Alright people, how do YOU make YOUR game come alive? There are so many different aspects when it comes to this topic, but what games have stood out to you in the past, and what would you try to learn from those experiences? Let us know!
Cool stuff! I feel like my favorite use of companions usually doesn't just have a character that helps you but one that also makes your character better as well. Like diablo 2's companions that could hold items that buff you in combat.
I think that Final Fantasy VII did a great job of having companions throughout the game. Just having friends to follow Cloud aka the main character made it feel like we weren't alone i in whatever quest we were on in the game. And I think that having that companion system made the game and story a lot more immersive. I think Uncharted on PS3 also did a great job of that. Just having a character that talks to you through the adventures definitely adds a greater dimension to the game's story; especially when going through some of those more challenging parts.
Pardon me, if I'm overly direct with my feedback here. Just bear in mind it's written in the spirit of wanting you to succeed. I'm going to hard disagree with the need for companion interaction. Especially if I understood you correctly with being able to collect a sizable number of them. I'm thinking of Fallout 4 as an example, and the game really isn't materially changed by being able to pet the doggo. Even though that's a wonderful thing (and I would probably demand it, if it wasn't there), but I would firmly place that in the category of scope creep. Nice to have, but you said this is about dungeon crawling and that interaction adds nothing to your core gameplay loop. That said, my instinct on how/where to find them is from special fights. Either some kind of enemy that always guards a caged companion, or special monsters that glow, and if you beat them in a certain way then they are released to your control. It should not break the regular flow of exploration and combat, but I think a limited resource or a carefully/skillfully timed attack should be needed. It's not automatic, and not granted. Ideas that come to mind: -last hit with a special weapon or a spell with a long cool-down, or weak attack power -something similar to Pokeballs (in principle). I know you want to shy away from Pokemon, but the mechanic of having a consumable that needs to be used at the right time (and a pseudo-skill check), automatically has some investment (read: is valuable) built in.
Oh man, this is FANTASTIC. Fallout is a great example of a companion that means something, but doesn’t have a huge effect on the overall experience. I also love the idea of obtaining them through battles and getting them would also mean more. Great stuff to think about here. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Alright people, how do YOU make YOUR game come alive? There are so many different aspects when it comes to this topic, but what games have stood out to you in the past, and what would you try to learn from those experiences? Let us know!
Cool stuff! I feel like my favorite use of companions usually doesn't just have a character that helps you but one that also makes your character better as well. Like diablo 2's companions that could hold items that buff you in combat.
I think that Final Fantasy VII did a great job of having companions throughout the game. Just having friends to follow Cloud aka the main character made it feel like we weren't alone i in whatever quest we were on in the game. And I think that having that companion system made the game and story a lot more immersive. I think Uncharted on PS3 also did a great job of that. Just having a character that talks to you through the adventures definitely adds a greater dimension to the game's story; especially when going through some of those more challenging parts.
Exactly! This is all true.
Potentially a short mini quest would be appropriate for getting companions to join you
This is a good idea!
Great video. It definitely gives me a lot to think about for my game.
Fantastic! Thank you for being here!
Pardon me, if I'm overly direct with my feedback here. Just bear in mind it's written in the spirit of wanting you to succeed.
I'm going to hard disagree with the need for companion interaction. Especially if I understood you correctly with being able to collect a sizable number of them. I'm thinking of Fallout 4 as an example, and the game really isn't materially changed by being able to pet the doggo. Even though that's a wonderful thing (and I would probably demand it, if it wasn't there), but I would firmly place that in the category of scope creep. Nice to have, but you said this is about dungeon crawling and that interaction adds nothing to your core gameplay loop.
That said, my instinct on how/where to find them is from special fights. Either some kind of enemy that always guards a caged companion, or special monsters that glow, and if you beat them in a certain way then they are released to your control. It should not break the regular flow of exploration and combat, but I think a limited resource or a carefully/skillfully timed attack should be needed. It's not automatic, and not granted. Ideas that come to mind:
-last hit with a special weapon or a spell with a long cool-down, or weak attack power
-something similar to Pokeballs (in principle). I know you want to shy away from Pokemon, but the mechanic of having a consumable that needs to be used at the right time (and a pseudo-skill check), automatically has some investment (read: is valuable) built in.
Oh man, this is FANTASTIC. Fallout is a great example of a companion that means something, but doesn’t have a huge effect on the overall experience.
I also love the idea of obtaining them through battles and getting them would also mean more. Great stuff to think about here. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Is this a reupload? I'm pretty sure I already commentend on this... :)
It is! Yes. There was an error so I had to re-upload.
make gta 7