Preview Eschalon quest design at RPG Vault

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Eschalon: Book I

<a href=http://rpgvault.ign.com>RPG Vault</a> has posted an <a href=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/783/783220p1.html>article</a>, examining quests mechanics in <a href=http://basiliskgames.com/book1.htm>Eschalon: Book 1</a> and featuring a new <a href=http://mediaviewer.ign.com/ignMediaPage.jsp?media_id=4496635&object_id=851289&channel_id=227&page_title=Eschalon%3A+Book+I+Peek+%231&adtag=network%3Dign%26size%3D468x60%26channel%3Drpgvault%26site%3Drpgvault_hub%26channel%3Dfeatures%26type%3Dpartner>dialogue screenshot</a>.
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<blockquote>In this article, we'll take a look at one quest within Eschalon: Book I, and see how the flexibility of the game allows players to complete the quest using their character's unique abilities. This particular quest is given to the player very early on in the game; your character is told that he is required to enter a specific crypt to retrieve an item, but you soon discover that it is sealed with a reinforced, locked door. Now then, how you decide to get inside is up to you. Let's examine a few possibilities:
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Can you pick the lock on the door? Certainly, if your skill in Lock Picking is developed...
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If you happen to possess more brawn than finesse, you'll find it simpler just to bash your way through the door...
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Perhaps an easier route to take would be for you to just find the key that unlocks the crypt door. With a bit of exploration, you can find the cemetery caretaker and attempt to persuade him to give you the key....
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Well, you can always wait until the sun sets, and then, under the cover of darkness, attempt to steal the key...
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Of course, you could simply kill him and take the key without further delay - but then, you must decide how that deed should be done. If you kill him yourself, the system will brand you a murderer, but if you could manage to lead a few Fanged Salamanders into his house, then you might be able to eliminate him without his blood being on your hands... well, not directly on your hands, that is.
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Our main objective while developing Eschalon: Book I has been to create a world in which these kinds of options are always available to the player.</blockquote>Flexible design *is* the best thing since sliced bread. I hope I can bully Thomas into letting me betatest.
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[OSK]

the system will brand you a murderer

What is "system" referring to here? The game? The legal system? Something else?

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

Why would you be branded as a murderer? Will somebody see you?

 

[OSK]

Yeah, I'm worried you'll be branded a murderer even if there aren't any witnesses. I'm not a fan of games where I can kill someone in the middle of nowhere without anyone around and yet come into town and have everyone know about what I did.

Regardless, I'm still pretty excited for this game. I can't wait to hear more.

 

[RGE]

Don't you know that most fantasy worlds have seers and oracles and diviners who keep their eyes on important people like PCs? Tsk.

 

[rpgcodexusername]

it would be very easy to program that feature in,
just do a line-of-sight check whenever you kill a townsperson

 

[EvoG]

We've all talked a lot about this, and I too even complained about the realism with being known as an "X'er" when no one actually saw you do "X". But consider how easy it is to murder in videogames, for the simple fact that no one goes 'looking' for the murderer. There's no investigation...no forensics(yes I know no forensics in a fantasy game). It happens and if no one sees you no one cares. Rarely do NPC's in games become more 'alert' when murder is afoot, and if they are its usually not for long, as the game balance for stealth could be upset. Having a 'karmic' measure of ones deeds in this case then is a pretty fair way to make you accountable for your actions. Sure it shouldn't be black and white, as you should be able to conceivable kill someone without detection, but as a whole it works.

 

[denizsi]

You could at least abstract being witnessed and reported through certain checks invisible to player. You could attribute a statistic to represent the average percentage of population or habitation to areas which could also be modified by a time statistic according to the time of the day, to abstract people moving in, out of or through the area in particular times through a day.

You could further improve this by adding in to the mix the last area's statistics the player has been to, before entering the current area where murder takes place. So, if you pass through the main road to reach the crypt and then murder someone at the crypt, crypt area's statistics as well as main road's, will be checked to determine whether someone sees you or not, or you murder at crypt and noone sees you, and then you leave the area through the main road.

This kind of final outcome through such checks can be thought of one of several conclusions ranging from being completely witnessed to the murder, to being "roughly" inspected by people to conclude that you are the murderer based where you have been spotted and when.

Likewise, you could deepen the role of time factor. You go through A to B and murder at B. You went through A at 14:00, and when you murdered at B, it was 16:00. The 2 hours difference between being spotted at A and murder at B might give you a low chance of escaping being recognized (provided that you weren't witnessed murdering according to the check roll), but in case of a similar situation repeating, you wouldn't be so lucky next time.

Nothing complicated really. This could also encourage specific ways of playing and would allow player to evade being labeled as a murderer every now and then in a reasonable way, unless player is on a killing spree.

 

[cutterjohn]

Forensics in a fantasy world: Sure there are forensics in a fantasy world, just replace science by magic. e.g. almost every fantasy magic system has a way to speak with the dead, track people/mobs, etc.

I can't wait for this game to be released either, as it's looking to be the best of the indie CRPGs this year with TB goodness and all, and not trying to be a multi-genre game.

 

[Ladonna]

I think that murder in an RPG could be treated like this:

You murder X. X is out of sight of any other NPC's. You flee the scene with your goods....

Depending on how long you stayed withing a certain radius of the murdered NPC, a percentage will rise making it more likely that the 'investigation' roll will find you as the killer. And make sure the guards that are sent after are either a) Tough or b) Weak, but with more bands of better enforcers coming after you as time progresses.

This makes murder possible, but also makes you think of how best to do the heist afterwards without wasting time at the scene. You will also have to think whether it is worth it when you know the guards sent after you won't give up.

As for a punishment, I will let the game maker decide. This largely depends on the economy in game and whether a 'Jail sentence' could be turned into a part of the game itself...etc. Escape attempts, prison politics, changing identity after escaping, penalties for time in prison.

Ok, think I have gone too far now....

 

[Fez]

It would depend on the setting too. If you were a stranger in a medieval village and there was a sudden spate of robberies and murders, chances are you would hang for it.

 

[Gwendo]

Is it true this game is entirely made with BlitzBasic?!

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Citizens! There is a murderer on the base! You must do your Duty and kill him. Or whatever that line is that repeats itself as you wipe out that Duty base.

But consider how easy it is to murder in videogames

Consider what your primary action is in most computer games.

There's no investigation...no forensics(yes I know no forensics in a fantasy game). It happens and if no one sees you no one cares.

Design question: How would you make them care?

Follow-up question: How do you make the player care?

 

[kingcomrade]

Captain Samuel Vimes never leaves a case unsolved.

edit- hint, this post calls for a Codex meme

 

[denizsi]

Hand over the game's development to Codex already!