Random Exploring Areas

[Tarrasque Cult]

It was talked in the kickstarter forum and frequently mentioned in the (so far) 28 updates of the project, the exploring areas, sometimes empty, sometimes just curious, resembling the traveling encounters from BG1 and (why not) the Random Encounters found in AD&D and D&D dungeon master books.

 

So, i would like to see some small area maps, usually wilderness or wastelands, randomly generated (according to region on map) when you are traveling from a place to another, similar to that on BG1.

 

Being random in format (map) and content will be extra nice due to make the game unique each time you play.

 

It could even be added more interesting alterations according to party:

 

1. Random Encounter could be randomly related to the past of party members, even it is random. For example, a thief might find an old target of his robberies seeking vengeance; a bard could find the husband of a lady he courted; a fighter could find his former instructor in peril nearby town; a mage could find a former colleague of the school of magic... you got the idea.

 

2. traveling from one place to another could be way faster with a ranger, avoiding most of wilderness encounters.

 

What do you think?

[rjshae]

There's no XP for fighting monsters. Still interested?

[quechn1tlan]

There's no XP for fighting monsters. Still interested?

 

But there probably is. It's *officially* undecided. So don't take facts out of your you know what.

[Tarrasque Cult]

There's no XP for fighting monsters. Still interested?

 

Yep, as long as i can have new challenges and role play, i would be very interested.

[Ieo]

It wouldn't matter if random landscape enemies gave no xp if they had loot. And the more powerful ones like, oh, Firkraag had epic loot.

 

Random exploring areas: I remember finding that one wilderness area in BG1 with those petrifying lizards; my party was way too low-level so I ran away, but it was great going back later just to clear the place. There were no quests in the area that I remember, but given the discrete map mechanic, having areas like this with "low content" still lends a great exploration feeling.

[rjshae]

It wouldn't matter if random landscape enemies gave no xp if they had loot. And the more powerful ones like, oh, Firkraag had epic loot.

 

Random exploring areas: I remember finding that one wilderness area in BG1 with those petrifying lizards; my party was way too low-level so I ran away, but it was great going back later just to clear the place. There were no quests in the area that I remember, but given the discrete map mechanic, having areas like this with "low content" still lends a great exploration feeling.

For me it depends on "how random". I'd still rather have themed wilderness areas where a particular ecosystem is at play and there are some NPCs with specific motivations. Just trekking through the woods in search of monsters to kill has long since lost its luster.

[Tarrasque Cult]

It wouldn't matter if random landscape enemies gave no xp if they had loot. And the more powerful ones like, oh, Firkraag had epic loot.

 

Random exploring areas: I remember finding that one wilderness area in BG1 with those petrifying lizards; my party was way too low-level so I ran away, but it was great going back later just to clear the place. There were no quests in the area that I remember, but given the discrete map mechanic, having areas like this with "low content" still lends a great exploration feeling.

For me it depends on "how random". I'd still rather have themed wilderness areas where a particular ecosystem is at play and there are some NPCs with specific motivations. Just trekking through the woods in search of monsters to kill has long since lost its luster.

 

As i stated, "randomly generated according to region on map" (geography and lore).

[Ieo]

As i stated, "randomly generated according to region on map" (geography and lore).

 

Oh, right.

 

Well, that's completely impossible on a technological level. The 3D rendered backgrounds are being individually hand-painted for a 2D iso look. There are no tiles (unless Obsidian decides to use them, which I think is doubtful).

[rjshae]

For me it depends on "how random". I'd still rather have themed wilderness areas where a particular ecosystem is at play and there are some NPCs with specific motivations. Just trekking through the woods in search of monsters to kill has long since lost its luster.

 

As i stated, "randomly generated according to region on map" (geography and lore).

Then no. Exploring purely random maps is not interesting.

Edited October 30, 2012 by rjshae

[Tarrasque Cult]

As i stated, "randomly generated according to region on map" (geography and lore).

 

Oh, right.

 

Well, that's completely impossible on a technological level. The 3D rendered backgrounds are being individually hand-painted for a 2D iso look. There are no tiles (unless Obsidian decides to use them, which I think is doubtful).

 

Yep, as i thought. Either we would get really boring and repetitive maps or a huge pile of cost just to add few extra areas...

[Tsuga C]

Random encounters while travelling cross-country or in an alley of a big city wouldn't be bad at all, but the key is to make sure that there's plenty of variety in the potential random encounters. Facing the same roving flock of stirges or the same pressgang down by the docks for the fourth time would quickly become tiresome and pointless.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Tsuga C

[Osvir]

For me it depends on "how random". I'd still rather have themed wilderness areas where a particular ecosystem is at play and there are some NPCs with specific motivations. Just trekking through the woods in search of monsters to kill has long since lost its luster.

 

As i stated, "randomly generated according to region on map" (geography and lore).

Then no. Exploring purely random maps is not interesting.

 

I agree, but if they had meaning to the world (lore) I wouldn't mind exploring it and perhaps finding treasure or a book, an NPC, a lake, a rock that I can mine and get cash from. I wouldn't want random generated maps per say a la Diablo/Torchlight (which would be a pain for Obsidian I'm sure), what if I want to return to it if there is going to be lore? Will I have to go back and forth between two areas until I find it again? I'd like to go East if I'm going East if you catch my drift.

 

I feel that Dragon Age: Origins and Fallout 1/2 did very well with the random areas/encounters.

 

The random encounters in Baldur's Gate were... let's just say it could have been improved upon in terms of what you encountered and how often you encountered it. I would love for some moderate amount of random encounters that have meaning in some way, for random hilarity ("Moo I say, moo moo, moo I say!" - Random f-king Brahmin man) and some more serious bandit ambush in a forest when I'm on my way to the city.

 

Encountering fanatics, groupies, necromancers, a UFO. The battle with Zevran could have been a great random "once a game" encounter too (which it already is, I'm just stating that it could've had no relation with the main story and could've been a random bandit ambush). Perhaps there could be different random pre-made events that are cycled til you've experienced them all (then no more)? There could be enough of these cycled events that could last over one entire playthrough, maybe even across several playthroughs (for replayability).

Edited October 31, 2012 by Osvir

[mokona]

There's no XP for fighting monsters. Still interested?

Please give us some XP for fighting monsters. *prayer*

[Hassat Hunter]

Yep, as i thought. Either we would get really boring and repetitive maps or a huge pile of cost just to add few extra areas...

Or we get awesome maps like Baldur's Gate 2 rather than the re-use of textures (and thus feeling repetitive and boring) modern RPG's plague.

It's not that expansive to make a whole map for PE than it is for, say, Mass Effect 3.

 

So, no, I don't think your sentiment is something we should be worried about.

 

Of course story based interruptions (Ambush) or "random attacks" should be in, but that could be done on smaller maps, handcrafted. Reusing just a few times isn't that big a deal either in this case...