Common Sense Corner

[Bounty Hunter Lani]

Discussions on Villains Destroying Resources

Been a while since anything has been posted here

Let's change that!

So here's something... Depending on the motives of an attacking force, it is very possible that after an attack, a town is undamaged, but many of the townspeople are slaughtered. It is also possible that everyone is fine, but the buildings suffer the brunt of the damage. And finally, it is also possible that almost nothing gets damaged, possibly from a great defending force, etc.
That, of course, is up to the player... but just know that an attacking force trying to gather resources isn't likely to burn down barns and slay all of the animals

Common Sense for the win

[DerVVulfman]

Actually, it's up to the game designer.

But hey, how will the townfolk react after their village is destroyed? Are the heroes known to the people and just feel miserable? Or are the heroes unknowns... wanderers that the village can lay blame? Hey, there's no one else to vent their fury upon. And if the townfolk are unfriendly, there's no way they can use the town to resupply and rest too. Might as well be destroyed as far as the player is concerned.

Now the player may have more motivation to save the people.

[Bounty Hunter Lani]

Actually, it's up to the game designer.

That's what I meant, I've been sick for the past few days and my thinker hasn't been working well
Thanks for the clarification

[Steel Beast 6Beets]

Speaking of towns, and while I think it's too late to be implemented on my project, I'd really like to include a small village that gets destroyed early in the adventure and could be seen slowly being rebuild over the course of the game. Maybe the main chars could have a pivotal role on it too.

[yamina-chan]

One of my favourite RPGs did that, actually. Things like these leave impacts on the player, if done right.

[Bounty Hunter Lani]

Discussions on Not KILLING off the Character

Here's a little tidbit of common sense:

Just because you don't want a character to be in the party for the whole game, or want them to be a temporary character, DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO KILL THEM OFF.

I have seen it so many times:
"Temp Character" joins the team, gets killed or injured by superpowerful enemy, and the main character vows to kill them for doing that, and goes out of their way to do so, COMPLETELY forgetting what they were doing before it happened.

90% of RPG Maker games I've played have had that, with one doing it THRICE, so it was refreshing that a few I recently played didn't do that to temp characters. They just got too old to keep fighting, or made a switcheroo of loyalties

Long story short...
Don't kill off everyone you don't need anymore, guys. It's actually mean

[DerVVulfman]

Okay, I think we gamers experienced with RPGs are aware of Aeris in Final Fantasy VII... but what the heck game killed off THREE just for the sake of being temps???

But I hate to say this. It is an all too often ploy to get a main character involved for revenge if nothing else. If you forgot that old Obi-Wan Kenobi was killed by Vader in Star Wars... or Qui-Gon Jinn by Darth Maul. Heck, they had Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) seek justice after seeing blood coming from Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) in the start of Mission: Impossible (the 1st movie). So much so, this is practically a cliché or trope.

Now if you have hirelings... They'll only stick around if you got enough money or it's in their own personal interest. Don't want them to stick around for the final boss? Then this guy only wanted the brutal 6 fingered man who killed his father. Hey, was there some artifact that mst be kept safe?? The three stones of the chapel that must be returned??? Someone has to return them to cure the village and ensure that Tenkushko doesn't use them.

[Bounty Hunter Lani]

I won't name the game with the 3 temp character deaths, since it would be rude (And a spoiler), but I will say the game was pretty decent besides the temp character thing.

I always thought it was strange that someone who only joined up to bring an artifact back to a village would decide "You know what? I'm gonna throw away my whole future and join you guys in whatever you're doing, because why not, right?"
SaGa Frontier was horrible in that aspect, since a guy literally says "Your story sounded interesting..." and joins you no questions asked. You never talk to each other again, either.
...Then again, SaGa Frontier is a cluster of everything JRPG, with little thought on the actual storylines beyond the beginnings...

Buuuut, I digress. Great discussions

[DerVVulfman]

Aaaactually, I was kinda paraphrasing 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' with the Sankara stones. Hey, a whole village in trouble? He had some motive.

But I guess this falls on giving the hero motive to keep going. But killing a principle character off may not be the only means to do so. Rather than killing them off, why not it be a kidnapping? In Final Fantasy VIII, it was Rinoa being taken so the Sorceress could have a new host. In (SNES) Tenchi Muyo RPG, you actually play as Team Tenchi as you try to rescue Sasami. I'm watching the anime now. :P And if you ask Mario, that dang princess gets kidnapped every freakin' week!!!

Sure, killing the person to spark a 'OH, I HATE THAT GUY' determination in the player may work. But it's pretty much up to the writer to make it good. You could just as well make it a kidnapping where the character is taken from your party to now be an NPC you try to rescue.

Animes do that quite well. Record of Lodoss Wars (either Deedlit or Neese being sacrificed), Read or Die The TV's Nenene Sumeregawa (abducted for a cruel experiment), Bleach's first few seasons (Rukia is scheduled to be executed).... I could go on.

[Ahzoh]

I have seen it so many times:
"Temp Character" joins the team, gets killed or injured by superpowerful enemy, and the main character vows to kill them for doing that, and goes out of their way to do so, COMPLETELY forgetting what they were doing before it happened.

Well... I was going to kill off a major protagonist's sister, who also happens to be a major protagonist...