~ Suggestions & Improvement ~

[Legate of Mineta]

Schwarzbart;

Your journey in Y2 can be cut short if you aren't careful, yes. The Adventures are written this way as well.

[Schwarzbart]

my edit 2 came to late so here again: ^^

I think it would be a good thing to remind the player early in Y2 again about the consequences they have to expect if ever it get to known that (s)he learn forbidden magic. After all for some player it might be years ago when they played Y1 or it even that Y2 is their first contact with this game.

[Legate of Mineta]

S;

Yeah, and we need warnings when you are straying into peril, too.

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: In all fairness, none of the content which I have written has the PC saying or doing anything that would explicitly conform that he/she is practising gates magic. If what I have written is too explicit, though, I welcome feedback.

 

[Good Coyote]

I'm probably a minority in the playerbase, but I'd like it if it was a bit easier to unintentionally make enemies with other students.

As far as I've found in the game, the way to simulate a character who is a little abrasive (but isn't actually deliberately harassing anyone) is with Make Good Noise At The Crier's Stone with a side order of Aventyrare's Private Office, but I'll only use them until the skills/study levels are maxed. Then using Every Planet In Its House for any students that I do want to particularly befriend. And occasionally getting the chance to butt heads in an RE, but those don't always result in an actual relationship loss. (I also start with the Bitter Hatred background feature, but Descended From Traitors is mutually exclusive with Black Sheep, which I can't not take.)

But I get so much relationship gains from so many other sources, that it often just gets canceled out. I have to skip class just to avoid making friends. (That's the only reason, I swear!)

I think it would be interesting if being generally liked was something that you had to work more at, especially if you have low Charm. 

[Schwarzbart]

It is already mentioned that during the holiday between Y1 and Y2 your relationships will slowly drop toward 0 if your not working on it.

[Good Coyote]

Yes, and they'll raise to 0 if they are in the negatives. You lose both good and bad relationships, because you're just not on people's minds. It's also been hinted that having high grades will lead to relationship trouble with certain characters.

I think it would be cool if there were more ways to continue having trouble throughout the year, particularly relating to your character just not being good at people, that don't necessarily mean your character is actively trying to hurt others.

Maybe attending class could give you a chance of either gaining or losing relationship with another character from that class, depending on the state of your Charm or Befriend, etc.

[Metis]

One issue I foresee with that suggestion is that the other side of the fence would than feel like high Charm/Befriend (or other attributes/skills) is mandatory in order to not make unnecessary enemies, and Y2 is already going to have high Glory, high grades, college rivalries and a few other sources eating away at your relationships. It's a fair point that roleplaying as someone more socially stunted (or however you'd prefer to phrase it) is kinda difficult with all the build-in relationship gains, but it's not like that really amounts to much after the summer vacation wipes the slate clean.

[Good Coyote]

That's true, I just threw the classes out as an example, but it would be better to do something that was opt-in. The Good Noise At The Crier's Stone blanketly says that you will annoy someone, but there's nothing forcing you to use the ability. Even just "more like that" would be nice.

Summer relationship degrading doesn't mean much to me for either friendships or enemies, since the whole point is roleplaying while you're at school. It also isn't a total reset. If you have max relationship with someone it probably won't hit 0, even if you do nothing about it. It just won't be max anymore.

Alternatively, maybe more of the relationship gains could be opt-in, such as an action like "Study with Classmates" that can pair study levels with r-gains and other rewards, but no r-gains from the Study Levels themselves.

I doubt I'll come up with any perfect ideas for exactly how this could be implemented, but it's the general character type that I think it would be cool to be kept in mind while developing. (And still keeping other character types and the majority playerbase in mind of course.)

[Schwarzbart]

I think the reason why the "Zoedorf" region is called like a village could be something interesting for a ingame lore.

Because I'm no lore collector I don't know if it isn't already in Y1 or planed for Y2.

[Legate of Mineta]

*Agreed*

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: Here is a suggestion for a PC with a rivalry with Lambert Cobo who has completed the ghost's Y1 adventure. Lambert suggests that they should duel in a place where they can both use unrestricted magics, and the PC can then try to find such a place. Once such a place is found, the PC could challenge Lambert to a duel where the two would try to use gates magic against each other - or at least Lambert wants the PC to think that he can.

[Legate of Mineta]

I'll pass it on!

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: Are there any plans to have certain duels or combat with special conditions associated with them (such as using only nonmagical attacks)? If so, I have some suggestions for conditions.

[Legate of Mineta]

Yep, and go right ahead!

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: Here is 1 type, which I call "Six Spells Before Battle":

1. Each side must first attempt to use any three spells which improve their own bodies or minds. Failure to attempt such a spell (by for example attacking the foe) results in disqualification (in-game, losing the duel).

2. Next, each side must attempt to use any three spells which protect them against attacks (magical or otherwise). Failure to attempt such a spell (by for example attacking the foe) results in disqualification (in-game, losing the duel).

3. A conventional duel is fought in which both sides can do whatever they want.

If this type of duel could be implemented, then I have other similar suggestions.

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi;

I'll certainly send the suggestion.

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: As I write more content for Y2 which reflects a PC with the trait "Prodigy: On the Prowl", I wonder whether Y2, like Y1, will have adventure(s) which require the trait "Prodigy: On the Prowl".

[Legate of Mineta]

I could not say.

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: I just thought that you should know that in my writing about Uliva, I have been guided by the thought that she engages in behaviour which would not be out of place for an evil or creepy character - but for completely innocent (even cute) reasons. Is this a good approach to writing her?

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi;

Sure.

[Rhialto]

22 hours ago, Legate of Mineta said:

Professor Pachait once came across as stuffed one that was on display with a traveling carnival, but since they refused to sell it to him and he couldn't successfully steal it it's not available for student reference."

@Legate of Mineta: Could I use this travelling carnival as the place for my adventure with the talking dolphin?

[Legate of Mineta]

Sure!

[Rhialto]

34 minutes ago, Legate of Mineta said:

"Part of the Venalicium's restricted collection is an object called the Albanetti Stone.  It was discovered about a hundred fifty years ago, as an ancient (and strange) vinyard in Porziana was plowed over to prepare for a new canal; astrologers think it was buried seven or eight hundred years before that.

It's sandstone, about sixteen feet (with a Minetan foot equal to about 30 cm) long, five feet wide, and three feet deep.  Both the "top" and "bottom" sides are covered in engraved script - one side using familiar Renaglian letters, the other using something else entirely.  Neither side has been deciphered, even with astrological help.

The vinyard in question was a site of documented Gates activity about 600 years ago - well after the point at which the stone was buried, but still conspicuously close enough to make people worry.  Granted, most scholars believe it was an elaborate hoax, but there's a vocal minority that claims it's some kind of study of a Draconic language, or something from another kind of existence altogether."

Could I have the Triplets mentioning this stone? Not in terms of knowing its meaning, but in terms of maybe being aware of it and maybe hoping to study it. Tabin, after all, is associated with Porziana, Magsa loves strange artifacts and languages, and Sima is a seller of strange artifacts (she claims/hints...).

[Legate of Mineta]

Sure!