NPC's

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Just wondering if people would rather have less NPCs which are more fleshed out. Or more NPC's which are less fleshed out.

 

Two extreme examples. FFX-2 (only 2 "NPC's") or Suikoden with 108 NPCs' (with around 50 being playable).

[Aegis]

Uh more, I guess, as long it won't reduce the quality of them. If so, then as many as in KotOR2 is okay, maybe one or two less.

 

Edit: Ah, you specified. What was with the decimal number before?

[Daaave]

I'd prefer less NPC's as long as they had deep background stories so you really connected with them on a personal level and felt like you really knew them and cared for them.

[Darth_Radnor]

I'd prefer less NPC's as long as they had deep background stories so you really connected with them on a personal level and felt like you really knew them and cared for them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same here.

[darth spock]

More good Male NPCs.

There's an extreme amount (which is like 15+) and too little (which is about 3 or less).

[Gorth]

Less npc's that you get more attached to.

 

IIRC, you are not exactly a fan of PS:T, but I did like that your choice wasn't between which half or third of the available ones went into your party, but which one or two didn't make it with the rest of the group.

 

This is based on a condition though, that the game runs on an engine with way better party support than the current NWN/Kotor engines, otherwise npcs are just there to feed you some voice overs and the illusion of being a team, where what it really does is just adding more damage potential to the protagonist (who can now wield 6 lightsabers instead of 2 etc.).

[LadyCrimson]

Less NPC's for me too. I think six or at the most, a max of eight.

 

I understand they were trying to give more options and also probably replay value with 10, but I don't think it worked well with this game & the way it's structured.

 

Also, in this game, IMO, most of the humanoid NPC's, at least, can all be molded into essentially the same sort of support character - whatever type one favors - negating one of the reasons to switch (different abilities). It's not like in BG1, where if you picked up a wimpy Mage, he was a Mage, and you couldn't use him as a melee tank.

 

In terms of story - less works better for me there, too. The more you have, the less time can be spent on each one's story etc, unless the game takes a month to play through or something. heh

So yeah, less NPC's in order to focus on their story/backgrounds better, agree.

[Yst]

I think KotOR II was just about the right number of NPCs.

 

So I'd wish for something other than more NPCs or less NPCs in general. I'd like to see more NPCs at once.

 

That is to say, I wish the game permitted larger parties. I didn't like having to leave behind some of my favourite companions, simply because I could only have two with me at a given time.

[Hive]

Less and more fleshed out.

[sys64739]

more and more fleshed out

 

but i think this won't happen

[AlanC9]

This is based on a condition though, that the game runs on an engine with way better party support than the current NWN/Kotor engines, otherwise npcs are just there to feed you some voice overs and the illusion of being a team, where what it really does is just adding more damage potential to the protagonist (who can now wield 6 lightsabers instead of 2 etc.).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What do you mean by "better party support"? The only problem I can see is that the game doesn't let you use NPC skill in places where it should (item breakdowns, building stuff on the Hawk, repairing T3)

[Gorth]

This is based on a condition though, that the game runs on an engine with way better party support than the current NWN/Kotor engines, otherwise npcs are just there to feed you some voice overs and the illusion of being a team, where what it really does is just adding more damage potential to the protagonist (who can now wield 6 lightsabers instead of 2 etc.).

 

What do you mean by "better party support"? The only problem I can see is that the game doesn't let you use NPC skill in places where it should (item breakdowns, building stuff on the Hawk, repairing T3)

As it works currently, you pretty much always control your protagonist, adding party members to increase the number of blades or guns a protagonist can bring to bear in a combat situation. In party based adventuring, you do (at least I hope so) get the feel of being a team instead of a souped of protagnist. It's a bit hard to explain, but I think the biggest problem is the POV and the onedimensional combat, whereas if you could zoom out and up from the combat (and de-attach the &^%$ camera from the character that is currentlly "active") you might be able to apply a bit of tactics to it. Like sending in your one or two tanks as a screen for your ranged guys, whether these then lob grenades or shoots fireballs.

 

As it is now, you usually ends up with a 'lump" of 1-3 characters, where you focus on one of them and hope the other two doesn't get you all killed in the process (by getting trapped by obstacles or blocking each other, allowing only one guy to attack etc.). Heck, even Fallout was more fun getting yourself killed by Ian in. So, what I'm probably missing (in the combat aspect of the game) is the expansion from one (headlong rush towards enemy) to two (using the area in both x and y directionsm terrain and different ranges of attack) dimensions.

 

I thought some slightly random thoughts in another post once, just speculating how Kotor (1&2) would have been, if designed for something like the ancient Infinity engine because I missed party based adventuring... it was fun speculation but just that, speculation.

[Sentinel of Shadows]

Less Npcs who are much more fleshed out, For example deeper backgrounds, More personality, More Emotion.