So I Left the Guy Naked in the Adventurer's Hall...

[HeedlessHorseman]

I want my companions to wear whatever I want. I do not want them to have default armor that is automatically equipped when they have no other clothes. I want them to be able to run around naked. However, I like the idea of them having some items that they treasure and cannot be moved out of their inventory by the player. One way of handling this is having a way for the companion to store the larger items (like suits of armor) outside their inventory.

[Hassat Hunter]

A loot sharing/claiming interface would be dandy.

My first response was "This is NOT a MMO!"

 

I suppose having instead of indivually looting all one loot and you select which PC's to get what (or you just keep it on the ground if it's junk) would be nice though...

[Gennadios]

A loot sharing/claiming interface would be dandy.

My first response was "This is NOT a MMO!"

 

I suppose having instead of indivually looting all one loot and you select which PC's to get what (or you just keep it on the ground if it's junk) would be nice though...

 

I wasn't really thinking greed/need rolls for every individual item, the only game I can think of to describe what I'm thinking is Hinterlands from Tilted Mill, where you can put unused items into a community chests and individual townsfolk claim it based on their skills and professions. Except every item that drops in an encounter gets put into a pool and you have to compete with other NPCs for them through some kind of bartering/favor sharing means at the end of it.

[Jarmo]

Yesterday I took another foray to ToEE and hired Elmo for the first time.

 

Damn that's an expensive guy, he required payment up front to get his gear back from the pawn shop,

gear I couldn't take from his inventory mind you (even if I actually could loot his spare cash).

Not only does he leech off XP, but he also takes a full bloody half of all the gold.

 

But he's a pretty good (drunken) level 4 fighter, when my team of 2 were 2nd level, meaning he really

helped us get over the steep, steep edge that is beginning ToEE with a small party.

 

And a couple a hundred gold and XP means absolutely nothing in the long run.

 

That's the kind of hireling I'd like to see in Eternity as well. Beside the actual companions, that is.

Or maybe a companion could begin as an expensive mercenary, but become a friend after stuff happens.

[crius]

First post here, so "hello"

 

Actually i think a good compromise between personality e customization left to the player will be the following:

• Companion will earn some gold from the loot, which they can use to buy some basic improvements when i'm visiting a shop just to avoid having some companions with crappy equip. This will be rare while you level up i can suppose due to the better loot you find. Of course that items can't be taken away from the Companion but just replaced with the equip you choose to give to them. And should be equipped back if you take back the items you've given to them.
  
• Companion should complain if you make certain decision about who receive an item. They shouldn't decrease their relationship with you if you just equip a good items on someone else. You're the boss anyway, but maybe grumping a bit if you give a good bow to the thief instead of the ranger. This will help feel like the companion are not just some bunch of pixel. This will help newbie too, so they can understand when they're messing up with the equip optimization.
  
• Companion should have at least a peculiar trait. A drunken dwarf, a self-conscious half-elf and so on. This traits will affect the gameplay. As someone suggest, a drunken character without alcohol will be rude and distracted maybe, gaining some malus to both social and physical skill.
  

 

Instead, about the feature of "Companion can gift something to the player". I think this sould happen only when the relationionship is good enough. And should be something related to the Companion. I don't think this features will be easy to implement not for technical issue but for the logic behind.

"Why the hell <Companion> should gift me a powerful items just now, after we've fight side to side against any sort of monstruosity risking our lives? Can't him just use that items itself or give it to me before?? Jeez such an idiot!" - I suppose this explain why i think this is a nonsense.

 

Of course this is only some point i find interesting and must be integrated with some good interaction with the companion meanwhile the story goes on (See Dragon Age: Origin for a good example imho).

 

That's just my 2 cent.

Have a nice day.

[Jarmo]

Instead, about the feature of "Companion can gift something to the player". I think this sould happen only when the relationionship is good enough. And should be something related to the Companion. I don't think this features will be easy to implement not for technical issue but for the logic behind.

"Why the hell <Companion> should gift me a powerful items just now, after we've fight side to side against any sort of monstruosity risking our lives? Can't him just use that items itself or give it to me before?? Jeez such an idiot!" - I suppose this explain why i think this is a nonsense.

 

The best way I've seen this handled, was in NWN, Adam Miller's Shadowlords,

After having fought some bunch of bandits or something and having formed a solid ... camaraderie, relationship or something with the companion and sheltering & recuperating somewhere, she'd offer to make me a magic tattoo that'd enhance my strength (or maybe some other stat). It would take a good while of time and effort, so she wouldn't do it for every which who.

 

That was one well written campaign, amongst my best NWN experiences and shows what a difference a talented writer can do.

[Jesugandalf]

I think that is what all the people who, like me, is in for companions with personality is thinking about. Advantages that any companion can grant to the PC or any member of the party, but that are somewhat difficult to get. Rewards, so to speak.

[JFSOCC]

My problem with companions is that I like them really fast, or even if I don't I just don't want to let go of them. it feels like a betrayal to someone who's shed blood with you to leave them hanging while I replace them with some guy I just picked up in the copper coronet. So I end up doing the game with the party that first joined me. Not always a good idea, especially when some characters don't seem to enjoy each others company.

When I say goodbye to a companion for a new one, I want to feel safe in the knowledge that it is "goodbye for now" not, "fare thee well"