How exactly does one start the demonic path?
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Corrupt the MC, mainly by interacting with the Demonic Orc while being corrupted, then go to the Chieftain Path and either interact with the Real Emperor in the basement or Declare War on the Empire, then go to the basement where the Evil Mask lies and have the MC put it on.
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I think it is at the west. I would tell you who it is, but I donât want to give out spoilers.
Also, that is all the ideas I have right now, aside from linking paths ideas I still have, like the Imperial Spy Job Path linking to the Arena Path because the MC overheard troubling rumors from the Arena Fighters about the foreshadowing of the ending of the Arena Path, or connecting the Morbidly Chubby Hafling Recipe Book to the Big Belly Path, or maybe using the book to give the MC an advantage in the Grub Competition in the Job Path, I have a question, can Orcs become Chefs? If so, I have another DLC Path idea, the Orc Chef Path, depending on the playerâs choice, the MC can become a Chef either on behalf of the Dust Clan (Because Orcs can also be Big Bellies) or independently, gather enough cooking experience from either a very high Appetite Skill, in the Big Belly Path with a very High Belly Rank, from the Grub Competition in the Job Path, from the MCâs Idle Adventures, or from the Chef Path Directly, the MC can start his own restaurant, and possibly start his own food competition, depending on the fame of his restaurant, his own Renown, and his Horde popularity, he can attract special customers, like the Big Bellies of Dust Clan, Snozz and his Ogre, Chief Blogga and his⌠ClanâŚ? (Is he alone or does he have his own horde?), Big Bertha, etc⌠(I am out of ideas to come up with new people with huge appetites). But then the MCâs Restaurant will face competition from all over Arbit/Bethadland, like the Green Gentleman Tavern owned by Gim and Jym, the Hot Pot and Grill Eatery owned by Hot Fingers from the Adventuring Path (If the MC has enough relationship with him), and there should be new ones.
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Some of these you have mentioned before. I keep all suggestions in a doc file. The chef one sounds fun! Not sure it would work as a DLC, itâs more of a bonus expansion- something I think would be great to add, although if I did, it would be much later down the line. But keep them coming, mate! My DLC doc file is loaded with your ideas!!!
Hi Adam,
@Patrick_Cody02 cleared up most of this. Yes, you must get corrupted. The best way is to travel to the far north, confront the demon orc and give in to his offer. Then, use the dark powers whenever you have the option to. During your fight to gain control of the Dust Clan, you get a chance to unleash the demon there.
Then, you must meet the ârealâ emperor and take off his mask. A possibility exists for you to do this later if you conquer Grandardgard, though this is hard to achieve (if I remember correctly).
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On the topic of DLC, I donât like DLC at all. I followed UGJ as a WiP, bought it, played it to death, and now itâs done to me. Great beginning, middle, end
DLC is like reheating a meal well past its expiration date just to try a new side dish. It forces replaying a bunch of content I have no wish to revisit just for a smattering of new stuff. Iâd far prefer you work on a sequel or a standalone new story in the same time period than work on any DLC
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For example, this idea is basically a new game but bolted onto an intro section that I donât want to play again. And one where you as the author have to stay confined to the stats, lore, etc. that UGJ has set up.
If you were to do this, it would be much better to just make a new spinoff game focusing on questing itself - more mechanical freedom, more story freedom, more revenue (I would estimate).
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If you didnât know about Green until after the DLC was released, surely youâd be happy with the extra stuff that gets added with that DLC, right? Think of it as another reason for new players to play who mightâve been sitting on the fence on whether or not to get it. Something to sweeten the deal. Also, a lot of players donât replay until some time has passed between playthroughs, so I donât think that many people have played the game to death, so to speak, especially when Greenâs claim to fame is itâs replayability.
Sure, it might be more efficient to move on to other projects, but why not let the writer follow where their passions lay? If thatâs in DLC, I say go for it. If thatâs in a new project, thatâs great too! Neither removes the passion of the other
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Because of opportunity cost. Every hour spent working on a DLC is one that cannot be spent on a new game.
If our friend truly wants to do DLC in particular, fine. But if heâs neutral, Iâm letting him know my opinion - that a new story is a much better vehicle for new content than bolting it onto a finished product.
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Hi @VernonRoche and @sana
You both have great points. Iâll just state my view.
I plan a series of long games, with Green, 2 books for Ash and Fire (one story spread over 2 books) and a third game set in a future period.
In theory, once I get book 1 of Ash and Fire done, Iâm halfway through the âbig projectsâ of my crazy plan. A DLC, a much shorter work (a single path neednât be more than, say 300k?) dedicated to one path/aspect, would be, sort of, a palate cleanser. I would try to ensure I donât rely on old variables much, allowing me to create something without tearing my brainâs limited memory apart. I would want it to feel ânewâ though within the old game.
(I also have a shorter game planned after book 2 of Ash and Fire, a prologue to the third game- but weâll see.)
I mean, Iâm learning as I go, but I think it could be a useful experience to make a DLC. I imagine I could complete it at a faster pace than a whole game. I hope it will be good and that people like it. Perhaps it would result in a few more people buying the base game. Green does lend itself to having âpath DLCs.â This might encourage some to revisit the game, too, as @sana said. Or, a DLC might turn out to be something nobody really wants or something that doesnât hold an old (in experience, not age @VernonRoche) playerâs attention. There might not really be a DLC market in IF, except for the rare exceptions like Zombie Exodus.
The content would be optional. @VernonRoche would you be more inclined to try a DLC if it introduced an option to âskip straight to the new contentâ?
Appreciate the thoughtful points. Both of you are completely correct, making me mentally fight out a battle between pragmatism and intentions. At times like this, banging your head is best. 'Tis what bricks walls are for.
My plans are not concrete, all is liable to change. My priority right now is finishing the current game. But I am open to experimenting with a DLC.
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My man, 300k words is longer than most full games on the catalogue. It would be in the top third in terms of length, longer than smash hits like Evertree Inn and Lost Heir.
If you did it as a DLC, Iâd probably still buy it, particularly if you could skip to the new content, but I think you might be missing out on sales. You should ask Kyle Marquis how well his DLC content sells (generating net new sales of the book + DLC revenue) in comparison to just releasing a new book.
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It might not be 300k. But, as soon as I start to plan a project, it always expands, so I am giving myself a longer length of rope.
Of course, if the DLC ends up being huge (which I forbid myself to do), I would probably make it a standalone, depending on what it is about. But I get your point.
An advantage to a DLC for Green is that the world-building is already done. I wouldnât have to concern myself with slowly opening up a world, just get straight into the action. Iâll drop a message to Kyle at some point- cheers, mate.
Youâve got me thinking too!
TIME FOR A POLL for all of you who still check my Lovely Green Thread!
EDIT: Would you buy DLC for a HG/CoG game?
- For a game I like! Absolutely yes!
- I might, depending on if it sounds interesting.
- Definitely not!
0
voters
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I asked the HG Reddit forum the same thing. The results of the time of writing this:
For a game I like: 56
I might: 42
No: 8
Now, I know these are both places which are biased, places where we all like/love Interactive Fiction. I donât know how this would translate into the wider market. Also it is a general poll, especially on Reddit, so I know it doesnât mean my game specifically.
But it sounds like the diehard IF Choice-wielders of Doom are pro DLC. I will make sure to PM some of the more experienced authors to find our their take too, at some point.
Cheers!
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Making DLC is like balancing on a very small tight rope while carying a lot of weight on each side of the balancing beam, it is hard to predict if the content is going to be good or flop, one wrong move, and your game can end up crashing down like a house of cards and lose a lot of fans, just like how Starfieldâs Shattered Space DLC recieved a lot of mixed reviews, but it ended up disappointing
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Yes, there is a degree of risk. I think it is mitigated a bit with Green though, due to the fact that the MC creates his plot, to a degree, rather than there being a set narrative which always looms over events no matter what you do.
If I added a new path, it would still be one among many and some paths are mutually exclusive after a certain point. Of course, I would hate for players who like Green to dislike a new a path, but it is not the same as, say, a story expansion which adds plots elements that may undermine an established narrative and mess with what players have already experienced in the game.
Green is designed to encourage multiple playthroughs and I hope a new path would encourage âjust one more.â
Hopefully, if/when I start developing it, I can keep it on track with the aid of feedback.
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