~ Suggestions & Improvement ~

[ShiningCity]

Mat: Good Luck with your own game. (I gave up on Programming games long ago because doing Grpahics is not my thing ^^)

 

I am writing a text based game because I don't have the time or money to deal with art assets for an iso or 3d game.

 

After playing a game again using the latest DLC, I noticed a few things. The game is still a pleasure to play, nonetheless a few suggestions.

 

-Playing on my laptop without a mouse, I noticed how much this game requires a mouse (in particular the mouse scroll wheel),

Only some of the menus could be scrolled using arrow keys. Typically the laggy, slow menus (such as use ability) did not allow number key scrolling.

-Do the save game files really need to be 40 MB? Thats quite a lot, especially for a text adventure game where I imagine there isn't too much state information to track. This would probably also improve loading and saving times if the file size could be cut down.

 

I played Aca on my laptop all the time and I never had trouble with my touchpad at all.

[Schwarzbart]

I just haved a Idea about how some kind of endless game would be possible for year 2.

How about the player can decide to replay year 2 with his char at the end for a fixed cost im Pims.

Sure it have the downside that it would be the same other Students again and the Player would be 1 year older.

But then there is the option to allow the player to transfer his mind into the past but this means all NPC Relations, NPC Knowledge, all equipment, and pims have to be reseted to what is was at the begin of the year.

Maybe a Adventure is needed to unlook this but to me this sounds like a nice idea for providing a endlos game without anything out of place.

[Nyaa]

But then there is the option to allow the player to transfer his mind into the past but this means all NPC Relations, NPC Knowledge, all equipment, and pims have to be reseted to what is was at the begin of the year.

Maybe a Adventure is needed to unlook this but to me this sounds like a nice idea for providing a endlos game without anything out of place.

Time magic is a bit too early for year two and player can max out everything if they have infinite time, thus ruin the point of time based raising. I won't mind having it on the last school year though.

 

Prim is also a bad idea to use for obtaining something too powerful, they should be only serve as a way to get top tier item/service and not legendary item/service.

 

Prim resetting back to the same value would mean the rich year 1 player will not have to work as much or at all to get another time travel.

[Schwarzbart]

Who sayd that the player will do this kind of magic him self? My thought was more toward a artifact that fanish after its used or something along this line.

I know that Temporal effects are very early for year 2 but there where already some reuqest for a endless game for year 1.

The Idea for this Temporal manipulation was because I doubt that we will see different students at each play what would be a requirment to make a normal repeating of year 2 with the same char possible.

(I.e. if the player fail the exam or decided to take a extra round)

 

With other ways to give out some kind of sandbox/endless gaming at the end there allways the problem that from a realisting point of view you char would end up with different students at latest in year 3 because your friends/enemys of year 2 are mostly already in year 4 by then.

[Nyaa]

Who sayd that the player will do this kind of magic him self? My thought was more toward a artifact that fanish after its used or something along this line.

I am referring to anything that let you time travel. Again, repeating the year even once would ruin the game balance for the rest of the years.

 

(I.e. if the player fail the exam or decided to take a extra round)

I won't mind if it a way for underperformed student to be able to survive/ready for next year and assuming the artifact would vanish out of timeline after one use, but infinitely, no.

 

Also, I would recommend the player to play the easy mode mod if the player really can't pass year one exams that has not much impact on year 2.

 

but there where already some reuqest for a endless game for year 1.

I would prefer that be done through a player mod instead. Although it's impossible with the current one.

 

With other ways to give give out some kind of sandbox/endless gaming at the end or continue there allays the problem that from a realisting point of view you char would end up with different students at latest in year 3 because your friends/enemys of year 2 where mostly already in year 4 by then.

That would be repeating a year, but it would require the game code a new set of new friends from year 2 to year 3 for you to hang out with. Also huge memory hog if the game have to keep track of more than one year lists of students.

[Legate of Mineta]

This idea is pretty cool- I personally like the idea of buying time travel services.

 

That said, this is unlikely to appear in Year 2 for a number of reasons, not least balance issues. Many Players have requested endless gameplay, though, so we do plan to allow that at some point- I don't think it will be as early as Year 2, though.

 

Still, awesome idea.

[Schwarzbart]

Maybe the Player is in return asked to do something in the past for this.

Because as Nyaa mentioned just paying Pims for a transfert of the mind to the past wouldn't mean anyting for the player because he would losing all belonings already.

My suggestion for just sending the mind back in time have the advance its easyer to handle from the engine but also have very vew time paradox problems compared to other versions of timetravel.

[Legate of Mineta]

Schwarzbart;

 

Actually, the original design called for exactly this.

 

I suspect, at some point, you will see it return.

[freespace2dotcom]

I've got an idea for a familiar, just a first draft, but we can smooth it out if it's liked:

 

Background points required: -1

 

 

Name: Pebbles

 

Type: Rock

 

Breed: Igneous

 

 

Fitness: 2

Finesse: 1

Charm: 1

Strength: 1

Intellegence: 1

Insight: 1

 

 

Description: By selecting this background, you gain a rock (Specifically, Mr. Pebbles, of the somewhat-rare Igneous variety.) as a familiar. Note that you will not be able to get rid of this familiar.

 

You've always been averse to pets, thinking them as a waste of time. When you first started showing signs of magic, however, you stumbled across what can only be explained as an event of unbelievable luck! Unfortunately, your interpretation is that of bad luck, because as soon as you met him, he wouldn't shut up! Every attempt to rid yourself of his presence has proven futile as he always magically finds a way back onto your person... And it sure doesn't help that everybody finds it a bit odd that you constantly argue with a rock.

 

Familiar ability: Due to Mr. Pebbles' talkative nature, you suffer a stress minimum of 2 higher than it would be otherwise.

[Legate of Mineta]

Haha, the Pet Rock, eh?

 

Amusingly enough, we have plans for a pet rock, although not specifically a Familiar. Who knows, though? This would be hilarious.

[Schwarzbart]

What happened to all this great familiar suggestions we haved some time back? I dont remember to have any of them seen in the game.

[Nyaa]

What happened to all this great familiar suggestions we haved some time back? I dont remember to have any of them seen in the game.

Adding a new familiar officially would mean making a new set of story events for it, and each years for all school years.

 

Unless the player don't mind having a blank familiar.

[Legate of Mineta]

Schwarzbart;

 

We may have a few more appear in Year 1, but I do know of at least one more Player requested Familiar coming in Year 2, and I imagine a few others will appear as well. We'll see.

[freespace2dotcom]

I could think of a few adventures with Mr. Pebbles....

 

 

 

Ugh... It's been three hours now and Pebbles won't quit! It's getting late and that homework assignment for <insert professor here> is due tommorrow! If you had some peace and quiet you could easily get it done, but it's so hard to concentrate when that stupid rock is going on about how great it is that cheese exists in both holed and hole-less varieties!

 

It's become obvious, that rock has to stop. The only question is, how to do so that he doesn't return 5 minutes from now?

 

 

Option 1: <Raw Strength> Open the window and hurl him.

 

Option 2: <Bluff> Tell Mr. Pebbles that you're going to sleep now.

 

Option 3: <Gates> Send him far far away.

 

Option 4: <Pure Luck> Do absolutely nothing.

 

--------------

Option 1 success: You open the window and throw him with all your might. You waste no time and get to work immediately. Minutes pass, and then an hour and still no Pebbles! You can hardly believe it, and soon, your homework is done. Almost immediately after finishing, you notice his voice coming from your pocket. At this point, it's so late that you can easily tune him out and go to sleep.

 

Option 1 Failure: You open the window and throw him with all your might. Unfortunately, barely a minute passes by before you have a visitor, who turns out to be <insert regent here> with a knot on <his/her> head, who just so happened to be passing by at a fateful moment. In <his/her> hands lies that blasted rock, and you just know that this conversation isn't going to be pretty.

 

Option 2 success: Realizing that every time you've tried getting rid of it before, that rock just keeps coming back. You decide that the best way to deal with the pest is to trick it into thinking there's no reason to annoy you. You quickly tell it you're going to sleep, and promptly ignoring it for a half-hour lying motionless on your bed. Finally, it stops and without delay you pick up your quill and get to work. Who'd have thought that that would work?

 

Option 2 Failure: Since every time you've tried getting rid of it before, that rock just keeps coming back. You think another way might be in order. You try telling Pebbles that you're going to sleep, but no matter how long you lay motionless on your bed, that rock just keeps babbling! Not only do you not get your homework done, but you didn't get any sleep either!

 

Option 3 Success: Normally, you wouldn't risk doing this, but this is an important assignment! Besides, if it means a quiet night, it would be worth almost any risk! Taking out your wand, you draw the phemes and before you know it, that blasted rock is gone! Pausing only long enough to check your pockets, and finding them empty, you go to work. Soon after, you finish and hope beyond hope that Pebbles is gone forever.

 

Option 3 Failure: This is the last straw! Surely if ANYTHING will work, a Gates spell will do the trick! Taking out your wand, you draw the phemes and before you know it.... Nothing happens. All of a sudden you feel faint! It seems that in your anger you miscast the spell and instead summoned a serious case of the Fae Flu! Not only do you not get your homework done, but you feel so terrible you can't move... And the rock STILL keeps rambling on all night long!

 

Option 4 Success: Knowing from experience that conventional attempts at silencing the rock will fail, you decide to attempt reverse psychology. Ignore it completely! Amazingly, Pebbles actually starts snoring, which while annoying in it's own right, is far better than it's usual banter, You finish in no time, and go to sleep content in the knowlege that you won this round.

 

Option 4 Failure: Deciding that only an unconventional approach will yield results, you decide to do absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, that results in (unsurprisingly) nothing changing in your situation. You give up and try to think up an excuse for <insert professor here>. Hopefully <he/she> will take pity on you. Unlikely, but the thought is all you can rely on.

[Legate of Mineta]

Option 5: <Flirting> Introduce him to Miss Pumice.

[freespace2dotcom]

LOL!

[freespace2dotcom]

Option 5 Success: Realizing that a distration is needed, you quickly weigh your options, and remember that you have a pumice stone from an earlier class experiment. With a little touching up, Pebbles is quickly taken by "Miss" Pumice. Suggesting that they have some privacy, you put them in your closet and with renewed vigor quickly finish your assignment. Now that's using your head!

 

Option 5 Failure: Drawing a blank as to what to do, you decide to dress up a pumice stone you've had lying around from an earlier class experiment. After some touching up you quickly introduce the two, and realize in horror, that you can hear them BOTH! Now you have TWO stupid rocks distracting you! ARGH!

[Schwarzbart]

Freespace if you realy whant to creat a Familiar including the two Missions for it then its probably the best to start a new Thread in the writer's Corner for this.

In this thread a suggestion as huge as this would probably get lost and fragmented because of all the other suggestions.

[freespace2dotcom]

Yeah, you're right. At this point though, I don't think I've enough to put there though. Once I write a few more scenarios I'll probably do that.

[Legate of Mineta]

Looking forward to it, if you do!

[freespace2dotcom]

All right, just as a heads up, just how many events are we talking about needing? I'm thinking maybe 3 random events and 5 linked adventure steps. Anything else I need to keep in mind?

[Schwarzbart]

You need 2 complet Adventures for a Familiar usualy one writen with the viewpoint of the Familiar and one with the viewpoint of the player. Any special Events are nice addons but not required.

[freespace2dotcom]

On a completely unrelated subject, I discovered something while looking around for planetary-themed material for Mr. Pebbles' adventure.

 

Now I'm not the largest classical-type music fan and as proof of that I only knew two tracks of the year 1 list, but I just found Gustav Holst's 'The Planets' and if I might so humbly suggest that some of the "planets" would make an excelent score for a future year, if not year 2.

 

Of course I pretty much loved all of year 1's music so I don't really think that there's much to worry about, just a little 'nudge-nudge' if you will....

[Legate of Mineta]

The Planets is pretty fantastic. Jupiter, I believe, almost made it into Year 1.

[freespace2dotcom]

Well, it would almost be a waste to use all of the most epic works on the first year. It would be better to save at least some of them for much later.