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[LordSlowpoke]

well

how about

you put a bangin' donk on it.

[freeformschooler]

donk?

[LordSlowpoke]

here's for me mildly suggesting literally everyone knows this already

should have linked it somewhere in the previous post OH WELL

[Tomcost]

Setting: Kirby universe. Because there are stars, and travel through space.This is also a PTW

[freeformschooler]

Setting: Kirby universe. Because there are stars, and travel through space.This is also a PTW

Well, the setting is already somewhat established other than the dummy world. But it would be great to do it Kirby 64 style (going from planet to planet)

IronyOwl and I also had a conversation that went like this:

freeformschooler: 3DSG
freeformschooler: this is the future of wasting time on the internet
IronyOwl: Yes

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Tomcost]

Well, the setting is already somewhat established other than the dummy world. But it would be great to do it Kirby 64 style (going from planet to planet)

I wanted to mention that game, but I didn't remember which game it was.

[freeformschooler]

So, taking the suggestions of players in mind, the game is starting to take shape.



Don't you love it when you spend time drawing stuff like this you're probably never going to use?

Anyway, I'm actually seriously starting to consider a mission rotation system. However, the "on-ship" thread would be less free RP/faffing around and more of a mass resource management game. Sadly, I'm not piecewise, so I would probably only be able to handle about 12 to 16 max (6-8 for either game) Here's my concepts for how it would play out right now. Please provide feedback and continue funneling ideas into my brain.

You are: a group of elite heroes from a bunch of different worlds. Ideally original characters, but canon (see: Bowser and Dell in a Change of Scenery) allowed, too, maybe. No matter who you play as, the whimsical, high-fantasy feel of nintendo games should be preserved both in your character and in their interactions. You've been called on by the FFSCC for a suicide mission: travel in a fake dummy planet, the Star Base, to Free Floating Storage, a pocket dimension where a powerful force threatens to destroy everything etc.
The scenery: the formation of the Silence Star (said powerful threatening force) has broken all of the existing worlds in FFS into shards which are now Freely Floating through Storage. Each of these shards was held together by some powerful force contained in it. Alone, these forces (think Triforce pieces or similar things) are not enough to combat the Silence Star, but utilized together, they might be! That's where you come in.
Off-ship: There will be one active off-base mission at any given time. The players will travel through the world of their choice to gather whatever powerful plot token rests inside. As an unfortunate side effect of the equipment keeping them alive in Free Floating Storage, the equipment the player characters wear actually "wakes up" or un-temporal-izes the shards they visit, bringing life back to them... often hostile.
On-ship: Now this is where it gets interesting. The on-base thread would be an elaborate, civilizations-esque minigame in which each (real time) day grants the on-base characters more energy to create things for themselves and advance up the technological ladder. Outside of that, it would be all roleplaying. On-base would be a chance to prepare your character with new equipment for the next mission, but some of the cooler stuff your character wants would probably be locked away behind a technological roadblock that you could only pass with - that's right - more Plot Tokens from the off-shippers.

The purpose of this is two-fold. One: when I don't update for a day, you get double the energy after the update the next day and so on. Secondly, it encourages teamwork because there could be lost artifacts hidden away in the shards that could open up the resources and research necessary to build something you designed. Next up is actual game mechanics!

[monk12]

1) This game wants seriously awesome crafting shenanigans On-Ship. Full crafting trees, rare reagents/ingredients, the works.

2) Collectible everything while on a mission. Loads of different ways to manipulate the environment to reveal the aforementioned crafting reagents. Environment manipulation could be item based (craft picks to break stone walls, whips to swing across canyons, whatever) and/or class based (Rock Punchers punch rocks to find stuff inside the rocks they punched.) Actually I like the latter better, since it encourages diverse player types to work together for sweet lewtz (bonus points if new ways of getting past obstacles require simultaneous application of different skills e.g giant steampowered gate can only be bypassed by combined efforts of Water and Fire mages)

[Chink]

What do you think of a character system where, instead of giving characters stats like intelligence and dexterity, character just get a basic MP/HP system, along with "powers" that are thematically appropriate for a character, and can be either active or passive? It seems like that would be a pretty simple system to implement, and it would allow plenty of flexibility in character types, although there might be balance problems with something like that. Leveling up would presumably boost HP and MP, along with the chance to snag a new power, and MP would power Active abilities. It would also be interesting to see a system where the character's power is solely based on what items they have with them, with people starting with appropiate items based on their backstory/class/race.

[IronyOwl]

On-ship: Now this is where it gets interesting. The on-base thread would be an elaborate, civilizations-esque minigame in which each (real time) day grants the on-base characters more energy to create things for themselves and advance up the technological ladder. Outside of that, it would be all roleplaying. On-base would be a chance to prepare your character with new equipment for the next mission, but some of the cooler stuff your character wants would probably be locked away behind a technological roadblock that you could only pass with - that's right - more Plot Tokens from the off-shippers.

The purpose of this is two-fold. One: when I don't update for a day, you get double the energy after the update the next day and so on. Secondly, it encourages teamwork because there could be lost artifacts hidden away in the shards that could open up the resources and research necessary to build something you designed. Next up is actual game mechanics!

That sounds amazing.

I'm hesitant to ask, but would these things include infrastructure and useless fluff? Could or would you have to build labs or libraries to help you make better stuff, or factories or workshops to make stuff faster, or cow farms to make stuff out of leather, or would it purely be immediately useful things like equipment?

Similarly, could someone make a swimming pool or ball pit if they ran out of useful things to create or felt like being silly?

2) Collectible everything while on a mission. Loads of different ways to manipulate the environment to reveal the aforementioned crafting reagents. Environment manipulation could be item based (craft picks to break stone walls, whips to swing across canyons, whatever) and/or class based (Rock Punchers punch rocks to find stuff inside the rocks they punched.) Actually I like the latter better, since it encourages diverse player types to work together for sweet lewtz (bonus points if new ways of getting past obstacles require simultaneous application of different skills e.g giant steampowered gate can only be bypassed by combined efforts of Water and Fire mages)

I think I'd lean towards the latter as well for two reasons.

One, it makes everyone potentially special. Even if someone's a worse tank or softer-hitting mage than someone else, they can still pull out tree roots for use on ship. Can you pull out tree roots for use on ship? Didn't think so.

Two, if it was equipment based my character and every character I could catch and everything I would build would have and/or be nothing but equipment for gathering more materials for creating new equipment for gathering new materials.

[freeformschooler]

That sounds amazing.

I'm hesitant to ask, but would these things include infrastructure and useless fluff? Could or would you have to build labs or libraries to help you make better stuff, or factories or workshops to make stuff faster, or cow farms to make stuff out of leather, or would it purely be immediately useful things like equipment?

Similarly, could someone make a swimming pool or ball pit if they ran out of useful things to create or felt like being silly?

Yes. You should be able to theoretically design anything and it would have some small effect in the game, no matter how useless it sounds. Ideally, I would be providing the necessary materials to craft it, and you might not have them or worse might not have the types. Think Homestuck Grist and how your nuclear submachine gun couldn't be built without Radioactive Resource Points, but you could get by with a normal Machine Gun on only Iron Resource Points.

EDIT: I don't think I would lock research behind a wall like a lab or library when I already have some of the "you lack the required Steelite Ore" type stuff. There should be other, more fun obstacles for on base characters, and other incentives for building large thinks like labs.

What do you think of a character system where, instead of giving characters stats like intelligence and dexterity, character just get a basic MP/HP system, along with "powers" that are thematically appropriate for a character, and can be either active or passive? It seems like that would be a pretty simple system to implement, and it would allow plenty of flexibility in character types, although there might be balance problems with something like that. Leveling up would presumably boost HP and MP, along with the chance to snag a new power, and MP would power Active abilities. It would also be interesting to see a system where the character's power is solely based on what items they have with them, with people starting with appropiate items based on their backstory/class/race.

Nonononononononono.

That's one of those few things I'm going to have to veto on the basis of having done it before. Powers and Resources is fun for a simpler game, but I want this to be focused on the things I'm good at doing in forum games, and one of those things is giving players plenty of options for players to advance into distinct "roles." What you're describing is fun for a simple game (look how well it works in lawastooshort's games), but this isn't a silly RTD, it's a game based entirely around exploration and advancement Still, this gives me ideas, so thank you for your input.

1) This game wants seriously awesome crafting shenanigans On-Ship. Full crafting trees, rare reagents/ingredients, the works.

2) Collectible everything while on a mission. Loads of different ways to manipulate the environment to reveal the aforementioned crafting reagents. Environment manipulation could be item based (craft picks to break stone walls, whips to swing across canyons, whatever) and/or class based (Rock Punchers punch rocks to find stuff inside the rocks they punched.) Actually I like the latter better, since it encourages diverse player types to work together for sweet lewtz (bonus points if new ways of getting past obstacles require simultaneous application of different skills e.g giant steampowered gate can only be bypassed by combined efforts of Water and Fire mages)

Hmm. Well, I'm liking the class based resource gathering system, but I don't think it should be AS big a deal as the rest of the game. Like, you should have the option to be a resource gathering class (Manic Miner and the like), but it shouldn't lock you into one role or anything. I have a few ideas on how to handle manual resource gathering by the players, using the game concepts I have in mind to demonstrate:

Concept: Freeformschooler hates grinding. Rock Punchers shouldn't feel the need to Punch Rocks in every area and hope for a good roll. That's boring and I hate it. Instead, I would like to encourage an almost text interpreter type feel in which every area is described and/or illustrated with subtle clues on where Cool Stuff could be found.

Concept: How distinct should a role be?  I'm not sure whether I would be seperating individual gathering skills into, you know, skills (where Rock Puncher is able to get Mining XIII while the team's Private Investigator is still stuck on Mining II), but it's definitely something to keep in mind. Gotta love those stat-skill-class-loot systems. On the other hand, if I made it so that Rock Puncher was the ONLY one who could punch rocks, it might be a lot easier and simpler than a player going "argh I wish we brought Wilfred on this mission, the Plotium Crystal requires Mining X and I only have VII!"

[Chink]

Concept: How distinct should a role be?  I'm not sure whether I would be seperating individual gathering skills into, you know, skills (where Rock Puncher is able to get Mining XIII while the team's Private Investigator is still stuck on Mining II), but it's definitely something to keep in mind. Gotta love those stat-skill-class-loot systems. On the other hand, if I made it so that Rock Puncher was the ONLY one who could punch rocks, it might be a lot easier and simpler than a player going "argh I wish we brought Wilfred on this mission, the Plotium Crystal requires Mining X and I only have VII!"

I don't think the roles should that restrictive, personally. I think it would be better if, say, almost everybody could punch rocks, or destroy whatever obstacle needs to be destroyed, but a Rock Puncher would be a lot better at punching rocks, and getting resources from them. Limiting resources so they can only be gathered by one class just seems too restrictive.

[IronyOwl]

Hmm. Well, I'm liking the class based resource gathering system, but I don't think it should be AS big a deal as the rest of the game. Like, you should have the option to be a resource gathering class (Manic Miner and the like), but it shouldn't lock you into one role or anything. I have a few ideas on how to handle manual resource gathering by the players, using the game concepts I have in mind to demonstrate:

Concept: Freeformschooler hates grinding. Rock Punchers shouldn't feel the need to Punch Rocks in every area and hope for a good roll. That's boring and I hate it. Instead, I would like to encourage an almost text interpreter type feel in which every area is described and/or illustrated with subtle clues on where Cool Stuff could be found.

Concept: How distinct should a role be?  I'm not sure whether I would be seperating individual gathering skills into, you know, skills (where Rock Puncher is able to get Mining XIII while the team's Private Investigator is still stuck on Mining II), but it's definitely something to keep in mind. Gotta love those stat-skill-class-loot systems. On the other hand, if I made it so that Rock Puncher was the ONLY one who could punch rocks, it might be a lot easier and simpler than a player going "argh I wish we brought Wilfred on this mission, the Plotium Crystal requires Mining X and I only have VII!"

I was thinking more along the lines of every class being a mining class innately. So instead of Miners producing Ore and Witches producing nothing or Herbs but in smaller quantities than Herbalists or Alchemists, Necromancers can produce bones, Warriors can produce, uh, ale or trophies or hides or something, and Clerics can produce... this is hard. Sacred wines or something?

But the point is, everyone can produce unique resources by virtue of being unique.

Alternatively, everyone produces the same resources but flavored by whoever finds/harvests them. So if someone manages to figure out that there's a gem hidden behind a rock, the type and uses for that gem will be wildly different from a Necromancer to a Paladin. The main trouble here, aside from figuring out what everyone can get, is that it might add an "oh we need more holy stuff so make sure our Paladin harvests everything" meta-strategy that might not be desirable.

[freeformschooler]

Alternatively, everyone produces the same resources but flavored by whoever finds/harvests them. So if someone manages to figure out that there's a gem hidden behind a rock, the type and uses for that gem will be wildly different from a Necromancer to a Paladin. The main trouble here, aside from figuring out what everyone can get, is that it might add an "oh we need more holy stuff so make sure our Paladin harvests everything" meta-strategy that might not be desirable.

Ehhh. Both of those systems go back to my whole personal preference of wanting every player character to have a very special part to play and feel like they're contributing in a way their teammates need them for. But the point is it's a role chosen by them that the player chose to play from the very start at the exclusion of some other playstyles (like a Bone Crafter isn't going to be as combat oriented as a Warrrior, so they'd be better for on-base stuff and might actually enjoy it more).

I do like the idea of Everyone is a Miner, but I think mining Supercharginite should not be possible for someone who only has experience with taking rocks out of open quarries.

It's also a thing that could be interesting on a meta game level. Like, the guy who has Woodcutting would be a must-have when you're on a forest shard, but he's not going to be as interesting on Leaking Lava Land.

[IronyOwl]

Ehhh. Both of those systems go back to my whole personal preference of wanting every player character to have a very special part to play and feel like they're contributing in a way their teammates need them for. But the point is it's a role chosen by them that the player chose to play from the very start at the exclusion of some other playstyles (like a Bone Crafter isn't going to be as combat oriented as a Warrrior, so they'd be better for on-base stuff and might actually enjoy it more).

Out of curiosity, do you have some fairly well-defined archetypes or roles for that, or does it tend to be a more fluid thing?

For example, is "Buffer" or "Support" a role-thingy you keep in mind, or does someone just say they wanna be a priest and you start working out how they could be uniquely useful to their team?

It's also a thing that could be interesting on a meta game level. Like, the guy who has Woodcutting would be a must-have when you're on a forest shard, but he's not going to be as interesting on Leaking Lava Land.

That would be interesting, provided you didn't get into Aquaman-style troubles with it.