Torment Torment: Tides of Numenera Pre-Release Thread [ALPHA RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Sensuki]

I like that the inXile Area Designer job requires that they have played Planescape Torment

 

[Infinitron]

I can't imagine what you are implying.

 

[Transfiguring Roar]

Good call, Infinitron.

 

[Zed]

They should playtest the effort-confirm system a bit outside the studio. Perhaps with a few trustworthy codexers. Sounds like it's something you'd want brutally honest feedback on.

 

[Duram]

I like that the inXile Area Designer job requires that they have played Planescape Torment

I'd be more impressed if it would have said that they'd should have played through the whole game.

 

[General Maxson]

Chris Avellone played Arcanum.

 

[Rahdulan]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

 

[Abu Antar]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

He singlehandedly killed off any chances of any new Arcanum or spiritual successor ever being released.

 

[Rostere]

"Chris Avellone's Let's Play Arcanum" is the best entertainment there is on YouTube.

 

[Brzęczyszczykiewicz]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

He singlehandedly killed off any chances of any new Arcanum or spiritual successor ever being released.

And it's your fault codex.

 

[Gondolin]

And it's your fault codex.

How were we supposed to know that MCA would critically fail his Arcanum playing roll?

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.adamheine.com/2015/03/q-can-you-rest-anywhere-in-torment.html

Q&A: Can you rest anywhere in Torment?

Alessandro from Torment's Italian fan blog says:

You've talked extensively about Effort in many occasions by now, but there's still a piece of the puzzle missing, at least to me. How do you intend to limit rest in the Torment?

I mean, managing Effort is an interesting gameplay mechanic. but only because Effort is a limited resource. If players are able to rest whenever they want, the whole thing explodes.

Now, I know that during Cryses time is a factor, so resting will be either limited or impossible, but what about the "normal gameplay"? Will Players be able to rest freely in exploration mode?
​

Not usually.

Background: I explained the Numenera concept of Effort, and how we're adapting it for Torment, in our latest update here. Short version: Effort is a limited resource used to make difficult tasks easier. This resource can be replenished with healing or rest.

Alessandro, you are absolutely right (as are others I've seen around the internets who have expressed a similar concern): if healing is freely and easily attainable -- as it would be with a "rest anywhere" mechanic -- then Effort becomes meaningless. You could just use it all up on a task, rest to replenish, then use it all again on the next task.

So obviously the player will not be able to rest anywhere they want for free. You'll have quick rests you can use anywhere, but those are limited and they won't restore all your Stat Pools. Eventually your party will need to sleep. To do that, you'll have to find a place that will let you sleep for a price you can afford. Every Zone will have such a place, of course, but you won't be able to rest wherever and whenever.

Can you just head back to the rest spot in between tasks? Sometimes, sure. Other times you won't be able to get back so easily. Sometimes you'll need to do a few tasks in a row to accomplish something. And sometimes sleeping (which makes time pass) will have other consequences as well.

So sleeping will usually come with a cost. That cost might be trivial or it might be quite high. It will depend on what you want to do, where you are in the game, and what's more important to you at the time.

 

[CMcC]

We're aiming to make failures interesting, and to potentially have content gated by certain failures. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing in our game.

 

[Infinitron]

We're aiming to make failures interesting, and to potentially have content gated by certain failures. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing in our game.

You can fail non-randomly, though. Just go and lose against a challenge you know you can't win against deterministically.

 

[tuluse]

We're aiming to make failures interesting, and to potentially have content gated by certain failures. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing in our game.

You can fail non-randomly, though. Just go and lose against a challenge you know you can't win against deterministically.

Also, you could have X number of challenges you have to do knowing players won't have enough effort to succeed at them all (or only if they're very lucky with the die rolls).

 

[J_C]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

He singlehandedly killed off any chances of any new Arcanum or spiritual successor ever being released.

LOL. Him playing Arcanum on youtube has fucking no effect on a sequel whatsoever.

 

[Bubbles]

LOL. Him playing Arcanum on youtube has fucking no effect on a sequel whatsoever.

Of course it does. Any extra PR raises the value of the franchise.

 

[Transfiguring Roar]

We're aiming to make failures interesting, and to potentially have content gated by certain failures. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing in our game.

Fantastic! I was sure you guys were leaning this way. It's an excellent idea. It changes how the player thinks about checks and does away with the fail/success psychology. This should also help provide players with incentive to not save scum - a play-through will be a play-through.

Edit: Also great to see that effort will have to be managed.

 

[Abu Antar]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

He singlehandedly killed off any chances of any new Arcanum or spiritual successor ever being released.

LOL. Him playing Arcanum on youtube has fucking no effect on a sequel whatsoever.

I guess your sarcasm detector is broken.

 

[J_C]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

He singlehandedly killed off any chances of any new Arcanum or spiritual successor ever being released.

LOL. Him playing Arcanum on youtube has fucking no effect on a sequel whatsoever.

I guess your sarcasm detector is broken.

Your sentence didn't sound sarcastic, but maybe it is just me.

 

[Abu Antar]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

He singlehandedly killed off any chances of any new Arcanum or spiritual successor ever being released.

LOL. Him playing Arcanum on youtube has fucking no effect on a sequel whatsoever.

I guess your sarcasm detector is broken.

Your sentence didn't sound sarcastic, but maybe it is just me.

I'm awful at sarcasm/jokes on the web. They usually work in real life.

 

[hiver]

We're aiming to make failures interesting, and to potentially have content gated by certain failures. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing in our game.

Potentially?




btw, good ideas about sleeping guys.

Not exactly sure about resting in the middle of combat though.... but nobody sane would suggest that so i figure you have some way to make it less insane. Waiting eagerly to see it.

 

[Abu Antar]

Maybe there's some sort of meditation and while you do that, you get extra damage if you get attacked. That could make it it into a risk and reward system.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS.

He singlehandedly killed off any chances of any new Arcanum or spiritual successor ever being released.

Good.

 

[Infinitron]

Colin McComb at EGX Rezzed 2015
Creative Lead Colin McComb will be at EGX Rezzed to speak about Torment: Tides of Numenera and the art of developing narrative. He’ll be speaking at 1pm on Saturday 14th March.

All right, this is in two days: http://www.egx.net/rezzed/2015/sessions

SATURDAY 14TH MARCH
1pm: Colin McComb - Torment: Tides of Numenera
When you’re the creative lead for one of the most anticipated RPGs for 2015, you have to be careful with your words, especially when you have to write hundreds of thousands of them. Colin McComb, creative lead for Torment: Tides of Numenera, talks about developing narrative and effective word choices for player experience and perception.

Hope it'll be streamed.