Feedback on Predevelopment Projects

[kaze950]

This is just idea, and it would take a while to implement in RMXP, but here it goes:

You are (Insert Name), the son of Leon (Your inserted last name). Both because you are somewhat lazy and spoiled, and because of the fact you know nothing about money, your father has kicked you out of the house, giving you quite a few gold, saying only "If you can rejoin the class that this family belongs in, I will reinstate you into this house". Essentially, it is a test - to see if you can be smart with the money he gave you.

From there on, you can do as you want. The game would three alignments.

Good/Evil
Order/Chaos
Humility/Pompousness

Besides that, there are numbers that represent how much a certain faction like you, hate you, or fear you, such as the priests, them knights, the poor, e.t.c. However, this would be hidden.


As you do actions, these either go up or down. -100 is absolute evil, 100 is absolute good.

You can do several things with your money. You can invest in stores, or (if you go the evil route) extort them for money. You can gamble in the arena or the casino.

You would have the ability to start a relationship, have sex, see a prostitute, or (If you're really evil) rape someone. However, know that you might get caught. If you commit an Imperial (think of it like federal) crime, you'll have to go the central prison. Here, you can walk around and do things or you can just let the game do it automatically (an option saying "Just keep to your business in prison; make no friends or enemies)

Basically, you can do what you want. You can't go out of the starting town until you obtain a horse and a guard (Don't worry, there is a guard that is always present). For other guards, you can hire mercenaries, convince fighters to fight for you, or (if you go the evil route) make contracts with demon lords to buy their demons. Mercenaries are mostly neutral, but fighters (who are usually good) will not work for an evil man. You can bring up to 4 guards on missions, but you must have a horse for each of them or a carriage (There are 3 carriages: Small, where you can bring 2 guards. Medium, for 3. Large, for 4.)

You do not fight yourself, but give orders to the guards. You can even order your guards to capture wild beasts or even humans (if you're into that). By kidnapping humans, you can force them to fight for you without pay. Your slaves quarters (a medium sized shack) can only hold a certain number.

You can start up your own shop (as long as you supply supplies) or even an arena (If you have the men to spare).

Basically, do what you want. Once you obtain enough gold, your father will officially recognize you as part of the family and give you a portion of the family fortune, the rest to be claimed upon his death. If you want, you can hire an assassin to kill your father and obtain his riches and home.

From there on, there are unlimited possibilities. If you become pure evil, you can make a contact with Oblivion, a demon with great power. What happens if you summon him? You can either use him as a bartering token to become king of the entire Empire or destroy the world. Don't worry, if you destroy the world, there is a way to restore it. If you become king of the Empire though evil, several things will change. You can obtain 99% of a stores profit with no investments. People will say nothing when you commit crimes. But there will be certain people who will rebel. They might even try to kill you. However, the quest to get this demon is very, very, very hard.

If you go the good route, you cannot become king. But you will be respected by almost everyone, heroes will fight for you automatically, stores will give you considerable discounts, and you will be able to enter a secret, holy city.

Basically, it would be a free roaming game where you yourself are very weak, but with proper money management you can become well respected; or feared, if you wish.

                   

 

[Tim.]

Kaze: I actually like this idea quite a bit. Seems to be something akin to The Elder Scrolls or Fable, with more emphasis on money and financial responability (Or irresponsablity, it's all good). From what it sounds like this project is pretty ambitious, so best of luck getting it done. The only thing I don't really like is that it seems as though being evil has more benefits than being good. I don't see why a good character can't become King..

 

[kaze950]

Well, I should try to think of a way for that. Perhaps, as a good character, you befriend a king. And then, there is some sort of quest that will initiate the king's death by a third party. As his good friend, he makes you heir to his kingdom. Or something like that.

And yes, it is not something I plan on starting now. Hell, I doubt I could get it done by myself.

 

[Jeronimus]

This is a quick story that I came up with recently, possibly just for the lolz of it, and I have called it "Knucklehead". It's basically the intro to a story I guess.

KNUCKLEHEAD

The Kingdom and its citizens had not forgotten the ancient prophecy, stating that a child born on the day of the first full moon of the New Year would eventually cause its destruction. Kings passed down the fear of losing their power onto their heirs, and so each year, the army set out throughout the country, finding those people who had not voluntarily given up their child for the good of the kingdom.
Maryan fears the coming of the army to destroy her home for keeping her baby. In panic, she commands her husband Albert to take their child with him and to flee; she’s far too weak still to leave with him, she knows she’ll be found and probably killed anyway, but just wishes her beautiful baby would survive. With pain in his heart, Albert flees, only to clumsily and narrowly avoid the soldiers who will burn down his house and eventually the entire town when they later discover that a child managed to escape.
He runs farther and farther into the mountains, carrying with him the child. Attempting to bring it to safety, he seeks shelter in a warm cave, high atop the hills. It’s there, however, that Albert’s nosy character makes the prophecy truth; for as he wanders deeper into the cave, he comes upon a room with mysterious crystals. Moments later, he finds himself thrown back and knocked against the wall, letting go of the baby. It tumbles down from the mountains, landing atop the trees with nothing more than a bump on the head. (yes, I might need a little explanation for that)
Luckily and completely coincidentally, a man finds the little infant, as it is probably crying. He raises the thing as if it were his own son he never had. He teaches him everything he knows, even though it seems like the kid’s a bit stupid, and names him Aluxes…

(HA BET YOU DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING LOLOLOLOLO1!!!!1!)

At some point later, when being more grown up and even possibly still a teenager, Aluxes discovers that the man who raised him wasn’t actually his father. When he hears of where he was found, he sets out to look for it, cleverly noticing how he might’ve fallen high from the mountain. He climbs up to the cave, stupidly avoiding the clear path that is on the other side of the mountain. There, he finds the same crystal room his dad once did, and he explores it further. He discovers how in one of the crystals a man is locked, and in all his Arshey glory, he decides to unlock him, not knowing that this is what the prophecy had foretold all along…

WILL ALUXES AND HIS FRIENDS SAVE TEH WORLD FROM MONSTER11???!!!



I'm sorry everyone.

 

[nick5674398]

Will I ever get any feedback at all from this place?! Really though, why?

@Jeronimus: Wow, it's supposed to be a funny game right?
If so you succeeded with Aluxes being stupid from that bump on his head will be pretty comical and will catch him in the most glory he'll ever be in.

 

[Ratty524]

Will I ever get any feedback at all from this place?! Really though, why?

This thread isn't as popular as it should be, unfortunately.

 

[Actingman00]

This is a story I call: Rocky Balboa: Tales of a Rock

Spoiler: Story

Rocky Balboa: ToaR is a comedy game about a rockperson named Rocky Balboa.  He lives in Boa city, underneath the great human city of ________.  Rocky lives a normal Rockperson life, he goes to school, he helps out around the city and he has many friends.  Until one day some humans come down to Boa City and talk to the town council.  The humans want to expand their sewer system through Boa City and kick the Rockpeople out of their home.  The Rockpeople have no army, and they are a peaceful race so they have no ways of fighting the humans.  The whole town is in an uproar, as the council has not decided what to do.  They have locked themselves in the Town Hall and nobody has had any contact of them for days.  Then Rocky Balboa, the youngest Grandchild of Bal Boa, decides he is going to save the city.  He embarks on a quest throughout the entire kingdom to find the King and tell him what is going on.  Rocky is the last hope to save his home city.

I don't have a name for the Human City yet.  Nor the kingdom.

Spoiler: History

Hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago, the Rock People of the kingdom wandered without a home.  They were kicked out of every cave they tried to live in.  Until they came to a peninsula that had nobody living on it and had a winding cave going into the ground.  The leader of the Rockpeople, Bal Boa, brought his people into the cave and founded the city after him.  Boa Cave began to be a thriving city for Rockpeople everywhere.  It was later renamed to Boa City because of its size.  It is the biggest colony of Rockpeople in the kingdom.  Then the humans decided to build a huge city overtop of it.  The Rockpeople were scared, but Bal Boa went above to lead his people and to make a deal with the Humans to allow them to live there.  Bal boa not only got them their home, he also got them rights to do as they please in the Human City that was being built.  The human leader wasn’t too bright.  The Rockpeople and the Humans lived for thousands of years in peace, rarely making contact and when they did it was for good reasons.

Spoiler: Characters

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s291/Actingman00/RockyBalboa.png[/img]Rocky Balboa: A 13-year-old Rockperson living in Boa City with his family.  He is a smart Rockperson, while his parents are not.  Rocky is the youngest Grandchild of Bal Boa, the great founder of the city.  Rocky’s dad is on the town council and his mom stays at home and…well she doesn’t do anything.

That's the only main character right now as the game is in it's early stages.  the other characters would be The King, The Town Leader and some characters that may go with him along the way.

Spoiler: Rockpeople

Rockpeople are the race of people that Rocky is.  They look like normal boulders and can blend into the surroundings that way.  Basically all Rockpeople look the same except they are different colors/sizes. Obviously younger rocks will be smaller and older rocks will be bigger. 

The game is going to have a lot of comedy elements such as: making fun of other RPGs, internet memes/fads, TV shows/movies as well as other things.

 

[greenninja89]

but why a rock? Why not a person made of rock?

 

[Actingman00]

but why a rock? Why not a person made of rock?

Because it's a race of Rockpeople.  They're living rocks.


And I thought it was funnier.

 

[Ratty524]

but why a rock? Why not a person made of rock?

Because it's a race of Rockpeople.  They're living rocks.


And I thought it was funnier.

It actually reminds me of a joke project one person posted in an attempt to prove something about the community.

 

[greenninja89]

hmmm......I guess that'll work. make a green rock with a ninja mask.

 

[Actingman00]

hmmm......I guess that'll work. make a green rock with a ninja mask.

If anyone wants to sprite that it would be cool. 

If you can get one I'll put it in lol.

 

[Actingman00]

but why a rock? Why not a person made of rock?

Because it's a race of Rockpeople.  They're living rocks.


And I thought it was funnier.

It actually reminds me of a joke project one person posted in an attempt to prove something about the community.

It's where I got the idea to use a rock as the main character :p

Oops, sorry about the double post.

 

[second_crimson]

Alright...I've got an idea for "magic system" so to speak. Not necessarily a revolutionary gameplay mechanic, but more a backstory for magic.

I've been toying around with the idea of a magic system that doesn't rely on being born with it, or having to study it. My idea is fairly simple. You remember those titans from Greek mythology? Well what if, in this fantasy world, there were similar beings. These Titan gods were overthrown by the lesser gods, as per usual. However, upon dying, their bodies turned to stone and plumetted to the ground. Here they shattered into a trillions of pieces.

Some of the dust caused mutations in local wildlife, giving birth to your giant rats and such. The larger shards came to be known as magical little rocks that grant powers. After consuming a god-stone, a person gains a superhuman power. So really, the end result isn't much different from any other magical stone, but it's the origin that I'm concerned with.

But it doesn't end there. Consuming too many god-stones can be detrimental. Since you are essentially merging yourself with a deity's soul, they may start to take over. Over time, those that have consumed a large amount of god-stones lose their personality and become smaller versions of these ancient Titans.

Thoughts?

 

[Moogleking]

second_crimson, your idea reminds me of the anime/manga One Piece.  They eat devil fruits which give them supernatural powers, and it is said that a devil lives in their body.  Supposedly if they eat two, the devils fight and their body is destroyed.

Your idea is pretty different, it just reminds of One Piece.  And I think something like that could definitely be interesting and drive a game, if done correctly.

It's tough to say what the best way to make a system out of that is, for actual gameplay.  Because you don't want to have the player be screwed over if they take the wrong ones, for example (gave all the healing ones to one character, who leaves for a while in the plot).  But yea, definitely an interesting idea.

 

[Red Dawn]

'Yohoho he took a bite of gumgum!'
Onepiece rocks.
Oh, and that could make for an interesting backstory for the actual game. About the titans returning in human form, or something.

 

[second_crimson]

Thanks for the input guys. To tell you the truth, I've never seen OnePiece, but I may have to check it out, if only for a few chapters/episodes.

 

[greenninja89]

Wikipedia one piece. You get the same amount of info as watching the entire series. plus it isn't as time consuming.

 

[Sucker Punch]

I need some opinions, fellas.

1) Should I treat it in second person or third person?  What I mean is, when the player picks up an item, should the text say "You picked up a potion" or "[Character Name] picks up a potion."

It's something you don't really notice or think about until you're making your own game.

2) In my game, it's sorta going to trick you about who the main character is.  The first 20-30 minutes of gameplay will feature one character, then suddenly the real main character will emerge, and you will play as him for the rest of the game.  How should I treat this?

Should I just keep all the items, stats, experience, etc, and just change the name and sprite?

Or should I make it a blank slate?  New character, new items, base experience, etc.

The first way seems more fair to the player, like if they've levelled and collected items, it's not all a waste of time.  It also seems to be the way most games treat situations like that.  But the second way makes more sense, I think, and I would personally prefer that one.

I'll probably need more input later, but that's all I can think of for now.

 

[crazrick]

I need some opinions, fellas.

1) Should I treat it in second person or third person?   What I mean is, when the player picks up an item, should the text say "You picked up a potion" or "[Character Name] picks up a potion."

I think it depends on how/when the Item is recovered, if it's, for example, recovered by an NPC who then joins, would be third person, or if, again for example, your party contains a warrior, a cleric, and a mage, and the item is a spell book... a warrior or cleric have no real use for a spell book, so you might say '<Mage's name> picks up the spell book' and allocate the book/item to that character

2) In my game, it's sorta going to trick you about who the main character is.   The first 20-30 minutes of gameplay will feature one character, then suddenly the real main character will emerge, and you will play as him for the rest of the game.   How should I treat this?

Should I just keep all the items, stats, experience, etc, and just change the name and sprite?

Or should I make it a blank slate?  New character, new items, base experience, etc.

The first way seems more fair to the player, like if they've levelled and collected items, it's not all a waste of time.   It also seems to be the way most games treat situations like that.   But the second way makes more sense, I think, and I would personally prefer that one.

I'll probably need more input later, but that's all I can think of for now.

What happens to the first player-character once the 'real' Main character takes over?
If the first guy stays on as part of the group, I don't mind much 'rebuilding' the new guy into Star Status... at first, it would seem like OK, gotta play this guy to catch him up in level to the other guy any way, no worries... then 20 or 30 minutes or an hour later, hopefully the story and game is so fun and exciting that you don't really notice that you switched main-characters.

But, ya, if the first guy you play for 30 minutes just fades away, leaves the group or dies or something, then it would seem like a waste when you could have instead just jumped in as the second/Main character...

audiences and gamers are kinda picky and fickle (especially the ones around here, if most of the critique posts are any indication..)  ADD, spasticated seizure disorders, and other mental illness make it hard for todays gamers to grasp the concept that life is fluid, that main characters in a game can die or move on or change at the whim of a competent game-designer...

it can be done, but you have to be careful how you pull it off.