Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bongo Bill]

It's not a matter of length. Palette swaps can go a long way. But each area needs to have a certain variety of beasties. Even the original Dragon Quest had something like twenty before palette swaps. I'm not confident that there are that many to be had.

[jsnlxndrlv]

Remember how many monsters there were in Penny Arcade Adventures?  Four or five each of fruit fuckers, mimes, bums, a couple pieces of trash, the barbershop quartet, and bosses.  I don't think we're going to have trouble adding things to [this episode of] the game; I think we're going to have trouble keeping [too many ambitious] things out.

[Bongo Bill]

I guess so, yeah. Depends how much we want to focus on giving each kind lots of detail.

[jsnlxndrlv]

I mean, anybody can come up with an idea; it costs nothing to dream up an element of the game.  Here, I can do it now.

The Mayor is a man of supreme importance and power; as such, he is afforded the right (nay, the obligation) to ignore anything and everything not pertaining to his interests.  Most of the game's critical actions are covered with two buttons: "Interact" and "Ignore".  The Interact button functions like the usual Use/Talk/Examine style of button.  The Ignore button works as a specialized version of the Cancel button (which is also available): pressing Ignore during a minigame immediately ends the game and brings you back to the map screen.  Pressing Ignore during a conversation immediately ends the conversation and closes the dialog box (possibly angering the NPC).  Pressing Ignore when an NPC is asking you to make a choice allows you to ignore the choice, either postponing the decision or enabling a third possible outcome to the decision.  Pressing Ignore when inputting commands during battle ends the battle immediately; the Mayor gets no experience for the battle, but he is likewise no longer impeded by the enemy.  Pressing Ignore at the moment an enemy attacks could cause the damage to be nullified.

It took me no effort whatsoever to come up with that idea, but can you imagine how much of a bitch that would be to implement?  Well?  I mean, it might not be bad if it was built into the design from the start, but the more things like that you add to the game, you run into a combinatorial explosion of complexity.  And as I've said before, complexity is not the secret of a good game.

[Brentai]

I get the rising notion that what Arc is going for is a very, purposely slapdash development style.  Not necessarily set out to make a bad game, but set out to make a game with as little organization and effort as possible, and embrace the badness that comes inherent from that.

[Detonator]

I get the rising notion that what Arc is going for is a very, purposely slapdash development style.  Not necessarily set out to make a bad game, but set out to make a game with as little organization and effort as possible, and embrace the badness that comes inherent from that.

Which again makes me think of Barkley Gaiden.  I think Arc is looking for something a little more polished than that.

Can't we think of better enemies than 4chan memes?  It feels so stale compared to the awesome ideas for the rest of the game.  I like the idea of The Mayor fighting RPG tropes themselves (like punting the mascot character mentioned earlier).  There could be a lot more creative ways to do this than straight up monster battles (like metagame puzzles).

[Kazz]

Yes.  My passion for this game died as soon as I find out that we were going to have him fight ceiling cat.

[Bongo Bill]

Seems to me that going with original enemies only will be easier.

[Royal☭]

My interest in this game died the moment it became the Mayors trip to cliche town.  At the beginning I was under the impression this was to be an original work.

I think we can avoid making this 4chan the game, especially since this is our project.  A lot of us are creative and can generate innovative ideas.

[Brentai]

So one side is asking for more enemies and the other side is striking down all the enemies we've already got.

This is why it's very correct that we need one person in control with the power to not listen to people.

[Bongo Bill]

Well, I've been arguing in favor of more enemies, yes, but there are many, many much better reasons not to make it Internet Reference RPG.

[Arc]

I think Arc is looking for something a little more polished than that.

In a different manner. Barkley Gaiden polished itself into a very boring corner. This is a brainstorming session at the moment, folks. I appreciate the concern for expanding our goals too far. You all have very good heads on your shoulders to acknowledge this common trap.

Can't we think of better enemies than 4chan memes? ... I like the idea of The Mayor fighting RPG tropes themselves...

Not only can we think of better enemies than just memes, but we can expand a bit beyond just RPG tropes. However, as a jumping off point for the artistic style, they could be combined. As in, the boss that can take thousands of point blank shots to the face? Slightly based off the HA! HA! Guy, but truly a discombobulated floating head.

I'm aiming to register a jolt of twisted familiarity before the slaying begins.

There could be a lot more creative ways to do this than straight up monster battles (like metagame puzzles).

It would have to incorporate upgraded weapons & armor, skills and stats. And the puzzles would have to be enjoyable in themselves, and not just something getting in the way.

My interest in this game died the moment it became the Mayors trip to cliche town.  At the beginning I was under the impression this was to be an original work.

I think we can avoid making this 4chan the game, especially since this is our project.  A lot of us are creative and can generate innovative ideas.

The cliche route could be only one of the four paths, but damned if it doesn't lend itself to being incorporated into the entire game. To be honest, around here, I read the critique threads over and over. The storytelling threads? Not so much.

[Niku]

If we use memes at all I'd honestly rather it be relegated to a single instance of The Mayor unclogging the internets rather than something all encompassing.  And definitely not something we should be using as our first foot forward.

[Bongo Bill]

You know what this game needs?

Phlogiston.

[Disposable Ninja]

So, what, something like this frog with the shoop da whoop face?

[Brentai]

Beating up beggars is the obvious route for the first few battles.  While it might be little uninspired, you have to admit that it's an immensely satisfying prospect just to think about.

...I'm perfectly well-adjusted, thank you.

[Bongo Bill]

He's solving the homeless problem!

[Brentai]

Final boss must have a cane sword.

[Arc]

You got the idea DN. Are you sure you haven't made a career years before creating a Superman rip-off with martial arts thrown in? Because you seem to have a knack for monster creation.

And definitely not something we should be using as our first foot forward.

The first foot forward is always best if it lands on the shoulder of something else. In this case it just happens to be the shoulder of jerkwads, with a spiked boot.

The bestiary is the full extent of meme usage in The Mayor. A rusty hollow-point bullet in the eye for anyone using it in text, setting, or inventory (read: elsewhere).

Beating up beggars is the obvious route for the first few battles.

And the last few enemies before the final boss to throw players off balance? Rats.

[Brentai]

I'd be amused if slimes were the greatest force in the galaxy, honestly.  Though I think that one's been done.