tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post7453920382775135104..comments2023-06-04T15:36:43.714+01:00Comments on <a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com">The World of Althéa</a>: Wrestling With The StuffingLance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-53527110210172707942011-08-14T19:32:36.466+01:002011-08-14T19:32:36.466+01:00Hi Kamal,
I always have a "scared" feel...Hi Kamal,<br /><br />I always have a "scared" feeling about leaving blank templates, as I always feel as though I am building up work to return to. If I build up too much, then I quickly become overwhelmed at the thought of what I still need to do. ;) That said, I do use templates reservedly, as I do recognise their use as you rightly point out.<br /><br />I hear what you say about the differences between a "story" and "sandbox" game with respect to side quests. I guess I never really thought of D&D as a sandbox type game, except that it does offer an alternative option for the player in a game that also has a main story. As you point put, cities is a good place for such a design ... and is probably why I avoid designing cities. ;) (I am not very good at this kind of design.)<br /><br />Interesting and welcomed points as always Kamal. Many thanks!<br /><br />Lance.Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-91117204087854018812011-08-14T13:19:59.808+01:002011-08-14T13:19:59.808+01:00Apologies for mistakes as I'm currently restri...Apologies for mistakes as I'm currently restricted to my phone for Internet.<br /><br />When stuck on a way to move things forward, I will sometimes " force it" and just put in placeholder dialogs, areas whatever, things I can come back to later when I have it worked out. Sometimes forcing things gets things going by itself. Hemingway was a great advocate of this, he wrote from 8-noon, whether he felt like it or not. Sometimes forcing it just allows you to progress to sections you are more comfortable with and inspired about.<br /><br />Some games are all about the sandbox, in those cases the main quest can be incidental and the "side quests" become the important thing for the player, Elder Scrolls, Legacy of White Plume Mountain, even Civilization. In those there's enough that can be done the player can make their own objectives and story.<br /><br />One thing that can be done is offering the player sidequests, but then closing them off if not completed in a certain amount of time. Eg: other heroes have rescued the old lady's cat.<br /><br />Large cities and areas need plenty to do and see or they don't feel "lived in". Sidequests, assuming the player doesn't need to work on the main quest this instant, are how you can accomplish that. I keep a template conversation to use for a generic three step sidequest giver (give quest, quest in progress, player reporting success in quest, post success). I also have a template conversation to use for the quest target of fetch quests, and template ondeath script for kill quests. Having templates simplifies adding small and straightforward sidequests, and I can chain the templates together for a string of straight forward quests from one giver or a multi-part quest. I'd bet big sandbox games use templatized quests to fill out their gameworlds, and something like the Neverwinter Online Forge or the NWN2 Flip project will allow quick construction of these types of straight forward quests.Kamalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17637115231105776944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-23279864185033571102011-08-10T22:52:31.719+01:002011-08-10T22:52:31.719+01:00Hi CW,
Thanks! Like you, I don't like to have...Hi CW,<br /><br />Thanks! Like you, I don't like to have too many quests that appear to be present just for the sake of it. By concentrating on main plot events, I hope to provide different "quests" but with a single purpose. Of course, there will still be the odd side quest. ;)<br /><br />Lance.Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-57394634077470689802011-08-10T16:57:21.213+01:002011-08-10T16:57:21.213+01:00I like the general idea of your main quest events....I like the general idea of your main quest events. On the one hand, they have the "incidental" quality which makes them interesting for the whole of the story--it wasn't a "good" decision to go through Moria--yet, however, you want these events to provide characterization. This is good! The problem, as I see it, is that most side-quests in games exist "apart" from the game itself. They offer no coherent continuity to the overall plot/world. They're just kind of there, and nothing should just 'be there' in a game(or, for that matter, anything).<br /><br />In my own case, any optional events done by the player are under the umbrella that they're gathering supplies for the Nagas(obviously more than that, but you get the idea). That said, there is still the difficulty of making sure that things mesh within the overall plot structure(and corresponds to the themes I would like to express).<br /><br />I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like your framework. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-14885369717513926692011-08-09T19:29:50.567+01:002011-08-09T19:29:50.567+01:00Hi MC,
Thanks!
This is exactly the kind of reply...Hi MC,<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />This is exactly the kind of reply I need at the moment - ones to help me to focus on those points that I have let slip due to looking at other areas of the module.<br /><br />It's sometimes hard to move from one stage of thinking back to another, especially if one is also distracted by real life activities. <br /><br />And in your examples you do touch on some of the issues I am wrestling with ... some of the real problems due to the fact that I am also introducing a new area that has some of its own background and history, which I don't want to start unravelling too much just yet, but at the same time need to do so a little to stay true to for the sake of a good story.<br /><br />Thanks again, just the kind of post I need to help start moving in that direction again.<br /><br />Lance.Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-84971449241086361672011-08-09T18:37:39.675+01:002011-08-09T18:37:39.675+01:00Interesting thoughts as always, Lance. The attenti...Interesting thoughts as always, Lance. The attention you're paying to the storytelling craft through the medium of this module is intriguing both as a process and for what it says about how your adventure will turn out!<br /><br />Some thoughts about your main quest events along the way: You could perhaps consider what major forces are acting in ways as-yet unknown to the PCs that shape their choices. In your Moria example, the opposition of Saruman narrows the choices of the Fellowship partially because they have to fear what he is capable of. The destruction of the Dwarvish colony and the presence of the Balrog are big unknowns--information, in fact, that is intentionally kept from the reader/characters.<br /><br />Another line of thought to consider in shaping your quest turning point is what you want to foreshadow about the ultimate object of the quest, or what you want to reveal about the principal actors. In the Moria example, several important character points are revealed that will become relevant later on: the extent of Gandalf's ability to contend with a great power of evil, Aragorn's leadership when the chips are down, and the resilience of the Hobbits to great danger and harm.<br /><br />Hopefully some of these approaches may help you in thinking about your quest events from a new angle. Perhaps they won't, or you've already considered them! If so, you could perhaps run parts of the story by another person who doesn't mind being spoiled; sometimes something that seems like a major roadblock to an author is actually no problem. Maybe you could tell your story to your rabbits! Sometimes just talking it out can help resolve it, even without feedback.Master Changerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351989516563306639noreply@blogger.com