Codex Interview RPG Codex Interview: Chaos Chronicles

[kaizoku]

Personally, I think it's better to base the discovery not on luck or chance, but on actual research of in-game lore or by doing a complicated quest. Something rather obscure that only few players will pursue, but when they find it actually leads to something, they'll go "wow!".

this ^

Extra fun if some of those old tales are not exactly what you've been told, for the better (stepping onto an adventure that is more than you can chew) and the worse (a great treasure that many speak of is not pile of gold, but instead something more platonic like a painting or a love letter).

Yes, on second thought that would be a better way to do it. Also a tracking/outdoorsman skill (or if there's a Ranger class in the game) should have an impact on finding secrets.

A cool use I'd like to see on these skill would be something like this:
You're at the inn and overhear a group of adventurers talking about interesting_location_X.
You could try to approach them and get a slice of the action.
Alternatively (or if you fail) you can try to follow them.
If your skill is bad, you lose track.
If your skill is mehh, they confront you before they reach the location.
If your skill is enough, you're able to follow then to the location.

 

[The Great Deceiver]

De Niro - Coreplay
Irons - RPG Codex
Armor - Jagged Alliance Back in Action.

 

[mote]

Personally, I think it's better to base the discovery not on luck or chance, but on actual research of in-game lore or by doing a complicated quest. Something rather obscure that only few players will pursue, but when they find it actually leads to something, they'll go "wow!".

this ^

Extra fun if some of those old tales are not exactly what you've been told, for the better (stepping onto an adventure that is more than you can chew) and the worse (a great treasure that many speak of is not pile of gold, but instead something more platonic like a painting or a love letter).

Yes, on second thought that would be a better way to do it. Also a tracking/outdoorsman skill (or if there's a Ranger class in the game) should have an impact on finding secrets.

A cool use I'd like to see on these skill would be something like this:
You're at the inn and overhear a group of adventurers talking about interesting_location_X.
You could try to approach them and get a slice of the action.
Alternatively (or if you fail) you can try to follow them.
If your skill is bad, you lose track.
If your skill is mehh, they confront you before they reach the location.
If your skill is enough, you're able to follow then to the location.

I agree, but overhearing NPC's should only occur based on a skill check, like "stealthy" or "perceptive" or something, as they wouldn't talk loudly about important things with people nearby. Or perhaps the game could have random books you could find, and they could lead you to things in the world, but make it also based on a skill-check. For example if your intelligence is high, clicking on a book to study it would yield a sentence or paragraph, because you're a smart chap who is a good reader, but if your intelligence is low you wouldn't be able to even read because you're too stupid/illiterate, so you'd only get a few random words that make no sense.

Probably way too complicated for a combat-centric RPG though.

 

[Livonya]

Looks great.

I hope it delivers and won't be a buggy mess that requires me to spend 1 year of my life breaking the scripts down in an attempt to learn how to fix what could have been an amazing game.

I do have more faith in an independent than in a contracted company. I don't think Troika would have released TOEE if they had been in charge.

I just hope some company releases a complex, party based, tactical D&D RPG that does great.

I had so much hope for TOEE to revive the genera.

Anyway, there is a market for this sort of game. Just don't release it unfinished!!!

 

[Mozgoëbstvo]

That's really nice, but pray tell WHY FUCKING ELVES, DWARFS AND ORCS??????? WHYYYYYY??????????

Is it so fucking hard to make up an original world?????????? Why must every fantasy game world be so fucking generic????????????
Why do game developers have no fucking creativity??????



Other than that the game looks promising.

Trying to be original for its own sake in a case like this could be, I think, only detrimental. Let them do a good game. Who cares if the actors in the drama are the same?
Plus, when people invent new races in fantasy settings, it's usually really unoriginal and transparent overhauls of orcs, elves, dwarves and such - "specialised" races in comparison to man.
So... generic fantasy setting doesn't concern in the least after such glorious screens.

 

[General Maxson]

Seems to me that finally Rangers will be quite useful in a crpg with such accent on pathfinding and exploration.

 

[Roguey]

It's supposed to be a combat-centric party-based RPG. Why would you care about setting in one of those as long as the encounters are challenging and the character system solid?

That's no excuse for lack of creativity. It'd be a nice to play a game with good gameplay and writing (though the latter is obviously not happening here).

 

[FeelTheRads]

No dirty secrets about the developers that would make it obvious the game's gonna suck? Not even made up ones?
I am dissapoint, Roguey.

 

[felipepepe]

It's supposed to be a combat-centric party-based RPG. Why would you care about setting in one of those as long as the encounters are challenging and the character system solid?

That's no excuse for lack of creativity. It'd be a nice to play a game with good gameplay and writing (though the latter is obviously not happening here).

The use of cliches do not equal to bad writing, a good story can be told using the most common assets. We have no example of their writing for this game, or any idea on how creative they will be in using classic fantasy.

 

[hoverdog]

I'd take orcs before, ahem, darkspawn any day.

 

[Roguey]

I've never made up anything about anyone. I sometimes provide information from dubious sources while saying so.

The use of cliches do not equal to bad writing, a good story can be told using the most common assets. We have no example of their writing for this game, or any idea on how creative they will be in using classic fantasy.

Judging by what they look like, and what inspires them, I can tell the writing quality will maybe be Knights of the Chalice-level at best. As Josh Sawyer once said "The reason why so much "creative" content isn't creative is because it's made by people who ingest from, and then regurgitate back into, the same stale stream of ideas."

 

[Grunker]

funny how he said that and then produced the biggest cliche of all spy stories ever - the private company instigating a war to profit from it - huh?

 

[felipepepe]

There is a huge difference in trying to be creative and failing, like Darkspawns, and just making creative use of existing stuff. Trully, I would not have high expectations from this team creating a whole new set of fantasy races, just "to be creative".

However, I find them more than able to make the most out of a fight between orcs and elves, since they clearly have seen it done countless times and have all the repertorie needed to mix & match them into something interesting.

 

[Roguey]

funny how he said that and then produced the biggest cliche of all spy stories ever - the private company instigating a war to profit from it - huh?

Sawyer didn't do any writing for AP, that was mostly Avellone with Stout and MacLean.

There is a huge difference in trying to be creative and failing, like Darkspawns, and just making creative use of existing stuff.

That wasn't being creative, that was regurgitating into the stream with some names changed around.

 

[General Maxson]

I really missed orcs and dwarfs and goblins. They are a welcome sight after creative reapers and darkspawn certainly. I mean you really need to be a hipster to dislike a "classical" setting like this. They seem to be going in an interesting direction for a game, so why the hell not? What better setting would you like? (Well me personally, would like a setting like Diablo 1 and Darklands, dark medieval christian mythology and demons, but it cannot also be considered original because the mentioned games already used it :D)

 

[Charles-cgr]

Ask for creative and you might just get the fighting pandas you always dreamed of. Oh wait...

 

[OSK]

How interaction in general?

 

[kaizoku]

I agree, but overhearing NPC's should only occur based on a skill check, like "stealthy" or "perceptive" or something, as they wouldn't talk loudly about important things with people nearby.

Agreed. It would depend on the situation for the check to use one or multiple skills (Listen, Hide, Silent) to decide if they get to eavesdrop it or not.

Or perhaps the game could have random books you could find, and they could lead you to things in the world, but make it also based on a skill-check. For example if your intelligence is high, clicking on a book to study it would yield a sentence or paragraph, because you're a smart chap who is a good reader, but if your intelligence is low you wouldn't be able to even read because you're too stupid/illiterate, so you'd only get a few random words that make no sense.

I don't like the idea of "random" books. Let there be books and the player may read them for their own pleasure (it was so cool reading the lore in BG* items).
But I do like the idea of having a skill check to "filter" relevant information that would show up on your log book, so that if your party is band of half-orcs unable to count to potato they won't be able to access the location.
A simple mechanism would be a magic door blocking access, and you have to choose the right chant from the dialog menu (and eventually also using an item, etc). This approach would avoid cheesing.

 

[kaizoku]

I hope it delivers and won't be a buggy mess that requires me to spend 1 year of my life breaking the scripts down in an attempt to learn how to fix what could have been an amazing game.

Your work was much appreciated.

Maybe this time you can spend it on using their mod toolkit

 

[mondblut]

The interview focuses mainly on the gameplay

It should focus on the high treason that was JABIA, instead. We want drama, not information.

 

[Harg Harfardarssen]

I agree, but overhearing NPC's should only occur based on a skill check, like "stealthy" or "perceptive" or something, as they wouldn't talk loudly about important things with people nearby.

Agreed. It would depend on the situation for the check to use one or multiple skills (Listen, Hide, Silent) to decide if they get to eavesdrop it or not.

Or perhaps the game could have random books you could find, and they could lead you to things in the world, but make it also based on a skill-check. For example if your intelligence is high, clicking on a book to study it would yield a sentence or paragraph, because you're a smart chap who is a good reader, but if your intelligence is low you wouldn't be able to even read because you're too stupid/illiterate, so you'd only get a few random words that make no sense.

I don't like the idea of "random" books. Let there be books and the player may read them for their own pleasure (it was so cool reading the lore in BG* items).
But I do like the idea of having a skill check to "filter" relevant information that would show up on your log book, so that if your party is band of half-orcs unable to count to potato they won't be able to access the location.
A simple mechanism would be a magic door blocking access, and you have to choose the right chant from the dialog menu (and eventually also using an item, etc). This approach would avoid cheesing.

Sounds like a great opportunity for a lore check. If you read the book with a high enough lore skill, you can put two and two together - maybe make a connection between the story in the book and a local legend or landmark ("Hmm that sounds an awful lot like the rock formation the residents of Randoburg think is haunted"). Maybe that could also be an alternative/complement to the listen check in order to overhear the NPCs. For example, you listen in and hear them talking about traveling to a particular place, but the significance of this place will only be apparent if you pass the lore check ("You hear them discussing a trip to place you've never heard of" vs. "The're going to R'lyeh? Holy shit!").

 

[almondblight]

The use of cliches do not equal to bad writing, a good story can be told using the most common assets. We have no example of their writing for this game, or any idea on how creative they will be in using classic fantasy.

True enough. The problem is, though, that most writing almost makes an effort to be cliche. Orcs and goblins are bad, and they want to mess things up because they're evil. Elves, men, and dwarves are a mixed-bag, some good, some bad, but overall lean more to the good side. If you see orcs or goblins in the woods, kill them because they are going to try to kill you, even if you are powerful enough to step on them. Etc.

How about orcs that try to fight against human oppression? Goblin clans that want to use you as an assassin against enemy clans, or even better, political rivals? How about paying off kobold brigands means more than just being out some gold, experience, and loot, but also lets you trade with them, do work for them, and visit their camp (which would be hostile if you killed them)? A xenophobic dwarven kingdom that's committed genocide against the goblins that live inside of it, with and underground railroad to help them escape?

There's a ton of stuff you _could_ do with generic fantasy, the problem is it's seldom ever done.

 

[mondblut]

Also, where is the most important question - how many party members? I am not going to settle for anything less than 6. Nah, make it 8. Playing JA2 (the real one, duh) with 32 right now, oh god it is heavan.

 

[Surf Solar]

Are these prerenderes backdrops on the screenshots? Cant see it (I am on phone) - if yes then incline and I will probably buy it.

 

[kaizoku]

Also, where is the most important question - how many party members? I am not going to settle for anything less than 6. Nah, make it 8. Playing JA2 (the real one, duh) with 32 right now, oh god it is heavan.

I think the party size limit is 6.
They mentioned it here on the codex somewhere.