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Designer Ramblings: Influence


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More designer ramblings, this time on Influence.

 

In K1, you would have the options to speak to your companions about their past or current problems, and these would usually be governed by a pop-up message ([Carth looks worried, perhaps you should speak to him]) or by leveling up.

 

In K2, we removed the leveling and "so and so looks worried" triggers and incorporated the same mechanic into Influence - instead of pop-up triggers, we've given you a few choices:

 

1. The amount you can learn about a companion's past, present, or even future problems depends on how much Influence you have with them, not level. So the more time you spend with a companion either crushing their spirit or helping them, the more options this will open in dialogues with them.

 

2. Influence is not gained simply by doing good and evil acts - it depends on the companion's personality. Some respond better to displays of strength, loyalty, betrayal, or other personality traits that don't always fall neatly into good or evil categories.

 

3. Influence markers will appear in companion dialogues when you make certain choices - these will be marked as [influence: Failure] and [influence: Success], and they'll let you know when you either have or don't have enough Influence to get an answer about a specific question about a companion.

 

4. The more influence you have with a companion will also begin to have an effect on their alignment (this also depends on the companion - some companions, no matter what your influence is, will not be subject to this alignment shift). In some cases, it will also begin to have an effect on OTHER companions, and they may start getting pissed off in a major way.

 

5. Some companions are very hard to Influence, and it is difficult to gain maximum Influence with all companions over the course of the game. This is done for replayability reasons.

 

6. You can only gain Influence with companions who are in your party.

 

7. And lastly, because some people just hate this crap, you don't ever have to speak to your companions at ALL and your Influence with them will never matter - whether you want to plumb the depths of their personality is solely your choice, and the game will not force it on you.

 

However...

 

8. If you do, almost every character has rewards for completing their internal or external Influence companion quests, and it can prove worthwhile in the long run.

 

Anyway, enough ramblings for now.

 

I'm liking this. o:)

 

Any feature that adds to replayability is okay by me.

"Console exclusive is such a harsh word." - Darque

"Console exclusive is two words Darque." - Nartwak (in response to Darque's observation)

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Crushing their spirit? Does this mean we'll have 'SOD OFF!' options in dialogues this time? I mean, in Kotor you basically had a choice to talk or not talk to the characters. I couldn't talk to them for a while and then tell them to shut up. So I had to keep talking to them when I got bored with their conversations.

 

I would imagine it will take more than a SOD OFF to crush the spirits of most companions. You will have to shatter their illusions, dispel thier hopes and dismiss thier dreams. Just the sort of thing a Sith Lord enjoys.

Everyone knows Science Fiction is really cool. You know what PoE really needs? Spaceships! There isn't any game that wouldn't be improved by a space combat minigame. Adding one to PoE would send sales skyrocketing, and ensure the game was remembered for all time!!!!!

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Purpose? Why would anyone want to fight alongside you or help you in any way except as paid mercenaries or other such tributes unless you are involved? Why would they even stick around or acknowledge you as leader unless they were totally lame?

 

Let the people who don't want to interact with the NPCs figure that out themselves.

 

Given that some people don't like it, and it has absolutely no effect whatsoever on you and I since we intend to interact with the NPCs and there's nothing stopping us from doing so, I see no reason to force the interaction down people's throats except sheer selfishness and a demand that everyone play the game the same way.

I made this half-pony half-monkey monster to please you

But I get the feeling that you don't like it

What's with all the screaming?

You like monkeys, you like ponies

Maybe you don't like monsters so much

Maybe I used too many monkeys

Isn't it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you?

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More designer ramblings, this time on Influence.

 

....

 

2. Influence is not gained simply by doing good and evil acts - it depends on the companion's personality. Some respond better to displays of strength, loyalty, betrayal, or other personality traits that don't always fall neatly into good or evil categories.

 

 

*confused* So, what happens if you betray a betrayer? Partly joking, partly not....

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Purpose? Why would anyone want to fight alongside you or help you in any way except as paid mercenaries or other such tributes unless you are involved? Why would they even stick around or acknowledge you as leader unless they were totally lame?

 

Listen? Why listen, If you dont want to get involved, pay them, ditch them or kill them. Should be a price, imo.

It's been stated that every character has their own agenda and that they have their own reasons for following you. Most DS characters probably expect to get something out of you or from following you... you can guess what the LS characters expect to get.

 

On to the topic, it seems the RP part of this CRPG is turning out to be pretty good. Hopefully it won't be the only part. ;)

- When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.

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If you do, almost every character has rewards for completing their internal or external Influence companion quests, and it can prove worthwhile in the long run.

:cool:

 

*confused* So, what happens if you betray a betrayer? Partly joking, partly not....

TotJ is chock full of that stuff. ;)

manthing2.jpg
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Sounds pretty good. Thanks chris!

Welcome to the Pink side of the Force

 

Revenge is a dish best served in a warm, pink tupperware dish!

 

Grrrr to Atris! Snooty, stuck-up little....

 

Pink Side Master to Darth Gandalf, Trooper, Ronil Organ, Bokishi, Mr_Dashman, Stargate: 2000, mista_me, DarthDoGooder, GarethCarrots, Ludozee, and Obi-Wan Kenobi

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...and another subtle, but great design ny Obsidian. Great job guys, i like it already.

 

(And i'm going to play the damn game by next week, thanks to the cheap dollar, i still pay the same amount of money for it as in europe.)

"Some men see things as they are and say why?"
"I dream things that never were and say why not?"
- George Bernard Shaw

"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

 

"The amount of energy necessary to refute bull**** is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it."

- Some guy 

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IRT#1

Sounds like you guys have done a really good job with this part of the game!

Where is the bell, wait for the bell, k i need the bell, wait the bell! Ding bonda dong! Ding bonda dong! Ding bonda dong! Ding bonda dong!

 

Kazic wants you.... to join the pinkside!

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7. And lastly, because some people just hate this crap, you don't ever have to speak to your companions at ALL and your Influence with them will never matter - whether you want to plumb the depths of their personality is solely your choice, and the game will not force it on you.

 

thank you

 

8. If you do, almost every character has rewards for completing their internal or external Influence companion quests, and it can prove worthwhile in the long run.

 

dammit...now there's a dilemma, listen to them whine (i hated carth's lack of faith, i really wished to kill him at the end of the game) or get some good sheet...

 

decisions, decisions...

 

too many decisions in this damn game...

 

btw, thx for the info Mr. Avellone and i wish you success on your next project...

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4. The more influence you have with a companion will also begin to have an effect on their alignment (this also depends on the companion - some companions, no matter what your influence is, will not be subject to this alignment shift). In some cases, it will also begin to have an effect on OTHER companions, and they may start getting pissed off in a major way.

 

5. Some companions are very hard to Influence, and it is difficult to gain maximum Influence with all companions over the course of the game. This is done for replayability reasons.

 

In some cases, it will also begin to have an effect on OTHER companions, and they may start getting pissed off in a major way.

 

So, does that mean substantially, or not substantially?

 

it is difficult to gain maximum Influence.

 

It is possible, though?

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4. The more influence you have with a companion will also begin to have an effect on their alignment (this also depends on the companion - some companions, no matter what your influence is, will not be subject to this alignment shift). In some cases, it will also begin to have an effect on OTHER companions, and they may start getting pissed off in a major way.

 

5. Some companions are very hard to Influence, and it is difficult to gain maximum Influence with all companions over the course of the game. This is done for replayability reasons.

 

In some cases, it will also begin to have an effect on OTHER companions, and they may start getting pissed off in a major way.

 

So, does that mean substantially, or not substantially?

 

it is difficult to gain maximum Influence.

 

It is possible, though?

This sounds good. Thanks Chris.

Maybe your party will start a mutiny against you :cool:

I guess if you are gonna get maximum Influence with all party members you would have too change who you take with you a lot and keep talking to everyone all the time, would be a long playthrough I guess :D

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I'll just be happy that they've gotten rid of, "Carth looks like he needs to take a dump. Do you want to talk to him?"

People laugh when I say that I think a jellyfish is one of the most beautiful things in the world. What they don't understand is, I mean a jellyfish with long, blond hair.

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More designer ramblings, this time on Influence.

 

In K1, you would have the options to speak to your companions about their past or current problems, and these would usually be governed by a pop-up message ([Carth looks worried, perhaps you should speak to him]) or by leveling up.

 

In K2, we removed the leveling and "so and so looks worried" triggers and incorporated the same mechanic into Influence - instead of pop-up triggers, we've given you a few choices:

 

1. The amount you can learn about a companion's past, present, or even future problems depends on how much Influence you have with them, not level. So the more time you spend with a companion either crushing their spirit or helping them, the more options this will open in dialogues with them.

 

2. Influence is not gained simply by doing good and evil acts - it depends on the companion's personality. Some respond better to displays of strength, loyalty, betrayal, or other personality traits that don't always fall neatly into good or evil categories.

 

3. Influence markers will appear in companion dialogues when you make certain choices - these will be marked as [influence: Failure] and [influence: Success], and they'll let you know when you either have or don't have enough Influence to get an answer about a specific question about a companion.

 

4. The more influence you have with a companion will also begin to have an effect on their alignment (this also depends on the companion - some companions, no matter what your influence is, will not be subject to this alignment shift). In some cases, it will also begin to have an effect on OTHER companions, and they may start getting pissed off in a major way.

 

5. Some companions are very hard to Influence, and it is difficult to gain maximum Influence with all companions over the course of the game. This is done for replayability reasons.

 

6. You can only gain Influence with companions who are in your party.

 

7. And lastly, because some people just hate this crap, you don't ever have to speak to your companions at ALL and your Influence with them will never matter - whether you want to plumb the depths of their personality is solely your choice, and the game will not force it on you.

 

However...

 

8. If you do, almost every character has rewards for completing their internal or external Influence companion quests, and it can prove worthwhile in the long run.

 

Anyway, enough ramblings for now.

 

I hope you keep this design philosophy in NWN 2. I very much like this.

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