Tags: Beyond Divinity; Larian Studios
<A href="http://www.rpgdot.com/">RPGDot</a> has posted <A href="http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=870">an interview</a> with one of the boys at <A href="http://www.larian.com">Larian Studios</a> about <A href="http://www.beyond-divinity.com">Beyond Divinity</a>. Here's one of the more annoying bits:
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<blockquote><b>RPGDot: How will you make sure that vital NPC can't be killed by the gamer thus busting a main or sub quest?
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Bronthion:</b> This might look like a difficult task at first, but the game engine provides me with some useful functionalities. Every NPC can be flagged „story npc“. Story NPC’s cannot be killed, neither by the player, nor by any monster in the game. There is only one little problem: story NPC’s can’t be attacked, and therefore they cannot participate in any combat action. If this should become necessary for some reason (in an automated scene, for example), you have to flag the NPC „immortal“ instead of „story npc“. Immortal NPC’s can be attacked, but they won’t die, even when their hit points reach zero. This might look a little weird in the game at times.</blockquote>
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<i>How can you take a short cut to break immersion just to make sure the player is locked tight in the death grip of the story you've forced on him?</i>
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Here's a thought, don't make NPCs so damned vital in the first place. Have them keep records, like a journal or a letter, for the player to refer to if they kill that NPC or have other NPCs that can also direct you along the desired goal. You could even do something slightly cheesy like have the NPC say something in a last breath utterance that gives the player a hint. There are lots of ways to do this as opposed to making certain vital NPCs "immortal", which is a cop out.
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Thanks for the heads up, <b>Myrthos</b>!
<A href="http://www.rpgdot.com/">RPGDot</a> has posted <A href="http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=870">an interview</a> with one of the boys at <A href="http://www.larian.com">Larian Studios</a> about <A href="http://www.beyond-divinity.com">Beyond Divinity</a>. Here's one of the more annoying bits:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>RPGDot: How will you make sure that vital NPC can't be killed by the gamer thus busting a main or sub quest?
<br>
<br>
Bronthion:</b> This might look like a difficult task at first, but the game engine provides me with some useful functionalities. Every NPC can be flagged „story npc“. Story NPC’s cannot be killed, neither by the player, nor by any monster in the game. There is only one little problem: story NPC’s can’t be attacked, and therefore they cannot participate in any combat action. If this should become necessary for some reason (in an automated scene, for example), you have to flag the NPC „immortal“ instead of „story npc“. Immortal NPC’s can be attacked, but they won’t die, even when their hit points reach zero. This might look a little weird in the game at times.</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<i>How can you take a short cut to break immersion just to make sure the player is locked tight in the death grip of the story you've forced on him?</i>
<br>
<br>
Here's a thought, don't make NPCs so damned vital in the first place. Have them keep records, like a journal or a letter, for the player to refer to if they kill that NPC or have other NPCs that can also direct you along the desired goal. You could even do something slightly cheesy like have the NPC say something in a last breath utterance that gives the player a hint. There are lots of ways to do this as opposed to making certain vital NPCs "immortal", which is a cop out.
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Thanks for the heads up, <b>Myrthos</b>!
