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Author Topic: Entity Profiles (concerning 08/25/2007 update)  (Read 1193 times)

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Entity Profiles (concerning 08/25/2007 update)
« on: August 26, 2007, 06:12:00 am »

quote:
Toady posted the following:
It's a little more precise about what comes up out of the ruins now. I was attacked by a skeletal axeman and a zombie child with old clothes. It even knows which zombies were related to which zombies back in their former lives, but there's currently no way to access that information. I'm sure it'll come into play at some point.

This has got me thinking. How about a real profile screen (kind of like a criminal file) for each sentient entity (and legendary non-sentient ones too) that displays all information that is known about them to the player? If you met a man in the wilderness, for example, all you knew in the beginning would be 'male human'. As you questioned him (and others from his civilization if he's noteworthy/related to them), the unknown values would be gradually filled in. As the overall picture becomes more and more clear, a family tree could appear in the profile screen, allowing you to quickly switch between related entities. Noteworthy achievements (killed more than 5 sentient enemies, participated in the [winning/losing] [number] battle of [location], outlawed by [civilization], etc.) could be presented in a text resembling a short biography.

The suggested system would obviously replace the current legend mode (which I understand is very provisional anyway). Has anyone here played Microprose's "Covert Action"? That's sort of what I'm thinking about here.

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vox_humana

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Re: Entity Profiles (concerning 08/25/2007 update)
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2007, 04:59:00 am »

I suppose Toady is thinking about fleshing out the emergent story-telling aspects of the adventure mode. Imagine the following:

A craftsman Tom's business is going bad because certain dwarves are saturating the market with cheap stoneworks. He gets some comfort in drinking. In a pub, a certain adventurer tries to hire him. His mind being unclear, Tom accepts, forgetting he has a family to take care of. The insensitive adventurer sends Tom to scout some ruins and he gets instantly killed by a goblin arrow. Rumors of the incident reach Tom's family. His wife, already depressed, goes insane, burning their house, killing herself and the children.  

One day, the adventurer comes across a zombie child in burned clothes.
The child approaches, muttering: "you killed my father.."

Well, at some distant point.  :)

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Re: Entity Profiles (concerning 08/25/2007 update)
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2007, 10:46:00 am »

That's an... interesting scenario. But yeah, having a reputation for being reckless and getting your companions killed should make recruitment (or maybe even trading/questing) very difficult.
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Fieari

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Re: Entity Profiles (concerning 08/25/2007 update)
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2007, 10:59:00 am »

quote:
Originally posted by vox_humana:
<STRONG>I suppose Toady is thinking about fleshing out the emergent story-telling aspects of the adventure mode. Imagine the following:

A craftsman Tom's business is going bad because certain dwarves are saturating the market with cheap stoneworks. He gets some comfort in drinking. In a pub, a certain adventurer tries to hire him. His mind being unclear, Tom accepts, forgetting he has a family to take care of. The insensitive adventurer sends Tom to scout some ruins and he gets instantly killed by a goblin arrow. Rumors of the incident reach Tom's family. His wife, already depressed, goes insane, burning their house, killing herself and the children.  

One day, the adventurer comes across a zombie child in burned clothes.
The child approaches, muttering: "you killed my father.."

Well, at some distant point.   :)</STRONG>


Peter Molyneux promised this feature for Fable, and never delivered.  Toady will do what Peter could not.

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