Update #73: Narrative Design: A Day in the Life, Companion Goals, and the Undead

[Yrcrazypa]

I'm perfectly okay with some quests being time sensitive. It's hard to make quests that have any sense of urgency when you can take your time and nothing at all will change, and if there are multiple quests that conflict with each other in time sensitivity it just gives that much more replay value to a game.

[Blarghagh]

But this is not a quest, this is world variables. It's literally telling the players that take their time, explore and immerse themselves in the world that they are doing something wrong. In a story based RPG, I doubt that's what you want. I'm fine with time sensitive quests (i.e. BG2 Underdark, the Drow would often tell you "you have two days" or something similar and that worked nicely) but time sensitive world that means I miss out of stuff if I don't rush through the world?

Edited February 28, 2014 by TrueNeutral

[Lephys]

But this is not a quest, this is world variables. It's literally telling the players that take their time, explore and immerse themselves in the world that they are doing something wrong. In a story based RPG, I doubt that's what you want. I'm fine with time sensitive quests (i.e. BG2 Underdark, the Drow would often tell you "you have two days" or something similar and that worked nicely) but time sensitive world that means I miss out of stuff if I don't rush through the world?

I think you and others are just thinking of an unnecessarily heavy-handed/grand scope approach. It doesn't have to be that literally every single undead on the entire planet suffers minute-for-minute degradation or anything. "World factors" are just abstracted anyway. It's just time-sensitive checks, anyway. Quest or not, that's just semantics. When criteria are met (involving a virtual time or time-passed check), a trigger activates, and the quest content (that you haven't yet experienced) becomes different.

 

There's functionally no difference at all between "Oh no you took too long so you failed" and "Oh no you took too long so these fampyr are now beyond fampyr." It's all the same to code. "Did X time pass since Event? Yes? Then Y changes."

 

I'm pretty sure the suggestion is just that it would be pretty cool to have SOME instance (however big or small) of representation for the actual passage of time in relation to the cycle of undeath. Obviously some fampyr will keep themselves in good shape, etc. No one's saying "If it's an undead, then I want every day that passes before I travel to it to result in its progression towards a mere savage skeleton-beast."

 

Hence the example of a specific scenario. A very vague example, the details of which people are focusing FAR too much upon, methinks.

 

Maybe, at some point in the game, where you could've actively dealt with some situation involving a fampyr, you end up dealing with a situation now involving a dargul or gul (or beyond), because time. That would be cool. Quite simple.

[ronjs666]

This was a great update.  The art work of a large explorable world makes me want to see the game.  But after reading about the care given to characters, I'm very anxious to virtually live there.  

 

No matter the type media, bad dialog can ruin a great story and visa versa.  

 

For me The Witcher 2 had amazing believable dialog.  I loved it.   

 

If Obsidian is truly passionate about delivering there unique style of art with great voice acted dialog, this game will be an amazing wonderful creation.  

 

Thanks for keeping us informed.

[Hiro Protagonist II]

Still doesn't solve the "if you're too slow, we'll punish you by giving you a bunch of boring skeletons instead of the cool undead types" problem.

 

Where has that been confirmed in the game? I haven't read anywhere that if you take your time exploring the game world, undead will change from one type to another because you were too slow getting to them. And I very much doubt this would be the case.

[teknoman2]

they wont! it's just wishfull thinking that has, as i explained, no place in the game, unless world map travel is like arcanum. the time it would take for one type of undead to deteriorate into another, is more than the in game time it would take to do a 100% playthrough if the game is designed like BG

[Blarghagh]

 

Still doesn't solve the "if you're too slow, we'll punish you by giving you a bunch of boring skeletons instead of the cool undead types" problem.

 

Where has that been confirmed in the game? I haven't read anywhere that if you take your time exploring the game world, undead will change from one type to another because you were too slow getting to them. And I very much doubt this would be the case.

 

 

This was a response in a discussion about an idea posted by another member, not a response to the actual update or a developer. Hope that clears it up.

[Failion]

So no 'normal' vamps then, who drink blood and stay forever young? Well, this is kinda sad, I like those guys.

they can always add their own unique spin on vamps. I liked how the vamps were done in the might and magic universe. Basically they are practicers of magic that mastered the dark school of magic. To become a vamp they first had to have enough dark magic skill to become liches and then have enough mastery to become vamps. Originally it was a angel that learned necromansy and taught his followers.  Pillars of eternity could do something similiar, A death goldlike Animancer that become very knowledgeable found out the means to become/create higher tier undead through mastery.

Edited March 2, 2014 by Failion

[Forlorn Hope]

Thank you once again for the update. I think it was very funny, way to go Eric! The art looks fantastic and I like the take on the undead. Can't wait to play P(o)E!

[Mannock]

"I'd be interested to hear, what do all of you think? Not so much specific characterizations, but more, what are the abstract qualities that make you enjoy and remember a companion? (e.g. They made you laugh, they seemed like a real person, their quest was engrossing, etc.)"

 

There are of course different qualities that makes me remember different characters. Examples:

 

Mira (Kotor II): Savvy, smart and brushing the PC off romantically.

 

Jan Jansen (BG2): His hilarious rants.

 

Gann (NWN2: MotB): Gentle and with an attractive personality. I got somewhat of a crush on him.

 

Anomen (BG2): How his personal quest really changed him (and how that was reflected in the change of his stats (+wisdom)).

 

Jaheira (BG2): Her romance. She's strong willed and protective, yet gentle when you get to know her better. One of the few romances ever done well in a CRPG.

 

Fall-from-Grace: How she was practically the exact opposite from what I thought she would be like (given her looks and the place you find her in).

[darthdraken]

Monsters in a urban setting.???

Interesting challenge.

Simplest is undead coming out of graves summoned by a necro type person.

Wizards loosing control of a summon demonic door.

A cult.

A plague released in to a region of town slowly turning humans in to some form of creature.

Shades style part of a city, where ghosts are made real.

Lizard man type creature invading from the sea, to try and kidnap humans as slaves. So they enter the docks at night and take over a warehouse. And go out taking the homeless then whoever after that.

A hidden deep cave that awakens a dragon, a dragon does sleep for a long time, and well anything could of been built on top of him in the hundreds of years it has slept.

A type of creature that looks human but underneath is not, using magical.powers. infultrating key points within town watch and other locations kidnapping and replacing people of power to control the town or city for future invasion.

I do love deep well thought quests that can have major game changing choices.

[UlrichVonBek]

One beautiful well elaborate graphic design equal  10.000 narrative words ...

Works with sound as well ;-)

 

Great job Dudes and Dudettes !!!  

[rjshae]

One beautiful well elaborate graphic design equal  10.000 narrative words ...

Works with sound as well ;-)

 

Great job Dudes and Dudettes !!!  

 

Yes, 10,000 narrative words is worth around 75Kb, which is a decent-sized jpeg image....   

[Lephys]

Yes, 10,000 narrative words is worth around 75Kb, which is a decent-sized jpeg image.... 

What if each letter is in a different font? Might be a pretty big image file, then.

[lolaldanee]

it's all about the content dude, not style

that's the whole point of using words and not an image

and you missed it

good job Lephys, realy good job

[Lephys]

Darnit... *slumpy ears* <8(...

 

I was close, wasn't I?

[JFSOCC]

 

One beautiful well elaborate graphic design equal  10.000 narrative words ...

Works with sound as well ;-)

 

Great job Dudes and Dudettes !!!  

 

Yes, 10,000 narrative words is worth around 75Kb, which is a decent-sized jpeg image.... 

 

so a picture is worth 10.000 words eh?

[rjshae]

it's all about the content dude, not style

that's the whole point of using words and not an image

and you missed it

good job Lephys, realy good job

 

I'd like to help you out. Which way did you come in?

Edited March 14, 2014 by rjshae

[Archmage Silver]

Splendid update, one of the best so far. I really like how you're going about creating the companions and setting up the story.