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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Jul 2003
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It would be good to have a complete party of 5 to 8 NPC’s that would join with you on your quests, all of them with a history and dialogs of their own, Including banter dialog between the NPC’s. Maybe even a romance option between the player and several different choices of NPC's. I realize this might be quite cliché, but Dialog just like or way beyond what Bioware did with the Baldur’s Gate II game. I realize this would be a momentum task but if anyone could do it and do it correctly it would be the Larian Studios Team.
Note: if Larian Studios did do this and do it right you would have a monstrous fan base. To get an idea go to the Bioware web site and check out the Baldur’s Gate I & II forums. Especially, the BGII forum. It has some real hard core devoted fans, as does Larian Studios.
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jun 2003
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I agree. Character interaction is what makes BG2 and Planescape: Torment the great games they are. They feature the good aspects of Japanese console RPGs - the story and characters - without the retarded gameplay. I think it's an utter waste, story-wise, to do what the Icewind Dale series (and most "old school" PC RPGs) did, and have a party of characters that is basically treated as a single entity, never talking to each other.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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I have to strongly disagree. I don't think I could bear to train and upgrade six characters. I love the idea of a sole hero. It adds so much more to the Role Playing experience. I always find that party based RPGs are more strategy games or interactive stories than role-players. In single character RPGs there is a much stronger bond between the character and the player. The character is like a child of the player, being brought up from a baby 1s level to a mature 30th level and beyond.
After that spiel, I do enjoy party-based RPGs, but for their strategy elements more than their RPG elements. Both styles are good, but belong in their own realms. Diablo 2 did a good job in melding the two by providing the option of a party (Paladin) or a hero (Assassin) or a selection of either (Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer).
No, I don't know entirely where I'm going with all this. I think my point is that both styles have their merits, but trying to combine them will cause too much micro-management.
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jun 2003
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I have to strongly disagree. I don't think I could bear to train and upgrade six characters. I love the idea of a sole hero. It adds so much more to the Role Playing experience. I always find that party based RPGs are more strategy games or interactive stories than role-players. In single character RPGs there is a much stronger bond between the character and the player. The character is like a child of the player, being brought up from a baby 1s level to a mature 30th level and beyond.
After that spiel, I do enjoy party-based RPGs, but for their strategy elements more than their RPG elements. Both styles are good, but belong in their own realms. Diablo 2 did a good job in melding the two by providing the option of a party (Paladin) or a hero (Assassin) or a selection of either (Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer).
No, I don't know entirely where I'm going with all this. I think my point is that both styles have their merits, but trying to combine them will cause too much micro-management. Larian has already stated that Riftrunner is a party-based game, with at least one player-controllable party member (the death knight). So the argument is not whether there will be a party, but how it is implemented. I would far rather party members that interact with each other and have detailed back-stories, than mindless drones who are an extention of the main character (like in IWD). That said, 5-8 party members may be a bit excessive (although it did work well in BG2 and Torment, so it could still be good if done right).
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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Jul 2003
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I never had a problem dealing with six characters including my player. Also, you could always tell the prospective NPC not to join your party. That way each person gets what they want out of the gaming experience. Yes, leveling up is slower, but I believe the gamers out there can handle it.
To me the interaction between the player and the NPC’s is what makes the whole game a most memorable experience, as well as the banter back and forth between the NPC’s. To do this correctly it would take total dedication from a writer who would make it their own personal project that they would love and adore.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2003
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They feature the good aspects of Japanese console RPGs - the story and characters - without the retarded gameplay. Not a single console game can be considered as an RPG except maybe Morrowind (nof of my favorites either). In BG2 you spoke with your characters with dialogue choices and such. In Final Fantasy they showed you some cutscene where X character speaks to Y character. I prefer BG2 interaction. Anyway, I wonder what's the party limit on RR and if it will be possible to set them to automatic mode...
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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I just don't think party-based games are real RPGs. I think I can handle two characters, provided they both have skills and such to upgrade. That's one of the big factors in an RPG: customizing your character.
The dolls appear to be optional, like summoned creatures in Divine Divinity. Provided it is an option to have a large party, and not a requirement, I'll be happy.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2003
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HandEFoot (joking, HandEFood),
That's why I wish Larian will make a "follow character" camera mode so that if I want a true RPG, I could solo the game... Ok, just have 2 character party.
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jun 2003
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Anyway, I wonder what's the party limit on RR and if it will be possible to set them to automatic mode... AI-controlled party members are a baaad idea. Did I mention they are bad? Haven't we learned anything from Neverwinter Nights and the Fallout series? Good games they may be, but the computer-controlled party members are more of a hindrance than help. And with present technology I don't think it's possible to improve their AI to the level we would need. If they wanted to add an "automatic mode" they would have to devote countless man-hours to a feature that 99% of people wouldn't use.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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That's why I wish Larian will make a "follow character" camera mode so that if I want a true RPG, I could solo the game... Ok, just have 2 character party. I'm confused. How does the camera affect the role-playingness of a game?
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2003
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Stark, Yeah, I suppose you just mentioned that "AI-controlled party members are a baaad idea". Who are "we", btw? Neither in NWN nor Fallout, I didn't see why AI-controlled party members are bad. I simply don't. And I never said they should make it ONLY AI controlled. Infinity Engine games had AI-Behaviour. You could set an AI routine for your members or you could disable them. That's what I had in mind. I doubt those were THAT difficult to design. HandEFood, The camera doesn't affects the role-playingness much. I just want something closer to Divine Divnity than to Baldur's Gate (I had enough of Infinity Engine <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />). I can't really explain it, but I like when I have the ability to make the camera follow the character <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/freak.gif" alt="" />.
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jun 2003
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Neither in NWN nor Fallout, I didn't see why AI-controlled party members are bad. I simply don't. You should read the NWN:SoU expansion pack reviews and visit the message boards. One of the main complaints is the annoying AI, especially for spellcaster NPCs. As for Fallout, I got shot in the back by party members (with burst-mode weapons - ouch!) often enough to think that computer-controlled party members are not the way to go. Infinity Engine games had AI-Behaviour. You could set an AI routine for your members or you could disable them. That's what I had in mind. I doubt those were THAT difficult to design. True, true. But it was almost impossible to finish the games by relying on the AI scripts. I think most people just disabled them and controlled everyone manually, so IMO they were not worth the developers' effort to implement. Of course I might be wrong - it might be cheap and easy to do - in which case Larian will probably add an AI toggle. As long as you can disable it, I'll be happy.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2003
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True, true. But it was almost impossible to finish the games by relying on the AI scripts. I think most people just disabled them and controlled everyone manually, so IMO they were not worth the developers' effort to implement. Of course I might be wrong - it might be cheap and easy to do - in which case Larian will probably add an AI toggle. As long as you can disable it, I'll be happy. It would be fine if it were possible. If something goes wrong, you can always take control yourself, no? You probably see by my post that I am the kind of person who likes to critisize others but hardy worth anything alone: I'll keep critisizing my AI party for doing everything wrong but it helped me when I didn't know what do do with X party member <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />.
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