Feedback and Discussion

[Tom]

I'd like to have a topic for your feedback and first thoughts. For this, please imagine that the game had its own frontend, either web-based or as a standalone program, so polls would start automatically, you could draw your features on the map directly with a tool, chapters and stories would be automatically sorted, there would be an "inventory" of all creations to check and your prime and purity would be calculated automatically. So basically, don't focus on issues that are caused by the test being run on a forum.

What do you think?

What do you like?

What needs to be improved?

[Zakky]

What do you think?

I've been enjoying the game overall. It is pretty interesting to see a story develop overtime by different people. There are obviously smaller details I do not agree sometimes but those small details do provide interesting challenges. So far stories have been developing the way I did not imagine so it feels pretty refreshing.

What do you like?

The fact I don't have to log in every day like BM XD. A(nd no politics. Was fun for a few years but it does wear you out.)

I actually really like slowly building up the map from the start. I enjoyed most of the stuff so far but will need to see more to really talk about what I like since we still haven't closed any chapters. I want to see a full completed legend first.

What needs to be improved?

Hopefully we will have some details about where each character live (or died) so we can see a region history with the frontend client when we get one so we can keep track of all the stories. Like hovering my mouse cursor over a region (yes eventually I think we need to name each portion of the land with a name) will show what stories are still WIP.

Also, there should be a way for people who are not a part of a council to gain prime so they can continue to write stories. Also, 10 prime feels kinda too small.

[Bedwyr]

I like it quite a bit.  There are a number of things that I don't fully understand yet, but I'm putting that down to the pre-alpha nature of the test. 

Purity as a name seems very weird to me, unless there's something you are planning in the metagame later on to account for it the name is very jarring.

One thing that you may or may not have planned that I think would be very helpful/cool would be to have icons/symbols/heraldry/whatever associated with each immortal and each pantheon, that have to start very simple but you can unlock better/more involved design elements as you spend more Prime and Purity.  That would give a quick and easy way for everyone to see more powerful/involved immortals and pantheons at a glance.

[Zakky]

I agree with purity. I think its name should probably be changed to be more straight forward. I actually do not really like the name. I get that it is a pure form of prime but something about the name just irks me. But not sure what would be a good replacement.

[Tom]

But not sure what would be a good replacement.

I see what you did there. :-)

There is a thought behind the name, though maybe someone can offer a better synonym.


Thank you all for your thoughts so far, looking forward to hearing from the others.

[Zakky]

Oh on more thing. Maybe for Prime, in case people run out, maybe 1 prime should be granted for free per week or every 3~4 days would be nice so people don't necessarily have to join a council. Or if we do get a client, maybe random events can give back some purity or prime. Maybe finding shards or something.

[Indirik]

You do regenerate prime. It's in the rules somewhere. I forget how fast. Prime source would regenerate is faster, and allow access to purity.

[Zakky]

You do regenerate prime. It's in the rules somewhere. I forget how fast. Prime source would regenerate is faster, and allow access to purity.

Oh I must have missed that part. Thx for letting me know.

[Tom]

You do regenerate prime. It's in the rules somewhere. I forget how fast. Prime source would regenerate is faster, and allow access to purity.

It's in the Basic Concepts. However, it does not yet specify an amount. I haven't done the game design on that yet, and it's a critical part. I'm not sure if it can be easily done on the forum because I want it to be a formula that ensures you never quite run out, but you also can't collect a lot.

[Bedwyr]

What about Prime Sources increasing a cap on the amount of Prime you can have?  So if I am part of a council with, say, one Prime Source then I can have a total of 15 Prime, but if I don't have any other sources then the most I can have is 5?

[Zakky]

What about Prime Sources increasing a cap on the amount of Prime you can have?  So if I am part of a council with, say, one Prime Source then I can have a total of 15 Prime, but if I don't have any other sources then the most I can have is 5?

Instead of over complicating things, there should simply be something like a council prime pool where each member can take out x amount whenever they need. Obviously this should be changeable since every council will be different but at the same time you want to make it flexible enough to make each council unique. I guess there could be two ways of doing this. vertical or horizontal. If you are looking to build a more traditional pantheon, probably building it vertically would be the best option where the head of the pantheon hands out the points.

[Indirik]

"What do you think?"

So far, it's pretty fun. I'm not yet sure how to make a "game" out of it, but the creative writing aspect is pretty cool.



"What do you like?"

I like the free-form ability to write RPs dissociated from the specific constraints of game mechanics. The ability to write, basically, anything. (This is both a blessing and a curse. More on that later.) I like the cooperative aspects of the creation process, mixed with a little bit of adversarial play at this point. Zakky comes up with a chapter, and I have to figure out how to fit the next chapter to it, while perhaps putting in some kind of twist or unexpected revelation that Bedwyr has to deal with. This reminds of some of the best RP experiences I had in BattleMaster, which were with a group of adventurers.

The lack of hard deadlines is good for me right now. I can't keep to a twice a day play schedule with hard noon/midnight turn changes. At least not with any kind of actual involvement beyond following orders.



"What needs to be improved?"

I think that many of my "improvements" would be taken care of by the automated interface. Right now things are a bit confusing.

Perhaps the most confusing thing now is how it all fits together to make a coherent story. This is part interface, and part the confusing timelines of world creation mythos, world detailing, and beginning rudimentary story all proceeding in parallel.

Once things get going, a concrete example of game play would be very helpful. Even if someone sat down and put together a multi-chapter story by assuming the roles of all the writers involved. For example, make up the story of the formation of the first linking of three Prime Sources to generate Purity. Assume it involves 4 fictitious characters, then write 7 or 8 chapters describing it as written by those 4 fictitious players. Link it as a gameplay sample. I know that we're creating those examples as we play, but we're only interpreting what you're telling us the game is about. We could be missing something.

One more possibility for examples: How to use a hero in actual play.

[Zakky]

I actually don't mind the confusing timeline 'for now' but imagine doing this with 20 people. It will just get out of control.

Also, I like the creativity aspect of the game but as Indirik mentioned, it is a both blessing and a curse. I feel you need to refine the definition consecutive chapters more.

Imagine a situation where chapter 3 is not really related to two previous chapters but people agree to pass it. That would just make that legend very incoherent.

[Tom]

Instead of over complicating things, there should simply be something like a council prime pool where each member can take out x amount whenever they need.

This is how it is intended.

[Tom]

Perhaps the most confusing thing now is how it all fits together to make a coherent story. This is part interface, and part the confusing timelines of world creation mythos, world detailing, and beginning rudimentary story all proceeding in parallel.

Yes, this is something I am still conceptually working on. I want to have a "soft enforce" of consistency within a story, but I am not yet sure how to do that in the best way possible, thinking through some ideas (e.g. every chapter has to re-use at least one activated story element).