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Now that I'm more calm...

  • Marrend
  • 11/03/2014 06:43 PM
  • 2466 views
I know the existence of a bug in the current demo. It's not a huge issue, and could probably be rectified in a matter of moments. The demo could probably use a re-balancing in respect to the first boss too. However, there is the small point of there still not being all that much game to be had. The idea MakioKuta had of having players physically traverse the wasteland area (rather than skipping it) is certainly an idea worth considering.

Now that I think about it, I may want to re-consider how the world map functions as a whole. It used to be a collection of linked maps, kinda like how Matsumori Days was set up. A traversal of the wasteland might be better suited under such circumstances. As for encounters on the world map, I think they might need to exist. I would probably be consistent, and stick with on-touch encounters. The ones for the Jobito sub-area might need to change after the five-year gap, but that shouldn't be a huge issue. Well, at least as long as I actually make the check on the appropriate switch on the appropriate event-page! Geeze.

Saying that, I have no idea when I'm going to get around to doing anything with this project! There is a small voice that tells me to just let this die again. Which, I admit, is pretty tempting with both Konae and Oracle still hanging over my head, let me tell you what. I dunno. I guess, I'll leave it on haitus on the vague off-chance that I actually do come back to this. Though, using the wording "vague off-chance" probably speaks volumes about what I think my chances actually are.

Posts

Pages: 1
nhubi
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
11099
11/04/2014 03:58 AM
Perhaps correct those bugs that you know are an easy fix and have a look at incorporating that wasteland section as MakioKuta suggested in the discussion thread and then let it rest for a while if that is your inclination. If you don't fix or amend anything when/if you do come back to it, perhaps for another revive type event in the far flung future you won't remember those little things that needed fixing and the content you thought was a reasonable addition. Which means you'll face the same frustration again just at a later date. Stitch in time saves nine and all that.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
11/04/2014 05:19 PM
Hrm. Inserting a map (or a series of maps) to represent the wasteland sounds like a much more appropriate solution than re-doing the world map as a whole. Though, since I'm no longer developing under the auspices of the Revive the Dead event, I would be inclined to create a new download.

Though, seeing two "Legacy Reborn" downloads in regards to future event submission drop-down boxes might be a tad weird. Oh well. Not terribly relevant, I suppose.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
11/05/2014 10:38 PM
So, one of the suggestions that have been made to me is to set up encounters in at choke points in Dark Forest to prevent players from going straight to the boss. I find this an interesting suggestion to make, as a lot of my games allow players to skip/dodge regular encounters and go straight to the boss.

I dunno. I guess it feels a bit unfair that this suggestion is coming up with this game, but not all the others. Does this make sense to anybody else? Maybe I'm just weird.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
11/05/2014 10:56 PM
author=Marrend
So, one of the suggestions that have been made to me is to set up encounters in at choke points in Dark Forest to prevent players from going straight to the boss. I find this an interesting suggestion to make, as a lot of my games allow players to skip/dodge regular encounters and go straight to the boss.

I dunno. I guess it feels a bit unfair that this suggestion is coming up with this game, but not all the others. Does this make sense to anybody else? Maybe I'm just weird.


The more important question is the reasoning. Why do you allow the player to engage the boss directly in almost all situations?

Ultimately, I don't think the method is wrong in of itself. But you have to understand that most games make you pass challenges before you square off against the boss. Thus, some players, when presented with the opportunity to go straight to the boss, will assume that the game is saying "No need to grind, go for it."

But without getting some battles under their belt, they won't be able to face off against the boss. While some players are fine assuming that they'll need to grind, other players will want challenges to be placed before the boss, and, also, challenges in front of chests, so that their fighting has more of a payoff than just levels; it's building a bridge between them and the end of the level much more literally, not just via levels.

And I know I, for one, have indeed voiced concern in other games you've made where you can just walk right up to the boss at the start of a level. Konae's Investigations comes to mind, where I was concerned that you could go right in a dungeon and literally find the boss there and be forced to fight him, ready or not.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
11/05/2014 11:35 PM
Let me consider the point about challenges for a moment. Matsumori Days provides challenges in each of the elemental-based dungeons. I can only recall the "Lost Woods" section in Arbiters, but, Konae's barriers came in the form of locked doors, which could be overcome by, literally speaking, sheer luck.

The effectiveness of these barriers aside, let us consider a case for this demo. "The bandits of Dark Forest", eh? I feel like an idiot saying this, but, perhaps, put an encampment there, and having the players sack it? That kinda sounds like it would get the attention of a bandit boss! I mean, players would fight an encounter that represents the bandit's initial guards before they could sack the encampment, right? I'd have to re-work Dark Forest a bit for this to work properly, but, yeah, this could totally be a thing!
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
11/06/2014 12:07 AM
That sounds like a great idea ^_^
nhubi
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
11099
11/06/2014 02:17 AM
I really like this too, it's a very sensible way of tackling the issue and it's logical. We're all used to random monsters roaming around forests but that is because we are equating 'monsters' to animals in our world which do indeed wander about as they need to, humans however plan. Think of it as a reverse Robin Hood, a bad guy camp with guards/scouts placed around the perimeter for early warning and the main body of the gang inside. You'd need to take on the outliers first and then if you still want to include the ability to dodge they don't have to fight everyone in the camp but can head for the biggest tent/guy and take that on.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
11/08/2014 02:48 PM
I'm not sure about doing tents, but, at least I have cots and campfires to delineate where the bandits are encamped? I also have this weird idea of being able to re-claim some of what the bandits stole for additional EXP when you return to Jobito.

I'm also thinking about the wasteland, and what all is there. I don't quite see there being a boss fight there, but, it can have RADSCORPIONS! Not that that's a good thing, but... oh. Wait. Wrong game. Er, anyway, I'm not sure what to make of that area. There probably aren't going to be too many terrain features, and I certainly don't want to make a Desert of Death out of it either. Though, there are two areas that players would traverse within the wasteland for. One would be the cave where you meet Chisato after the five-year gap. The other would be the Castle of Storms, where other-plot-related-things-that-I-don't-wish-to-spoil happens. Not sure where that gets me, in regards to actual mapping, though.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
11/09/2014 08:04 PM
I've been playing around with a bit with random encounters as opposed to on-screen encounters. Now, the default RNG is crap, as it can always roll a "1" regardless of how high the rate is set. However, I think I've come up with something.

Right now, I've set up a parallel process in Dark Forest where encounters can occur within 10 to 19 steps of each other (14.5 steps on average). These numbers were pulled out of thin air, and I'm pretty sure I eventually want to base the average on the actual size of the area in question. In Dark Forest's case, it might end up being 13.5 steps on average. This is totally a thing I will want feedback on, when it gets to that point: if it's too high, to low, or about right.

This kinda makes me want to do a release sooner, though. In other words, keep the five-year gap where it is, rather than worry myself in regards to messing with the wasteland. I'm not sure if this is a smart/ move, though, as having the wasteland in the next release would give players playtesters an additional opportunity to get a feel for this system.
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