Castle Paradox

JSH357 · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 1705

How often do you explore towns in games? I mean, how often do you explore towns thorougly, as in talking to NPCs and exploring houses.

Personally, I check to see if there's treasure and then leave. I never talk to useless NPCs unless the game calls for a search. The only game I've played where I enjoy talking to the NPCs is Final Fantasy IX, which has some of the best towns in any game ever made, not to mention interesting dialogue.

So, do you wander around towns regularly or move on quickly?

Dan the Man Entertainment · Joined: 31 May 2003 Posts: 204

I usually explore towns thoroughly since they may contain hidden spells, weapons, armor, etc.

Often, I find talking to the people in towns (at least one of them in a CERTAIN town) will contain something of key importance or something helpful. I also find surprises (E.G. the pig woman in FFIV)

Iblis · Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2004 9:14 pm Post subject:

It depends on the game. If a game has interesting enough NPC dialogue or if there's stuff to find everywhere then I will. I'd walk all over Earthbound towns cause some of the NPCs were pretty weird and interesting. And I'd always search towns in Lufia cause there were items to be found in nearly every building. I hardly ever search in OHR towns, cause usually they're boring and the only useful things in them are shops.

Me · Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2004 10:39 pm Post subject:

I never search around in OHR games, mainly because I don't like movement in the OHR. However, I do tend to do it in most commercial games. Why not? It's not like I try to do speed runs through FFVII like some crazed Gamefaqs fans like to.
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*Worthy* · **Critical Thinker** Joined: 11 Aug 2003 Posts: 186

In most RPGs, I do not do a good deal of heavy exploration in the towns; I simply try to locate the shops & inns. However, some games have interesting towns, like FF9. In FF9, there's a more...I dunno...real life feeling to the towns? Like, the NPCs aren't just NPCs, they are little people inside the game?

Unfortunately, most OHR games I have played have not had really good towns. Many people, including me, often make houses with one room and stick in an NPC with one text box.

For my game I am currently working on, I'm considering putting a lot of time into the towns with minigames, sidequests, and, of course, rewards/treasures.

Should I spend a lot of time to embellish the towns? Or are towns in OHR games never going to be worth exploring and simply a place to rest & purchase items?

~Worthy
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Uncommon · Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2004 4:42 pm Post subject:

I usually talk to every npc I can find.
Also, in simpler games, like Final Fantasy IV, I tend to talk to every other thing, too, since items are often in pots, bookshelves, etc.

Setu_Firestorm · Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2004 12:14 pm Post subject:

With me, it depends on the game. If I'm really into what's going on in the game, or I have to find a certain person in a town, then I go exploring. In most cases, though, like with Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, I don't talk to anyone that I don't have to talk to because I hate every moment that I'm not in battle with that game. (I personally think the battle system is what makes that game any bit worthwhile...well, that plus Darc's absolutely awesome, but that's beside the point).
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msw188 · Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 1041

I like to talk to NPCs in towns. To me this is usually the most interesting part of an RPG. I think that a lot of the older RPGs had cooler townsfolk. I'm not sure why, but the main reason I liked the DW's so much is that the world felt bigger and wilder (more empty space between towns, something I pretty much failed at in my game) and the townsfolk seemed more interesting. I can't quite put my finger on what was more interesting about them, they seemed more old-fahioned or something, I don't know. I've begun trying to make my npcs more like that (they have stories about the country-side that is usually helpful, in that it will give the gamer ideas about where they may have to go later), but I'm not sure how successful I am.

Shadowiii · **It's been real.** Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 2460

I never talk to NPCs in OHR Game towns, because 98% of the time they just say "hi" or "The evil wizard murlock has traveled south through the forest of illusions, east towards gabralter castle. There the priness hotstuff resides, maybe you'll get to meet her if you bring the three gemstones located in the three towers north, east, and west of here. But I'm just a townsperson, what do I know?"

Ie: OHR NPCs are either complete idiots, or geniuses who should be questing instead of you. So I don't bother. Oookay...

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*Worthy* · **Critical Thinker** Joined: 11 Aug 2003 Posts: 186

Haha

! Well said.

~Worthy
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RedMaverickZero · Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 6:36 am Post subject:

To comment on something Shadowiii said, I have realized the utter unimportance of NPCs in towns. So that's why I pretty much added on the whole point of them saying funny stuff and making them useful by telling you where stuff is or handing out cool items. So maybe it's closer to 75% of my game's town NPCs are useless.

But in the course of OHR games and games in general, I have a 90% chance of talking to them all. It's funny to see how many of the same NPC are wandering the town. Heh. It shows creator laziness too.
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JSH357 · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 1705

I'm thinking of just making towns point-and-click. (in OHR terms, pressing a key to go to different places) That's why I brought this up. The game I'm working on is designed mostly to be speedy, so I'm thinking of killing NPCs altogether. I've already implemented scene skipping.

Me · Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 5:44 pm Post subject:

How about you just implement killing NPCs? They do it in a few games, some of the Ultima games come to mind for me, and that makes towns fun.
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Iblis · Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 12:45 am Post subject:

*Worthy* · **Critical Thinker** Joined: 11 Aug 2003 Posts: 186

I would not do point-and-click. Personally, I would rather navigate and explore a really big town than quickly point-and-click. I mean, if the town is so boring that there is no enjoyment out of exploring the big town, then I don't think the solution should be point-and-click because that will be just as boring.

Solution: Make interesting towns! Make more than one text box for some NPCs! Give the townspeople personalities!

~Worthy
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You can do whatever you want...but prison is full of people who make bad decisions.