Plot and Character Feedback

My Mail:  jonasberz2003@gmail.com

Hello! First Start With The Story... The Story: The Humanity Came To An End.... The Earth Is War Torn Place, Where People Can No Longer Live.... And Those Who were Chosen... Traveled In Space To Find New World To live in...

This that did not worked... through 100s Of Years, No Planet Capable was found.... And Food Supples started to run out.... Other People were sick... You And Other People That were still healthy were waiting for the innevataible... and through next 10 years it was over... No food... No Water... Nothing.. And so Humanity Came To an End...

But Mysterious Alien Race Were watching Human Race for many years... And They Brought you back to live... Because Died the last and your brains were not rotten....

So The Mysterious Alien race wants to give Humanity A Second Chance And Through your Neorons And DnA They Are Able to create the simulation that changes real Exinstence....

So In This Game You Will Be Placed In Diffrent Time Eras as your Ancestors... And Every Choice You make will have impact at that Era... And Impact In the Future.... 

Soo... Lets Get To Bussiness... As you read, this is a Choice Based Game... And First I Need To say.... This game is in Development Hell Since 2015 start.... I started Working on it by April 17th....

But i am really Bad Mapper and preety much know nothing about scripting... and i cant even create Characters....   So i need so much Help... I dont even know if i should try to make the game Anymore....

2: I still dont have names and the Main Story of the game....

I can Only Speak About the alien.... BUT I CANT SAY MUCH.....

I can only say that    As Your Story Unfolds Through Glitches In The Simulation You Will Learn That These Aliens Have A Lot To Do With The Story And Everything Else....

AND NOW I NEED HELP! WITH EVERYTHING ELSE! Please If You Know Someone That Can Help Me.... Inform Them.... 

And Here Is The Link to the game: http://www.mediafire.com/download/tdvbn4aaqsrwo8w/The+Rain+Of+Eternity.rar

@leenat: Please limit the amount of elipses ('...') that you use, as well as decaptializing all the things that have no reason to be captialized. It took a while to read the thing due to the grammar.

Feedback: An interesting idea, reminds me of Assassin's Creed mixed with Ender's Game. However, it's still an idea and not a plot. Maybe start coming up with some characters with a purpose, which write the story for themselves, in a way.

@leenat40

Not sure what you mean by "need help with everything else" but since this is the plot and character feedback thread, and I can see quite a few loopholes in the plot you outlined, I'll put forth a few questions :

1. If humanity has come to an end because people can no longer live on a war-torn planet, who were the Chosen?

2. If the Chosen are humans (which I'm pretty sure is what you meant, in which case, you should probably say "Humanity is endangered" instead of "extinct"), why exactly were only they chosen to travel through space? You need not explain this here, but it's useful if you form the base yourself.

3. If the Chosen traveled through space for "100s" of years, I think it's very like they'd have died at some point due to old age. I'm guessing you have some sort of back-up plan to explain the time span, like cryo-sleep or something similar?

4. I'm actually pretty confused  with your introduction of the story. If only the Chosen were sent for space travel, who are these "other people" who fell sick?

Bump-point -

a..To rectify some of what you stated, it sounds a bit more reasonable if you say that 100s of years passed by on Earth while the Chosen were searching for a habitable planet. However, in this case, if these "others" were on Earth at the time, I think those couple of centuries would have been enough to kill them. Thus, humanity ends and there was no point in searching for another planet unless you have a back-up plan. Like frozen human embryos. Here, it starts to sound a lot like Interstellar. Moving on..

b..If the "others" who fell sick were a part of the Chosen, were there any other people living on Earth as well? Unless you're taking inspiration from Wall-E, and implementing a giant spaceship carrying all the remnants of the human population. In which case, it wouldn't exactly be Chosen people.

I'm sorry if I confuse you too, because I'm already a bit confused myself.

Thanks! You Both hot me some Ideas... I will update this post as new things will be Added but for now... Have you tried the acctual game?

And Few Points About The ,,Backup Plan,, will have a lot to do with the Plot Later in the Game...

EDIT: Bump-Point B: Its not like in Wall-E Its more from its more of a Spaceship from Alien Isolation game or from Alien Movies actually.... Just Without the Frozing Things...

GAME TITLE: Helix, Hunters In Chaos

GAME GENRE: SRPG (Strategy Role Playing Game)

Focus: Bringing hardcore rpg style with lots of hard fought battles while maintaining a serious and perfected lore that will make people want to dive more into the dialog rather than just press buttons.

We'll call the main character "Main Guy" for now.

Plot: VERY Early Development!

     The people of this world are different. Everyone has an "aura", a coating of energy that can be manipulated through practice and hardship. Each and EVERY person is also born with an elemental status in their individual arua such as Fire, Water, Wind and Earth however, a person can adopt the Light & Dark auras from their deeds. The aura that "every" person is born with however, "Main Guy" unfortunately for some reason was born with not only a weak aura, but an aura without an element. It was because of this that the schools and teachers never trained him to fight, or how to defend against monsters and raiders as they felt that he would die regardless. He's little and weak and honestly, a bit feminine for a male in his actions. Since he can't do jobs around town or out of town, involving battle and monster removals, he can't quite afford to live on his own, so he decided to move in with Aria and serve her in exchange for food and shelter. He's quite the helpless guy. Aria is a friend of his from the grade school days. He calls her Master when in person with her, but calls her Aria when she is not around. Loyal to her, he does minor and simple tasks at the jobs station to bring home extra food, which he prepares for his Master, daily. Again, he's not good at much other than serving. His Master is the only person who ever showed real care to him. The same he offers to her in exchange for food and shelter, others would never take from him. She is a true friend, maybe more, one day.

     However... all of that changes. Aria gets swarmed by spiders infected with the Vile Venum Sickness (a super-poison state that is not regularly curable in the game but with a VERY rare potion brew). She is infected and is quickly beginning to show signs of her coming death. Main Guy feels helpless... but he is in love with his Master. His only friend. So in spite being afraid of the outer world and all the dangers that it brings, especially to him... he throws his short sword over his shoulder and says his temporary goodbyes to the townsman. Everyone is very shocked that he manned up to leave town. No one could understand what would bring such a coward to leave into the dangers and travel so far by himself and with the most stone cold face of seriousness, especially since he had no elemental protection, making him seriously prone to easy defeat. 

     Main Guy on his way to the second town outside of New Helix, spots a bully of his named "Sirius". Sirius constantly teases Main Guy for his weaknesses and always calls him a loser (before this event). Always telling him how useless he is... Sirius however at this point is in serious trouble (no pun intended). He's being swarmed by spiders and gets cornered with no way out, completely out numbered. Main Guy watches in panic, completely paralyzed by fear itself and unable to move... but when the infected spiders started to overcome Sirius, something happened. One moment he was 100yards away, and in the flash of a second, he traveled the distance of 100yards and cut an infected spider cleanly into two halves. He then passes out without ever remembering what happened. Sirius may be a bully, but he is an honorable bully who knows when his debts are due. He takes Main Guy to his home in town to rest at his place. Main Guy eventually wakes up and realizes that he's in a stranger's home but also notices Sirius. He feels confused. Sirius tells Main Guy what happened to the best of his abilities even though he never really saw what happened. It all happened so fast, without trace. One moment there were 3 spiders and at the blink of an eye, there were 2 spiders. Sirius knew it was Haden. He offers to repay his debts to Haden for saving his life. Haden accepts this favor and asks Sirius to join him to get the cure for the Vile Venum Sickness, which no known cure exists at that moment. Sirius accepts the task... but calls Haden a loser anyways, still being Sirius and still being the A-Hole in the game.

   So the story starts off with a beloved person becoming infected with an incurable sickness. The coward who otherwise would sit back and watch takes it upon himself to find the cure to save his love. In this main plot, I plan to insert many side plots that will upgrade how auras and strength/weakness is viewed by the game plot and the players. There will be side things, like collecting souls and finding special runes in encrypted languages that Main Guy will have to study to get answers. All of these side things will take place during the travel to get/make the cure. I however do intend on 1 thing in particular happened. It will be too late. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN.....

Hello everyone!

Almost a year passed, since I acquired a copy of RPGMaker VX Ace. So it's past time I try to make a game. A full game, not a demo like I made earlier. So I am introducing you a... well, pretty much the concept based on that demo. I am not sure if it even meets requirements for "Early Project Feedback" subforum, so better at first to have some feedback here.

About the game: “Elemental Seals” is a classic jRPG game, where a party of a few characters is going for some adventures (and probably to save the world). I plan to focus mainly on a story, the world and maybe puzzles. I am going to stick with RTP graphics and will try to limit the usage of custom scripts to a minimum.

Setting: “Elemental Seals” is set in a (relatively) peaceful fantasy world. However, in old times all kinds of disasters plagued this world. That time ended when the Seven Great Sages sealed Elemental Powers (the source of the disasters) by Elemental Seals (hence the game's title).

At the time of a story these ancient horrors are nothing, but a legend and a small fracture of Elements which remains in the world is not a threat. In fact some people successfully use the remains of Elements to make Elemental Weapons and priestesses are healing people with the power of light.

There are six Elemental Powers in total – air, earth, water, fire, light and dark. Some of them will be used by characters along the way.

Story: the story begins in the Ridge village, located on the edge of the continent. The village elder, named Palmer, is one of a few people who believes in the legends about Elemental Seals and actually has many books on the subject. However, his son Ryan (the first protagonist) – does not.

Everything changes the day, when a girl named Winter sneaks into Elder Palmer's house...

The World: Most part of the Known World is situated on a large continent. There are also some islands around the main landmass. The further from the shore, the more monsters and queer things one will meet. So it's quite dangerous to wander into the Outer Reaches and thus this outer territory is largely unexplored.

The continent itself is not named, but it's habited part is usually called Lands of Prosperity. Lands of Prosperity are pretty much divided between four kingdoms. Ros – in the center of the continent, which is like general fantasy kingdom, maybe with some Slavic and Eastern Europe flavor. Scandia – in the north-west part of the continent, can be considered like Norway (icy and such). By the way, Ridge village is located at the farthest edge of Scandia. To the south there are deserts where land of Shamahan is (think of Arabian and middle East). And the eastern islands are subjects to Archipelia – the state which resemble (at least in my current vision) Japan and Oceania combined.

The population of all four kingdoms is entirely human. There are however various sentinent creatures (fairies, dragons, orcs and such), but they are either considered lowlife (like orcs who are just monsters) or are so rare that most people don't even believe in them.

Game Graphics: I plan to use RTP graphics mostly, with maybe a few custom assets.

Elder Palmer – the elder of the Ridge Village. Easer egg and a tribute. The “Elemental Seals” is based on RPGMaker VX Ace tutorials after all.

Custom Scripts: As of now the only custom script I use is a script for abilities to affect both target and user in different ways. I am not saying that I am against other scripts, but I don't see the reason to make some really fancy systems.

Work in progress: well, my progress on the game is rather slow. As of now I just had reworked the demo. Added books in the house library, additional cutscenes and a few healing items, because monsters in the prologue are generally animals and you don't get much money to buy stuff.

You can play the new demo here.(Warning! RTP required!)

As the game is still in it's early stages, I am open to critics and advices and suggestions and stuff. Just remember, that I would like to finish the game until the year ends, so be reasonable with suggestions.

So, I'd say I would eventually do this, and here it is. Let me explain what in the seven circles of hell is this and why is this a thing.

Not long ago, I began working on a character chart featuring 42 characters. It was based on another character chart made by some anon at /tg/. So, bear in mind that, while many of the ideas regarding the characters' personalities and motives are mine, the original designs aren't. I will now leave a link to the chart in case anyone wants to see it.

I thought that such a variety of characters could fit very well in a game, and as such I began designing some gameplay and, mostly, combat mechanics. The one that will prove most relevant in this topic is the combat system. Apart from that, there's the focus, which could be considered as mana, and some kind of passive skills called "lead skills" and some skills unique to one character (unique skills, herr derr). The CS is on the spoiler.

Now, even if I have what is pretty much the back story of all characters and the plot of the story, it's lacking some elements. Kinda. It's not lacking, It's just that I'm not really satisfied with some things about certain characters. Mainly the lead skills and the unique skills. I've revisited the document several times already and I still can't give some characters fitting skills. So I thought about asking for help but I messed up and made a post in the wrong subforum that never got through.

TBH, I'm not quite honest how exactly to do this, but...well, for the moment I think I'll leave a bit of character info and then (underlined) the skill I'm not quite comfortable with. All inside a spoiler. To avoid more textwall.

So, I want to ask, any ideas on how to improve some of those skills? Not necessarily make them more complicated, but to make them varied and (somewhat) satisfying to use. Truth is, I'll be grateful for whatever ideas you offer me.

Also, if anyone has any doubt about anything, just leave a comment and I'll answer at some point.

TherainED

I think you should post your commentary to other topic (or to create topic). This thread is about games plot and characters in storytelling sense. You are more concerned with mechanics, which is wholly different matter.

Hi everybody. I'd like some feedback on a plot I've been working on, after which I will post a series of what I hope will be 'concentrated' questions that assist you all in getting me some feedback.

So.

Project Title: Paradigm

Setting: A planet beset by three invading alien groups, and a Federal political force that mediates between them.

Theme: Very basically- Identity. The thing that makes cultures diverse, interesting, functional, are precisely those things that set them apart from others- and this leads to interesting meetings of those cultures and yet also disastrous dilemmas. (On this score, Huntington's controversial The Clash of Civilizations is useful reading, as is Francis Fukuyama's The End of History.) Identity on civilizational and personal scales.

Attendant sub themes: How things fall apart quite generally, the Last Holy man of a faith, Right things and Wrong things co-mingle in the effects they produce- do not mistake this for relativism though. 

Exposition: Alright. My overall vision for this project is to have a kind of format that fundamentally encourages the player to think about things. In general, you do this by letting the player do something 'unthinkingly' and then point that out to them with regards to the consequences that had. This is a basic game story telling 101 thing.

In this story, as the setting states, a planet, named Sern, is under invasion from three other planets: Moregnon, Ciphitas, and Dolor. The Federation, a political superpower that mediates this chaos, has so far been able to keep everything from internally collapsing on Sern. Now, this invasion occurred roughly 30 years prior to the start of the game. 

However, around 1000-500 years ago, the question of your planet's autonomy was in question. As Sern was not space worthy (and still isn't) and rather primitive, a collaborative union between the three planets back then was issued as to whether they could go there and basically 'tap it' and have whatever intelligent life was there dispersed onto other populated planets. The Federation, back then, in a definitive case, got into a dispute with these planets. The legal case was known as Case 42. Yet it still wasn't over. The disgruntled investors on those planets who had all their plans essentially tarnished by what they saw as an officious Federation conspired to get revenge. The Federation, however, discovered the workings of this plan before it could be set into action, and they dubbed this investigation Case 43.

So now. You might be wondering what the plan of this investment team was. Well, it was dubbed Project Daedalus and it consisted in something that missed the attention of the Fed. With their wealth, the conspirators would fund highly hidden influxes of people onto Sern. For what end? Well, for the establishment of a Cult. A cult whose eschatology would revolve around the demise of the "Evil" that was the Federation, now converted into a religious target. With carefully selected officials, Project Daedalus began to work on a weapon beneath the surface. A weapon even the Federation would have no power to stop. 

With slave labor, and the complicit religious fervour of know-nothings and their religious leaders, the Cult effectively began construction on a weapon that extended around the core of the planet- beneath the surface. Using alien technology, and heat-ant sealing, they managed to gradually construct this weapon over time. By utilizing the core of the planet as a sort of energy source, they plan on firing an EMP charge of planetary proportions- right at one of the Federal "Quartercapital ships". A way of getting revenge, and the deaths of millions if not billions of individuals on this ship.

Rector Volante, the head of the Federal presence on Sern actually discovers this plan- now mostly dormant as they no longer have the resources to complete it. But, perhaps rather strangely, he decides to support the operation. For Rector Volante is a theorist by inclination. The very invasion of the planet by the three others is just one among many examples of the erosion of Federal hegemony. It's only a matter of time until the entire edifice has eroded, and the wicked and fraudulent truly take advantage of things. For on his view, "A Government that does not govern consents to be governed."

So Rector Volante intends on using this weapon against the Fed, much like the Cult wants... Only he will use it on his terms. In doing this, he will make a statement to the galaxy over. And so, your planet is fundamentally a pawn in a large scheme... The millions of lives on your planet weighed against the trillions if not quadrillions scattered across others. 

There are other things to be said for this, but I will leave them out so as to prevent this from becoming overly prolix. 

_____

My issues:

- I would desperately like to avoid being generic. This is difficult. 

- I have still not effectively thought up the conditions of things on your planet in specific. These things will largely be what the player experiences, so they are actually more important than the fluff above. One would think that this whole setting would help to write it all itself but...

- I am having exceeding difficulty with concocting a protagonist who can fit into this. Any advice here?

- I am having trouble finding a narrative on the planet that your characters can undertake, or experience. How will the personalized narrative on your planet come to terms with the bizarre machinations 'in ye celestial heavens' of space? 

Perhaps these are all just examples of classic writer's block. But my strength is indeed in plot driving, rather than character per se. So I'm just wondering what people think overall, and if they have any advice on those questions (or other things). Thanks in advance.

Yo. Need some feedback for an idea of mine that I've been juggling for a while.

My plan is to make a series of RPG Maker XP games. They won't..quite be games, and will be more akin to a movie (via cutscenes).

Essentially, the plan is to a follow a character from birth, to death, showing scenes of their life. There would be no text or speech, only sound effects and music to dictate the mood. Each 'episode' would have a different plot and characters, of course. But each would have the same overlying plot: Parents meet, child is born, we watch said child through the years, and we see how they die. 

RampartCratylus

First of all (in my opinion) you should put all your concepts in order. If your setting has history, write down this history in chronological order.

I really tried to understand the setting, but what I got is only - investors from 3 planets had plans for creating a superweapon (aka Project Daedalus) on planet Sern (to what end, I didn't get), but their plans were foiled by Federation making Case 42 (how and why I also didn't get). Now they began a full scale invasion on the Sern (why?). And I must say that I tried to get the whole point really hard.

And that was me, a person, who totally got "BioShock Infinite" quantum physics mumbo-jumbo from the first pass. I bet that most players (or critics for that matter) just won't understand the premise of the setting.

I agree that it's somewhat confusing. Also, where exactly does the player come in in this story? What are some of the main events that will take place during the game, and what will be the end goal? You ask for advice on a protagonist, but leave out anything that might be of use to readers about this point.

Same for the stuff about the planet that the game takes place on. How are we supposed to give advice when there's zero information about what these people are like? Are they even humans, or are they weird alien things? In the case of humans, how far into the future takes this story place? How far has technology advanced? None of that is covered in your summary.

@Rampartcratylus.

Read (or reread) Dune and Foundation.

To be honest the only interesting protagonist I would see for this story is being Rector Volante.

I'd say your onto something, but it needs lots of cleaning up.

First define the story you want to tell, then highlight the philosophical concepts you want to illustrate.

Sorry if there was ambiguity. It's a problem that plagues my approach at every instance, every moment. I will attempt to clarify, as of course, my presentation was constrained to the suffusing ideology. I will order a bullet-point list of points that hopefully clear up confusion, or introduce new, but more productive confusions (how Hegelian).

Philosophical Grounding

1.) Norms, Cultures, and Identities as both limiting and Necessary: This game takes place in a time of tumult. The world you are on is wracked with a sort of internal dilemma. In the past, what was alien would have merely been another culture on the same planet. This entire framework has not been dispelled, but necessarily challenged in the clash of Paradigms. The new framework is that of the planetary-politico strife that is meaningful for the alien races and forces that occupy your planet. 

So:

a.) A culture is limiting insofar as it essentially constrains us to looking at reality, and others, through a window. 

b.) It is also constitutive for how we can consider of 'others' at all.

2.) How Things Fall Apart: The irony of this implicit hegemony is that the Federation, and alien life, is in itself in a state of internal collapse. The Federation is failing to keep its elements in line- its civilizational model has run its course. Thus your planet is subject to a power which is eroding, unstable, capricious. The presence of alien life on your planet now is evidence of the Federation's inability to hold everything together. Rector Volante is painfully aware of this as a superb statesman and politician.

@LootHunter:

Here's some much needed clarification :D . 

- Project Daedalus was the investors' way of getting back at the Federation for preventing their governments from essentially tapping Sern.

- Their plan was to establish a religious cult on Sern- a bit less risk intensive than direct covert construction- that would follow a blueprint for building a weapon within the crust of Sern. It would take the planet's core as an energy source.

- Case 42 was the case that determined the planets could not go to Sern. Case 43 was the investigation into Project Daedalus itself- after they had declared the tapping of Sern illegal.

- However, the Fed. did not really get the strategy. They didn't understand that Project Daedalus would take place primarily on Sern- not those three planets.

- This all takes place YEARS ago. The Cult is really a figment of history to the present-day Sernians (who are not aware they are of alien origin). When the game takes place, the invasion is not conducted by Project Daedalus (which is long gone) but the native governments of those planets violating the edict the Fed established via Case 42.

- The invasion now takes place owing to the weakness of the Fed, and the fact that a Moregnonian official (one of the three planets) discovered notes of Project Daedalus. A weapon exists on Sern... Only they do not know that it is the planet itself.

- The other two planets follow suit in order not to be left out, which is yet again a testament to the weakness of the Federation.

The bulk of Project Daedalus takes place 1000-500 years ago. The game itself takes place 30 years after the aliens 'officially' invade. Weapon construction has furtively progressed for the past centuries.

________________

Potential Protagonist Idea:

My idea for the protagonist was to have him be an aide to a legislator on Sern- and from Sern. This would be thematic as:

- In being a legislator for Sern this illustrates the homogenization of legal codes. He is a child of his time, and becomes aware of this in-game. Before Aliens arrived, these cultures would have been 'opposed' or 'indifferent' to one another. 

- Our protagonist would thus have a unique perspective on the events that occur in-game- understanding legal implications. (I'd make sure this wasn't boring.)

- Rector Volante is a good statesman (antagonist). His opinions and your opinions would intermingle in how the player experiences the content of the world, and narrative.

- This all plays into project paradigm. IS there a best perspective towards all this? Is it possible to have one? 

- I will need to make the story more personal to the protagonist, but these are just the forms and ideas that have suffused my enthusiasm. 

______

Parerga:

- The world's technology is based on what we'd call 'pseudoscience' like alchemy. The aliens and federation primarily use haut-tech. A typical JRPG trope I intend on manipulating for the theme.

- Generational gap between old and young that is pronounced and chaotic. Those who lived before the aliens arrived have truly fallen out of touch. The youth are swayed back and forth.

- You could describe the people of Sern as 'human'. The other alien races involved are not quite human, but have features allowing for communication. Rector, and others, are rather similar to your race.

This is what I have for now. Any other questions I'd be happy to answer. 

Ok. Let's see, that I get it right:

Three planets want to get resources and workforce from planet Sern (is this what "tapping" means?)

The Federation refuses and makes a restriction order in court (Case 42).

The upset investors from 3 planets embark on "Daedalus Project" - making Sern a superweapon against Federation (isn't it a bit much?)

To build a weapon they create a religious cult on Sert which followers believe the Federation is evil and must be destroyed. But this cult is unable to complete Project Daedalus because it hasn't enough resources (No surprise here). The project is put on halt and forgotten.

500 years later one of the three planets got it's government's hands on Daedalus blueprints and begins full scale invasion on Sern to complete project and take revenge on Federation (after 500 years still angry for the planet?).

Two other planets began their invasion to not let Moregnon get the upper hand (do they know about weapon, or they just want the planet? If they want the planet - why?)

Federation somehow also managed to dig out some data on Daedalus (Case 43, why 43? no cases of large scale for 500 years?), but the it's representative on Sern, Rector Volante. desides to use the superweapon to overthrow the Federation (and what, became a dictator?).

And while these four parties (are there four, or some of them are in alliance?) wreck havoc in tries to get the weapon, the protagoinst, ordinary legislator from Sern, becomes involved (how?)

Now, here is the tricky part - what's next? I mean, is your story ought to be linear, or you think about nonlinear plot with different outcomes? What about combat? Will the protagonist fight or you are basically making an adventure game? What about the war itself? How destructive it will be? Can protagonist go freely between all three camps as a diplomat?

You raise a lot of important questions. This is the meat of where I currently am, and I'm dipping my toes in different puddles just to understand how the player would get involved. I will try to get back to you later when I'm not preoccupied :D

There will be combat.

The war won't become manifest right away, because as of now, it's more a very tense regional dispute. Your planet is caught in the mix- culture clash. 

Protagonist will likely be able to visit camps, as per regulation (There will be specific laws in place that help make plot occur).

The level of destruction will probably involve the utter decimation of the planet by the end.

'ello everyone. 

So here's this 'lil game setting idea, just testing the waters with it for now. 
It's not 100% fleshed out yet, however the most important parts do stand on a ( I think ) rather solid foundation. 

I should warn you, I think it's probably not very original or unique but, it's in my comfort zone, which is why I'd feel kinda safe working with it. 


Game genre: small/short open world simulation game with RPG aspects. ( or RPG with simulation game aspects )

Reason I am interested in building it: I want to play around with the isometric 3D map custom script and use my iso sprites for something.  


The game (setting) would have more or less only about 5 areas, somehow connected to each other. 
A remote village that now is mostly inhabited by various adventurers. The original villagers are the minority.
An old, only partly explored dungeon ( which might be a mine, or some underground ruins, or both.. not sure yet ) 
The dungeon and its rare resources (gems, silver, gold , other stuff) is the reason all those adventurers raced to the poor village. ( # goldrush )
Of course the dungeon is home to monsters, too - which may be a reason it has only been explored recently and not touched by the villagers.

There is also some shrine nearby, which on the other hand has been looked after by the villagers for hundreds of years ( as they say ) - for example, each year one has to go there and donate liquor to the goddess that is said to inhabit it. ( a local protection /luck goddess )

So this year, the village's crops are in danger because of plant eating / soil draining monsters from the nearby forest. They have taken over the fields...
You are the latest adventurer arriving, yet unsure how to go about this and poorly equipped. So you can take on quests from the townspeople - like in this case, the crops issue.
I want the player to decide how to handle the situation at certain points though, and let desicions have consequences.  
For example, you could straight up slay the crops eating creatures on the fields, or let them be for now and search for a different solution to the problem.

But I digress. 

You can explore your environment at your own risk and desicions have an impact on the story development, even in detail.
At some point the goddess gets involved but, depending on your actions she is super weak, or strong but still not very helpful...
Of course You may want to discover the reason for why monster attacks become more recent in the otherwise peaceful village, which is your new home -

and eventually the story would be about environmental and moral messages -

( spoiler, someone recently removed an important key resource , or too much of a resource of the area, which therefore collapses ecologically )

nothing new, I know. It's just the safest (lamest?) plot one can do I guess. ^^; 

Main focus should be on the chracters / NPCs and the fact that you can grow stuff, harvest, craft potions / alchemy,  befriend NPCs, chose your companion / party member, things like that. The decision making and the changing plot - also many randomized events. Learning new skills throughout the game. The option to avoid battles, for better or worse. 

And yeah, that's kinda the gist of it. 
I hope it's understandable, hehe...

What I like:

- Like the concept of a remote village populated mostly by adventurers. Personally enjoy the idea of 'adventurer' cultures in game, as opposed to having one sole group (yours). 

- Liking the idea of the Goddess coming back, but at a varying strength level.

- Liking the overall design attitude. Tons of little bits and pieces that create an immersive GAMEPLAY experience. 'Tis not a bad thing.

- What do you mean when you say Spoiler section: the place collapses ecologically? Will this be story related? Spoiler end.

- Do you have a sort of branching dialogue system a la Mass Effect? Or are deviations in path achieved solely by 'doing' something else?

- Will you have a blank slate protagonist, or one with some pre-existing attitudes?

- Your five areas. Will they be split up by environment? If so, will you have different mechanics in each one? Will there be a 'hub' for them?

- If you can befriend NPCs, perhaps you could have the player become antagonistic towards others?

The basic gist of your project is fine. It's not story centric- but rather, by keeping it lean story elements exist solely to buff out the gameplay- a fair prospect. That being said, my recommendation would be to keep gameplay in mind explicitly as you divine new plot scenarios/etc. If you add another story element, have another corresponding gameplay element. This will help keep your 'safe' plot lean, rather than stuffed full to the brim. If you have more to share regarding the story however, please add it here. 

Again, just suggestions. 

hey, thanks Rampart.

i want to address your questions ( yes, I failed to explain those details ^^; ) 

 

- The place ~can~ collapse economically, depending on how you handle certain crisis situations that may happen. I understand that this will be hard "punishment" for the player, but to balance this out, the player might get the chance to find more money in such case situations. That being said, most other people will not, so...

- I haven't had time to play Mass Effect yet, but I guess I know what a branching dialogue system is. : ) And yes, the idea was, that the game should have such.

- This one, I am not entirely sure of yet, but I am leaning towards mostly blank slate - unless something convenient comes to mind. 

- The concept was that they are different environments - and each having different mechanics certainly is a good idea. If I can pull it off, I'll do it. They would all connect to some place, yes. Might be the village directly or via teleporting. 

- That was part of the concept idea (among other things), yes : ) Also to befriend certain characters, certain hidden conditions have to be met, that the player will just have to find out by following the dialogues etc - and a companion can turn out to be more troublesome than expected, too. All depending on how you handle social events and situations.

I want to build a game, where each player's experience might turn out completely different. : ) 

This is just an idea that I came up with 10 minutes ago.

Moonlight Sonata
 

I don't know why that became my title doh :(

--

There was once a man, a legend among the legends; a man who was able to stop wars with a flick of his hand. From him descended five children, who each possessed a fraction of the man's power. From them descended clans with different ideals. After the legendary man died, war the factions began. From this war resulted almost an extinction of one particular powerful clan, the peace-loving Nightgates. The Nightgates were manipulator of shadows, instigator of fear and masters of water manipulation. Of all 79 of the clan's population, only one survived. The survivor is a seven year old amnesiac child named Noire. The only thing that he possessed from the clan's history was a journal, the journal of Eleonora Nightgate, a direct descendant of the once legendary man. He was taken in by ally of the Nightgates, the Zororias: the manipulator of fire and wind and masters of close combat. The Zororias told him the history of the Nightgates and their great deeds. Seven years later, he swore to avenge the clan and restore it to it's former glory. Will he regain his memories and restore the clan as one of the most strongest clans in the world? Or we he forever forget it and die trying?

BTW, no one knows where the man got his legendary abilities except for one thing: A prophecy was recorded on one of the ancient scrolls depicting how a man will be born with limitless potential (it was believed that he was the son of one of the gods, in a spiritual thing, kind of like how Jesus Christ is) and from him will descend people who will possess abilities far behind human comprehension. So far, humans have considered him to be nothing more than a myth.

Centuries after te prophecy was recorded a man did possess limitless potential, having god-like powers and from him will descend 5 children who will all be ancestors of the numerous clans, except for one, the Nightgates. The Nightgates will always be the Nightgates, meaning, from that time until it's almost extinction, it remained as the same clan.

Thanks!

EDIT: I got a prototype setting right now:

It will start in the compound of Zororias. It is big enough to house about 150-160 members, but the Zororias, having participated in the war was reduced to about 90.

The whole story will revolve around a new world. A world where everything is divided into three factions: the technologically advanced humans; the manipulators of the five elements (along with the elements that result from the fusion of two or more of the five elements) along with the descendants of the legendary man ; and the supernatural beings (vampire, werewolves, succubi, demons and the like).

--

The spies of the legendary man's descendants discovered that the supernatural beings have allied to the technologically advanced humans to annihilate the descendants of the man (for some reasons they do not know). So the man's descendants started preparing for another war. That day, the MC and some of his friends decided to train and masters the techniques that their clans has and branch out to cover most of their weaknesses.

Well, that's what I got for now :)