Making a name for yourself

[Diogo Ribeiro]

First things first. I may have said this before, but best of luck to your project, Vault Dweller. Anything I can do to help, name it, and I'll have someone else do it Just kidding Second, I apologize if this has already been asked. I am suffering from a case of Slothus Criticus and cannot, will not, use the Search fuction and browse for the answer at this point.

What I wanted to ask you is if you have considered the possibility of allowing characters to make a name for themselves in the gameworld in different ways. By this I mean a chance for a character to be good in his trade but to get further recognition in it. Simple case scenario, a thief-like character has reached a fairly high level of proficiency in his trade and he's presented with a scenario (random or pre-determined) where he can use his skills in a way that he will gain some notoriety. For a thief, this could involve anything from a great highway robbery, to picking a museum clean of precious works of art, or even pickpocketing an entire list of guests in a noble party or ball.

The purpose of this could go from purely aesthetic and light-hearted fluff to the incorporation of more trade-specific quests.

Random scenario: a thief sets out to steal some ancient, famous jewels from a noble passing trough town. The thief does the deed and his either spotted by a peasant or a guild acquaintance who sets out to divulge the deed. However, to avoid the PC's main name being to be given out it could be done so the NPC could not clearly make out the identity of the thief, so he would ask him for it. The PC could be given a list of nicknames - or type his own, if possible - in order to gain a reputation parallel to his standard one.

*The [PC name here] crawls out of cellar window of the noble house with a bagfull of gems into the dark night, leaving the guards in the manor clueless. At the end of the poorly lit alley, a figure talks*
[NPC]: You did it, you stole the famous jewels! I can't believe it!
[PC]: It is true, I have done so.
[NPC]: What a feat! What is your name, pray tell?
[PC]: I am called the "Black Adder"/"Ravenscar"/"Mighty Bump of the Night"/"Whatever name that implies I'm a helluva thief or that I am a egomaniac playing a fantasy CRPG".
[NPC]: And what a name that is! Your prowess here shall not go unnoticed, I promise you that! Farewell!!

*The [NPC] scampers off into the night*

-And in the morning after you hear the exploits of the great thief who stole the jewels, but you will hear the nickname itself, not the PC's true name.

The point would not only to gain another level of reputation, but it could open up new quests depending on these particular achievements, such as more difficult thieveing jobs, more stressing mercantile negotiations, etc. Every type of trade would have its own kick-start scenario and subsequent set of quests, but would be only open to the perceived character who had pulled off those stunts. So it wouldn't be possible for a thief PC to hear about these quests within his own guild or outside it, but if he had made the major deed and such, there would be rumours of jobs open to [insert PC's nickname] instead.

If you're looking for a comparison of sorts consider the Titles you gained in Fallout and Fallout 2, but with some bonuses and even quests opened to them.

 

[Vault Dweller]

First things first. I may have said this before, but best of luck to your project, Vault Dweller.

Mucho gracias.

What I wanted to ask you is if you have considered the possibility of allowing characters to make a name for themselves in the gameworld in different ways.

Believe it or not, it's one of the central themes of the game. Growth, development, and recognition of your character.

By this I mean a chance for a character to be good in his trade but to get further recognition in it.

Yep, it's all there. I hate when my character becomes a somebody in games, and he's still nothing but a foot soldier in terms of gameplay. I could be "running" a thieves guild, yet nobody gives a shit or cares. That's the biggest problem with RPGs, imo - gameworld doesn't care or acknowledge your status and/or your deeds. Anyway, your mastery at whatever will be recognized, you'll have proper rep titles, and the game will react.

Random scenario: a thief sets out to steal some ancient, famous jewels from a noble passing trough town
...
-And in the morning after you hear the exploits of the great thief who stole the jewels, but you will hear the nickname itself, not the PC's true name.

Here is how it's implemented. There are values assigned to certain actions that a thief may perform. Once you stole something, if the min value is met (nobody's gonna be talking about some peasant lunch money), people start talking. The higher the value the more exaggerated those stories are. You'll get a name based on that, you don't get to pick one. You could be caught though, so unless you have powerful friends, don't go overboard and then claim that the game is broken because they nailed your stupid ass to a cross.

The point would not only to gain another level of reputation, but it could open up new quests depending on these particular achievements

Yep. It goes without saying that the best jobs are for the best people.

If you're looking for a comparison of sorts consider the Titles you gained in Fallout and Fallout 2, but with some bonuses and even quests opened to them.

That's the idea. I guess you've already seen the char screen. There are different reputation stats that would affect the titles as well.

For example, if you are the best assassin in the realm, but you are a lying bastard who would double- and triple-cross anyone for a few coins, that's one thing. If your word means that the mark is already dead, that's another. If you're very loyal to your House, assuming you have one, that's something else.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Good points VD, thanks for the answer Keep it up