Heck, I'm praying for it.
'>
I am looking to learn scripting, I need it for my professional growth. Right now I'm sticking with prototyping the easy stuff for game/play balance, and trying to figure out things as I go.
I've been in and out of the gaming industry (video, not gambling) and I've yet to find a game that was enjoyable that wasn't a targetted story to one user (or limited coop in that story). Most MP games are nothing but grinding (MMOs). The grind doesn't appeal to me, and the gameplay in MMOs I just don't find compelling. There's something very visceral about playing in NWN1 I don't find anywhere else (probably the dance of death during melee helps).
I don't expect to solve these problems on my own, but I'd like to explore and take a crack at an expanded story arc, with feelings engendered by the content that capture the imaginations of the player. All while providing a more intricate, i"ll use the term though I dislike it, "grind" that is more involved and interesting. It should also allow players to control some measure of power that isn't just personal (how many HP, BAB, spells you have).
These are all simplified examples:
In the first case I'm thinking more personally directed requests, where there are reputation enhancements for achiving results for your faction. Say, destroy the main gate so we can launch an offensive, or capture the ballista at some choke point. In any case, there needs to be some kind of emotional appeal to the player to accompish all of these various tasks that will make the effort more emotionally rewarding.
Obviously we're talking warfare, here, but this all started with the idea for a system to simulate gangs or underworld guilds competing for territory in a big city, with housing requirements as well as needing to control money making interests, recruitment, and these various factions would fight over each building type (in a sort of game of Life) and hope to not make enough of a mess that brings in the Marines (had a setup for a Navy base/ship building facility which basically controls the towns production) and get your crew wiped out or hauled off to the labor camps.
I also want to ensure the player always knows there is something to do. If they want a fight, they can simply go on patrol, but there will be more intricate missions with objectives that will be helpful for your faction. Hit and Fade, raids for reducing the enemy position, or for supplies or equipment. Maybe you just want to go on a mission to contented territory where you can mine iron ore or other metals while guards watch for the approach of hostile forces (or be those guards). Or lumber, or whatever to support the buliding or repair of your defenses.
These missions will change with the success or failure of each faction. I don't want cookie cutter missions, no instances! Each missions success can earn the player reputation, which is basically cache with each faction for more perks, whether greater powers of command or equipment (magical or otherwise). you might even require a certain amount of earned Rep for training... Depends on what you want to spend your reputation or favor on.
There might be opposing factions on the same side, vying for the political (or other) favor from the leaders or my Queen figure pulling all the strings (using my faction list). "We need to do this BEFORE the other guy, and show how much better our faction is!" Or even have certain factions with less scruples sabotage another on the same side. Sure, in the code it all comes down to points, but this might engender those feelings from personal and group pride to worry over self preservation.
Good equipment is more rare, it's not like I can just walk up to a guy and ask him to give me a gun. Swords were prohibited for a reason in strict lawed societies. And it was EXPENSIVE...
And learning spells will be trickier, either through some kind of "study" or craft-like mechanic (for casters only, obviously). Originally I was thinking magic items could be built, but they'd be one or two use items. Magic may seem weak, but anything that can help kill another creature is powerful. Especially when death is permanent to NPCs in most cases (PCs not so much, probably penalties in time to heal wounds which reduce stats until healed). Imagine what people would pay for a way to kill a dozen men without putting their own in danger? It's not like they can just be replaced, sure you might be able to grab some children once their old enough to hold a spear, but then you have to wait and hope over the next 15 or more whiile you wait for babies to be old enough to be pressed into war (think about propoganda of the _womb_ as a means of troop production during World War 1). The "Sleep" spell in E6 is much more powerful in E6 (with level 3 and 4 being average)... I'll have to balance for HP at lower levels, that'll be tricky.
Failure could also have an impact, but I haven't gotten around to thinking about it too in depth. This could lower your rep, and you could be demoted, might even lower your innate "base Rep" until you can repair your image. Innate Rep might be a multiplyer for your earned rep. when spedning it on perks, whether commiting forces ("I stake my name on it!") or asking for permission to acquire better arms (chainmail and up is expensive to craft and maintain).
In the second case, personal power is great, but temporal power can be more useful in the low magic low level setting like I'm planning (E6-ish setup). The Leadership type feats/skills could also affect things, and now there's a
reason to skimp on certain stats to help with the political or leadership effects on other creatures. Sure, I'm a weak shmoe in melee, but I can command 20 troops to squash an objective on occassion using some Rep points. Say, current personal Rep based on skill and stats, and spend a few point on making Command commit to your action against the enemy. This might also open the door for Spycraft, but that's getting even more involved.
I'm thinking of replacing any animal companios with weaker versions. I might also replace familiars with either weaker versions, or convert them to what will basically end up being a scrying orb with some kind of invisibility that might be detected somehow and no combat ability. You can't go through doors, but you can scout the area! Not sure about time limits on this.
I mention interest in using an external event engine to offload such things out of NWN because there are other things that could happen this way. You can only spawn groups when either the PC is in the area based on this data, you could also spawn them in from a trasition when they "move" to that area in the external engine, or creatures need to interact in the engine for some reason, such as combining forces or combat.
Of course, I've been talking about this for about 3 years now (game design issues for longer), I better get to it.
- Qlippoth
Modifié par QlippothVI, 27 septembre 2011 - 11:15 .
