Right now I am designing a game, the word "mod" is too basic for my idea project, that is a strategic action role-playing genre. I am at a very early stage where I am generally writing down ideas, concepts, and gameplay focuses and some things I feel is better to get outside opinions rather than develop a feature that nobody or not many will feel excited to use. After all, I`m sure every developer would love to design games solely in their own image, but it would serve them no good if it doesn't suit their target players properly. :)
My main inspirations for this project are Dungeon Siege, Diablo, Magicka, and Baldur's Gate including most of their included expansions and sequels. So you may want to check those out to have an idea where my direction will likely go, as those where my timeless favorites.
One of the beauties of this genre is how it is a mesh between RTS and RPG, especially since one of the titles' main features is the use of controllable parties.
Which brings to my question, bring your suggestive and critical opinions...
Do you believe having the ability to assemble, along with your main hero, additional NPCs as party members add depth, creativity, or tactics to this style of games or do you believe it either hinders, complicates, or bloats them? Explain why or ask questions if you need details about my project, thank you. :)
Some of my current thoughts can be found here also, listing the outstanding.
Sidekicks can add depth if they have an accompanying storyline that is deep enough. Creativity wise it has been done in some form or another since the dawn of videogames so not many points to scrape there. Tactics wise depends on the strength and smartness of the NPC. They can hinder if at any point you need to compensate for bad AI by protecting them especially if there is a mission objective that means you cannot sacrifice them. If you have to give them a lot of orders it complicates gameplay because you are having to watch your own character and the other which can get annoying in sections requiring rapid responses.
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Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
Yeah, I have only briefly thought about AI alongside of the idea itself.
Diablo II, Dungeon Siege, and Dungeon Siege II all have, in some form, a companion system. All the games had separate inventory & lightly scripted AI that covers basic combat. In Diablo II you`re still focused on just your hero alone as there is little control or customization to be involved in, but for Dungeon Siege I & II you`re given full complete and mandatory control of them as you would your own character. This included equipment, advancement, and movement however they still automatically follow you automatically with some options. I do, personally, enjoy the ability to have party members that I solely control freely for the sense of "strategy" but it can be tedious compared to Diablo during combat as you`re required to properly command them throughout.
The reason of my asking this, is there are many who love that kind of gameplay but I know there are just as many of those who really wish to avoid it. If it gets ever implemented, then it first becomes the question of the direction of it; have it like Diablo and keep it minimal and allow focus on main hero alone with possibly the most appropriate AI, or have it like Dungeon Siege and give you full command of them all but renders you having the responsibility to manage multiple characters in a group to an extent.
It`s been only one day, so many there will be other open thoughts on this for me to consider. I rather choose a system of play that most can be comfortable with, especially since this game is intended to be, not exclusively, but heavily multiplayer balanced and I`d love to down the road be playing it with hundreds of others who enjoy it. :)
If you make sidekicks, make them entirely beneficial. This could be done in 1 of 2 ways: Make them invincible. When they "die", they simply "faint" and are inactive for a while before coming back to life. (Think of any quest characters in Skyrim, if you have played it) The other would to have them be disposable, for example, a robot, illusion, etc. Perhaps something like how Kerrigan could be reborn in the campaign. The last would be to have them untargetable. This would be my recommendation. Having to constantly defend a sidekick can become more tiresome than rewarding.
I would have your sidekick (or sidekicks) simply follow you around and execute the same actions you do. If you attack, attack the same target. Maybe have a healer sidekick. So instead of thinking of them as additional units, think of them as buffs to your own character. That is what I would do, at any rate.
well, remember belly of the beast in sc2s campaign? heroes would only become incapacitated = knocked out, unable to do anything once their HP reached 0. then they would get up after a while
Yes, but for a sidekick, I would personally not like that. It would still provide the stress of having to try and keep them alive, because I would still want the bonus. Instead of focusing on gameplay, I would focus on that, and honestly I wouldn't enjoy it. And also in the campaign, they were heroes that you could control, not sidekicks.
For a sidekick system, have for example a party of you and 3 sidekicks. the sidekicks are AI controlled, and you control your own character. But you can also select one of your sidekicks. Then you control that character, and the character you had previously selected will become AI controlled until you select it again. this will require a lot of micro-management, but I think it could work well. This way, the sidekicks are useful, and you can save them from danger by selecting him and letting him go back.
Right now I am designing a game, the word "mod" is too basic for my idea project, that is a strategic action role-playing genre. I am at a very early stage where I am generally writing down ideas, concepts, and gameplay focuses and some things I feel is better to get outside opinions rather than develop a feature that nobody or not many will feel excited to use. After all, I`m sure every developer would love to design games solely in their own image, but it would serve them no good if it doesn't suit their target players properly. :)
My main inspirations for this project are Dungeon Siege, Diablo, Magicka, and Baldur's Gate including most of their included expansions and sequels. So you may want to check those out to have an idea where my direction will likely go, as those where my timeless favorites. One of the beauties of this genre is how it is a mesh between RTS and RPG, especially since one of the titles' main features is the use of controllable parties.
Which brings to my question, bring your suggestive and critical opinions...
Do you believe having the ability to assemble, along with your main hero, additional NPCs as party members add depth, creativity, or tactics to this style of games or do you believe it either hinders, complicates, or bloats them? Explain why or ask questions if you need details about my project, thank you. :)
Some of my current thoughts can be found here also, listing the outstanding.
Sidekicks can add depth if they have an accompanying storyline that is deep enough. Creativity wise it has been done in some form or another since the dawn of videogames so not many points to scrape there. Tactics wise depends on the strength and smartness of the NPC. They can hinder if at any point you need to compensate for bad AI by protecting them especially if there is a mission objective that means you cannot sacrifice them. If you have to give them a lot of orders it complicates gameplay because you are having to watch your own character and the other which can get annoying in sections requiring rapid responses.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
@DrSuperEvil: Go
Yeah, I have only briefly thought about AI alongside of the idea itself. Diablo II, Dungeon Siege, and Dungeon Siege II all have, in some form, a companion system. All the games had separate inventory & lightly scripted AI that covers basic combat. In Diablo II you`re still focused on just your hero alone as there is little control or customization to be involved in, but for Dungeon Siege I & II you`re given full complete and mandatory control of them as you would your own character. This included equipment, advancement, and movement however they still automatically follow you automatically with some options. I do, personally, enjoy the ability to have party members that I solely control freely for the sense of "strategy" but it can be tedious compared to Diablo during combat as you`re required to properly command them throughout.
The reason of my asking this, is there are many who love that kind of gameplay but I know there are just as many of those who really wish to avoid it. If it gets ever implemented, then it first becomes the question of the direction of it; have it like Diablo and keep it minimal and allow focus on main hero alone with possibly the most appropriate AI, or have it like Dungeon Siege and give you full command of them all but renders you having the responsibility to manage multiple characters in a group to an extent.
It`s been only one day, so many there will be other open thoughts on this for me to consider. I rather choose a system of play that most can be comfortable with, especially since this game is intended to be, not exclusively, but heavily multiplayer balanced and I`d love to down the road be playing it with hundreds of others who enjoy it. :)
@HeartStrong: Go
If you make sidekicks, make them entirely beneficial. This could be done in 1 of 2 ways: Make them invincible. When they "die", they simply "faint" and are inactive for a while before coming back to life. (Think of any quest characters in Skyrim, if you have played it) The other would to have them be disposable, for example, a robot, illusion, etc. Perhaps something like how Kerrigan could be reborn in the campaign. The last would be to have them untargetable. This would be my recommendation. Having to constantly defend a sidekick can become more tiresome than rewarding.
I would have your sidekick (or sidekicks) simply follow you around and execute the same actions you do. If you attack, attack the same target. Maybe have a healer sidekick. So instead of thinking of them as additional units, think of them as buffs to your own character. That is what I would do, at any rate.
Great to be back and part of the community again!
well, remember belly of the beast in sc2s campaign? heroes would only become incapacitated = knocked out, unable to do anything once their HP reached 0. then they would get up after a while
Yes, but for a sidekick, I would personally not like that. It would still provide the stress of having to try and keep them alive, because I would still want the bonus. Instead of focusing on gameplay, I would focus on that, and honestly I wouldn't enjoy it. And also in the campaign, they were heroes that you could control, not sidekicks.
Great to be back and part of the community again!
For a sidekick system, have for example a party of you and 3 sidekicks. the sidekicks are AI controlled, and you control your own character. But you can also select one of your sidekicks. Then you control that character, and the character you had previously selected will become AI controlled until you select it again. this will require a lot of micro-management, but I think it could work well. This way, the sidekicks are useful, and you can save them from danger by selecting him and letting him go back.
Just make them have an ultra low attack priority compared to the hero.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg