Update #63: Stronghold!

[Lastan]

Woah. The stronghold sounds rather like a game of its own.

Can't wait.

[Keyrock]

And it took... one hour and three minutes for someone to ask about torture. I'm glad I didn't make a bet on that; I'd have said five hours at the very least.

Oh ye, of little faith.

[Jokei]

I wonder how this will weave into the story...

[daetrin]

This is sounding great, but I'd kind of prefer it if companions went on their adventures based on their own preferences which could change over time based on adventures they did and on adventuring with you via companion interaction.  Having to pick out their adventures for them is a weird sort of micromanagement that I feel could be better couched as an aspect of the companion metagame.  Giving companions some agency would go a long way toward making them feel more like their own people and not just more of your own characters.

[Lephys]

First of all... EXCELLENT stronghold design thus far! I trust any and all tweaking and completion of this mechanic/design. WOOT!

 

Secondly... Will we be able to name our stronghold?

 

If so, I'm going to name mine FeebleGrasp. It shall have been passed down through a long family line of FeebleGrasps.

[Gfted1]

Awesome update.

[Wirdjos]

This stronghold system sounds amazing! I'm a little worried about getting my hopes up too high because it sounds so great.

 

I tend to be a packrat when playing large RPGs. I wouldn't mind having a place to display the things I've collected in my adventures, if you're still taking suggestions.

[Xcomjunkie]

Wow, love this whole concept! Just wanted to specifically back two things:

 

1. Loved the suggestion that major monsters we slay during the game can be mounted/stuffed/hung in our stronghold as prestigious decorations! Dragon skull fireplace? Stuffed Minotaur statues? Goblin throw-rugs? Caged Epic Sparrow of Evil? Muchos Awesomeness!

 

2. Would it be possible to add support for optional text-based companion adventures, a la Space Rangers? I'd LOVE to be out adventuring, have a little notification that my at-base companion has set out on an adventure, and be able to guide them through it if I chose! What an incredible avenue for deeper storytelling without needing to tie up artist resources, for those who want it! Even if you could just leave the code hooks in so this could be modded in later would be a serious win!

 

In closing, me heart you long time, keep up the great work!

[LionelOu]

I've only got one question:

Will I be able to accept a shockingly low ransom for my prisoners, thereby horribly insult them?

 

"You're worth less than a peasant to me!".

[Losse]

Sounds really cool.  I CANNOT WAIT!  

 

Playing through Icewind Dale 1 right now to help curb the wait blues.

[curryinahurry]

Great update.  I hope that we can get some art and narrative (by the companion) as reporting of companion adventures.  I was wondering if such quests would be playable, but it sounds like it will take the form of reporting, so I would like some meat on that particular bone in the form of a art panel or three in the style of the 'scripted events' shown in update 54.

 

Also I'm wondering if I can eventually sway some of the prisoners I take to my side of the conflict aisle by the end of the game.  Sort of like Sarevok, but without having to kill them first, of course.

[ImRhoven]

This sounds great. I'm not the person that has to have a player home in a story driven RPG, but if it's there this really is the way to do it.

 

And I love the idea of having a museum or trophy room or something to display mementos from your adventures

[Hormalakh]

Reminds me of the Assassin's Creed stronghold for some reason. It's pretty cool. I hope the mechanics are as awesome and tactically interesting as it's starting to sound like. Thanks for the update.

 

I do hope that the stronghold doesn't end up making the game too easy for the player because of all the bonuses. I'm sure you guys have thought of all sorts of ways to preclude players from taking advantage of the stronghold to "cheese" through sections of the game and at the same not make the stronghold a must-have buff-zone for the higher difficulty challenges.

 

Now if only we could get a vertical slice video....

[Eddain]

And it took... one hour and three minutes for someone to ask about torture. I'm glad I didn't make a bet on that; I'd have said five hours at the very least.

Well how else am I supposed to roleplay as a chaotic evil mage if I'm not allowed just a little torture here and there?

[fireundubh]

"Upgrades are improvements to various parts of the castle, usually to add to the security or prestige of the place. Security affects how much taxes you collect as well as helps reduce the number of “bad” random events, while prestige increases the number of “good” random events as well as increasing tax collections, too."

 

A high-security fortress is likely to be short on individual freedom. Why can't you be a bad ruler and an effective leader?

 

"You can begin collecting taxes from your populace as soon as you gain the stronghold. The amount of taxes you collect increases with your prestige (because people know of you and like you), but the amount also increases with higher security, since some taxes are lost to banditry. You will want to keep both of those values high."

 

What if you want to be more feared than prestigious? People should pay up because they don't want to cross you.

 

"You can also employ hirelings to stay at your stronghold. These people will provide bonuses to your prestige and security, but they cost money to employ. Some will leave your castle if you stop paying them, but others will wait around to get paid again (but not provide any bonuses until they are)."

 

See, this is where I think you should be able to employ unsavory types, like ruffians and corruptible guards, to increase your fear rating and help you extract money and information from the weak.

 

"If you have cleared the dungeon and built a prison under your stronghold, then when you are fighting some of the named NPC’s in the game, you will be given an option to take them prisoner instead of killing them."

 

What if you want to take prisoners and make their executions public spectacles? Or have them fight each other to the death while taking bets on the outcome? Or force them to work in the mines, fields, or wherever would be most humiliating?

 

"Some visitors are wonderful and give good bonuses, and you will want them to stay as long as possible. [...] Others are not so great, and you will want to offer them one of your companions to act as an escort to their next location, or perhaps simply pay them to leave."

 

Of course, if you could play a bad guy, this would be the opposite. The wonderful visitors would be the people who the decent folk want gone and the not-so-great visitors would be the hero sorts who want to change things for the better (i.e., cause trouble.)

 

So, while I generally like the stronghold design, the theme sounds like you have to play a good guy if you want a useful stronghold.

[Nonek]

Got to ask, will there be an escape tunnel in the Stronghold? Just in case it falls and needs liberating, or we need to get back in without alerting the besiegers.

 

I assume the messages to the protagonist could be sent instantaneously by a Cipher, carried on the arcane currents by a Wizard, whispered on the wind by a Druid etcetera.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I've always wanted to play a RPG where the approaching horde would fall at the superior walls of the stronghold instead of being scripted into breaking through. Ballista and cannons please.

[Suen]

The stronghold sounds exciting!

My guess is that repealing the attacks will affect prestige/security, but could participating to the defense also offer the chance to obtain something unique? A direct reward to make you say "wow, I'm glad I interrupted that quest for this".
It doesn't need to be equipment, even a token for extra guards in a future attack, a nickname by a certain faction, a tip for a quest.

And a request: please, no magic psychic reports "you are attacked!" while I'm 8 floors underground in a dungeon. 

[Tuckey]

I like what Obsidian are doing with the stronghold.

 

- In particular using prisoners for leverage. I'm getting a strong castles 2 vibe which I loved for all its difficult decisions.

- The ability to play like a lord sounds cool. I'd imagine you have to weigh up decisions carefully. For instance whether or not the peasants will riot, refuse to pay their taxes, storm the castle if you are a lord of low prestige? Sounds like their is plenty of scope for complexity which I like.

- I imagine companions could also pick up a rare item or two on their adventures.

- Could we then entertain visiting guests with a feast...or a red wedding if they're particularly despised.

 

 

I have a small suggestion. Let us upgrade messengers into something like a magic seeing stone (like from lotr). Or that crystall ball from Return to Zork. Imagine that messenger traversing 10 dungeon levels to pass us a message on what is happening at the stronghold. He/She would be lucky to live let alone pass on a message. The crystal ball thing is an upgrade that you can acquire later on which saves you on running costs for your keep and gives you more time to respond to an event given that the message is instantaneous.

[pruneytoes]

 

You will be offered the stronghold early in the game, before you finish Act 1.

 

 

Does this mean that we will just be given the stronghold at some point instead of actually having to do something to earn it? (Other than just following the main quest)

[Inyourprime]

Good stuff -- I really enjoyed this update.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Inyourprime

[hydrogyrum]

I hope it can be destroyed and trashed, and the inhabitants killed. I'm tired of large publishers treating me like a moron with pre-scripted events and fake choices.

[barmaglo]

...skip...

 

So, while I generally like the stronghold design, the theme sounds like you have to play a good guy if you want a useful stronghold.

 

 

+1.

I want stronghold of evil lord.

[Keyrock]

 

 

You will be offered the stronghold early in the game, before you finish Act 1.

 

 

Does this mean that we will just be given the stronghold at some point instead of actually having to do something to earn it? (Other than just following the main quest)

 

It would be cool if there were several paths to acquiring the stronghold:

 

* Sneak in, murder the inhabitants

* Storm it, take it by force

* Earn it through deeds of valor

* Use trickery/deception/espionage to force its former occupants to leave

 

Obviously, I just pulled those out of my behind just for sake of example.

[lemonrev]

hey, i dont really read whats going on but that newest kickstarter email that was sent out about this just wow.

 

Depending on how you get the castle i think all depends on how much of say a leader and controler over your land.

 

I would like to see a system also where you can go out and like kill all the bad mobs from around your land and pick up good people who either fear you or just want to follow you and i dont mean companions, I mean something like the people who pay taxes and stuff so you help clear the lands before you enter sometype of status so you earn the right to the castle. Then you can add to the castle as well as upgrade the rugged and warn down castle to better inprove it.

 

The castle Could also become The common place for law As you say you have a Prison Section which as we all know is normally down below the castle but why not do modern day style stuff and if you get to a over crowed prison you could build one off your present castle to take care of prisoners and the like to help either your empire or your fighting squads and say make the bad guys into good people by helping make weapons ?.

 

If your going to put us the player in a in - out context castle controler i think you need to consider if you have to be at the castle to look over and upgrade it while you are there or even while you are out of your castle.

 

Also the warning system of a incomming battle Im wondering if that system will take a system of if you know your enemy first so you know that like in old times where your enemy is up to a point and then if your enemy looks like he / she is pepareing for battle by building defences around there area then you could choose to either go out and defeat them or build up your own and rally the people to join the army so that they can help battle the enemy if he is well known to be a real bad ass ?.

 

so a lot to think about i belive can go into this. but appart from knowing all of or abour your castle if your castle is destroyed is that game over ?. OR is that where you get pushed back to a position where you have to regain control ie fight hords or if not hords but boss like creatures to overcome the beseiged castle ?.

 

This sounds like a interesting concept and i think will get a hell of a lot of play out a game that spits out random events that you can choose to be bad or good at soemthing anytime you wish .