Player-driven content, too cool or too much effort?
by Gary Haussmann · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 09/13/2005 (8:42 am) · 1 replies
Hi all, I just wanted to see what the response is to a thought I had about generating content for RPG-style games, using the somewhat nontraditional (to computer RPGs at least) mechanic from an Indie RPG called "Donjon." A review at The Forge describes the game, which is primarily a D&D style dungeon romp with some odd twists. In particular, the section title "The Play" describes how the player(s), not the Gamemaster, can be in charge of setting up a scene or encounter by using appropriate skills.
As an example, a ranger character "Bob" has a "Track humanoids" skill. Bob can use this skill and, assuming he is successful, he can describe some details about the thing he is tracking; details would be race, quantity, disposition, etc. Maybe Bob decides he's found some orcs, and they're eating a snack. Maybe Bob decides that he's tracking an old hermit who knows where the magic Sword of McFizzle is. The point is that, with the proper skills, you (as the player) describe parts of the scene and the GM (or computer) fills in the rest of the details.
This mechanic leads to play quite different from that of a fully predetermined adventure, such as those found in old D&D modules or MMORPGs. However, this system appears to be a good way to provide players with some interesting non-combat skills. Also, by letting the players participate in the "setup" you give the experience to the player of generating their own adventure instead of going through the same hand-crafted experience that everyone else has done.
Crazy? Too abstract? Putting this into a CRPG sounds like a cool idea. The main concerns I have about gameplay with this method are:
1. The exploration is gone. I don't have to search the forest for the secret tree entrance if I can use a proper skill to find it. Then again, some people welcome a way to get around the "spend two hours looking for a shiny rock" requirements of some RPG games.
2. Some players suck at driving their experience. Lets face it, sometimes I just want to run around, find stuff, and kill it. Sometimes I don't want to expend the effort needed to think up my cool next encounter.
3. It sounds fiendishly hard to develop the "encounter engine". Actually, I think the hard part is making sure you don't get absurd encounters like Orcs drinking wine and singing "Alouette" while wearing women's clothing. Then again, if that's what the players want in their encounter...
As an example, a ranger character "Bob" has a "Track humanoids" skill. Bob can use this skill and, assuming he is successful, he can describe some details about the thing he is tracking; details would be race, quantity, disposition, etc. Maybe Bob decides he's found some orcs, and they're eating a snack. Maybe Bob decides that he's tracking an old hermit who knows where the magic Sword of McFizzle is. The point is that, with the proper skills, you (as the player) describe parts of the scene and the GM (or computer) fills in the rest of the details.
This mechanic leads to play quite different from that of a fully predetermined adventure, such as those found in old D&D modules or MMORPGs. However, this system appears to be a good way to provide players with some interesting non-combat skills. Also, by letting the players participate in the "setup" you give the experience to the player of generating their own adventure instead of going through the same hand-crafted experience that everyone else has done.
Crazy? Too abstract? Putting this into a CRPG sounds like a cool idea. The main concerns I have about gameplay with this method are:
1. The exploration is gone. I don't have to search the forest for the secret tree entrance if I can use a proper skill to find it. Then again, some people welcome a way to get around the "spend two hours looking for a shiny rock" requirements of some RPG games.
2. Some players suck at driving their experience. Lets face it, sometimes I just want to run around, find stuff, and kill it. Sometimes I don't want to expend the effort needed to think up my cool next encounter.
3. It sounds fiendishly hard to develop the "encounter engine". Actually, I think the hard part is making sure you don't get absurd encounters like Orcs drinking wine and singing "Alouette" while wearing women's clothing. Then again, if that's what the players want in their encounter...
Torque Owner Mark Storer
I'd be more concerned with people giving themselves encounters that were too easy. A bandit player that decides he wants to encounter a single merchant wagon with no escort... that sort of thing.
Perhaps some kind of "point" system. Where the player can pick whatever they want in terms of race, but the number of that race would be deterimined by the point system, or visa versa. You'd need some way of rating non-combat encounters too, though that sounds challenging to do in a reasonable way.