Seeking an opinion on this mechanic:

Post » Fri May 17, 2013 1:14 am

In my Quest mod I take the vanilla relationship system and expand upon its significance in relation to my central character. Every vanilla NPC has a relationship with the Player and those relationships vary from Enemy to Lover. Often, you achieve a relationship with an NPC by completing a Quest for them, which usually yields the reward of being able to take their things. In my mod I use this system, but the benefits of your relationship with the central character are different - they determine how much gold he will give you as a reward (if he doesn't trust you, he will give more) and whether he is willing to give you additional advice or assistance on Quests (as a friend, he will give you a potion of water-walking when you need to travel a short distance across the sea, for instance). They also offer some variations on certain Quests; for instance if he does not trust you he will give you a task that requires a bit more brute force, but if he does he will offer you a more diplomatic quest.

The way in which you affect your relationship is through your dialogue choices and your actions. If you demand payment for a task upfront you will lose trust and eventually be concerened a mercenary. If you choose to complete a Quest in a passive manner you will gain trust.

Your relationship with this character is balanced so that one (a positive relationship or a negative relationship) is not better than the other and they have no effect upon the story itself, but this still isn't something made use of to this extent in vanilla. I'm just not sure if I've made a mistake in implementing this system. I hope I haven't and I've probably left it a bit late to get an opinion on the matter, but I suppose it's better late than never. So what are your thoughts? Is this something that wouldn't bother you and something that I should keep, or something I should scrap?

User avatar
NeverStopThe
 
Posts: 3405
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:25 pm

Post » Thu May 16, 2013 2:17 pm

That sure sounds good. Is there any way for you to see what feelings do the NPCs have towards you? Also it would be nice, if the NPCs really do not like you they might send you on a quest and "happen" to forget to give you some vital inforamtion. Like for example - Could you deliver this to that guy? Ommiting to mention that he is a blood-thirsty bandit who will attack on sight. While if the NPC likes you, he tells you how to approach him so that he does not get hostile. Or neglecting the detail that half of the dungeon you were sent to is under water and you will need some water breathing potions, while if he likes you, he tells you or even gives you some.

User avatar
Kanaoka
 
Posts: 3416
Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:24 pm

Post » Thu May 16, 2013 10:51 am

I like it :)
User avatar
Robert DeLarosa
 
Posts: 3415
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:43 pm

Post » Thu May 16, 2013 9:46 am

The NPC's feelings should be apparent through his miscellanious dialogues (i.e. how he says his hellos, goodbyes, etc.).

And actually, there are a few parts where the NPC is less helpful than he could be if he doesn't trust you, but I might keep in mind your first idea.

I'm glad the response is thus far positive.

User avatar
Fiori Pra
 
Posts: 3446
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:30 pm

Post » Thu May 16, 2013 1:27 pm

I like anything to do with dynamic content. I fell in love with it in Fallout 3, and have tried to emulate it in my mod like you. I've so far taken the more grand approach, purely because i haven't had time to focus on the little dynamic aspects, but i say this is something worth putting your time into :)
User avatar
Gavin Roberts
 
Posts: 3335
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:14 pm

Post » Thu May 16, 2013 8:55 pm

Thanks. If I can pull myself away from modding, I'll have to play your Hunting in Skyrim mod some more - I haven't played much, but what I did I really enjoyed.

User avatar
Sophie Miller
 
Posts: 3300
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:35 am

Post » Thu May 16, 2013 5:56 pm

Thanks mate :)
User avatar
Samantha hulme
 
Posts: 3373
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 4:22 pm


Return to V - Skyrim