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Upcoming DLC Adventures


Cailean_the_Bard

New Adventure Types  

35 members have voted

  1. 1. How detailed do you want new adventures to be?

    • 1-2 pages of reading
      1
    • 3-4 pages of reading
      16
    • 5-6 pages of reading
      9
    • 7+
      9
  2. 2. How many stages do you want new adventures to be?

    • 2
      0
    • 3
      10
    • 4
      13
    • 5+
      12
  3. 3. What do you think about more restricted Adventures, like College specific or requireing a certain Skill level before beginning?

    • Love it!
      24
    • Hate it!
      2
    • Meh...either is fine with me
      9
  4. 4. What rewards do you prefer the most to come from Adventures?

    • Phemes
      1
    • Spells
      7
    • Item recipes
      4
    • Skill bumps
      17
    • Max increases like Skill Max and Stress Max
      6


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As the time approaches for new adventures and occurrences, we thought it'd be nice to get a more specific feel for the Adventures players are wanting. While we can't promise filling every desire or need, if there's something specific someone wants to see or some skillset someone wants tested, this is a great place to let us know as we start doing the dirty work.

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Just wanted to mention, though I voted on the poll, the answers above didn't allow for what I most wanted to say - a wide variety of styles for each of these parts asked about, without all (or most) of these new adventures being say, one page with four options and offering new spells :)

 

I'm really enjoying this game, and it already has considerable variety!

 

I hope what you continue to add to this game will display a wide range of variables and keep that 'unpredictable' feel.

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Just wanted to mention, though I voted on the poll, the answers above didn't allow for what I most wanted to say - a wide variety of styles for each of these parts asked about, without all (or most) of these new adventures being say, one page with four options and offering new spells :)

 

I'm really enjoying this game, and it already has considerable variety!

 

I hope what you continue to add to this game will display a wide range of variables and keep that 'unpredictable' feel.

 

Impet,

 

Duly noted and accepted! Per your suggestion, I'm adding in a small 'bonus' structure to one of my Adventures that should be in the first DLC as well as some branching options and different rewards.

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1st I'd like more shortcut keys, and scrolling keys. When I point to Lore or Magic menu, I want to use either directional keys or (pgup/dwn, home, end) groups. Currently, we can use Pgup/dwn on the central screen only if you push to check one portion inthat . As it is, it's too clunky and slowmoving for my taste.

 

2nd More details appearing on the screen. Like, when we point to a Research topic, the should be a little screen appear to report day of acquiring, the status of that subgroup/parent skill, XP before lvlup... when I point toward the portrait of my girl I want a little screen with info: college, homeroom teacher/mistress, emotion, effects that she's currently under.

 

3rd More portraits, please? I dont think it's unreasonable to ask. A way to add my own custom portrait collection would be greater.

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Laclongguan;

 

1) We have plans for some shortcut keys (see the Suggestions and Improvements thread), but the directional keys haven't been mentioned before. It's a good idea.

 

2) I'm not sure if we can deliver date on Skills, and 'XP' before level up is already present if you click the Skill. It would be a good idea to add it to Research, too, though. Can you comment further on what you mean by 'status of that subgroup/parent skill'?

 

3) We are looking at various ways to get new Portraits into the game, including custom portraits. You can already do this in the Mod Tools, but we haven't released them yet. In the interim, making Portraits moddable outside the game itself might be possible.

 

Thanks!

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An example, then

 

Click on a session, choose Research [or click on the skill column on the left, scroll down to research section], point toward one of subject of Research, for example subject War (which is a parent skill), a little screen on the left of that skill colum, touching the War line will appear:

War: level 0 (bold letter)

Study: 1

...Command: level 2(light letter)

...Leadership: level 7(light letter)

...etc (light letter)

Effect: nameofspell, amount of change.

 

or point ot a subject, sub-skill Mimicry whichbelong to Ambush

 

Ambush: level 0 (blur or light letter)

Study: 2

...Mimicry: level 3 (bold letter)

...Move Silently: level 2 (light letter)

Effect: nameofspell, amount of change

 

This group of details could be made to appear on the big column on the far right. Currently you only show : XP needed to next level, description of that subject, dominant attribute.

 

It depend on whether you want to make a separate thing, or just make the current configuration to show more details.

 

One more thing, some book after researched will have diffent content, why not make them appear in the big column.

[Current config] name of book (diary of edward lamont), xp needed for the next level, general description of the book.

[my proposal] name of book, xp needed for the next level, general description of the book, content after research (diary of edward lamont number 1, 2, 3),

This proposal apply only to book and diaries , of course.

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Possible areas for adventures . . .

 

1 - Class related adventures - field trips, study retreats, subject-related locations, library or museum visits, visiting lecturers, etc.

 

2 - Professor related adventures - professor takes an interest in you, professor challenges you, try to gain professor's approval after mishap, professor's dark secret, expose inappropriate conduct by professor, participate in inappropriate conduct with professor

 

3 - Friend related adventures - friend has fight with parents, friend wants to get X, friend wants to go to X, friend wants to get back at enemy, friend wants help with his/her romantic interests

 

4 - Parent/family related adventures - visit by parents, fight with parents, parental demands, relative visits, go to visit parents, go to visit relative

 

5 - Explore locations on/around campus - spend time in the kitchens, spend time in the boilers, explore the libraries, spend time with the groundskeeper

 

6 - Rimbal adventures - train for a big game, develop a new formation, sabotage enemy team, start a cheerleading group, ask a pro for advice, go to a professional match with friends

 

7 - Detention adventures - cleaning challenges, library challenges, do dangerous stuff for the professor, avoid abject humiliation, etc.

 

8 - Creatures of the woods - meet pixies or fairies, meet other forest creatures, discover bad stuff in the forest and deal with it, find a spooky cave and explore it, climb an enormous tree

 

9 - Town related adventures - make friends in town, get to know shopkeeper, get a part-time job, accused of a crime, steal stuff, join a gang, look for patron, go to a ball, participate in town festivals, adventures concerning the Magicians guild, deal with town punks & bullies

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The biggest problem I've found is random events that no matter what you do you can only fail (skills not of sufficient levels for any option and no non-skill escape option). It makes you dread random events, especially in the first days when all your skills suck... Adventures need to avoid these pitfalls.

 

Also for adventures more reason to take certain skills, like languages... In 6 games to date I've only needed a language skill once... Once! And there are what? 6 languages, 7...? To help this a system that can use any of a number of related or similar skills would be a good idea, so if you have X, Y, or Z you will see your highest option out of that set among the choices. You may also have G, H, and I and the highest of those will be listed as well. This will add some depth to certain subskills and avoid over duplication (such as 'social skills' invovling parts of gossip, persuasion, manipulation, etc) Knowing a skill is part of categories X, A, D, and V is helpful to.

 

Dueling and Rimball adventures would both be good, currently they do occur as random events but they lack cohesion and feel forced... Cohesion is what will make them adventures and not simply random events that end up meaning nothing. Also more items from events of all types (random and not)! My very first character had quite a few items, the rest barely have had any... The most recent bought all but 1 that came from events and was my first to encounter discipline from carrying to many...

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I might just be speaking for myself, but having small (say, 3ish stages) adventures unlocked by some of the 'lesser utilized' skills would be a good idea as well. Why should I study languages? Well, if there's a small quest that you can only undertake if you can speak with the questgiver, and he only speaks in Vilocian, that might help give people an incentive to start studying those skills. Of course, having adventures (or events!) that test on the 'lesser utilized' skills would be great, as well. Knowing that there would finally be some more visible advantages from studying Civil Law or Accounting would definitely work towards the feel that all the developers seem to have been aiming for, that there is no one 'right path' through the game, but instead an enjoyable experience wherever you might decide to wander.

 

Also, as for adventure rewards, is it possible to have a reward be a passive ability that gives a small CoS bonus to some of your skills/abilities? It seems to me that if a player completes an adventure that focuses on a specific group of skills, seeing a return in a bonus to either that skill, or possibly a related skill, would be a very satisfying payoff.

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More long adventures would just make the game even harder, you barely get enough actions a year to do a few of them and still get good grades. I suppose this will get better when we expand the wiki so that we can see exactly what each adventure entrails. Going blind usually ends in a wasted action. Because you suddenly find out you need some obscure skill to proceed, and that is just cruel.

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Ranielle;

 

One way we intend to solve this is by color-coding the Adventure Stages, so that you always know how Difficult it will be. That at least will be of some help, although obscure Skills are an issue. ;)

 

First post, but what about a skill or action called something along the lines of "consider my options" where you select an adventure phase and if you pass a check on any of the dialectic skills (or another appropriate skill) you get a reading of what may be useful in this adventure. If you fail it you could even have the "wrong" answer come out, though perhaps that's too cruel. Possibly add something like a 50% chance of getting a skill step boost to a dialectic skill to make it marginally better than failing the adventure to get the info.

 

-Starcrunch

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Another idea or two for possible adventure threads . . .

 

Who is the nurse? Help her out some. The groundskeeper is mentioned in the Lore - maybe an adventure focused on getting to know him, or helping him out. How about the master of the Forge, or the head Cook? The different head Librarians who work in all the schools' libraries? The School Stationer, if that idea from the other thread is implemented? How about the various farmers who work the fields? Conversely, if you want to play an evil little punk, maybe an adventure composed of nothing more than a series of nasty pranks on these people. The adventures could be exclusive, like the Pirates and Captain of the Guard adventures - you either help them out, as a good little boy/girl, or you terrorize them.

 

An "annoying roommates" adventure might also be amusing - your dorm mates snore loudly, leave their messes everywhere, steal your stuff, etc., and over a series of several days or weeks you gradually come to an understanding with them.

 

Or an adventure focused almost entirely on the gate guards, learning their schedules, and figuring out ways to get around them. OF course, this would work much better were the whole "1st year students can't go into town at all!" theme was better explained and implemented, with exceptions for some study-related things for which you can get passes from your professors.

 

Several random encounters give you a chance to help out thieves . . . maybe have an adventure that expands on that topic, where you collaborate with the thieves guild and help them steal stuff. Or for that matter, the Swashbucklers.

 

Any of the possible part-time jobs could be adventures - working at the newspaper, working as a bank clerk, working at the Corner Tailor, working at Brisbane's, etc. In fact, it would perhaps make more sense if the part-time job was made available only after completing the adventure tied to that particular location/job.

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I have a few questions which I haven't seen answered anywhere: How much do you plan to charge for the DLC, and do you have any idea how many you're going to release?

 

To be honest, I'd rather have you guys working on patches and then the sequel, than on DLC, considering the options and diversity already present in the game. ;)

 

Edit: Also, I believe someone said somewhere that the sequel is about two years off. Is that true? I mean, if each game is two years apart, we won't be able to graduate for the next 8 years. <_<

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Nikolaj;

 

The DLC is free, and we plan to release one each month. Never fear: we are working on the sequel already. :)

 

The only time we would charge for the DLC is if it had significant artwork, which is expensive to produce.

 

Year 2 will be released in 1-2 years. As with all games it takes time to create, and although we'd like to 1 year separations as much as possible, it's not something we can guarantee. :)

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Nikolaj;

 

The DLC is free, and we plan to release one each month. Never fear: we are working on the sequel already. :)

 

The only time we would charge for the DLC is if it had significant artwork, which is expensive to produce.

 

Glad to hear that the DLC is free, since I'm allergic to microtransactions (fair enough with the artwork, I suppose). ;)

 

You may want to put this information on your homepage. Everybody likes a well-supported game, so it might help sell a few extra copies.

 

Year 2 will be released in 1-2 years. As with all games it takes time to create, and although we'd like to 1 year separations as much as possible, it's not something we can guarantee. :)

 

Yeah, I guess it takes the time it takes. I'm getting the impression that you're working on a new engine, though. Do you plan to do that for every title, or just untill you have one that you're satisfied with? I guess that most of the work is in the writing and design, but building a new engine must surely take a lot of time, too.

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Nikolaj;

 

We plan to modify the engine, so I guess you could think of it more as an iteration, rather than a new engine.

 

Surprisingly, the gating step isn't the engine (certainly wasn't on Year !) or the design, but the writing. It takes time (and lots of it editing time) to get the writing in a finished state. And even then there are typos. :)

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