Engagement / Stretch Goals / Mechanics

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Magnus Zarwaddim, Jul 19, 2019.

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  1. Magnus Zarwaddim

    Magnus Zarwaddim Avatar

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    With little time on my hands to play 1+ hours on any given day (several times a week), I want to be engaged in the game. Tartarus and to some extent Upper Tears help me to get some XP, and that's great. So I hope the Developers keep adding more content like this in the future. I know it's hard with a limited budget and team (and with Episode 2 being worked on), but I wanted to throw something out there that I have mentioned several times in the past:

    Can we consider having stretch goals one month for other than cosmetics? I've said this before, I don't mind schwag. I'm wearing some of that schwag now, patterned over my gear. And certainly my homes are adorned with many of the decorations that have been created. These things help fund the game (store purchases) and act as rewards for contributing (stretch goals).

    But in terms of monthly goals, would it be in the realm of possibility to use them to fund content and/or mechanics? I'm not going to pretend I fully understand the development process involved in creating new content in terms of work time involved and overall feasibility. So here are some thoughts for themes:
    • New dungeons - this would be the hardest, I am sure.
    • New mobs with new mechanics - place them in zones, or create new encounters (thereby not requiring new zones as they can use the existing encounter-type zones). EDIT: As an example, I recall one day the Developers placed a lot of mobs out in the Overworld that at the time were for show - we couldn't interact with them; it would be fun to see some of those as encounters now.
    • Player-NPC's - whether for player-made dungeons, or to have in POT's; they can have scripting mechanics for conversations or <gasp> player-made quests. Arguably, this might be more difficult than creating new dungeons since it would require a lot of UI/dialog box work.
    If it weren't possible, then how about a stretch goal one month with player-made dungeon schwag (new rooms or items for dungeons)?

    Just throwing this out there to see if there is interest, and whether or not the Developers think it could work from a development standpoint but, most importantly, from a funding standpoint. I can certainly see myself contributing money to reach some of these types of goals. :)

    What would be your thoughts and/or suggestions?
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2019
  2. evillego6

    evillego6 Avatar

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    Since the stretch goals aren't stretch goals anymore, which eliminates the increased drive for higher spending goals, it would probably be significantly harder to make these sorts of rewards that require additional manpower. I'd love to be wrong there, but I thinks it's the reality we have to accept.
     
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  3. Violet Ronso

    Violet Ronso Avatar

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    Agreed, but they could add stuff to the stretch goal shop, such as : New Goblin Mobs! Purchase Goblin Statues, Goblin masks, Goblin clothing, and many other items to work towards this stretch goal.

    I think by doing it this way they could see many mobs/zones/skills funded just like that.
     
  4. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

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    Cosmetic gear and deco can be created by artists, without much else involved.

    On the other hand, dungeons or scenes require a worldbuilder to actually work in Unity. Mechanics require programmers. Skills and spells require coding as well as VFX artists.

    The point being, the people doing the rewards are not the same for other type of content. Especially with a small team, that probably won't happen.
     
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  5. Magnus Zarwaddim

    Magnus Zarwaddim Avatar

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    An unfortunate reality, to be sure. And I hate to be negative, but unless they have those types of people you mention (worldbuilders, programmers, etc.) working on Episode 2, I am wondering the same thing.
     
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  6. Dragonhart

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    well, that's just it, they're working Ep. 2... no time for this.
     
  7. macnlos

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    That made me giggle...
     
  8. Jefe

    Jefe Avatar

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    So not necessarily along the same lines, but List received some submissions from the user community regarding player made dungeon room unity assets. From what I recall, he was pleasantly surprised by some. Curious of when those will roll into the game.
     
  9. Feeyo

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  10. Gia2

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    Awesome ideas and inputs.
    Less decos more content!
     
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  11. Jefe

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    I suspect when the bugs with mannequins get worked out then the ability to equip NPCs will show up in the development roster.
     
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  12. Xee

    Xee Bug Hunter

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    They are working on dungeons, new more complex zones, as well Based on what Chris (Atos) mentioned in the streams some new mobs. As to rewards they will always be what they are now as gear is all crafted or artifacts in game to ensure fair play for those that can't afford. Player NPC's are coming, they plan to have NPC's for player quests, etc with scripting and emotes. As well the UI is still in the works along with the new quest system which fixes alot of the old broken one.

    Look forward to all of this in the near future.
     
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  13. Magnus Zarwaddim

    Magnus Zarwaddim Avatar

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    Sounds good.

    I had a chance to watch Friday's livestream. In it they mentioned that they've done away with stretch goals. So we don't have to wait two+ months for the items they put up; instead they are pre-fabricating them and then doling them out to monthly Rewards subscribers. Darkstarr mentioned they would always just be three items that were immediately rewarded that month.
     
  14. Astirian

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    Me too buddy! I still haven't played through the quest, waiting for maximum polish! :)

    I hope the NPC conversations are modular, I don't really wanna see the integrity of the world compromised.

    I'm also excited for equippable companions! :D
     
  15. Vladamir Begemot

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    Please explain.
     
  16. Astirian

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    I'm sure it'll be the unpopular opinion and I fully expect to get blown out of the sky on this one, besides, I'm pretty sure Port will make it very open... but I'm always a little weary of bad player-created quests.

    Like, I don't really fancy running around looking for the "SAMMICH OF DEATH" for xXX-n00bkillah-XXx because it killed someone's "perents", you know?

    One way around this, I think, would be to have a modular system. The idea is that you could add together flavor text, objectives, locations, NPCs and McGuffins like Lego. You could name things and maybe it would capitalize accordingly etc... But even now as I type I realize such a system would be way too much work, you'd need a fairly substantial database of options (with valid connectors and so on) to make it work. Stuff like capitalizing xXX-n00bkillah-XXx would result in X-n00bkillah-xxx, so really you'd need a name generator you could pick names from from etc...

    There'd have to be enough choices that players didn't see too much repetition (mitigated somewhat by player-made dungeons and POTs) but yeah... It's a lot of work.

    And anyway there's nothing already stopping someone in a fish mask wearing a bodice from writing a book called SpAnKy Munkee that's just page after page of the sentence "All work and no play makes Mr. Bojangles a dull boy!" and having that drop as loot... And I've definitely run past some... uh... "interesting" deco choices... so really, I have no point.


    [​IMG]
     
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  17. Vladamir Begemot

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    Yeah, please don't limit. A better solution is a rating system so bad quests can go to the bottom of your to do list.

    Dungeons are an example. As soon as I found out we were only placing totems and deco was limited in places with mobs I just didn't care.

    I will care when I can place the mobs individually in any room, set up my quests within it as I like, and deco as I like. If it doesn't happen because it'll open the game up to too many exploits then I just won't be making dungeons.

    Same with quest. If I have to piece them together, I just won't be doing it.
     
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  18. craftymethod

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    Could be some community section accessible while ingame, listing some quest stubs with a star rating like Vlad mentioned? Having some system say local newspaper for each town or region could give players opportunities to write news for their own towns and local quests attractions etc.
     
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  19. Astirian

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    Actually, that's probably the way they'll go, they'll have a Quest leaderboard on the Leaderboard UI where you'll be able to see the top quests. You'd definitely still have to be able to rate them or the exploit ones would all show up at the top. (But I suppose that assumes the non-exploiter population outweighs the exploiters by a decent margin)
     
  20. oplek

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    I've always felt that, with the introduction of dungeons, whatever vision existed for an immersive conesuquenceful story-driven world, was shattered. One thing I've always appreciated about basements is that they always had the same footprint as the lot size. There's no rooms protruding out the sides that'd essentially intersect with a neighbor's basement.

    But now we have avatars, who are part of a prophecy to save the world or whatever, *making* massive dungeons full of trolls, skeletons and spiders, as rec rooms... introducing more evil into the world... somehow (rooms just kind of appear through magical means).

    Imagine if, in HalfLife 2, Gordon Freeman takes a detour from trying to save the world, to create his own massive underground labyrinth full of aliens that he can beat up at his own whim. He's able to create, somehow, naturally-forming cave structures, move and swap them around underground, and all along, none of this has any impact or consequence in the broader world.

    It would be one thing you could go take over dungeons, or do base-building out the world, in ways that integrate with the overall vision of the universe... but it's another mechanic that's just glommed onto the side of a different game.
     
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