New Game +

[JayDGee]

For those that don't know New Game plus mode is when you get to restart again upon completion with all the items and experience acquired in the original play through.

 

I personally like New Game + they allow people to replay games they've already went through without feeling they have lost the time already put into a character. I think they improve re-playability and can greatly extend a games life.

 

Technically the old infinity games had this mode as you could export your character and start a new game with them.

[Greensleeve]

I don't really want this type of mode. If I want to replay the game again, I'll do so with a new concept/build, play differently. In some ways it'll still (hopefully) be a New Game+ as I'll know more stuff about the game, as a player. I'll be able to metagame a derive advantages from that. Import/Export is something that would be nice to have, so I suppose that in that regard, a New Game+ mode would be acceptable.

[AtomicFarce]

I would be fine with it. Although the main thing I would worry about is balancing issues that come with that. Dark Souls kept making the game harder and harder every time you started a New Game +. So I'm wondering how you would implement that in a way that doesn't become annoying half-way through the game. Maybe some sort of user button where they could decide? I mean we're already getting various expert/iron man modes that we can toggle and combine.

 

An interesting direction to take it would be something like Alpha Protocol's Veteran class where you get different responses to events that you should have played already. For example your character could have foreknowledge on an event about to happen and comment accordingly. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines toyed with this idea in the form of the Malkavian race, where you were irrefutably insane, but you had a certain awareness of the plot around you. It did this in a way where it was still appropriate and immersion preserving due to the nature of the race, but still allowed you to experience the game in a different way.

 

I know that's a bit of stretch to see in this kind of straight cRPG, but I think you can do a lot with that type of idea.

[DCParry]

No. This is mostly for obsessive achievement driven systems. Just use a console command to level up your PC and give them a bunch of crap. Problem solved.

[Nidrolok]

I don't really want this type of mode. If I want to replay the game again, I'll do so with a new concept/build, play differently.

This. Character creation and toying with different builds is one of the big attractions of CRPGs for me. To replay the game with the same character all over again would be rather dull.

[Gorionsson]

No. No need for it.

Could happen though, if they add achievements.

[Humanoid]

The stated design that general encounters outside the main path won't be scaling ones probably sinks the idea anyway. If they want to have the BG-esque high-level import for people to abuse then I won't complain of course since it costs nothing, but should be a completely unsupported way of playing in terms of balance.

[evdk]

I'm gonna go with no. While I don't think you should be able to experience everything the game has to offer in one playthrough, there should be the possibility to pick from all the choices on your first try. It's especially egregious with difficulty modes, IMHO.

[Nerei]

Import option like in the IE games is fine, it should be a fairly easy solution to make.

However effectively making a whole new difficulty level for this alone I would say would consume too many resources for it to be worth it.

[Tigranes]

Don't we already have a Heart of Fury-like mode as one of the stretch goals, alongside Expert & Ironman?

[Freshock]

I'm not really sure. I'd like a "reward" for completing the game on harder settings - I don't like starting from scratch if I've already completed a game and there's nothing more to "win" from replaying it.

[rjshae]

Nah, this concept seems too console-game-like to me. I'd just rather just start over with a different character class/race and follow different paths through the game world.

[Rahkir]

Don't we already have a Heart of Fury-like mode as one of the stretch goals, alongside Expert & Ironman?

I'm with you; I can't see them not having an import/export function, especially if they have a HoF-like mode. I suppose they could theoretically force people to take on HoF at level 1; it was possible in IWD.

[AGX-17]

Unless you're going to do something like allow the protagonist to start this new cycle retaining all knowledge and memories of the previous run, thus allowing them to dramatically alter the story through their knowledge of the events to come, no.

 

 

Nah, this concept seems too console-game-like to me. I'd just rather just start over with a different character class/race and follow different paths through the game world.

 

It is a concept that originated with JRPGs as far as I'm aware, earliest use I know of is in Chrono Trigger, to allow you to access new endings (i.e. fight the end boss at the start of the game, win previously unwinnable fights, etc.) It's only in a situation where it has narrative uses like CT that it has any real value.

Edited October 20, 2012 by AGX-17

[ogrezilla]

I love games that allow a sort of new game plus mode where the game is scaled to the higher level. Playing through the game where every fight is a high level battle is fun. Just steamrolling through the game with high level characters doesn't interest me though.

[Eldmore]

I love new game + feature but not in this kind of game Like rjshae

said it's a JRPG thing

 

[fallendrgmaster]

I wouldn't mind for a New Game+ that allowed to you to start a new character with some benefits like past life perks.

[VixRaine]

I'm not really against it. I've actually really enjoyed these sorts of modes in other games. But not if it breaks the game.

 

Something like the ability to start with a little extra cash-on-hand, or pick an additional feat or non-class skill or something? Awesome.

 

Something that let's you start with your God gear from the end of your last game? No no no no no.

[eselle28]

I wouldn't be personally interested in it. That sort of thing is a relief in an MMO setting, but in a single-player game, I want my second playthrough to be harder rather than easier. That being said, I'm not necessarily against it so long as it doesn't change game balance.

[Eldmore]

I wouldn't be personally interested in it. That sort of thing is a relief in an MMO setting, but in a single-player game, I want my second playthrough to be harder rather than easier. That being said, I'm not necessarily against it so long as it doesn't change game balance.

 

You got a good point there I Want my second playthrough to be harder too.

Maybe a new game+ where you actually start of with your character as a lvl 1 with higher difficulty setting and reduced loot

Edited October 21, 2012 by Eldmore

[AgentOrange]

I wouldn't mind, so long as absolutely nothing in the game is designed around the expectation that I will be playing two times. Which of course sort of defeats the point of any sort of NG+ mode, so, in the end it's not really necessary. It really only works for Dark Souls and some JRPG titles where there is a some sort of item farming mechanic or an extremely high level cap that is unreachable in a single play-through.

[GrinningReaper659]

I have no problems with players importing end-game characters into a new game file to play through as an overpowered death machine if they so desire (as could be done in BG), as I imagine it would take little to no effort to implement this, but I definitely wouldn't want them spending time and resources on creating a system specifically catering to this desire...

 

Making a system to replay the game in a more challenging (while still maintaining something of your character from your last playthrough) way might be a potentially reasonable use of resources, but for me replay value in a game like this is usually about creating a different character and seeing the story of that new character play out as I make different choices along the way.

[Glabrezu]

No. The devs aleady said encounters outside the main quest won't scale, so that means they would have to rebalance pratically the whole game in a NG+ in addition to all the difficulty modes. Personally, I'd also rather restart the whole game with another character.

[Gatt9]

I'm not a fan.

 

Most implementations mean that you don't get to experience the full game unless you play through it twice, usually by making sure you don't reach the level cap (Mass Effect) or by making sure you don't see all of the content until the second play through (Dead Rising 2).

 

Further, the only reason this system exists is because it's used by Publishers to delay the trade in of console games by a couple of weeks to improve revenue. It's not done to improve the game, it's done to force you to play twice by holding content hostage.

[ValarMorghulis]

not a fan of the feature BUT if it's an option the devs put in to appease the fans that want it it won't hurt anyone. All of us that wouldn't use it, don't have to.