[RMVX ACE] NEW GAME IDEA/HELP- LACKADAISICAL

Lackadaisical
is my working title.

The story is that a group of 4 adventurers, all siblings, approach the steps of a haunted mansion. There seems to be an unspoken leader to the group who keeps everyone together-but for all intensive purposes the group doesn't seem so dsyfunctional.One short dungeon-clearing montage later, they reach the top floor, excited and ready to battle the boss-man. He laughs malicously and the battle begins. In the thick of it, trading sword for sword, blow for blow.

And suddenly there's a thud.

The battle cuts out, and our self-appointed leader slumps to the ground against a wall, a thin trail of blood following him. The battle music stops. The boss waits for the battle to start up again- but something's different. Somebody's wailing in the corner, another is halfheartedly waving his sword, and the third person has fled the room. The boss is confused.

As it turns out, the three siblings were incredibly dependent on their older brother, sheltered from reality and shattered by the shock of a loved one dying. For a while after the disaster, they merely wander the castle grounds while the boss shoos monsters out of their way. He's thinks- this is how battles are supposed to go, right? What were they expecting? But he's disturbed, feels a pervese need to undo what was done, if only for curiosity's sake. And he's you.

As the dungeon's boss, you get to control the monsters, traps, and perils that await the adventurers, carefully manipulating the environment aroung them to allow them to proceed, eventually surviving outside hte castle. But it will be no easy task. All three siblings are broken, each in their own way, and will only triumph with a careful hand and a lot of luck.

Lets try some different scenarios:

1. You simply move all obstacles out of the way. Your adventurers might:
think they're impervious to damage
believe they can overcome any foe
turn to hopelessness from a lack of a challenge
see no reason to continue on, with nothing to do

2. Let them win every battle. They might:
Beleive they can't lose.
Stop trying as much.
Suffer from boredom.

3. Give them a constant ghost companion. They might:
Feel entitled to company.
Fear being alone.
Become attached to it like an imaginary friend.
etc.


So what we have here is essentially a parenting sim for extremely sensitive children (except that you're an evil boss, but whatever), where you want to help them grow up right but your choices don't always translate. Each character has a pre-set personality that will develop based off of their experiences and memories from the castle, what challeneges they have overcame and what they believe they can overcome.


I have two basic ideas of how you could do this:

The ghost-companion is the only way you can interact with the character or guide them along, and that the rooms, traps, monsters are set. You have to gain the trust of the characters, but can't let them depend too much on you.

Another is that as the boss you can change the layout and traps of the room, though this might jsut make things more complicated.


My problem is how does the player interact with the adventurer-characters as semi-AI? Through a ghost companion? Can the AI move on their own? What about other games involving mental health mechanics?

Any ideas?