OK, over the past month I have been designing a role play game called Twisted Reality.
Although originally intended to be graphical, I canceled that due to the fact that I suck at icon work and I wanted this game to be purely mine with no outside help . . . at all.
So, I have been designing it with a text-based map and everything.
Seeing as how it is a role play game, I do want players to be able to fight each other and even kill each other. The question that then arises is this: Should it include permadeath?
My thoughts is that it should, but the player can also be merely knocked out, during which time (s)he can still communicate OOC, and either have someone bring them to the doctor or wait to revive on their own, although depending on the severity of the wounds said player may die if he is forced to wait.
Thoughts, ideas, etc?
ID:152181
 Nov 7 2007, 5:49 pm
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Never forget that the human body is inherently both very fragile and very resilient. Fragile, in that it takes only a little damage to incapacitate. Resilient, in that it takes a phenomenal amount of damage to cessate.
When a man is shot in the heart, for instance, and he is charged with adrenaline, it is likely that he will continue shooting back for a good 10-15 seconds before he loses consciousness. Even then, the rate of survival of severe wound trauma to the heart (if within five or so minutes of a hospital) is somewhere around 25%. If an ordinarily mortal wound like a shot to the heart is that survivable, you can imagine that it takes a lot actually to kill someone for good... | |
Permadeath is always a difficult issue. On the one hand, you want a game to be immersive and combat to have serious consequences. OTOH, there can be many reasons not related to player activities that can lead to death (IE lag, disconnect, etc.) and death can be hugely frustrating. Additionally, realism is not always the most fun. I would start by asking some questions like these:
1) How easy is it to die? If it happens all the time, perhaps permadeath is not an ideal option. 2) Is there any way to mitigate death? IE resurrection, clones, banking gear for an alt, etc. 3) How much does a player lose when a character dies? If it take tons of time to advance, permadeath will really piss off players- probably to the point of leaving. If advancement/eq isn't much of a factor, kill away (this is why it isn't such a big deal in most FPS games). 4) What game issues necessitate permadeath? If there aren't any that can't be addressed by other means, avoid permadeath. 5) Are there other viable ways to handle death issues in the setting? I like the knocked out idea for players. It lets PvP conflict still have impact (you could rob and imprison a defeated foe, for example) but doesn't totally wipe out a player's efforts. | |
I think you should really invest some time into learning how to icon. In hte end it will be worth it especially for a role playing game.
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I was also pondering this question a couple of days ago. I've figured out that because the game is quest-based, if the user dies (which is very different from a KO), his savefile will be reloaded to the last point. The only way to save is the auto-saving feature (which happens both when you begin and end a quest) or when the user logs out.
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IDK, I've been having fun messing around with text mode.
And why should an Role playing game have any reason to be graphical more than any other game? After all, RPG has rogue-likes, MUD's, etc, all of which are generally non-graphical. [/Offtopic] | |
Hedgerow Hall's KO system was kind of nice. When knocked out, the player just lies on the ground for an amount of time based on how much damage the KOing blow did. So you might have 10 seconds for every 1 point of negative health. So if you were KOed and ended up with -14 health, it'd take you 2 minutes and 20 seconds before you'd be conscious again. In the mean time, they could loot you or drag you around or whatever. Being unable to do anything except sit around and watch your character be abuse for a couple minutes is enough to make you not want it to happen, even if the only REAL consequence was being looted... or dragged into a locked room.
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Yes, permadeth is what players thrive for in a text based rpg. Such as; "Vegabond Quest", they get so damn strong it goes to there head once you hit lvl 98 etc you cross paths with a nuke wraith etc. "OH I CAN BEAT HIM HE'S WEAK", although they thought it was a nuked wraith which is powerless they are screwed and die must restart over. every time I died I restarted over thats where the fun is and also the High scoores will be a hit on your game they will comunicate and orient there objectivs once they find out there is a new player with a level of 487 that has not been beated and is crowned king of the outlands. also p-wipes should be made every 2 weeks. With that all said and done your rpg should become rated #1 on byond
Curzon. Need any help or qustions post back,I'd be glad to help you. | |
This idea sounds kind of interesting to me. Rather instead of just sitting watching your character lie there you are taken to a sort of astral mini game where you need to kill monsters or do some activity to try to regain your conscienceless back. After finally answering the impossible questions of the gatekeeper it would be kind of interesting to wake up and find yourself somewhere completely different.
But the whole looting aspect could get kind of frustrating. Depending on how in depth your equipment design is because I know I would be on the verge of stabbing someone if I lost my +45 longsword of segregation... | |
Pyro2013 wrote:
But the whole looting aspect could get kind of frustrating. Depending on how in depth your equipment design is because I know I would be on the verge of stabbing someone if I lost my +45 longsword of segregation... Well if you got KOed it obviously wasn't doing you much good anyway. | |
I havent read trough any of the other replies but let me put it this way.
Makes that are fun to play and game that people keep playing have one thing in comon. They alow the players to keep winning. Win itmes experience or whatever, they just always gain strenght and never lose anything. I think perma dead would not be a good thing to put in your game at all, it will make all the hard work disappear, and because while you fight there is a chance to lose everything it will be most likely that when someone is killed it's because the other person is way more powerfull ad it happend in a unfair way. I'd say, don't put to much "losing" on the dying part in your game. Maybe you could add a way for people to walk arround a ghosts and still beable to do some things. Maybe you could add some sort of time penalty to dying, heck the docot thing might be a good idea. Just dont make people lose to much when thier character dies. | |
Its is not an RPG with "levels" and etc, but truly a role play game. There are a few stats, but not many.
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It's not like you will lose that much by dying, you'll just have to start a new character. Blocks in place to keep someone from using the same name or anything else like that. Considering there is a little bit of tangible gains that would be lost, it would be seen as a deterrent, but as its not much of a loss and everything is easy enough to gain back it would mainly be just a minor nuisance and wouldn't stop ... say... a massive war between two of the guilds. Basically, the way I see things being done is this: If someone is knocked out, there is a 1/25 chance it is a mortal blow. And if it is a mortal blow, they have however long to get to someone who can heal them before dying. Otherwise, they will just be unconscious for however long until the body regenerates itself, which would be sped up getting to someone who can heal them. Also, if committed close to a city, then the perpetrator has a 1/20 chance of getting a death sentence, and a 1/10 chance in getting cleared of charges. Otherwise they will get a life sentence, with various ways of breaking out. | |
Sounds dumb and pointless and against the spirit of a "role playing game." Oh hey, you died... but you don't actually lose anything, you just gotta create a new name (which is, naturally, going to be a homonym of your old name).
Whoop-dee-doo. | |
Oh, your savefile is completely deleted and anything tangible you did have is lost until you manage to get it back (some items will be event items though and of course irreplaceable, unless a friend managed to get to your body before scavengers did), but seeing as how most of what you have is purely text based or community based, even if there were no savefiles at all it wouldnt really matter.
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To restate what I mentioned about the states in Wasteland, if you were unconscious you could recover (unless poisoned, which you can't recover until cured). If you were at the state of seriously wounded, you could go into a critical state (if you don't have any doctor or don't get it done ahead of time) then a mortally wounded state, and finally comatose before you die. So, if you want permanent death, you could implement the way Wasteland used.