6 réponses à ce sujet

[jackkel dragon]

I'm sure other people have thought of this by now, but I had to get this out of my head. Excuse my bad jokes.

I love the idea of the codex in Dragon Age, but I find the implementation interesting. Most characters in DA:O don't have any codex entries to start, and only gain entires when they hear about something related. But shouldn't a city elf know that city elves are looked down on by humans? Why does my mage know almost nothing about the templars? Nobles of all people should know about their own religion!

I'm not whining, just a funny way of looking at this. So here's my idea: During an opening script (or coversation) set the flags for information the player character would know already. Let's assume that in this (rhetorical example) module that all player characters start the game knowing the birds exist. In DA:O, you would usually have to kill a bird to learn that birds can fly (GASP!) But in this module, characters are taught from a young age that, yes, birds can fly. That's the first codex paragraph. Then we hear a rumor in the game that a stone golem has a personal mission to kill birds. New paragraph. Then, we might meet the golem in a quest. Then a new paragraph explains why the birds are being hunted.

Even regions and other such things can benefit from this (like religions or organizations known to the player, but I'll just kill several birds with one stone golem.) Let's say that in the module there is a valley. Everyone knows that the valley's plant life is purple, not green. First paragraph. We go there to find that the grass is green, but has purple flowers. A second paragraph dismisses the claims of the original. We then fight some barking dire crocodiles. A new paragraph, and a new entry for the new beast. During the course of a quest, let's say we decide to kill all the barking dire crocodiles. The flowers are sad and turn blue. The codex adds a new paragraph to each entry (one for extinction of the crocodiles and another for the valley's plants changing color.) The codex changes to reflect new revelations and quest effects, but generally known facts are added in the module's opening.

Thanks for reading that wall of text. If anyone likes the idea of knowing your character's parent's name before the character "meets" them in-game, then try this in your modules! You know, unless the name is supposed to be a surprise. Then you can hide it. But if everyone in the world knows that birds fly, my highly-educated nobles should know that!

[ITSSEXYTIME]

Neat idea, although there is a practical reason for some characters not knowing things they should know: codex entries are more for the player to learn about the game world as they're playing through.



Additionally, how would you handle codex XP? It's not entirely significant over the course of the whole game but it can make a difference.

[jackkel dragon]

ITSSEXYTIME wrote...

Neat idea, although there is a practical reason for some characters not knowing things they should know: codex entries are more for the player to learn about the game world as they're playing through.

True enough. I'd still recommend a few starter entries for players that want to read that stuff before getting to far into the game. In that case, I'd probably reset XP after giving entries (assuming codex XP is tied to new entries.) The reset XP would make up for backgrounds that get fewer starting entries.

ITSSEXYTIME wrote...

Additionally, how would you handle codex XP? It's not entirely significant over the course of the whole game but it can make a difference.

I haven't really thought about it yet. I'll probably eventually come up with some overcomplicated sceme, but for now I'd just use the Origins system: XP for a new entry. Assuming the same number of codex entries, I'd probably scale the XP to the level of the campaign (25, 50, 75.) It's not very original, but it rewards players for finding codex entries (even if they don't read that stuff.)

Thanks for the feedback, I wasn't sure if this hadn't already been gone over.

[DavidSims]

At one point a greater number of codex entries were given out in a lump at the start of each origin. This was changed because it discouraged codex reading for many people. By spacing the entries out one at a time, players have a chance to read the entries as they get them and not be confronted with an intimidating wall of text. The same information that was previously given out at the start of the origin can be found within each origin, you just have to run around and collect it.



It should not be difficult to create a mod that gives out codex entries sooner, if the current design is not to your taste.

[Loc'n'lol]

DavidSims wrote...
...

Honestly, I think your approach was better.

[jackkel dragon]

DavidSims wrote...

At one point a greater number of codex entries were given out in a lump at the start of each origin. This was changed because it discouraged codex reading for many people. By spacing the entries out one at a time, players have a chance to read the entries as they get them and not be confronted with an intimidating wall of text. The same information that was previously given out at the start of the origin can be found within each origin, you just have to run around and collect it.

It should not be difficult to create a mod that gives out codex entries sooner, if the current design is not to your taste.

I see. Should I ever make a Dragon Age module, I guess I'll have to consider that. Balancing between amnesia and wall-of-text. (To be honest, even I wouldn't read through everything in the codex before starting a module, even if it's in a new setting.) On the one hand, the empty starting codex encourages searching for the entries (XP and knowledge) while causing nitpickers like me to get worried about the games that use amnesia just to keep player/character knowledge equal. On the other, a codex that starts partially filled allows earlier perusal, but discourages reading later on (and no bonus XP.)

Thanks for the feedback, I didn't expect too much when I wrote the topic.

[tmp7704]

Personally, i'd try to avoid equalling the Codex with "this is what the character knows". Taking this approach creates some issues which then have to be pretty much handwaved away. For example, how comes the character gains knowledge of backstory to weapons or other items they pick up -- these things don't come with attached booklet after all, and many have absolutely no connection to the character's background so as such should remain unknown.

Modifié par tmp7704, 28 juin 2010 - 10:03 .