David_Gaider needs a list
mf2112
Member, Moderator Posts: 1,919
This discussion was created from comments split from: All you wanted to know about the next Beamdog's project.
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Comments
What would be your top-three list of things you absolutely, positively would need to see present in that game -- whether it be in the story or the feature list?
2. Moddable
3. Real time with pause
I'll be fine with this. I trust you will create an interesting story and an enjoyable gameplay.
Edit: added a real time with pause. That's absolutely must have too.
2. Character customization
3. Dragons
Lots of different possibilities during dialogue would be great; also for those of varying alignments lets make it such that there is really a darker road to follow along with all its intended pluses and minuses. So if you are evil and you do save BG but you are evil and its shows - the city leaders thank you for saving the city but then arrest you for your crimes so you have no choice but to flee the city.
I'd also love to see checks based on stats - so those that like to do min/max stats are penalized by the game - sure you can be illiterate but now you can't read a magical tome to raise your stats. And of course dialogue options would reflect this lack of INT or WIS or CHA.
More balance in battle - you really should not be able to defeat an entire city - like you can do with the drow city - make it such that the leaders of the city have sufficient forces to stop anyone - unless you just happen to be Eliminster in disguise no PC should be able to defeat an entire city or army by himself.
Better AI for monsters/foes in the game is a must - level them appropriately as the PC levels - making encounters harder as the party levels.
Engaging dialogue and interaction between party members is a must to have - conflicts and romances etc make it more of a party with their own individual quirks and personalities.
If given the choice of the world to play in I would prefer AD&D 2ed rules but 3.5 is okay or even 5th. I would also like the story to progress from a low level to a medium high level.
The ability to make it 'my' game - through customisation of character and appearance, and in-game actions deciding the direction and outcome, not just of quests but the overall story. Multiple solutions and multiple outcomes.
- Tell a good story
It doesn't need to be epic and facing down a world-ending threat, but it must be involving, and feel like winning 'matters' so make it personal and about the characters. Don't have the player start building beds just after you find out your wife was killed and your son was kidnapped.
- Easily modded
Build the modding capabilities hand-in-hand and at the same time as the game is developed so that users can easily extend and enhance the base game, and then make those mods easily distributable by users.
2. An engaging world and story.
3. Modding tools.
Basically, more of what you have repeatedly delivered in the past, Mr. Gaider.
2. Interactive story with a serious tone. Quests should have more than 1 way to complete them.
3. Tactical battles that are challenging, but not frustratingly so, preferably with more than one way of completion, but not as important as quests having multiple paths.
4. If you can not deliver on any of the above three, then I will settle for a Gazebo.
-Excellent story. I'm one of those heretics who doesn't mind a little linearity so long as it serves a good story. But that's the key: a good story.
-Isometric gameplay with 5th Edition rules. Because I would LOVE the unlimited customization options of 5th edition, the option to choose your background and flesh-out your MC, and because isometric RPGs are da bomb.
Also, as a 4th item, I want the ability to create and maintain "Persistent Worlds". You don't need to have Beamdog support the servers, just give them an interface whereby Persistent Worlds can be logged onto (via Multiplayer) in the same manner that NWN1/2 has.
2. Werebears
3. The option to tell a French person that you don't like French
1. Ferrets.
2.
3. Backstabbing ferrets with
2. Decouple alignment and reputation, it should be possible to run an evil/high rep or good/low rep game.
3. If the game takes place in the FR or any other already published world get the lore right. A cleric of Shar should act like a cleric of Shar (not mentioning any names now
And, as others have said: 5th edition, isometric.
2. IWD2ee
3. TotSC-like expansion for SoA
Just make these and I'll be a happy camper for quite a while
2. NWN grade toolset and DM mode
3. Mature story with politics and consequences
2. Easily modded
3. Have an interesting female gnome npc
...
In all seriousness tho:
1. Consistent and believable game world (believable architechture, societies, characters, CLOTHING AND ARMOR [nine hells, I hate nothing more than clothing and armor that makes no sense], cultures, etc.)
2. A plot that encourages a wide variety of player characters to partake in it. What I mean by that is, that my character - no matter their alignment or motivations - has an in-game reason to partake in the adventure ahead of them. Shadows of Amn did that so far best in the genre, imo. I know this is really hard to pull off, but just saying "because heroism" really destroys the fun for me
3. Engaging relationships to the NPCs. I don't nececessarily need romance, but if there is no romancing, at least make up for it with engaging friendship paths. On the flipside, don't make the only interesting NPCs the romancable ones, but I highly doubt you guys would do that.
1. Infinity like engine.
Either turn based or real time + pause that can pass for turn based. Infinity got right -- PoE/unity leaned too far on the real time side of the fence.
2. A wide open chapter.
For me, BG2 is really chapter 2 + the drow city. BG1 after the prologue is really BG1. Gorion wants me to meet Khalid and Jaheria? Screw that. I'm going to see if my level one PC can kill an ankheg. And then I'm going to see what those red wizards are doing in those ruins. And then, maybe, after I've finished with that sea cave I'll think about those mines and make the long slog through the cloakwood.
Wait, listen! I can almost hear the ears closing. I keep hearing about how modern games design, no one does that any more, etc and etc, blah and blah. If someone were making a spiritual successor to Baldur's gate they should take that modern design book and throw in a rubbish heap. Yes, no one does that anymore.
And no has ever made a spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate either.
Wide open. Give me something to move me through the story but also allow me to ignore that story entirely and make up my own story. I don't mean to brag but some of the stories I made up were better than the stories of either BG1 or BG2. Inside my own head, I'm kinda' a big deal.
3. The kitchen sink
BG2 gave us the kitchen sink. Large chunk of the lands of intrigue boxed set, large parts of the classic vault of the drow series, parts of the tomb of horrors module, parts of white plume mountain module, many of the artifacts on the artifact list, the plot to whatever 3.5 edition city was taken over by vampires (westgate?), foreshadowing of the rise of Amaunator, wild magic, psionics, the outer planes, a huge chunk of the spells in the 2nd edition spell book.
You were there -- so you tell me -- but it sounds like people were sitting around saying "ohhh. this would be cool. I love this module, let put it in." I want that to happen again. Don't give us an IWD 2-like "we have enough content to ship, it's done" attitude. I want something that rivals BG2 in size and scale.
Y'all did a great job on SoD -- but I was comparing that to other expansions. Now I'm going to compare what you produce to BG2. Go big.
And that includes a good story, romances, dialogues. On this last point, see my comments in this magazine.
2). A party of 6 where you can fully control everyone (no AI-only companions!!!!) Either companions you meet and join the party (like The BG series) or a fully creatable party like IWD (or a mix of both).
3). Rich Functionality. Don't skimp on creature/enemy AI, creature variety, character classes (implement all the core classes), fun areas, character customization, etc.
Also, I would like to have more conversations where the ability scores matter. CHA, INT, WIS checks making a difference in the conversation options and the results.
BTW @Bengoshierr.. got dammit... @JuliusBorisov could you maybe separate this discussion into it's own topic.