Author Topic: Questions and ideas....  (Read 609 times)

Legacy_Dragon Studios

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Questions and ideas....
« on: April 26, 2011, 01:56:29 am »


               I'm working on a module that is the sequel to The Lowland General (a hack and slash module) - that is more of an RPG experience than the first - the sequel contains detailed side quests which effect the world and have consequences later in the game. All of these effects have already been implemented into the module and completing one side quest even leads to an entire city being besieged. Feedback from Rise of a Legend suggested that the player should spend more times in certain areas such as villages and cities and this has been added for LG2 where the player can spend more than an hour in Naer Ron completing quests and speaking to NPCs offering insight into the nobles. Dialogue also allows for the player to develop The Lowland General into being either ruthless, very ruthless or evil.

While we're in development stage, I'd like to ask if you think these world effecting side quests are something you're interested in and if that's what you like about some RPGs. Also, LG2 will probably take 5 hours to finish all quests and go through all dialogue, you start the module at LV 10 and will probably end it at LV 25 (or higher), experience points though in the prologue are gained slowly but later on - many side quests grant good amounts of experience which will eventually progress you to the epic levels. Enemies have been balanced though and you will encounter tough enemies regardless of what level you are. Do you think some players will hate the fast leveling system despite enemies always posing a threat?

Also, what makes you replay a module? Multiple endings and paths to take that effect the story? Or quests with different ways to solve them or both?
               
               

               
            

Legacy_Luspr

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« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2011, 07:56:02 am »


               About the levelling, you seriously run the risk of having a game which provides too much reward for too little effort, a couple of tough monsters being hardly a reason to become an epic level PC.

If your module plays out around 5 hours and starts at level 10 then I would suggest that the PC should level from 1 to at a maximum 3 times during the story.

Honestly, if you want to make an epic level mod then just make one. There is no need to provide a huge amount of levelling in a short time, it's more like a character builder than an adventure.
               
               

               
            

Legacy_werelynx

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« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2011, 10:37:45 am »


               I have to agree, if you want to have prelude make it for high level PCs. Everyone has at least one! You could also throw in some pre-build by yourself. Believe me there are so many modules on the vault for 1st level PCs..
               
               

               
            

Legacy_Dragon Studios

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« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2011, 03:18:16 pm »


               The module can't be for LV1 characters since you're playing as The Lowland General who killed an ancient dragon. If you finished the first module - you'll either be LV 9 or 10 by the end of it. So players can either import their character to the sequel after finishing the first, import any level 10 character or play the pre-made default human male LV 10 character.

Hmmm but it seems people wouldn't like having great EXP rewards for completing side quests. I don't know what you would want from an epic level module but that would take some time to make it where you progress from LV 10 to epic levels.

I think I'll make it for LV 15 characters where you can reach LV 21. So there's a total of 6 levels up but this is only possible should you complete every single side quest and kill every monster in the game and obviously, EXP rewards for side quests would need to be lowered. Think people would like this? I don't want to release a module where people feel the rewards are unnecessary.
               
               

               
            

Legacy_Gregor Wyrmbane

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« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2011, 04:39:18 pm »


               

Dragon Studios wrote...
Also, what makes you replay a module? Multiple endings and paths to take that effect the story? Or quests with different ways to solve them or both?


That would be great. I would definitely want to replay a module if I could change the outcome by choosing different paths. Having more than one way to solve a quest is also desirable.

Something else that would be nice is to have the encounters in some areas spawn different creatures everytime you go through that area. Maybe half a dozen or so possibilities that use a random sequence so that you never know for sure what you'll see when you go through that area. 
               
               

               


                     Modifié par Gregor Wyrmbane, 26 avril 2011 - 03:40 .
                     
                  


            

Legacy_Dragon Studios

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« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2011, 05:42:29 pm »


               

Gregor Wyrmbane wrote...

Dragon Studios wrote...
Also, what makes you replay a module? Multiple endings and paths to take that effect the story? Or quests with different ways to solve them or both?


That would be great. I would definitely want to replay a module if I could change the outcome by choosing different paths. Having more than one way to solve a quest is also desirable.

Something else that would be nice is to have the encounters in some areas spawn different creatures everytime you go through that area. Maybe half a dozen or so possibilities that use a random sequence so that you never know for sure what you'll see when you go through that area. 


I like the enemy encounter ideas. Most enemies in the game are spawned by encounters and we've already a few encounters where enemies are spawned randomly so you get different enemies every time you play the module. Some enemies also spawn based on level. I think we'll include more of these random enemy spawns as it would make the module different each time.

Most side quests have one soloution but it wouldn't be too hard to add optional solutions but we're certainly adding a different path the player can take. I think we might even have three paths altogether that change the enemies, dialogue and areas you explore.

If there are any more ideas you have, please, we'd like to hear them.
               
               

               


                     Modifié par Dragon Studios, 26 avril 2011 - 04:43 .
                     
                  


            

Legacy_werelynx

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« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2011, 05:45:34 pm »


               You must have misunderstood me, I said there are already thousand modules for 1st level chars so we do not need another one.
LV 15 module sounds good!
               
               

               
            

Legacy_jmlzemaggo

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« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2011, 06:15:12 pm »


               As I said In the review I sent you, your über-leveling up system is a pain for spellcasters. Most of the time you don't even have enough time for updating and resting your new spells in between levels.
Yes, same than werelynx, 'starting at an already high level could be a better solution. We need über-modules.
               
               

               
            

Legacy_Dragon Studios

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« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2011, 06:59:04 pm »


               Then you'll be thankful for LG2 then. It's now for LV 15 characters and levels up will be few. I hope you lot enjoy it when it's released, we've got great surprises waiting in it and there's currently over 15,000 words of dialogue. I've already got a tester working on it to see if everything plays well and he pretty much gave the same feedback for Rise of a Legend as you lot did, so LG2 will hopefully be near perfect when it releases.
 
Oh and jmlzemaggo, you'll probably be pleased to know that you can playthrough LG2 as a wizard as all areas can be rested in. There's also a shop that sells wizard stuff. 
               
               

               


                     Modifié par Dragon Studios, 26 avril 2011 - 06:02 .