The missing piece of the game balance equation. (Time value/limit)

[player1]

I think time limit itself is bad as a hard cap.

 

There should be a soft cap.

 

Add additional progressively more difficult encounters, the more time it passes (while still not giving XP). Package it in some campaign flavor reason based on urgency of the important quest. And do not do it through the whole game, only in places where that urgency is real.

 

It fixes two things:

Overleveling due to fooling around, instead progressing with urgent quest.

It adds pressure to the players, for time being (until urgency is resolved), so they know that while urgency is real, that time is a limited resource that is spent while resting, and should not be wasted.

Edited May 10, 2015 by player1

[abaris]

 

It fixes two things:

Overleveling due to fooling around, instead progressing with urgent quest.

It adds pressure to the players, for time being (until urgency is resolved), so they know that while urgency is real, that time is a limited resource that is spent while resting, and should not be wasted.

 

Speak for yourself. I'm playing these games to escape from real life pressure and don't need another race against the clock in my fantasy world. And what you call fooling around I call exploring the game world and getting the full experience of the game I paid for. That's not a job to be done in the shortest and most efficient way possible.

[player1]

Speak for yourself too.

I like adrenaline rush from in-game urgency.

 

In fact, I try to push myself to experience all game content for the shortest in-game time (least resting). For me, exploring whole game world and quests is not fooling around. Resting too often and going back and forward without doing anything is fooling around.

 

Anyway, playing game like this is a blast!

Party is tiered? No issues, move forward until encounters get too difficult.

Spent all spells? Still have health? Move forward!

Low health? Still have spells? Move forward and use those spells to keep party alive.

Somebody maimed? Ok it's a rest time. :D

 

There should be high score for this kind of play.

 

Back to the point, what is important that this urgency should not be through the whole game since that would be indeed exhausting (this unfortunately includes NWN2: Mast of Betrayer). It should be in short bursts based on some quests where it makes sense. And game should not have too many of such quests. This could also add additional dynamic to those quests. Have different things happen based on how long it tales to work on those quests, etc...

Edited May 10, 2015 by player1

[Hassat Hunter]

Of course the difference is YOU can do that even if the game doesn't force you to.

However WE can't do what we want if the game is set up like you want.

 

See the difference?

(I still play like you anyway, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hampered upon travelling about just exploring and doing quests and such)

Edited May 12, 2015 by Hassat Hunter

[SlayerDorian]

Speak for yourself too.

I like adrenaline rush from in-game urgency.

 

In fact, I try to push myself to experience all game content for the shortest in-game time (least resting). For me, exploring whole game world and quests is not fooling around. Resting too often and going back and forward without doing anything is fooling around.

 

Anyway, playing game like this is a blast!

Party is tiered? No issues, move forward until encounters get too difficult.

Spent all spells? Still have health? Move forward!

Low health? Still have spells? Move forward and use those spells to keep party alive.

Somebody maimed? Ok it's a rest time. :D

 

There should be high score for this kind of play.

 

Back to the point, what is important that this urgency should not be through the whole game since that would be indeed exhausting (this unfortunately includes NWN2: Mast of Betrayer). It should be in short bursts based on some quests where it makes sense. And game should not have too many of such quests. This could also add additional dynamic to those quests. Have different things happen based on how long it tales to work on those quests, etc...

 

This is pretty much right on. 

 

Given that you can pause the game, I don't think there is a huge amount of adrenaline rush going on.  But, it would be nice to complete the other challenges in the game.  Right now, the only challenge is party vs. encounter.  Once the encounter is over, you have an unlimited supply of resting available.  If you're doing poorly, the worst case is that you have to sit through a couple loading screens.

 

Now, if you had a real reason not to go constantly back tracking to town, it brings in new layers of challenges (lack of challenge is something that people are constantly complaining about on here).  When you really do need to press on and get to the other side of this dungeon to save a village before its too late, suddenly that shortcut your scout spotted to avoid a couple groups of X monster actually means something.  You can always come back after saving the village to look for treasure.  Fighting smart and not blowing your spell load too quickly means something.

 

You would now have new challenge types:

- party vs. dungeon

- party vs. quest

 

Completing it becomes something more significant.  Athletics would have more meaning.  (I would hope that survival skill would factor into this somehow, it really needs some new purpose)

 

And of course, like I stated earlier, there often is the argument of self-imposes challenges.  And it still holds true that such things only point out flaws in design, they are not real solutions to the problem.  Its not the player's job to plug the holes.

Edited May 12, 2015 by SlayerDorian