What do YOU want to see in G4?
Pages
| Author | Topic: What do YOU want to see in G4? |
|---|---|
|
Apprentice
Member # 5620
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 13:12
Profile
this isnt a poll, this is completely open ended...but, be remotely serious. like, how do you want the game to start, new creations, new spells, new power, new factions, storylines...etc. and i want to say before i start this...i completely respect the spiderweb software people and the wonderful games they create, im not trying to be insulting in anyway, i was just saying that i had thought of some things and maybe other people had too. personally, i think it would be pretty sweet to continue with this line of different types of shapers. For example, in the first game, you were a shipwrecked apprentice. next game...you were an apprentice with your teacher...next game...oh, still an apprentice, but at a school. i suppose that makes sense so you have a point to start from...but... what about a human who has always from an early age had this strange, natural ability to shape and to use magic. like an outsider from G2. or a young, newly created drakon from the rebels... or maybe a weapons crafter? or a human who starts the story with his village being razed by rebels and runs off, finds a cave with a few canisters in it and... holy cow batman! i can shape! i mean...none of these are too far-fetched and all of them are a departure from the apprentice storybase. Posts: 15 | Registered: Thursday, March 24 2005 08:00 |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 14:17
Profile
Homepage
In GF4, you will not play a shaper. Whether this means a servile, human, or drakon is unclear. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
|
BANNED
Member # 4
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 14:34
Profile
Homepage
Finally! Then we won't have dialogue that consists of "press 1 for Shapers, 2 for Rogues, 3 for Medium"? -------------------- * Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 5167
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 14:38
Profile
Maybe, wear multiple rings? After all, we don't have only 1 finger... And, if we could get a GOD item (like a style of bonus that the Geneforge give you but in an item). Or maybe we could do these worms thingy in the attacked school. -------------------- Finished Sub2 levels: Shop"keep"er Machinery Complex Machinery Complex2 Machinery Complex3 Machinery Complex4 Munchkin City In progress: None Abandonned: T.E.L.E.P.O.R.T Sub-Way Posts: 80 | Registered: Saturday, November 6 2004 08:00 |
|
Infiltrator
Member # 5566
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 14:48
Profile
quote:are you Jeff's next door neighbor ??? or at least a very close friend :confused: Posts: 507 | Registered: Tuesday, March 1 2005 08:00 |
|
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 14:48
Profile
It would be cool if you could be a Sholai. Since they have warriors and mages you could end up with Guardian-like and Agent-like classes, and perhaps some kind of Sholai shaman would find themselves good at storing essence, once they had picked up some training and/or canisters. We already know from G1 that Sholai can use canisters. Plotwise, I think it would be nice if the GF series introduced some prospect for resolving the power paradox which has been its main theme so far. It might be that the resolution would fail, or it might succeed or fail depending on the player's actions. By the 'power paradox' I mean the fact that you can only gain enough power to change the Shaper world by becoming something at least as bad as the Shapers in the process. The problem has been pretty thoroughly presented by the end of G3. Just to keep harping on it would get monotonous. To try to do something about it, this time, would be very interesting. According to one of the G1 endings that the G2-3 history line doesn't take, the Sholai leader Trajkov basically manages it, while the Shaper PC cannot. So perhaps the Sholai have something the Shapers lack. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 5437
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 14:57
Profile
I would like to be a servile, so I could lead the crusade, or a Drakon so I could actually use the Geneforge :P Posts: 2032 | Registered: Wednesday, January 26 2005 08:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 5397
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 15:13
Profile
Homepage
it would be awsome to be anything BUT a shaper because wev been shapers through the whole Fricking series and id like to see something new! Posts: 23 | Registered: Friday, January 14 2005 08:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 247
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 16:31
Profile
Homepage
I have not been a shaper. In GF2 I was a gurdian. Perhaps I shaped 3 times in the course of the game. No, no its much better to play a knight sticking things with your sword. -------------------- The Knight Between Posts. Posts: 2395 | Registered: Friday, November 2 2001 08:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 5652
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 16:34
Profile
well hawk king, Drakey is only a Triad Mage Member #7 and a beta tester; so not exactly a next door neighbor :D -------------------- "Many minds make quick work of uncertainty" Posts: 36 | Registered: Thursday, March 31 2005 08:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 1412
|
written Wednesday, April 13 2005 21:11
Profile
Some humble interface improvement suggestions: 1) The ability to travel within a zone more quickly. For example, if you could just option-click to zap straight from Dhonal's Keep to the front door leading to the Inner Keep, or go from the edge of Fort Wilton to the skiff instantly. If "game-breaking" were a concern, you could limit it to function only in areas you've cleared. Or heck, even make it a magical item that you could purchase. It'd make navigation much quicker. 2) Make the "see abilities" tab more conspicuous. I didn't notice it was up there in the top right corner of the stats page until checking just now. 3) Character input repeating when saving games (e.g. if you want to rename a saved game, just hold down the delete key instead of having to hit it each time to delete a letter). 3b) Related: Being able to navigate the save menu with arrow keys. 4) Inventory navigation: The ability to use arrow keys, and the ability to use keyboard commands to, for example, drop selected items on the ground with a single keystroke. 5) The ability to use keystrokes to attack in combat, like in Avernum. Occasionally enemies right next to you are positioned such that there's a good chance you'll click on yourself and end your turn instead of attack. [ Wednesday, April 13, 2005 21:12: Message edited by: Mav ] Posts: 67 | Registered: Monday, July 1 2002 07:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 3115
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 00:03
Profile
I suggested this for GF3 without success so I'll just suggest it again: Have any female characters look and sound like females and any male characters look and sound like males. Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. -------------------- Consciousness (n): That annoying period between naps. Posts: 42 | Registered: Tuesday, June 17 2003 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 4131
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 08:11
Profile
quote:I'd like that! This could be the story! You are in a holding cell.You hear that you will be let out for a bit of augmenting.This is your chance! Will you serve the Rebels?Or will you go rouge? P.S.I would like it so that when your making a charactor you could click a "random charactor" button that randomizes your charactor & stats [ Thursday, April 14, 2005 08:23: Message edited by: Stormlord Windspire ] -------------------- I like Biscuits!!!! Posts: 67 | Registered: Sunday, March 21 2004 08:00 |
|
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 08:53
Profile
Homepage
I'll second all of Mav's suggestions. Actually, these are all things that have really gotten to me. #1 is particularly annoying for those of us who are used to "powergaming the directional pad" in older style games. In Exile, when you had a long stretch of cave or whatever to go across, you could just rat-a-tat-tat on NW/N/NE or whatever the appropriate direction was, to maximize the input, and you'd be there in seconds. The smooth movement in GF is quite elegant and the speed is handled extremely well, IMHO, but it can still be annoying. However, #1 would be less of a problem if boats and "dungeon" zones were accessible from the map. Especially since the dungeons are used inconsistently. Why is the Inner Keep handled this way, while Khyryk's Tower is on the map? I'll add to #4 that the keyboard commands should also include equipping. It's pretty normal in GF to carry around light pieces of equipment that you don't normally wear, but which give a Mechanics bonus, and it's really annoying to repeatedly click-move-click all of them just to open a door. -------------------- Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00 |
|
Guardian
Member # 3521
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 09:04
Profile
The Shaper world from the viewpoint of a sentient drakon would offer very little choice. After all, a drakon can't very well join or support the shapers, as he will never be thought of as anything better than a dangerous rogue. And the "choice" to go rogue is hardly a choice for the many creations that travel that path- isolated from the stabilizing influence of their creators, they basically lose their minds. That's hardly a reasonable in-game choice, and drakons are depicted as being far too intelligent and independent to go mindlessly rogue anyway. If Jeff decided to go with a drakon PC for GF4, he would be forced to do away with the entire choice between factions element so important in the GF series. It would undoubtedly be a risky move, and Jeff as a game designer is often depressingly conservative. A servile PC is even more unlikely than a drakon, as serviles are of course incapable of shaping. There's no way Jeff will make a GF game that does not allow the player to shape creations. That seems to leave us only with the human PC, the most prosaic option but clearly the only one that will allow for real choice and power along the lines of the typical GF game. I'd be surprised and impressed if Jeff managed to come up with something new to compensate for the choice/power deficit that would make drakon or servile PCs more feasible, but at this point I'm doubting that he'll bother. -------------------- Stughalf "Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed."- The Bhagavad Gita. Posts: 1798 | Registered: Sunday, October 5 2003 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 4131
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 09:30
Profile
I didn't ask for YOUR opinion weasel P.S.A drakon can do anything a shaper can.In other words you could help whoever made you or just choose not to serve anyone and kill whoever made you.They are like 'factions'.Or failing a drakon charactor I would like to at least not be the main charactor.But a COMPANION to the main charactor [ Thursday, April 14, 2005 09:34: Message edited by: Stormlord Windspire ] -------------------- I like Biscuits!!!! Posts: 67 | Registered: Sunday, March 21 2004 08:00 |
|
Guardian
Member # 3521
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 10:23
Profile
Whether or not you specifically asked for my input, I certainly had the right to offer it. And although I undoubtedly like weasels, I most certainly am not commonly addressed as such. Call me Stughalf, Stugie or Stug. I suppose factions could be developed within the drakon fold, but it seems highly unlikely. Why would sentient drakons ever join together against the drakon lord royalty? Certainly not out of loyalty to the Shapers, who would certainly exterminate all drakons if it were possible. Drakons as they have been depicted in GF2 and GF3 are uniformly arrogant, greedy and power-hungry, possessing great intelligence and cunning but very little moral clarity. Unless a significant group of drakons were to come to the conclusion that Ghaldring was too jealous with his power or riches, a rebel drakon faction would never be formed. Your second suggestion is rather ridiculous. A companion to the main character as the PC? It's fine to start off a game in a subservient position, as the player does in GF2, but to proceed to play second fiddle throughout the remainder of the game would be truly odd. Would the scripted "main character" allow the player-controlled lackey to make all the relevant decisions? Such a relationship is hardly plausible. And allowing for a normal leader/follower relationship would mean that the head shaper would often choose to overrule the player's decisions, making for a thoroughly frustrating gaming experience. -------------------- Stughalf "Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed."- The Bhagavad Gita. Posts: 1798 | Registered: Sunday, October 5 2003 07:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 5667
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 14:25
Profile
I agree, the PC must be human. Being a creation offers too little choices, as creations will not be accepted into any Shaper establishment (except possibly a servile who sneaks in through the back door, but that wouldn't be very exciting.) Gazers and Drakons are out as they are too powerful for the lower levels. Imagine if you were an eyebeast, how challenging would defeating a few artilles be? That being said, the prospect of being someone other than a Shaper is pretty exciting. Maybe you could be a Sholai spy sent to steal the Shaper's secrets and report back to your homeland. Or perhaps you'll be a mage who is able to rise up to the Shaper ranks through the odd providences of war. Or perhaps you can be a squirelly merchant just trying to run his shop make a buck. (OK, maybe that last idea doesn't hold too much promise) Whatever the case, there are a few things I would like to see in the next installment. 1.) We should be able to to train up to level 6 in any creation, making a new version available. There are plenty of creatures out there for us to make. It was frustrating that I could only train up to level 5 in Fyora creation, it would have been neat to be able to make a "charged fyora" or some such thing. Also I'd love to be able to get my hands on an inferno worm, which could easily be one of the best creations in the game. 2.) I'd like a way to arrange the journal better. putting everything in one linear order is not the best. I would have liked to file similar entries together. For example, it would have been helpful to put all of the recipes together. So when I was wondering "was that a Demon's or a Rothgroth's claw that I needed?" that info would have been readily available. 3.) Story wise, I would like to see some divisions arise within Shaper ranks. Up to this point the Shaper system has been a monolith; "either you join us and do as we tell you, or else." But perhaps we started to see some chinks in the proverbial armour in GF3, it's time the Shapers thought long and hard about the way they have been doing things. There should be a growing awareness among the community that the threats they are facing are the result of their own fascist policies and reckless experiments. What is to be done about this, will of course be decided by you. Oh, and 4.) I want to use the Geneforge! :D -------------------- Whatever happens, happens. Posts: 48 | Registered: Monday, April 4 2005 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 1412
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 15:45
Profile
More Living Tools. They're incredibly scarce in GF3, and I've tried my darnedst to conserve 'em and keep my Mechanics skill at a decent level (currently at 14). Btw, if this more properly belongs in a separate thread, just let me know and I'll start a different topic. Posts: 67 | Registered: Monday, July 1 2002 07:00 |
|
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 16:55
Profile
Homepage
What about the ability to shape creations that aren't fighting characters? We know that shaping is involved in the creation of living tools, spores, pods, and so on. You could implement some really practically useful things here -- say, some kind of "pack" creation that you can toss your items into. Having to juggle reagents, charging stones, and heavy collectible items gets pretty annoying... as does being encumbered just because I'm carrying a bunch of living tools. -------------------- Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 5131
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 18:49
Profile
Some things I would like to see: 1. Not actually a gameplay element, but still useful--the ability to pause and minimize the screen so I can work on something else if I need to. I like to multitask and consequently am forced to quit playing when something comes up. 2. A new tier of creations, by which I mean (for example) a Fyora, a Cryoa, and something stronger. We've had the first two for three games already, and a few new groups of creations for two. I think the idea of a Hydra Artila (with multiple heads, not water-based) is really cool; at the very least it could substitute for Spray Crystals. 2b. On that note, maybe some new spells too. The Exile games have a HUGE number of spells; surely some of them can be adapted for GF. I have fond memories of casting Wall of Force. 3. Further development of the conflict between orthodox Shapers and the rebelling ones. Maybe as far as full-blown war, in which the PC has the option of accepting attack/defend missions and has to be in a certain place by a certain time (making use of the day tracker) to fulfill them. 4. A different way of teaching newbies the basics of the game. Maybe something like being forced to cull and tame a creation from a group made by a controlled Spawner. The player could be given Ensnaring Crystals and a Rod of Control (or whatever), then forced to return any unused items so they don't have an unfair advantage. Side note: the starting point seems to be progressing steadily with each game (first one--not yet apprenticed, second one--just starting apprenticeship, third one--about halfway); maybe the fourth one will start with the Test. 5. Keyboard shortcuts for spells and combat, if not also for equipping items. Also, moving the Quick Spell/Item buttons to various letter keys (maybe ones in the upper row, which aren't really used) instead of the function keys would be great. Having to press the 'fn' button every time I want to heal is a nuisance. 6. Some way to store items, with in some sort of bank or a creation/companion that carries stuff. Having to drop my heavy Crystals or face severe encumberment and go back for them later is a pain. One final note: playing as a human (instead of a Shaper) isn't very plausible unless you start, play, and end as a rebel because the Shapers have constistently guarded their power with extreme jealousy. If they found out that you, a measly human, were using their powers, they'd probably put a price on your head and/or send a small army to kill you. [ Thursday, April 14, 2005 18:52: Message edited by: Altimus ] Posts: 8 | Registered: Monday, October 25 2004 07:00 |
|
Shaper
Member # 5437
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 19:35
Profile
I like the idea of being a human. The Shapers underestimate you, but you gain strength and wisdom and finally take the power that is their mighty Geneforge. It seems if you were a servile you would end up getting pushed around a lot. Also they can't use canisters, so it would almost be a guarantee that you wouldn't be using the Geneforge. I would like to be able to shape living tools so I could stop carrying them all the time and mines for protection. That would be very useful. Posts: 2032 | Registered: Wednesday, January 26 2005 08:00 |
|
Apprentice
Member # 5667
|
written Thursday, April 14 2005 20:43
Profile
quote:Hold on a minute; we are now entering a time of war, and a very serious one at that. In an emergency people don't tend to be too particular about where help comes from. So if you are a non-shaper who saves the day, they will probably take you in, maybe declaring you a shaper ex-post-facto. -------------------- Whatever happens, happens. Posts: 48 | Registered: Monday, April 4 2005 07:00 |
|
Infiltrator
Member # 5567
|
written Friday, April 15 2005 02:25
Profile
Homepage
More spells. More creations. More graphics. maybe more classes. More sects. -------------------- How many shapers are there? Why is Drypeak controlled by Zakary? Why is Barzahl a Guardian? How does the Geneforge work? What's as small as nothing? Why am I asking stupid questions? -------------------------------- Shaper teacher : "DON'T TOUCH THAT!" BOOM!! apprentice :*little voice* "Sorry..." --------------------------- CSM RIFQ Neopets Do join, it's fun. Do you know what is the answer to the greatest question ever? It's here. Posts: 576 | Registered: Wednesday, March 2 2005 08:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 4131
|
written Friday, April 15 2005 09:06
Profile
A servile would be possible.Heres how A shaper tries crossing a human and a servile in hopes of producing a better worker.The result has a mind of its own.Running away it hides in a hidden canister store.As being part human lets it use canisters...HOLY COW YOU JUST GOT YA FIRST KILLER SERVILE!!!! And drakons aren't greedy.They just take what they can WHEN they can! But heres what I want if non-shapers fail 1)A change of Ornks.They could carry stuff for you and upon death drop meat for you :) 2)(optinal) The Ability to make mountable creatures? :rolleyes: 3)More creations 4)A Mage class?(bad at melee,good at magic,OK at shaping) 5)A class thats good at melee,ok in magic but rubbish at shaping? 6)(optinal) A class thats not strong in anything but not weak at anything either?So overall.A balanced charactor? P.S.Dragons like to gather wealth.Drakons and Drayks(being part-dragon themselves) Are NO different! -------------------- I like Biscuits!!!! Posts: 67 | Registered: Sunday, March 21 2004 08:00 |