New Game + vs Once and Done

[general_azure]

The distinction between a character import feature (BG) and an actual NG+ (D2, ME) is sadly lacking in this thread. The later takes a lot more work to implement since it has to balance enemies and equipment to the increased player level.

[Macbeth]

The distinction between a character import feature (BG) and an actual NG+ (D2, ME) is sadly lacking in this thread. The later takes a lot more work to implement since it has to balance enemies and equipment to the increased player level.

True, which is why I'd be happy with the character import alone.

[Milten]

Always thought about NewGame+ as level/money cheat for consoles and therefore never used it. No offence, console players.

[ogrezilla]

I would only use it if the game was made harder for the NG+, and that is enough extra work that I'd rather them work on something else. I'd say they should allow character import for people that want it, but a full on NG+ shouldn't be a priority in my opinion. Its a better feature in more combat oriented games.

[ogrezilla]

Always thought about NewGame+ as level/money cheat for consoles and therefore never used it. No offence, console players.

some of the best NG+ modes are way harder than the first play through. I agree though, I never use NG+ when you are simply overpowering everything in the game because it wasn't rebalanced.

[Gecimen]

My personal replay of choice is to replay after ~10 years have passed. I think it falls to the once finished I'm done category.

[flarglebargle]

there should'nt be a NG+ but PE should be like fallout 2 were you can keep playing after you beat the game just so we can see if we missed anything

[Macbeth]

there should'nt be a NG+ but PE should be like fallout 2 were you can keep playing after you beat the game just so we can see if we missed anything

That's a nice suggestion too.

[IchigoRXC]

Import/Export function and a system like fallout 2 where you keep playing after the end if you so wish. This would make me a happy bunny.

[Malcador]

Meh, I want it to be the type of game where I start it up again straight away with a new character and see how choosing differently from the first character changed the game.

 

That's the kind of replay I'm interested in.

 

How could anyone want otherwise.

[Macbeth]

Meh, I want it to be the type of game where I start it up again straight away with a new character and see how choosing differently from the first character changed the game.

 

That's the kind of replay I'm interested in.

 

How could anyone want otherwise.

Yes, that is what you want to do.

 

But importing characters is fun too. If you don't like a specific feature, just don't use it. But why spoil other people's fun?

[Macbeth]

Here's our answer:

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60707-update-9-the-power-of-modes-and-godlike-races-our-23m-stretch-goal/

[FlintlockJazz]

I don't want to use a New Game+ but I wouldn't mind others having and using it as long as it doesn't affect my own subsequent playthroughs on new characters. DAO did impact my subsequent playthroughs by having the prestige classes (forget what they were actually called) that you unlock in one playthrough become unlocked in all of them, so if you got Templar on one playthrough you'd start with the option for it on a new playthrough. I do NOT want this, as I like to keep what my characters do separate. I know someone will say that I don't have to take something just because it's unlocked, but then it means keeping track of which character actually unlocked what and makes the whole thing feel 'videogamey' (plus I'm certain they set the specialisation points based on it being unlocked on other playthroughs too).

[Nakia]

Meh, I want it to be the type of game where I start it up again straight away with a new character and see how choosing differently from the first character changed the game.

 

That's the kind of replay I'm interested in.

 

Ditto

[Enclave]

Newgame+ should stay in the ****ty console games and ARPGs that have little to no story and all combat. An import/export option does not really even make sense either as there is no multiplayer. I would rather they spend more effort on making a cohesive world and story than an everlasting mmo-esque trash feature.

 

Uhhuh, doesn't belong eh? Just like it didn't belong in those classic Infinity Engine games that had it via character import?

 

IWD was the only series with a new game+ feature and that was a dungeon crawler. It works for ARPGs that are all about combat. If there is no multiplayer then there is no need for import/export. If you want to start with all the xp, gold, and loot from a previous game you can just cheat it in, or mod it.

 

Baldur's Gate had character import.

[Vasid]

I don't want a New Game + per-se, rather I'd like to be rewarded for having beat the game with skills/items/money or at least SOMETHING carried over to the next character. Odds are I'm going to be playing this game multiple times, assuming it's your triditional widely varried in plot CRPG, and as such I'd like something to remind me of the acompishment of beating it previously. I'd even just take a mysteriously aged statue of my former character hidden in some ancient temple that I probably won't even notice, just something.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Vasid

[Hiro Protagonist II]

I didn't vote because I felt you need to put in the poll examples of what games you're talking about. New Game + ??? What's that? Never heard of that before.

[Epsilon Rose]

I'm a big fan of the way the tales series (Tales of Vespria in particular) handle new game+. As you play through the game you get grade, which is sort of like xp, but it do anything until you start a new game + (which is a separate option to just create a new game). Once you start new game + you're taken to the grade shop where you can spend the grade you earned in previous playthroughs to unlock special features like carrying over levels, items or money; making skills cost less; making you gain xp faster or adding new difficulty levels.

If they idea of a grade shop seems a bit to grindy for you you could also make it achievement based. So beating the final boss lets just unlocks new game + and the option to have alternate dialog/quest variants. Maybe you'd have to find the Hidden Sage of the 8 Ways and complete a fail-able uest chain to unlock character carry over, opening the Gates of the Styx could unlock item carry over and it goes on from their.

One of the really neat things with this option is that it doesn't nessesate you playing as the same character if you want to benefit from it and it can be used to reward exploration across multiple playthroughs.

[Chromie]

I never understood why anyone thought new game+ was a good idea. Wouldn't you rather just have the ability to create a higher level character from the start?

 

Some people really love grinding I guess? Personally I can think of nothing nastier and more soul sucking

 

Romances.

[Amentep]

I usually play multiple characters through so as long as the game is fun and I want to play it repeatedly a game+ option isn't needed.

 

I do enjoy game+ options in games, though, simply because sometimes I just want to take my original character and blast through the game somewhere down the line.

[Jozape]

I didn't vote because I felt you need to put in the poll examples of what games you're talking about. New Game + ??? What's that? Never heard of that before.

 

New Game+ is a mode that appears after you have beaten the game with a character, letting you play with all his/her stats and many times inventory from the start of the game. Now there's nothing wrong with starting an RPG with a stacked character, but there are better ways to do that than requiring the player to spend 50 hours monster mashing to get to that point. Many have already mentioned the 'import character' function of Baldur's Gate. Ideally we would have a separate character creator for these imported characters(or it could be the default character creator if the designers really wanted, but there's probably a 'this is what we designed for' range they want to gave), letting us customize the character's stats and inventory. Though obviously that could mean some spoilers if you're given access to all items that may be plot relevant.

 

I never understood why anyone thought new game+ was a good idea. Wouldn't you rather just have the ability to create a higher level character from the start?

 

Some people really love grinding I guess? Personally I can think of nothing nastier and more soul sucking

 

Romances.

 

Aw, I loved the romances in PS:T and SW: KotOR.

[Sabin Stargem]

Examples of games that use NG+? Well, in Chrono Trigger your characters retain their stats and the inventory is kept, with the exception of plot items. This was good in that game, as there were about seven or so endings, and you could also literally go straight to the endboss and confront him with only Chrono. In many cases, NG+ is very handy for getting through a game quickly the next time you play, which is good if you wanted to explore other branches of the story. However, some games go a step further and offer bonus content, such as allowing you to defeat bosses you couldn't the first time around, so the story can be changed.

 

 

 

 

NG+ Games

 

*Harvest Moon - Animal Parade

You keep your tools, skills, and start with the best pack-back.

 

*The World Ends With You

Divided into episodes, you can replay the game from start to finish with your badges.

 

*Super Robot Wars

The idea of this series is that you play as the good guys from several different mecha animes through a turn-based strategy game. In newer entries of the series, you can pick a favorite series at the start of the campaign, which allows you to fully upgrade the mechas and characters from that series. When it is time to play through the game again, you retain your upgrades, your previous favorite series, and can pick an additional series. You can also adjust the difficulty of the enemy, and pick out special abilities for your main character.

 

*Arkham City

You get to keep the upgrades given to your Batman, and some collectible quests are already completed.

 

*Tales Of... (series, later entries)

Throughout each battle you are ranked according to how quickly and effectively you completed it, and earn Grade accordingly. Grade can be used for short-term benefits, or saved up to use when you begin a NG+ savefile. Benefits of NG+ range from keeping your techniques, boosting experience gain in future playthroughs, and so forth.

 

*Growlanser Generations

The various rings you have earned are retained. This makes battles much easier, as your character would be much better equipped for taking down enemies.

 

*Lufia II

You get 4x XP and GP for each fight. This means that you could conceivably beat an early boss that otherwise would defeat your party in battle. However, he still wins by plot armor. The benefit for winning is to receive a rare and powerful item that allows you to hit a enemy multiple times when you use it.

 

*Persona 3 & 4

Mechanical benefits given by Social Links are kept, and your social statistics are maintained. This makes battles much easier, and you can focus more on befriending people because you are not trying to build up your skills. Very nice.

 

*Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

You keep your demon compendium and gear, but you also get the Red Carpet application, which allows you to explore the game without random encounters.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Sabin Stargem

[KhaineGB]

If it was done similar to the Suikoden games, I'd quite like a New Game+

 

Basically, in those games, there are some encounters that are completely optional to beat, for storyline purposes. First playthrough, you pretty much have no chance of winning. If you go in with New Game+, you keep some of your gear and your level, so those unbeatable encounters can actually be beaten (they're still a bit of a challenge, but it can be done). This makes the story slightly different.

 

If, and only if, Obsidian had the time then I would love to see something like that. Otherwise I'm quite happy to just roll a different race/class combo and replay.

[Shaz]

Meh, I want it to be the type of game where I start it up again straight away with a new character and see how choosing differently from the first character changed the game.

 

That's the kind of replay I'm interested in.

 

Same for me. Is this supposed to be the 'Once Finished, I'm Done' option? I didn't select it because once I finish, I'm far from done... I have new characters to make, after all.

 

EDIT TO ADD: I don't usually care for New Game+, because I've already beaten the game with that character. They've done it already, so it's time for a new character to do it. I've never encountered a realistic enough reason for that exact same character to go back through the exact same story line (even if I were to choose different options, it would still be the same general story line); I always wind up quitting and playing a new character instead. I know some people like New Game+, but my brain is just not wired for it.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Shaz

[Silver6986]

Meh, I want it to be the type of game where I start it up again straight away with a new character and see how choosing differently from the first character changed the game.

 

That's the kind of replay I'm interested in.

 

You said it best! Exactly what I am after in terms of replay