Hero of Daria: The RPG (WIP) - CLOSED

[achtungnight]

Lucid- Thx. One thing I’m still confused on in the sewers- I found Rosie the Halfling Rogue and her Guild already. I’ve never found the Full Cup Inn Robbers though, and the Guild said they were unauthorized. I want to get the Robbers. If they’re gone and this is just a lead on the Thieves Guild or Guild subterfuge, never mind. Just a loose end.

On the plot, I think it’s ok the way things were put across. Not as good as your past games, but ok. I may say more after I see more of the plot. That Blue Wolf Boss is kicking my ass, so I can’t see what happens after beating it.

I still enjoy the game, plot holes and all.

[achtungnight]

Further idea on the Town Guard- the way the Captain put across her offer, I thought I’d be able to come back for a recurring job instead of just working for her once to guard the south gate one morning. I could pick my shifts as a reserve officer, she said. So I hoped to make it a recurring job- see if the Captain has a shift each morning, then do it if I want- and maybe some shifts are uneventful but occasionally there’s a random encounter like a thief trying to escape their resisting victim, a Kobold scout, a quest hook, etc. Maybe over time I could also Persuade the Captain to let me conduct shifts out of uniform (uniform is light armor, inhibits spellcasting, also Heavy Armor is better but not the uniform)- good idea to improve Persuasion I thought. The more shifts you perform, the lower the difficulty of the check. As is, it appears you can only work once for the guard, no pay.

[Lucid]

@achtungnight

Further idea on the Town Guard

That’s the plan. All four classes have great opportunities for further side quests:

• Guarding as a fighter, which gives ranks, lets you work in other cities, and grows. Get paid for your shifts. Perhaps a weekly salary, etc. Become a soldier, join the army, become an officer.
• Grow out of apprenticeship as a wizard. Travel to the Academy and enroll. Gain your familiar. Maybe even teach at the academy. Research new magic.
• Do the duties of a cleric. Marry someone, do a funeral rite, etc. Spoil it all as an evil cleric.
• Work for the Theives Guild as a rogue. Pull off jobs. Rise up the ranks. Get into extortion, bribery and other fun criminal acts.

This game doesn’t have its story yet:

• Tiriel’s unlicensed thieves.
• No companions or friends yet. This also means no romancing, yet. Rossi and Roland were to be the first recruitable companions. More would be added all over the kingdom.
• Stuck in one small village. Can’t go to Tornassa to see what’s happened to the world.

@kyros and @IvoryOwl have pointed out the lack of story. Yes, I was just showing the game engine at this point. I wanted to see if it was possible. With no friends and no companions, you can’t really get to know anybody. Since you can’t go to Tornassa or other towns yet, you can’t see what’s happened to the world or become a part of it.

More troubling is that people are finding it too overwhelming. Too many stats and too much of an RPG. Hmmm, that won’t change. My vision was to be exactly that. A large world that you can travel around in. Grow and become stronger. Meet people, see things, and do things. And, if you get around to it, save the world.

But, this IS text, after all. Perhaps RPGs are meant for other mediums. I’m starting to think that I should stick to novels. The Last Wizard is very much a novel. It’s all story with very little gameplay. Maybe I should be writing another book instead.

[N1GHTMAR3]

I’m perfectly fine with this. In fact, I’d love more gameplay over the story. It’s a lot more different, hence why there’s the name “RPG” added. I can see my character improving over time with items. TLH did that too but I didn’t really notice. More stats mean more weaknesses to exploit by observing different types of enemies.

[achtungnight]

Your call what to write, but I think a freeform open world CYOA novel has lots of potential. It’s a new idea, but hey, when do those ever come across universally good to start out? I like the idea of recruiting Roland.

“Roland, we’re both warriors, sick of standing in the sun. Let’s quit the guard and be adventurers, there’s questing to be done. We’ll make a deal in Dobbton, on a dark and stormy day, then set off for Tornassa and join a bloody fray…” Apologies to fans of Warren Zevon’s Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, I’m not the best Bard.

I had hoped Rossi was an RO! Maybe Ross and Roline need to be possible too for alternate gender fans.

The game engine works, but story is important too. For me at least. I like open world games with rich fulfilling story like Witcher and Saints Row. GTA 5 and Read Dead Redemption had awful stories IMO, so I didn’t finish them. The story in Just Cause was bland, played once and never again. IMO an open world game needs good gameplay and story to work. The main story is the most recurring sidequest, it’s obvious why it needs to be good.

[Envy]

All I can say right now is for the being the first beta of HoD; I like it so far there are somethings that could fleshes out to make things easier for the reader like adding a simple way for people to change weapon and armor. Also am I the only one who likes the idea of a Tiriel RO?

[N1GHTMAR3]

I’m pretty sure it’s a lot code involved because when you equip a weapon it does indeed use checks for many factors. So then it’d involve even more code for the author to automatically let you equip it.

[anon49824592]

Should we assume that Jolina’s mathematics quest is not finished yet? I don’t know how to get 40 Int (gnomes can have up to +20 int depending on starting bonuses)

[svick]

@Lucid

More troubling is that people are finding it too overwhelming. Too many stats and too much of an RPG. Hmmm, that won’t change. My vision was to be exactly that.

My issue is that some common actions take too much time. Actions like traveling, sleeping or checking stats of items.

For example, when I want to travel from my camp at the edge of the forest to Jolina’s cottage, I have to select these options:

1. Break camp.
2. Leave the edge of the Alderheart forest.
3. Go East, back to Elmvale.
4. Leave the Elmvale village center.
5. Go North to the Temple District.
6. Visit Jolina, the Wizard

I think that’s way too complicated for such a simple action. Also, when doing this, I’m ignoring all the descriptions, and hoping I’m not going to miss any new important information because of that. What I can’t ignore is all the other options, because I need to find the one I want, so it would be nice if they were as short as possible.

Another example is what happens when I get a new weapon: It takes a fairly long time to figure out what its stats are (and how they compare with the weapon I’m currently wielding). And it takes even longer to switch to the new weapon.

I understand that ChoiceScript significantly limits what you can do. But even within those limitations, I think there is a room to improve the ergonomics.

[N1GHTMAR3]

I’m pretty sure gnomes are the best race for mage runs. At least for me, unless the author adds visible improvements to races to differ which race would be best suited for magic.

[N1GHTMAR3]

Agreed with weapon stats. It’d be better if a way was found to see its stats more simply, because right now I think you have to equip it and then look at the inventory.

[svick]

@N1GHTMAR3

I’m pretty sure it’s a lot code involved because when you equip a weapon it does indeed use checks for many factors. So then it’d involve even more code for the author to automatically let you equip it.

Not really. You just have to move that code, so that you can then call it using gosub from two different places.

[N1GHTMAR3]

I’m not new to code but I haven’t found a way to check a game’s contents, so I can’t really tell how the mechanism runs.

[achtungnight]

My idea regarding travel- once we know where a place is, implement Speedwalks a la MUD programs like Aardwolf. Intelligence and maybe Geography check needed for Stat encoding mapmaking, replay value. Put the Speedwalks we know on our Stat screen as separate Options for fast travel (to cut down on Options on the main screen but still have the ability). Then if say, we’re in the Alderheart and want to go see Jolina, we can activate the speedwalk from our status screen (breaks camp automatically). If we’re far away from Jolina, we can be reminded we might need travel rations and time may be of issue in an ‘are you sure?’ check. This seems possible, given what I know of Choicescript and Lucid’s coding abilities.

[anon49824592]

Yes, but do you have to be a gnome to learn mathematics from Jolina, or is that not implemented?

Also, on the subject of racials: why no goblins, full orcs, or trolls? They were playable in Life of a Wizard.

[N1GHTMAR3]

I played as human with a strong background and he was able to learn the maths.

[AAO]

By the way, what’s the deal with Persuasion and Animal Care being labelled under Charisma? Wasn’t that skill removed a while back due to fear of it being useless?

[Lucid]

@Envy

for people to change weapon

The problem is that the game is location based, so it doesn’t run through a routine that I can add the “Change Weapon” routine all the time. I certainly don’t want to add it to every choice.

So, you have to go home, go to camp, go to Delray’s, or change your weapon during the fight itself. Not perfect, but unless I decentralize the game, it almost has to be this way.

The balance hasn’t been adjusted at all. The mathematics books currently are only used in the wizard quest.

@svick

My issue is that some common actions take too much time. Actions like traveling, sleeping or checking stats of items.

That’s what happens when a game includes locations and traveling. If I include quick jumps, then I can’t include random things that might happen when passing through locations. Tricky.

@N1GHTMAR3

unless the author adds visible improvements to races

Yup, no balance yet. I just put in some things to start differentiating the races. I’d like to put in more and include more story-based things, side quests, and even racial prestige classes.

@N1GHTMAR3

Agreed with weapon stats. It’d be better if a way was found to see its stats more simply

Same places as wielding it: Home, Camp, Delrays, Fighting… you can examine things there.

@svick

Not really. You just have to move that code

It’s already a *gosub. But where do I put them? Certainly not in every choice. So that means certain spots. Home, Camp, Delrays, Fighting.

@achtungnight

My idea regarding travel- once we know where a place is, implement Speedwalks

Not bad, but the furthest you travel is 2 locations away. Edge of Farm to Center of Town to Edge of Alderheart. So a speed walk only skips the middle. Then a new problem arises, if the middle is skipped, then events that occur there can’t occur.

@anon49824592

Also, on the subject of racials: why no goblins, full orcs, or trolls?

Only a small part of the game was started to showcase the game engine. Story not done. Friends not done. Romance not done. Races not done. Other classes not done. Balance not done. That’s all for later.

@AAO

Persuasion and Animal Care being labelled under Charisma?

I forgot which ones got removed, but these are used often. Persuasion especially! Animal Care has a little use, but when mounts get implemented, they’ll get a lot of use.

[anon49824592]

Odd. I played as a strong half-orc and couldn’t hack it. Discrimination?

[N1GHTMAR3]

Just wait before you can play as an orc. Yeah, I bet they’re the brainy ones!