More Roleplaying

[nirnel]

I think the game has few roleplaying elements. Few things affect the gameplay apart from class and race (and other traits like feats). Would it be too difficult to make NPCs react to the characters according to other factors, like alignment or even gender?

(BTW, I think evil alignment doesn't need to be forbidden. Many evil people works for good patrons, work for a better world for themselves and even think of themselves as good)

Also, background options could be nice for this. Things that define the characters and can be used to advance their stories, like a job as mercenary, rich/poor family, some special circumstances of birth, or even a forgotten childhood (which could lead to other random background options).

NPCs might behave as friends, rivals, colleagues, extended family or even love interests of the PCs, including Hirelings, and the interaction between them be a reflection of this relationship, like a variation of prices, presents or a bit of backstabbing (a hireling obeying "less than optimally")

In addition, some NPCs could be able to be unlocked as hirelings, depending of their relation with the PC (they could be called Followers and, in certain quests, they give Optional Objectives or otherwise advance the storyline) and some of them will only give quests to certain characters. If a character can't receive a quest from a NPC, (s)he can always join the party of someone who has that quest (sometimes the objective should imply the main character actively being part of the resolution).

Also, some kind of NPC-based guilds could be good (a character can join both one of them and one created by other players), could give specific quests and be rivals with other guilds. They could confront each other in Challenges (dungeons in which 2 parties have opposite objectives, like being the first to get an item, collect the more of another item, a pursuit, trying to kill/protect a NPC, negotiate with another NPC to favor their guild...)

Any thoughts?

[sultanica]

There should definitely be more cowbells! Err I mean Roleplaying.

+1

[nirnel]

Ideally, most roleplaying should be made between PCs, but many people are pretty straightforward about this being a game, and running through adventures from one objective to the next, stopping outside only to prepare for the next one. NPCs and mechanics like the ones I suggested might add a little more depth to the world.

[Kepli_Moonshadow]

(a hireling obeying "less than optimally")

Errrrm......yeah.

Other than this cute little faux pas, I like the depth of your reasoning. I agree that it would add quite a bit of personal value to the game, and make it quite epic, IMHO.

The game would be a different experience for every player, every toon, every time.

I likes. +1

[Buggss]

Also, some kind of NPC-based guilds could be good (a character can join both one of them and one created by other players), could give specific quests and be rivals with other guilds. .....)

This is already done, there are several patrons (The 12, the 4 houses, free agents etc etc) that give you quests, favour and eventually specific rewards that are very useful.

[Kepli_Moonshadow]

This is already done, there are several patrons (The 12, the 4 houses, free agents etc etc) that give you quests, favour and eventually specific rewards that are very useful.

He was asking for new quests. NPC/PC GUILD rivalry-based quests.

[nirnel]

Errrrm......yeah.

I meant specifically that a Hireling who is in bad terms with ots employer would have a chance of not obeying (or stop obeying) a command at all, or that it chooses to use a fireball to kill a lone kobold who is engaged in melee with the employer... this kind of things

He was asking for new quests. NPC/PC GUILD rivalry-based quests.

Yes, although these quests would require the same ammount of computer resources that a raid does.

[Artos_Fabril]

I meant specifically that a Hireling who is in bad terms with ots employer would have a chance of not obeying (or stop obeying) a command at all, or that it chooses to use a fireball to kill a lone kobold who is engaged in melee with the employer... this kind of things

They already do that, unless you put them on passive and control them manually. They also do things like standing in a firewall trying to heal themselves, or stopping in the middle of a trap to cast/fight.

[nirnel]

They already do that, unless you put them on passive and control them manually. They also do things like standing in a firewall trying to heal themselves, or stopping in the middle of a trap to cast/fight.

Well, I meant that they would still do it if the AI was fixed . Also, this was the easier way to implement the bad relationship with the hirelings, but they could also refuse to work for a character they are in bad terms with or, if they become ****ed during the adventure, plainly abandon the party (or even, if they are really mad at the character, become mobs)

Also, certain zones could have different instances (ala Korthos) depending on the relationship of the characters with certain important NPCs. This is a new idea to add to the lot.

[Vikkus]

Background options for your character and Followers are awesome ideas.

Be nice to see more things like this in the future.