I think in future will try to put more focus on the story... even if Loren's plot outline was the most generic possible I guess at least it had some hook, something that (from what I read) people think was missing in SOTW. Probably is true also that the game starts too slow, one of the thing I wanted in Loren was to have a full cast of characters very early in the story.
I guess even if Lorens story was generic, there felt more of an interaction with the story. Shea and Althea were somewhat passive riders of the story, rather than Elenor and Saren's who felt like active participants. Players dont need half as much agency as characters I think. While Saren and Elenor are slaves, they gain agency and pursue goals that they are excited about, along with the other characters. Shea and Althea often have a "must" sort of feel, like they have no choice, even if it is a pleasant one. like staying with the pirates because they were there anyway and if they left the team would be broken up. Also that in VNs, the characters really sell it, and interaction with them was kept minimal due to the bath mechanic, so there was only their banter during missions which kept their characters less intriguing.
I actually love the fact that SotW was not another save the world story. And I really, truly loved the game. I am dissapointed that it didn't do better financially because I really loved it and found it refreshing and loved many elements about it. Such as a different kind of narrative, 2 heroes instead of one. The Seasons were wonderful. The idea that environment can affect gameplay is always fun. The events timed with days to give you control over when to continue the plot while also making the plot feel natural when framed as a random event. While incredibly quick, I loved the simple but sweet surprise ending. The characters were much more 3 dimensional when you had their conversations. The hidden ratmen were a nice treat. The treasure riddle was one of the more clever storylines I have seen with riddles. Succeeding on an anti-hero (Krimm) in a way that seriously made me feel for her while also questioning our association. It was a treat, and the last thing I want to do is seem negative of a game I basically inhaled I loved it so much.
The only real problem for me was the battle/RPG aspect. I spent *way* too much time on it. If I had limited myself to 5-6 months of work instead of 10, it would have been fine even financially
kadakithis wrote:The treasure riddle was one of the more clever storylines I have seen with riddles.
You're the first person to say this, and I'm glad at least SOMEONE said it. Writing good riddles is difficult as hell, and this one really had me thinking and wording more than a few hours.
Out of curiosity, did you find out what happens when you get the very first clue of the riddle wrong? ^_^
lol, that was perfect! I actually did this quest several times trying to get it right. I am curious just How those dwarves got there. I love that some wrong answers, you are like, what silly what are you thinking! And then you do whole quest parts getting it wrong. I was actually dissapointed I got which direction correct on the first time when I did get to the correct island, I was curious where else you might take me. Best of all when it was explained, it made So much sense. And I was like "Of Course!" The best riddles make sense afterward.
I play PnP games a lot and I loved the riddle so much, I even used it in my own game, my players loved it too. It was the first time I really got one of these in a game rather than feel like it was setting me up to fail or random, or pop culture knowledge. You should give yourself a pat on the back for that one!
I guess at least it had some hook, something that (from what I read) people think was missing in SOTW. Probably is true also that the game starts too slow, one of the thing I wanted in Loren was to have a full cast of characters very early in the story.