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Basic narrative
Main characterMarche
Thrown unexpectedly into a fantasy world
Becomes a leader of a clan Fights battles
to get back to his real lifeto defeat those trying to stop him
Objects
Characters Main character (avatar) Clan members
Weapons Clothing/Armor Healing Items Terrain Map Missions Law Cards
Attributes: Characters
Basic attributes Level Experience Hit Points Magic Points Judge Points Strength Dexterity Speed
Attributes: Characters 2
Race limits available jobs
Job limits basic attack abilities
Abilities Attack Support Response Counter
• Block Combo
Attributes: Characters 3
States Confused
• random action Poisoned
• lose HP per turn Charmed
• work for the other side Defense+ Defense- Speed+ Speed- Attack+ Attack- Auto-Revive Auto-Regen
Attributes: Economics
Level acquired through experience advances character attributes
Experience acquired through successful combat actions used to advance levels
Ability acquired through successful mission completion used to acquire abilities
Money acquired through successful mission completion used to buy items, weapons, armor
Judge points acquired through successful KOs of opponents used to buy powerful "target all" attacks
Hit points lost through attack damage
Attribute: Artifacts
Weapons Attack Defense Elemental
• special attack feature• stronger against certain enemies
Enhancements Abilities Taught Range
Clothing (includes Armor, Shields, Hats, etc.) Defense Elemental
• better defense against certain attack types Enhancements
Battle
Turn-based order determined by speed stat
Facing very important
• side and behind more likely to hit• front only 50/50 at best
Attacks range close
Effect damage status conditions facing / position changes
Laws
Battles take place under variable rulesProhibited and rewarded actions
Law cards enable laws to be canceled Up to the player
to remember what they can't do
Laws
Explicit "Laws" of Battle Random but predictable
Overturnable law cards can be won but not purchased
Stages of the game increasing numbers of laws in each battle
Laws Consequences
Memory tasksome very difficult like "Copycat"
ConsequencesRequires that you have different clan
members with different abilitiesRequires that you be cautious about
engaging in battle
Jail
Law violationsRed card for Marche
• end of game
Red card for other• remove from battle• must travel to jail and pay to release
Yellow card• warning
Emergence
Rule set is very complex many abilities many weapons
Environmental variables terrain rules in force monster / opponent abilities
Each battle is unique Multiple successful strategies
go in swinging cripple with status attacks selective engagement
Uncertainty
Probability of hit only important random factor
Can be manipulated by the user by moving by terrain by acquiring objects by learned abilities
Player can trade effort for more certainty
"Dispatch" missions
Lose the use of a clan member for set period Probability of success differs by mission Best members most likely to succeed Dispatch missions
good for building abilities and experience usually well compensated sometimes necessary for game progress
Decision lose a useful member
• high probability of success send a lower level member
• lower chance• may need to do mission again
Feedback
Negative feedback for experience gain 1 experience point only for defeating
opponents of lesser level must continue to take on challenging
missions Positive feedback on purchasing power
pretty soon you have one of everything but some items can't be purchased
Positive feedback with Totema more later
Game theoretic aspects
"Dispatch" missions Investment decisions
which job to level up in• different stat growth
which abilities to invest AP in• determines repertoire of attacks
Degeneracies Hunter/Morpher combination Illusionists Mog Knight
Conflict
individual levelfighting monsters and opponents
team levelfighting groups with mixed abilities
quest levelto achieve the game goal
• restoring the "real world"
Narrative
Borrows heavily from "The Never-Ending Story" Kids enter fantasy world Must try to figure out how to get back
• and decide whether they want to go back Central narrative element
Totema Battles defeat boss monsters holding the world
together each defeat adds power that can be called
on in battle
Narrative cont'd
Plot twists former real-world friends become game-
world enemies Highly linear
fixed plot revelation controlled by "must do" missions
After each narrative point new map destinations new battle possibilities harder monsters
Pleasures
Strategic engagement devising and executing a successful strategy in battle
Payoff of provisioning and investment having the appropriate ability to defeat an enemy having the right set of characters even under strict laws
Manipulating the law canceling a restriction or imposing one when you have the right law card
Achievement advancing your characters getting new abilities
• cool animations
Culture
Compare with Asteroids Avatar
lone ship leader of a clan
Scenario isolated in trackless space in a mapped place
Control fire, thrust, rotate economic, strategic and tactical decision
• multi-leveld
Themes
Responsibility Player is responsible for clan Must plan and invest to build characters
Game as trap Your character is trying to escape from a game that has
become too real temptations of the game
• power• adventure• fun
Reality Characters dispute the reality of the game world Characters dispute the preferability of the real world over
the game The hero is a "rebel for reality"