NWN Module Building Questions To Players...

[Legacy__Guile]

               Basically my questions are simple....

If someone were building you a nwn module.....

Question 1

What would you want?

A) Role Play Heavy
Story Line Heavy
C) Action Heavy
D) A balance of all 3
E) None of the above.

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Question 2

If the module was going to be at least semi-storyline based...

What would you want?

A) Most of the Story up front via NPC / Cutscene & Conversations?
Most of the Story up front via a book in your inventory?
C) Piecemeal the story bit by bit via NPC & Books you find in the module (nothing up front)
D) A good does of story up front & some piece meal through gameplay...
E) A Little Bit of Everything...

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Question 3

They say that the Storyline "Hook" plays a big role in D&D....

What kind of hooks pique your interest?

A) Save the ______...
The Hunt for ____...
C) Godly Power obtained upon completion of the module... (well at least greater power)
D) A good mix of multiple different hooks...
E) No hook neeed, just give me something to kill!


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That's it, answer at will..  
 
               
               

               

                     Modifié par _Guile, 25 mai 2013 - 05:54 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_rogueknight333]

               Question 1: D (balance of all 3) would be my preference
Question 2: It would seem from the context that by "story" here you mean backstory or world lore, rather than a story that develops in the course of play. That would make D or E the best. A truly immersive world would be one with a lot of lore that one can learn about from multiple mutually reinforcing sources.
Question 3: A & B are the options that appeal most to me of these choices. Either is a simple but solid method of giving some focus to questing. Of course there are far more potential story hooks than those you have listed here.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Empyre65]

               

rogueknight333 wrote...

Question 1: D (balance of all 3) would be my preference
Question 2: It would seem from the context that by "story" here you mean backstory or world lore, rather than a story that develops in the course of play. That would make D or E the best. A truly immersive world would be one with a lot of lore that one can learn about from multiple mutually reinforcing sources.
Question 3: A & B are the options that appeal most to me of these choices. Either is a simple but solid method of giving some focus to questing. Of course there are far more potential story hooks than those you have listed here.

What he said goes for me, too.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_cds13]

               Question 1: D;
Question 2: C (the idea of bringin' up the story by pieces of information you gather around is amazing);
Question 3: C.

Many thanks!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_olivier leroux]

               1 D - ideally; but everything could work if well done

2 D - I find it more interesting to experience story in a game than to read it up front - where would be the fun in that? Presented in such a detached way, the story would just feel like an afterthought, not really essential to the game. A story should evolve, involve all participants, that is be relevant to their lives, and personally I also like to discover it bit by bit. On the other hand, I'm not fond of being thrown into the game without the slightest idea what it's about, who I am, what I'm expected to do. A short journal entry or conversation should be enough to get the story started though (and it doesn't need to be about the actual plot yet, just give me some orientation and motivation and slightly push me in the right direction for discovering the rest).

EDIT: Oh, if you actually meant lore, like rogueknight333 assumes, then I think I'd prefer option C, make the reading optional and let me discover the lore on my own. Another personal preference of mine would be that the author always knows more about the lore than the player; don't tell me everything, don't overwhelm me with the world's lore, don't make me study its history, just let the NPCs talk and act accordingly (in a natural, not lecturing way) and only drop vague hints without explaining everything up front, that makes discovering the lore and putting together the pieces more exciting.

3 - Neither of the above. For me a story works best if it's personal, if the PC is really involved. Why should I of all people save ___, hunt for ___, become a god or kill everyone in my way? That motivation is a lot more important to me than any hook, and it's part of why the OC didn't manage to draw me in. I admit that I'm kind of prone to the "Where am I? What happened to me? How am I going to get out of this mess?" hook though, it's a bit clichéd, too, but at least it arouses my curiosity, because it involves a personal motivation to discover the story.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par olivier leroux, 27 mai 2013 - 01:52 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_werelynx]

               1 D
2 A, C - books (especially long ones) are not a good way to inform about the WHOLE plot
3 D
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               Question 1:
C - Action/Puzzle heavy.  Although I don't like playing them, I've always admired the LEGO games (most recently LotR) for their ability to appeal to very little kids as well as adults.  Also easy to get into, even if you don't have a lot of time to play in a sitting.  I like the ability to be able to drop into a game and do "units" of it, with a relatively clear beginning and end.  Even in some sandbox-ish games it's nice to be able to say to yourself "Okay, I have enough time to do this, this and maybe this."

Question 2:
A - Cutscene.  Something short and sweet to get me going in the right direction.  I don't mind secondary characters popping up later to fill me in about something or even bring up some new twist, but I frankly get bored reading through a huge proper noun-laden "The Story So Far..." wall of text.  I'd rather something that gives you the general idea what you're up to and then go from there.

Question 3:
D - A mix of different hooks.  A sandbox central area off of which a bunch of different quests spring has always been my favorite way to play.  Goes back to the "units"/missions thing in Quesiton 1.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy__Guile]

               Great input, thanks guys, keep it coming.. =)