Game News Bard's Tale IV Kickstarter Update #4: Brian Fargo Q&A, NPC Stretch Goal

[Shannow]

Save free at inns or guilds or whatever.
Saving costs xp anywhere else. First very little but with exponential increases for following saves. At the next save at an inn the counter is reset. Thus you can save whenever you need to leave the game in a hurry but are punished for save spamming/scumming.

Though I don't see any issue with save anywhere for free. *shrug*

 

[Darkzone]

I think that Fargo should now row back on the topic of the save options, and state that each player can choose his own save options. Because most of the backers are now grown up and have a job and a family, so their time is not that free anymore.

 

[catfood]

They should just copy the Grimrock save mechanics: an Ironman mode for autists, and a normal mode for everyone else.

 

[thesheeep]

I'm a fan of letting everyone pick the saving mechanism themselves, while stating which mechanism the game was designed with.

 

[Darkzone]

They should just copy the Grimrock save mechanics: an Ironman mode for autists, and a normal mode for everyone else.

And add "the buy save stones" for autist who grind for gold and add also the insane autist option "save only at Inns".

 

[DawnrazorDCLXVI]

They should just make saving a bard song.. If you don't have a bard, then you're shit out of luck.

RPGCodex hates checkpoint saves. Unless they're in a Retro-RPG.

RPGkKkodex logic strikes again.

 

[Dehumanizer]

If you're worried about stability, have a single, non controllable auto-save slot. If the game crashes, or you have to ALT-F4 to stop playing due to something urgent, your auto-save will still be there.

You just can't make the game stop auto-saving, so that you could use it to go back in time, if you died or something, or screwed up in some way; that kind of saves are only available in the guild / inns / etc..

I'm pretty sure I didn't just invent this system and there are games already using it, but no one is coming to mind right now.

 

[Lady_Error]

Ironman mode for autists, and a normal mode for everyone else.

+1

 

[Dorateen]

, +3 vs. Iron Golems

 

[Morality Games]

i dislike a save point system, i dont want to have to leave my computer on with the game running if i have to leave the house or go do some other shit.

Save anywhere is essential these days, especially in these big complex rpgs.

Removing save anywhere from Icewind Dale radically changes the nature of the game, and its fundamental to the difficulty of the Metroidvania style of game.

 

[Kem0sabe]

i dislike a save point system, i dont want to have to leave my computer on with the game running if i have to leave the house or go do some other shit.

Save anywhere is essential these days, especially in these big complex rpgs.

Removing save anywhere from Icewind Dale radically changes the nature of the game, and its fundamental to the difficulty of the Metroidvania style of game.

Metroidvania? Peasant, Icewind Dale has nothing in common with that style of game.

 

[Morality Games]

i dislike a save point system, i dont want to have to leave my computer on with the game running if i have to leave the house or go do some other shit.

Save anywhere is essential these days, especially in these big complex rpgs.

Removing save anywhere from Icewind Dale radically changes the nature of the game, and its fundamental to the difficulty of the Metroidvania style of game.

Metroidvania? Peasant, Icewind Dale has nothing in common with that style of game.

"Nothing" is a strong word. They both entail crawling through dungeons to get more powerful gear.

But the point is that a game with save points forces the player to exercise greater economy in his decisionmaking.

 

[Kem0sabe]

"Nothing" is a strong word. They both entail crawling through dungeons to get more powerful gear.

But the point is that a game with save points forces the player to exercise greater economy in his decisionmaking.

Listen here you provincial bumpkin, a metroidvania game is not about dungeon crawling for better gear, but about a huge interconnected world to explore and unlock with new abilities. Darksiders 2 has more in common with that style than IWD.

 

[Morality Games]

"Nothing" is a strong word. They both entail crawling through dungeons to get more powerful gear.

But the point is that a game with save points forces the player to exercise greater economy in his decisionmaking.

Listen here you provincial bumpkin, a metroidvania game is not about dungeon crawling for better gear, but about a huge interconnected world to explore and unlock with new abilities. Darksiders 2 has more in common with that style than IWD.

... like a dog with a bone. That's not the point.

 

[Kem0sabe]

... like a dog with a bone. That's not the point.

Atend me you bucolic yokel, of course it's the point, as it pertains to your use of metroidvania as a comparison.

 

[Morality Games]

... like a dog with a bone. That's not the point.

Atend me you bucolic yokel, of course it's the point, as it pertains to your use of metroidvania as a comparison.

The different styles of RPG have family resemblances. Castlevania is clearly more like Dark Souls than Icewind Dale, and Dark Souls is clearly more like Icewind Dale than Planescape: Torment.

The reason I used metroidvania as an example was because its one of a few types of game that still has a meta of exploration and combat organized around save points, which used to be the norm.

 

[Absinthe]

RPGCodex hates checkpoint saves. Unless they're in a Retro-RPG.

RPGkKkodex logic strikes again.

No, unlimited free saves anytime anywhere is a shit mechanic in general. It fucks with difficulty and tactics hard when you can just reload your way to success.