im making a single player (style) rpg that will follow a storyline and so on...
the only reason im using byond is because the game is multi-player... but the game plays along a single player storyline... (like an mmorpg that all players follow a specific storyline)
anyway what do you think of my idea?
ID:151896
 Oct 31 2008, 11:45 am
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i agree with calus corps, but i offer some advice, if its going to be a MMORPG that bases around single-player styling, i would add in more than one storyline.
like do something with the login like; var/storyline = rand(1,3) etc etc. this way not everyone has the same storyline and not everyone is rushing from mount. poo to the island of dung to the cave of yourmomia see with several (like 20+) storylines there will be alot of variation and such. also another idea, for npc's you can have some special side storylines which can only be done if certain criteria is completed, like returning the priest's bible opens up a side storyline. also you could do something like once the criteria is reached and the npc with the mission is in sight (or vice versa) the npc walks towards you and once it reaches you (and bumps you) it starts talking to you about the storyline, if the player gets out of range the npc returns to its assigned spot and all is well. please note some of these idea's are going to be in one or more of my next games, claiming originality and claiming mine is a rip will be punishable by death.. | |
It sounds like the sort of thing someone would play once, then quit. There's not much incentive to keep playing once you reach the story's end, and if everyone is playing the same story, word will get around about it and few people will join since they already know the story.
Now, if you want to get creative, I'd suggest taking this single story and making everyone a UNIQUE actor in it. Each player would see the story from a slightly different view, possibly thinking themselves the central hero of the tale. As the players progress and learn new things about the game world, they realize the little story they thought they were the heroes of is actually a small part of a much grander story that everyone is part of. NPCs, instead of giving every strange new player the same quest, would check where the story is t right now and give that single player a unique quest that puts them into the storyline. The next player that comes long will get a different quest that places them in a slightly different part of the story. You'll want to get some idea of what kind of person your player is, so you can best place them in the story where their participation will be most useful. I would design number of little side-games that score the player in different aspects of the game (unknown to them, of course), and use the scores and outcomes from those to help my NPCs decide where this player will fit in the story. I would suggest not having a clear-cut enemy, evil force or other obstacle for players to overcome, and instead slowly groom a few of your dedicated players for those roles. As the game reaches a climax, your players will realize that THEY are the baddies, at which point, the whole story changes in blink of an eye as players try and figure out who's side everyone is on before the final showdown at the end of the story. I would probably start each player off in different locations also, so you can give them different backgrounds and opportunities without having to rely on "This quest is not for you" hacks to keep players in their specified roles. This way, you can have a remote fishing village where a player can learn all about small-town life, while another player starts off in a bustling city trying to steal to get by. It would be difficult to give these two different flavors to two different players in the same starting place. | |
So, an example:
Let's say your character is the son of the local butcher. You grew up with a small family in a growing town that's bustling with newcomers from distant lands. Recently, a group of bandits set up shop in the town, and have been bulling everyone into giving them their goods and money. They've been coming to your dad's shop for about a month, every week taking more meat and money from your dad. Then, one week your dad stands up and fights back, but the bandits outnumber him and beat him up pretty good. After the fight, the bandits decide your dad's meat is too rotten to take now, so they decide to take something a little fresher: your little sister. From then on, your character's only goal in life is to find his sister and bring her home safe. As he sets out on his adventure, he find the bandits and learns that his sister was sold into slavery a couple hills over. He ventures to the city and encounters other players with other goals different from his. His sister becomes part of a larger plot that involves other players, and their goals are also integrated into this larger plot. Eventually, your character finds his sister, rescues her and saves his family, but at the same time, while he's doing that, he's also uncovering the larger plot, learns bout the great evil and in the end decides to fight like his dad for what he thinks is right, thrusting him full-on into the final chapter. | |
I think your idea is really good about starting off in different areas and having different events happen that will eventually tie everybody together but, I think what would be even better is to have two different ending sides (a good and an evil) but not so clear cut on why they are. So have them different on a bunch of little things to make them against each other (like real life). Then also put in decisions into what they do, so for your example of the butchers son instead of hunting down the gang and finding his sister, say he trys to infiltrate their ranks but ends up becoming one of them because of the money he makes, then he ends up joining in on other things and before he knows it hes on the bad side. Or just things where maybe they join different groups and they seem good but turn out being extremists who kill everyone that doesn't agree with them (can be linked to a lot of persecutions in history). Things like that where players dont necessarily relize they are becoming evil until to late (think star wars and how they turned Anakin, while horribly done same principle).
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There is not much to think about. This is nothing new or astonishing as there are a few BYOND RPGs that do this. If you would like better feedback I suggest you to tell us what the story and game play may be like.