AoD survey!

[Hazelnut]

A few questions for you so we can understand you crazy fuckers better:

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?

Choices and consequences as well as turn-based combat! I care because I'm bored with the shiney graphics wank fests that are produced for profit, and even though I lean towards graphics whorish-ism, I don't want it at the expense of a game.

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)

Naked elves with big tits... <kidding>

The setting doesn't really fire me up, with the Rome influences, but then I've not played any games with similar settings so I might love it. It's not overly important to me. Other than that, I can't really answer without having played the game.

3. What's your perfect indie RPG? What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?

I expect gameplay and complexity. I don't want to see dumbing down and I don't want to be patronised.

I must say that I can't figure out the purpose of these questions before release, but there's my 2p anyhow.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I must say that I can't figure out the purpose of these questions before release...

Because the answers would be meaningless after the game is released. Q#2 was misunderstood.

 

[StraitLacedDeviant]

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?

The holy trinity, Iso, turnbased, non-linear. The promise of being able to finish the game without violence and then reload and slaughter every living creature in the gameworld.

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)

For me a game that incorporates the ethical and social development of the character into the story. I'm not entirely certain how that would work. Perhaps in the Journal the characters reasoning behind the choices he makes could form some kind of dynamic narrative. I know you're supposed to be the character and decide his motivations but imagine if it was treated as if you are a separate body unconciously forcing his actions, and you get to read his reasoning and see what kind of person you are making him. You could weight the narrative in such a way that out of character actions get more extreme responses. I don't know if that is making any sense. Regardless I like very strong story, and a very strong narrative, which makes creating an open ended game very difficult I know but what can you do.

Most RPGs, even some of the very good ones leave a vacuum where the protagonist is. You form the character but he is given no complexity other than his skills and the dialogue choices that are available. The obvious comparison is PS:Torment, but imagine one where the characters story is as entralling, but changes depending on how you choose to play the game.

3. What's your perfect indie RPG? What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?

A quality indie RPG for me would be everything that the commercial games these days are not. It would challenge in more than just the traditional sense of a game. It wouldnt attempt to do a million things badly but a few things very well. Thats where certain mainstream games are going. A game should be wide and expansive but in the right areas, story, choice and development. It shouldn't just throw a whole bunch of crap at you to keep you occupied until the hrs/$ equation is satisfied.

 

[Psilon]

1) Turn-based combat, humanoids only, and a complex character system.

2) Bigger? More quests? Fully proofread and QAed?

3) (2*Escape Velocity Nova + Daggerfall + Wizardry 8) / 4 - bugs.

 

[kaizoku]

So VD, given the replies so far is there any game aspect that you guys are going to fix/add/extend ?

* hint * party of "playable" NPCs * hint *

 

[Vault Dweller]

So VD, given the replies so far is there any game aspect that you guys are going to fix/add/extend ?

* hint * party of "playable" NPCs * hint *

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)

We can't change anything that late in development. It's not why I asked the question.

 

[FrancoTAU]

I don't mean this to sound like a spoiled brat, but any desire to have a party based RPG in the future? If the other indy RPGs follow through with party based than I really don't care either way.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I don't mean this to sound like a spoiled brat, but any desire to have a party based RPG in the future?

Yeah, sure, if it fits the story. I like party-based games and have nothing against them. I do believe that party-based setup works best with class-based systems though.

 

[suibhne]

A few questions for you so we can understand you crazy fuckers better:

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?

Consequences; multiple solutions and good branching; lots of text; turn-based combat.

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)

The setting doesn't grab me much at all. I'm sure it'll do the job, and I might even find it fascinating, but I generally have a lack of interest in Roman Empire stuff.

Not having played the game yet, it's tough to identify anything else. :wink: The thing that'll most disappoint me is if the writing is sub-par, but I'm interested in RPG writing and therefore tend toward perfectionism on this count.

3. What's your perfect indie RPG? What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?

Consequences; multiple solutions and good branching; lots of text; turn-based combat.

 

[Vault Dweller]

The thing that'll most disappoint me is if the writing is sub-par...

How is the writing so far? Have you seen the main quest screens at NMA?

 

[suibhne]

The thing that'll most disappoint me is if the writing is sub-par...

How is the writing so far? Have you seen the main quest screens at NMA?

What I've read struck me as fine, other than the small mistakes that have been pointed out here. I guess what I mean is that I want to play a game with literary breadth - I want characters with distinctive voices, for example, and a convincing culture to explore. I haven't seen any evidence on that yet, for good or bad; maybe the characters we've seen so far are actually distinct within the larger context of the game's dialog, which would be great, or maybe everybody sounds the same, which I wouldn't dig quite so much. :wink:

My goals for writing in a game:
1. Consistent, unique (or not) characters. They don't have to be nutty, but they should be believable - and different characters should speak differently, tho the differences may be extremely subtle if they've had very similar backgrounds (education, socioeconomic background, religion, w/e).

2. Dialog that reflects different conversational tones/attitudes. Anger should clearly read as anger and so on.

3. Writing in the gameworld that signals/reflects differences in culture, politics, etc. (E.g. handbills, signs, books, letters, even literature.)

Writing obviously crosses over into design when you start dealing with the setting itself - the cultures, the history, etc. There I'm a big fan of offering much more background information than a player actually needs, for two reasons: it rewards stupid players like me ; and that kind of background should be crafted anyway for a consistent, rich gameworld, so you might as well polish it up and share it. This can also set the bar high for the rest of the game, tho. E.g., the "lore" books in TES could've used a good editor, but most are still far and away better than the new writing in Oblivion, and the contrast is inescapable (and very unflattering for Oblivion...) for anyone who likes reading.

So my short answer to your question is that I haven't seen enough of AoD's text to form any impression of it other than "competent". You could do much worse than that (and most mainstream games do), but I'm still hoping you'll do a lot better. :D

 

[Vault Dweller]

So my short answer to your question is that I haven't seen enough of AoD's text to form any impression of it other than "competent". You could do much worse than that (and most mainstream games do), but I'm still hoping you'll do a lot better. :D

I understand. Thanks for the reply, I'll work on that. We'll post the starting quests for the 4 guilds in the very near future (I was asked to do a series of designer diaries dealing with different subjects - quest design, faction dynamics design, and so on, so once I finish the current interview, I'll do the faction one and hopefully you'll see what you are looking for).

 

[Slylandro]

I don't mean this to sound like a spoiled brat, but any desire to have a party based RPG in the future?

Yeah, sure, if it fits the story. I like party-based games and have nothing against them. I do believe that party-based setup works best with class-based systems though.

Isn't AoD class-based or are things like the assassin and the grifter just templates to start off the game with?

 

[Vault Dweller]

They are professions. They define your place in the gameworld prior to the in-game events, so that you wouldn't start in a vacuum. So, if you start as a thief, you start as a member of the Thieves Guild. You don't need to prove anything to them as you are one of them. You get a reputation bonus with the thieves and assassins, a sizable reputation penalty with the merchants for obvious reasons, and a penalty with the Imperial Guards and militia. Your profession also grants you minor skill bonuses and affects your starting equipment. Your character development is not restricted in any way.

 

[Koby]

I'm going to take a slightly different route on this:

1. A) Game mechanics that matter, skills/profession that matters, it is the job of the game mechanics and skills/profession to give the players the option and the choices through which he can have an effect on the world surrounding him (if you can't sneak to a certain area, or steal the certain object, then it's one less way to accomplish a task/quest).

In some games the option to accomplish certain task is presented through the dialog, which is in my opinion a cheap way to let the character do staff that isn’t represented by skills/profession or other game mechanics.

B) Dialogs that matters, the things that the character says should have as much affect on the world as killing, stealing, crafting and so on.

C) The BAD graphics (no offense), because jugging from past history (mainly talking about sequels, but it also applies to newer games), the better the graphic, the worse the game play is (for example, the minute is saw the final huge Gothic 3 screenshots, and noticed the mediocre textures, I swear I actually exhaled in relief), sadly, this is the only criteria that stills hold true.

2. The list is too long, I have a lot of thing I dislike about CRPGs, enough to write a 10 page article about it, including "how it should be" and not just bitching and whining (and I fully intend to write it one day).

3. The easiest question of the three, to be groundbreaking. My personal estimate is that as more time passes by, the more the computer games industry will become like the movie industry. The higher the initial investment (in capital) in the product, the less chance it will try something new and the higher chance it will relay on old and tested formulas.

 

[NoisyKillerHPB]

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?
lots of dialogue, meaningful choices in the dialogue, factions where reputation actually means something, you guys aren't preoccupied with making it look as good as possible, and VD has similar enough taste in RPG's to make me think I'll like this one

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)
I'm not sure if there are any or not, but job boards/repeatable missions would be coooooool

3. What's your perfect indie RPG? What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?
indie developers can do things that big companies taking orders from suits and publishers can't, they can take risks those companies might not take, they can try out unique/new features that others are afraid too. they also seem to care more about the quality of the game rather than how to make it sell as much as possible regardless of quality

 

[fraunclein]

1. Why do I care? I'm curious how your dream game will be comprised of all the fallout-genes that have influenced you and how you've "practiced what you preach".
As for invidual features: Non-linearity, reactive and interesting gameworld, seemingly tactical combat, *repeat previous posters*.

2. None, really. Pre-release, I usually just trust the developer and save the it-should-have-been's after I've seen how his/their ideas work in practice and whether they form a coherent sum or not.

...

Drizzt is in, right? And the Halo ultimate armor had better be the right shade of green!

3. Your project seems to be pretty much the perfect traditional RPG I would expect from a small indie team.

 

[Lumpy]

1) The ability to not fight at all.
The large number of character classes.
Meaningful guilds.

2) I don't really know. Tha ability to be a Mage's apprentice, perhaps.
And, of course, exploding bolts and Uber weapons.

3) Lack of need to make tons of money.

 

[Jora]

1. Exciting skills like disguise and streetwise.
The fact that each skill is fully supported and has a place in the gameworld.
Non-violent paths.
Choices that matter.

2. I fear that the game is too inspired by Fallout, by which I mean that the story will be very light and loose and centered around the faction leaders.

3. I would like to see indie RPGs have a wide assortment of useful skills that all shape the experience differently. Disguise, streetwise and persuasion are a good beginning; I want more possible character types to choose from. I want more non-combat skills. I want to see new and inventive uses for old and conventional skills.

 

[Vault Dweller]

2. I fear that the game is too inspired by Fallout, by which I mean that the story will be very light and loose and centered around the faction leaders.

No. Those who want a good story won't be disappointed. Faction leaders merely present the story from different angles.

 

[Monolith]

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?

Choices, consequences, non-linear story, interesting skills, nice setting (low magic, PA), interesting story. In that order.

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)

More realistic combat. I'm talking of the knock-down effect of the crossbow or the ability to shoot without penalty even from close range. I like the tactical possibilities though (especially when it comes to spears) so it's just a minor complain. I just couldn't think of anything else.

3. What's your perfect indie RPG? What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?

I expect roleplaying, something I usually can't get from mainstream developers (except PiranhaBytes perhaps). My perfect indie RPG? The one I'll make myself, incorporating all my ideas and wishes.

 

[merry andrew]

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?

It seems like you actually want to make a solid game and not just a steaming pile of feature-creep vomit. Oh and most games suck really bad lately, and I don't want to give up on the art form, so I have to hang many of my hopes on vaporware made by jerks.

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)

2D-ish graphics. I'm not very happy about the loss of image quality that usually occurs with most 3D engines. The Infinity Engine games are gorgeous, christ. It's not that big of a deal, but I understand your decision.

3. What's your perfect indie RPG? What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?

The perfect indie RPG simply attempts to explore what great things can be done with the genre. I expect to get such an attempt from indie developers. Mainstream developers generally only seem to be interested in making money, which is totally understandable considering where their funding usually comes from.

 

[Cycloptis]

A few questions for you so we can understand you crazy fuckers better:

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)

3. What's your perfect indie RPG? What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?

1. It's one of the few upcoming RPGs that's actually going to be, well, an RPG.

2. I can't really see anything inherently wrong with the game. My only real complaint isn't really directed towards just your game, but the CRPG industry in general. This leads me to question #3...

3. My perfect indie RPG? I apologize if this seems harsh, but how about a non-fantasy RPG for once? I'm still content playing fantasy games, and yours doesn't look quite like the common fantasy, but I've pretty much given up on ever playing a large-scale, cyberpunk CRPG (until I make it). Now my perfect RPG is pretty much left in the hands of the indie crowd, who can and do take risks. So please....PLEASE please please please please...make a cyberpunk RPG for your next project.

Everything else I've been reading about your game has me nodding my head, glad to see that for once someone is thinking about the combat and the choices. I'm also please that you get comments like "do you think you're writing a book?!" (even if it isn't from that most hardened critic).

 

[Elwro]

1. What features attracted you to the project? Why do you even care about some vaporware game that some jerks are making?
I like the concept of a short, but strongly replayable game. A different hero -> different questlines -> different events? Count me in. Also, there'll be much text and I love text in games. I like the world description and hope that the loremaster type will be interesting to play... In short, it seems the game will provide many roleplaying possibilities.

2. What features would have made it a much better game for *you*? What's the secret missing ingredient? (no, we are not going to change anything; just asking)
I always wanted to play a fantasy RPG as a virtuoso character, e.g. a lutenist. It would be great if the game had some quests especially for the musically inclined characters.

3. What's your perfect indie RPG?
My perfect indie RPG would come to being if Jeff Noon decided to write interactive fiction in vein of the Legend Entertainment „Gateway”, but set in his own vision of Vurtified England, and then infused it with roleplaying possibilities surpassing Geneforge.

3.5. What do you expect from indie games that you think you will never get from the mainstream developers?
Catering for people who use their brains.