"The Academy" conundrum

[alanschu]

We're still in pre-pre-pre-production, so we're still determining stuff like that.

 

 

I mentioned it somewhere else what sort of concepts we would like to see, so I'll see if I can find the link to it....just give me a second.

 

P.S. Avatar is working now!

 

 

 

EDIT: Here is where you can find a brief write up of it.

 

I'm still formalizing design documents (which are updated almost every time I meet with my friend), so few things are concrete.

 

Here's a quick synopsis of game mechanics we're looking at:

• We want to have skills and attributes play a large role in the game, particularly in conversations but also in the game world.
   
   
  
• We're going to place a greater emphasis on skills rather than classes. We don't want any artifical scenarios where someone could be a better lockpick than a rogue, but that rogue can do the quest simply because he's a rogue. The advantage the rogue will have though, will be that his lockpick skill is a class skill.
   
  About the only real place we'll have more class related options is at the beginning of the game, when we plan on using it as a tool to get the narrative going.
   
   
  
• (This one's for you Darque) Evil will not just be "good for hire"
   
  Furthermore, gone will be the days when the evil option lets you keep the phat loot, but the good option still either lets you keep the lewt, or perhaps gets even fatter lewt. If you track down the Sword of r0x0r for someguy because it means so much to him, he's not going to give you Sword of r0x0r as a thank you
   
   
  
• We want real consequences for your actions, with some moral ambiguity. If you do a good deed and save a life, perhaps that will come back to haunt you as that guy becomes a thorn in your side on an ideological basis. However, it is possible that sparing him will make an area easier, as you now have an ally.
   
   
  
• No PC is the Chosen One Must Choose garbage
  

I'll post more in a bit if you're interested. A lot of the stuff is covered decently in the link, and Ender and I have a brainstorming session and whatnot.

 

We're just starting to get an idea for an exposition to the narrative, but not sure exactly where we want to take the narrative. Still running around with ideas.

 

And I don't consider this brainstorming necessarily ( metadigital). If you think something's a bad idea, let me know. I'll consider it, but ultimately I still have veto power )

[Llyranor]

That sounds pretty cool. So, a 2-dude project, eh? Ah, you've been doing more mechanics-planning than story so far.

 

I say, the more gaming conventions you leave behind, the better off you are. That is the advantage of being a fan projects. No rules being imposed by the publishers or ther higher-ups, no catering to the lowest common denominator in order to have better sales, no having to follow commercially-proven formulas. Screw gaming conventions, stick with what would make sense instead of what's been done over and over again for no logical reason.

 

 

No PC is the Chosen One Must Choose garbage

I'll be actually having the party members play a PnP tabletop RPG named 'The Chosen One Must Choose'. There will eventually be LARPing as well, and the PC might participate.

[metadigital]

I have a red X for your avatar

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That'll be the age-filter then Schuey.

...

For the avatar: don't ask 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

;)

No PC is the Chosen One Must Choose garbage

I'll be actually having the party members play a PnP tabletop RPG named 'The Chosen One Must Choose'. There will eventually be LARPing as well, and the PC might participate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But which one will be the Chosen One?

[alanschu]

I'll be actually having the party members play a PnP tabletop RPG named 'The Chosen One Must Choose'. There will eventually be LARPing as well, and the PC might participate.

 

Hence the wink at the end

 

 

The PC won't be a Chosen One (we've considered the idea of a bogus Prophecy as a Red Herring for a more comedic effect), but there will be plenty of choosing.

 

And often choosing between outcomes. Choosing to do one thing means that the other thing can't be completed. Two people to save? Who are you going to save, if you can only save one?

 

 

I also liked Ender's idea of having the PC die. However, it's likely a lower level adventure, so I might keep the PC around for an expansion pack :D

[Llyranor]

Meaningful consequences for your actions is a good thing.

 

And fleshing out the ending is a VERY good thing. I've had enough of crappy endings. They leave dissatisfied and make you wonder what the point of playing the game was. Definitely flesh it out. A dying PC might work, but make it plausible - the last thing you want is to force it just because it's 'original'.

 

In terms of story, we've come up with a general outline of it. We've spent the last 6 months working on that, scrapping it numerous times, but I think we're pretty happy with what we have right now. The ending in particular we hope will have a big impact on the player. I won't go into detail, but let's just see pretty much everything you do, every word you say in the entire mod can come back to bite you. The littlest thing you thought was of absolutely no consequence might come back to haunt you. We want to stimulate thought, have the player think 'Maybe I shouldn't have done that' or 'Why *did* I do that?' This works well with the journal system I talked about earlier in this thread, where the PC learns different things from different events, and these lessons have an influence on the ending.

 

It'll be a pretty long ending.

[metadigital]

...

• (This one's for you Darque) Evil will not just be "good for hire"
  Furthermore, gone will be the days when the evil option lets you keep the phat loot, but the good option still either lets you keep the lewt, or perhaps gets even fatter lewt.  If you track down the Sword of r0x0r for someguy because it means so much to him, he's not going to give you Sword of r0x0r as a thank you [1]
   
  
• We want real consequences for your actions, with some moral ambiguity.  If you do a good deed and save a life, perhaps that will come back to haunt you as that guy becomes a thorn in your side on an ideological basis.  However, it is possible that sparing him will make an area easier, as you now have an ally.[2]
  

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

1. This always breaks suspension of disbeleif, and makes me treat the game as a toy, rather than something to immerse myself in. I just lose all respect for the game, because it has given up the inner workings to me, and I can relax as I have deconstructed it.
    
   
2. Not enough of this type of Gollum-as-pain-or-saviour device, imo. Of course, like anyhting, it can be overused. It was well done in Deus Ex.
   

...

I also liked Ender's idea of having the PC die.  However, it's likely a lower level adventure, so I might keep the PC around for an expansion pack :D

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have seen that in a Beerfish community mod, at the end of the sequel to In the Footsteps of Dante: The Nature of a Man, and has the PC chose between sacrificing themself, their party member or the person they spent the last four hours tracking down.

 

Unfortunately, the module ends immediately afterwards, so it makes no difference to the gameplay.

[Llyranor]

Hmm, I really should reinstall NWN at some point and try out more community mods. Maybe even get Pirates of the Sword Coast.

[metadigital]

Yes. You should.

 

I can give you my preferences, but I recommend just playing all the ones that look good in the Hall of Fame (skip the ones that don't; read the feedback, some of them have bugs, though I only found one that was too much trouble to play).

[Llyranor]

I really should do that. I've been too lazy to really give them a chance.

[metadigital]

I never even considered playing a Paladin character, until I came across Rick Burton's mods. Now I play Paladins a lot ... but he has spoilt the class for me, because he customised it (in a good way). Good ideas, especially if you want some improvements for gameplay over the OC, and considering he's now working for Bioware ...