no proof any have done so prior to filing his claims. He has not discovered any evidence of developers or publishers doing it. He is abusing the system and reason why filing separate cases is so when court see's that one after another has not broken any patents they won't throw all his claims out of court. If on individual basis the worst might do is throw that specific case out not all of them. It's like if I had drawn a map, then taken every single store or library in the world that might have a map on the wall to court incase any of them had used / made copy of one of mine without my permission. So yeh he deserves to be cleaned out financially.

Take on the illusion of a previous living person or creature, using the soul of a deceased maybe? Might seem like shapeshifting though but in reality is merely masking your true identity. I don't thinking hiding is limited to disappearing but also ability to blend in, not get noticed for what you truly are. That would be my ideal skill for stealth and less generic than the vanish in puff of smoke that most games rely on.

Sorry but McRo is clearly fishing here. A chancer. Few things point to this for me. Firstly he has filed individual lawsuits against all major publishers and a vast amount of developers, he has apparently asked for jury trials in each case and funny how this patent has existed for over a decade and yet only now is getting around to trying to stop people doing what he claims they are doing (without even giving examples of where or how doing it). I stinks of someone trying to scam the system. He deserves nothing if that is the case, I hope it backfires and he ends up losing everything. There is nothing hypocritical about it, I do not like piracy and same can be applied to patent infringment however I explained why I doubt IMMENSELY that any such infringment took place here for reasons I stated above, I think this guy is no better than benefit frauds or scam artists, he is playing the system trying to cheat it in order to scam some money. If it looks like a duck, acts like a duck and sounds like a duck then safe to assume it is a duck.

I think rogues should be as good as fighters. Now the amount of damage done would be related to stats obviously given game is based on stats and skills but I see no major reason to nerf the combat ability of a rogue vs warrior if both had same stats and same weapon. They do however need their own 'hooks' as others put it. Healer only one with healing spells, a necromancer would be only one whho could control the undead, a rogue only one who knows how to pickpocket, traps and stealth etc. Forcing the classes into (only) one role like healer only heal, rogue only traps and pickpocket but bad at everything else etc seems bad to me. I don't think it is a good thing to have entire party wiped out just because warrior dies and you have made every other class suck at direct fighting.

Basically FF7 in essence. Different places, different angles, 3D sprites with different angles on 2D backgrounds. I think in some games works well, but I have to admit it is not something that appeals to me for this one if I am honest. If done well can incease atmospheric perception (tension and dramatic effect) but it is not something I feel would make much difference to me unless done very well else runs the risk of being detrimental plus switching to and from angles too much just becomes annoying. SO if they can do it well then by all means go ahead, if do it merely because can and do it too often then I prefer not. Ye be wanting some FF7 in yer coacoa puffs?

@JFSOCC I actually greatly like DAO, it is one of the better RPGs of recent years but it is not perfect. No game ever is. It tried to do many of the things I mentioned on page one of this thread, some things did well, others did not but it did enough to be a enjoyable game. It like many others needed to make as many parts as non-linear as possible which brings me back to my main point, no one sentence or one elements can defeat linearity. The more elements that tackle it through many gameplay aspects not just one then the better the game, I feel it is better to try and fail than not try at all. DAO tried and succeded in some areas and not others. After over 30 years I am still waiting to play that perfect RPG which has yet to be created.

I said something similar on the BSN while ago regarding issue of living world immersion vs static lifeless NPCs and locations. That some NPC's can simply refuse to let you in when try to get inside solving the aspect of not being able to enter every place saving time on the design of inside every building but at same time allow for the world to feel more alive. Knowing there is a reason why you could not enter because the owner was inside and forbid you from entering as opposed to having bland lifeless towns and cities with painted on doors that feels like nothing more than window dressing and no reason given to the player why could not enter and explore or (while I prefer this next method) allowing every building to be entered and explored.

We're all selfish for wanting a new game, so that's not really a bad thing. And hey, there you go -- you fit it in a better sentence too. I fit any of the things I want in a sentence (per gameplay elements), it does however require many sentences to cover them all. Each of those sentences plays a part in reduction of linearity, but it requires many parts to reduce it enough to be adequate for the player during the entire game at least for myself.

Also known as branching plot and choice/consequences. Yes I want branching plotlines and choices resulting in consequences plus much more in other areas, aspects, elements or mechanics of the game ideally. Selfish to want so much, maybe. But If don't ask, then less likely to get.

Items with side effects, curses and such you mean? They are okay, I enjoy such items if done well. When using has random chance to do something funny to the character or monster like might turn them into sheep/chicken or conjure another monster which turns on you, something bad etc like effect morality, motivations or emotions of companions, their courage, lust, greed or something.

I like minigames, though not linked to crafting. I think someone else already said you either know how to make something or you do not, that is how I see it. I prefer animation of the crafting to minigames for crafting. I like minigames, traps and puzzles applied to level design and story though.