MMORPG: Release 30's Big Changes

I kind of tuned out when the author of the article started talking about the timing of the changes...

You misunderstood. The devs were already pretty clear as to what they were trying to achieve. The system's not going back to what you were used to, it's going to add target-locking functionality similar to how ESO did with what we have now.

 

How about we just watch the game? We don't have to aim anymore, we don't have to search for keys during quests (Highvale *cough*), we can't manage the gear and skills of the companions...
What is next? We don't have to move around anymore but instead select our destination from some list, because lists seem to be very common in this game?
I mean there must be some "elite" community members who constantly get lost in the world. Where are they and why don't they demand to cut movement from the game?

 

I wouldn't want to do that at all. I expect companions to be capable fighters on their own without having me to nanny them.

 

It's not a soft launch. No need to read beyond that.

 

Then the companions would need a good AI that is good enough for them to manage their gear themselves. Look for better armor and weapons, get better in a logical way.
On the other hand when I am the leader of the group I would want to command them so that they are effective. Maybe I would need my companion to be a melee fighter for a while and then switch to ranged or magic. I would want to tell them and then they should react accordingly.

But managing the gear of companions is also a feature that gives the player more to do, more to consider and plan tactically. Removing this without having an AI for substitution is just cheap. Also I think many would want to manage the gear ans skills themselves just because it is oldschool and cool. And didn't SotA want to be oldschool?

Also I think it is noteworthy that it is a offline feature that is dumbed down. This simply gives the impression that single player/offline is just shoved in because it was announced during the Kickstarter campaign. I cannot see any passion being put into this mode right now.

 

I think it would at least make sense to let your companions carry things for you. Then if you do that, you'd have to have the ability to take things back from them (probably including equipped items). I'm expecting that, but I doubt we'll get that in before pack animals make it in the game.

Other than that, you should be able to assign them combat roles, like you could in U7. Then they'd pick the weapons and gear that are best in their inventory for the roles you've given them.

 

I'm sure @Lum will appreciate this.

 

From what I recall, you won't be the leader or in any way the boss of the companions, so it wouldn't make sense for them to take orders from you. I don't think we're going to have travelling parties like in early Ultima, or hirelings like in UO, but completely independent NPCs who will choose to assist you in their own way when appropriate to the story.

Of course, as always, I might have misunderstood or the information may be obsolete... so please DLMB!

 

I'd consider it less taking orders and more coordinating :/

The devs said at one point they were discussing both companions and hirelings as two separate things.

 

I also expect the enemy AI to be a lot better than they are right now... so why can't companions be just as effective as enemy AI? Skyrim already has a system where the companion selects equipment on its own from whatever you give it. Heck, they did that back in 2001 with Morrowind and I also expect SotA to improve on that system. I want companions to not only have personalities in their dialogue but also in how they play around me... one preferring to use bows and arrows not because you told them to, but because that's what they want to do.

It gives them personality instead of being mindless drones... and the tactical aspects comes from choosing who you want to bring with you.

No one ever suggested to not apply some sort of AI.

As for the old-school thing, there's a difference between applying old-school philosophies and repeating systems from old games. You couldn't DO AI back then. Maybe you like that sort of thing but I despise that sort of thing and I want to move forward. I want non-player-characters to act without the player.

 

Yea, but shouldn't we be able to give and take equipment from the companion though? Then, maybe, there would be some items he considers his and won't give up. But once you give him items, he can hold them for you, or select them to use.

Other than that, coordinating would be nice, like you'd be able to coordinate with a player. "Wait here while I do something." "Use ranged while I go in close" etc.

 

Context, it's missing there. Someone had posted earlier calling SotA P2W, which is a pretty ignorant statement. There are definitive P2W games, mostly out of Asia. They are a real thing and calling a game P2W just because they sell something is an idiotic use of the term by someone who clearly doesn't understand what it means. You don't get anything in SotA from the store that you can't also get in-game (or at least something like it).

So yeah, I took a subtle shot at general stupidity. I know it breeds trolls, but sometimes it feels good to cut loose and fire back. Sorry if it offends. =)

 

Well said, @ricoxg , well said...

 

I would be ok with this, but I doubt that this is the plan for the companions. I think they come pre-equipped, because in the description of Fiona it is said that she has a small crossbow. So I think that basically they will talking combat pets without much AI.

Sorry, but when looking at the game there seems to be a lot of love and effort is put into the MMO elements. Gustball, dancing, decorations etc. but when it comes to single player and offline, we get talking pets instead of a true and complex companion system... Also the more complex quests like finding a key in Highvale are dumbed down because they are too complex...
Instead of adjusting the dialogue text so that the key would be easier to find, the quest is changed so that we don't have to look for they key anymore but instead get it automatically. Instead of letting us DO things during a quest, we just get the reward. Sorry, but this doesn't show much love for complex and interesting quests...

 

When have companions/hirelings ever come available unequipped in any game? Even the Diablo games with their "combat pet" henchmen come equipped in their "naked" state.

And how does that eliminate the possibility of AI?

Back when the game was first available to the public, the game featured "walking".

It's really hard to have a conversation with you when you make blanket statements based on some odd conclusions you came up with (like the "we can't give them weapons to chose from because they come pre-equipped" comment). We don't know how complex the companions will be.

And just because you keep pushing the idea that this will ultimately be an MMO more so than a single-player game, it doesn't mean that:

• Any of what you believe is actually true.
• Has any bearings on how the companions are going to be implemented.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if they're putting more attention to the MMO portion of the game right now, it's because the foundation of the game needs to work first. Most single-player features are things that are content related. Content is always done at the end of the development cycle. ALWAYS!

 

Code:

https://youtu.be/OkDCtuWe2rg?t=8715

We do know that we will not be able to control or affect their gear/inventory.

 

It's not about their starter equipment it is about how they will change this equipment. If I find a better armour can my companion wear it? Can I give him/her a magic amulet or gloves? What about his/her old equipment? Can I sell it?

 

Skill & inventory management = not for episode one.

@Lum specifically says that, despite how some players feel like it deepens character progression, Fiona wouldn't want to use a sword if you give her one.

What I'm taking from this is that you CURRENTLY won't be able to do anything but, later on, they might be able to add the ability to allow the player to give the companion(s) weapons if they happen to be of the same type.

That is completely different from nanny-ing. It's more of a "here, take this and use it as your see fit" rather than "How your ammo? What's your encumbrance? Carry all my stuff! Use this plate armour! You now know how to cast magic (cus I said so), use this spell! Here, eat this! Drink this cure poison because you're too dumb to drink one yourself"

There's a difference between knowing and speculating. Right now, none of us know for sure, including the devs. So I stand by my original comment. They've only said "no" for Episode one. Making blanket statements based on your (@Lord_Darkmoon specifically, as I was replying to him/her) own conclusions doesn't help the discussion.

No, I was commenting specifically about your conclusion that pre-equipped = no AI.

You could do that in Skyrim (except take their starter gear), I don't see why SotA's NPCs can't do the same thing. As for selling their old equipment? Who are you to dictate what they should hand over? What makes you think that their items (that most likely hold sentimental value to them, depending on the character) would be worth gold? I'm running around stealing weapons left and right and they're worth 0 gold.

Everyone I talk to about this sort of thing discuss how they like the idea of controlling every aspect of the companion(s) and that contradicts the very nature of what SotA is aspiring to be: to be a game that encourages role play.

 

Like I said, if they were planning to put in inventory management in Ep1, we wouldn't have had the Pack Animals as a stretch goal. But I'm sure when its in for pets, it'll also be in for companions and hirelings.

 

Agreed that E2 will see a big expansion for companions etc and all other manners of feature sets.
Agreed that I'd like companions to be their own, not controlled directly by the player.
Disagree on the knowing and speculating. I speculate all the time, but it is usually based on knowledge. We know what the devs plan roughly for E1, we know things they'd like to do in the future. So while we can't be certain we can make pretty educated guesses.
One such is that for E1 the devs don't have the manpower to make companions as complex as they were in the old ultima series. So we can make a very educated guess that those who expected that, like Darkmoon, will be disappointed.

We can also be relatively certain that in E2 they will be much closer.