PMD: Stalkers - Feedback and Possible Sequel Discussion

[Neo Emolga]

As the title says, I'd love to know what things you really liked about this PMD: Stalkers event, what things you think might need a bit of tweaking and fixing, and what kinds of new things you might want to see in a sequel.

Also, the beauty of this whole game is I could also make a sequel smaller or bigger, such as having a smaller town with fewer Stalkers to have to track down, or make a bigger, city-like Pokémon town with more Stalkers to have to track down and tougher puzzles to go through. That depends on what people would love to see next.

I actually expected this game to go through October, but you guys kept at it diligently and I was having WAY TOO MUCH DARN FUN coming up with the search results and interview outcomes. If you think it's fun to participate in this, try hosting it. It's also very fun and awesome! I loved how Sarah was thinking I was overworking myself and shouldn't be afraid to take a break when hey, I was loving it on my end too. This is my break!

Anyway, there were a few things I would like people to comment on.

Size/Game Duration - Did you like how long the game lasted? Would you have preferred to see it last a little longer, maybe shorter, or did you feel the duration of the event was good as is? Trust me, it's easy to tweak this!

Themes - Did you like the horror theme, or do you feel it might be interesting to try a new type of genre?

Doom Tracker - Okay, so you guys had no trouble beating the clock. Was it too easy, or do you think there might be some ways you'd like to adjust things to make it more enjoyably challenging?

Puzzles/Difficulty - Did you feel the puzzles and things like that felt balanced or were they too easy/too hard?

Interviewing and Rapport System - Like how it works or do you feel it should be adjusted somewhat?

And some possible new things:

Possible new actions - Have ideas in mind that might add a new dynamic to the game that adds a little extra spice?

A third way to win? - I'm all game for hearing ideas about additional victory conditions if you have some in mind!

Anything else? - Really, spill it all out! I'm reading everyone's ideas, and while I might not be able to put everything into action, I'd gladly give each idea thought and consideration.

[Noblejanobii]

Honestly I thought the event was well done overall. I really wish it had last longer though because I really wanted to participate more but by the time I really had time to do so I was very far behind and then suddenly the event was over. I was almost as sad as the time I dumped the drink on myself.

I think the inclusion of the chat room was a nice touch, but maybe we can have two lounges, one for discussing theories and one for like roleplaying, like we did at the beginning when I dumped the drink on myself. Just for fun to help unwind from the stresses of spending twenty minutes on a puzzle when you have a test the next day.

[EmeraldSky]

I wouldn't be opposed to doing a more fantasy/sci fi version, but another spooky one for Halloween would be fun too.

[VeloJello]

Because I'm a literal person and I'm too tired for original thought:

Size/Game Duration - Could be longer! I felt like it was going to go on for longer than it did, and while I'm not disappointed with the length, I feel like it would be good to have it go on a bit more!

Themes - New genres would be cool! If you wanted to stick to horror and you need someone to try and help make it accessible, while still retaining a good creep factor, I'm open to helping.

Doom Tracker - I think that having regulated turns (like only being able to post once per 24 or 12 or whatever hours) would help modulate this.

Puzzles/Difficulty - I hate sudoku. Apart from that matter of taste, no, the puzzles were fine. XD

Interviewing and Rapport System - I feel like the evolution aspect of rapport could be modified, given that the way evolution works is... weird, and I could never quite figure out what every type of evolution matched up to (like, whether a single-stager would get a good or bad rapport from a 'mon that's evolved twice).

And some possible new things:

Possible new actions - Escort, monitor, and restrain actions would be nice. Maybe like in mafia, you could choose to see if someone visited anyone in the night? Or keep a specific citizen safe?

A third way to win? - Dunno about this one, since things were pretty cut-and-dry.

Anything else? - I mentioned some stuff to you over PM, but I really think that having some sort of risk involved for the players would be good. The only real risk would come from accidentally assassinating the wrong person twice, which is simple enough with a large group even without the existence of the Sin Purge Ritual. An injury/stress condition that takes the player out of action that takes the player out of action temporarily due to the player making a bad move or doing something very taxing, or a quarantine condition that does the same if a player makes someone in authority suspicious of them, would both up the difficulty and, if you want to prevent stuff like the "because it's there" Senia interview, curb that sort of behavior.

[AWA1997]

Size/Game Duration - I feel it could do to last longer. But, honestly, I think it did good on this front. If you want it longer, make it longer.

Themes - I don't know what other themes this could go well with, but I'd like to see it if possible.

Doom Tracker - I think the tracker was a bit too slow for how short the game was.

Puzzles/Difficulty - I didn't really participate in the puzzles, so... N/A

Interviewing and Rapport System - I saw places where the evolution stage difference lowered one rapport, but then another it didn't matter at all. Maybe make it more concrete for the stages and clarify what counts as what.

Possible new actions - Hold for suspicion.

A third way to win? - Have all stalkers BOTH confirmed and held in prison indefinitely, let the town decide on killing them or performing the ritual.

Anything else? - N/A

[Chakramaster]

Size/Game Duration - I think the game could've been a little longer. With that being said that poses a problem that I'll bring up later on. The size at times feels like it's too small, yet too big. Odd way to put it, but for the story it went really well.

Themes - The theme was really interesting. I was expecting some big twist in the end phase like usual, but that's the thing with mysteries. You never really know what TO expect.

Doom Tracker - The "Doom Tracker" really helped. Though I think someone we should get to know characters in some way before they get killed off. So when a big one hits later if we take too long, it has more of an impact.

Puzzles/Difficulty - I think there should've been more puzzles in my opinion. There were some, but only so many people actually got to do the puzzles.

Interviewing and Rapport System - The system is great. The reason why I thought early on sometimes a Negative would be better depending on how you go about it is because it also has a flaw. Say, if no one has a type advantage or similarity OR evolution or same typing. It'd make the situation much harder to ever get anything from them.

And some possible new things:

Possible new actions - Well for one, we ARE Pokemon in this situation. How about a way to actually utilize our Poke Powers? Otherwise it's just a genuine mystery

A third way to win? - A third way to win might be a bit of a stretch right now. As more things are changed or added I'm sure something may come up, but as it is right now one or 2 ways seems more than enough.

Anything else? - I do feel, however, for main actions that have big impacts. it shouldn't be with just a few people. Everyone should have that chance that partakes in the event. Not just "who gets to it first" really, but everyone should be able to take part in that. This time it was only with primarily one person, but a few others as well. Either a limit or a restriction as to who or what type needs to activate a certain main action. That way it's more like everyone is helping with actions that are more tense or creepy. So I think something will need to be done to make sure everyone can partake in important actions rather than letting one person go for them all. That's one of the reasons I was so laid back compared to how I wanted to be. If I couldn't get involved in discussions I couldn't do any primary actions because they were already jumped on. So some way I think there needs to be ways everyone can help out rather than just researching for clues or interviewing. I'm sure everyone would like to have some sequences in the main action rather than behind the scenes the entire time.

I also do LOVE the creepy factor to this. As I said earlier, from now on just spoil tag them and you should be good as long as you put a warning message up saying what the post involves. Otherwise it takes away the fun from what it was meant to be if it's not posted at all.

I'll go in to it a bit more later on, but I wanna see other's opinions on it as well

[Suicune's Fire]

Size/Game Duration - By the end I felt like all the important stuff was being handled by people who got there first, like Chakra said, which made it less fun for me. Also the rapport system made it so that I had a positive rapport with only, like, two residents, which sucked. Well there were more than that, but some had already been interviewed. I feel like it went for a good amount of time. I think the worst thing is when it drags on and loses its spark, and I think this went for an appropriate time.

Themes - Other themes could certainly be utilised.

Doom Tracker - Like the others, I think it worked too slowly. At first it seemed to go quickly, and I think that was because we had no clues about the stalkers at the beginning. Which was great! It seemed like the Stalkers had the upper hand. But as we went on and found more items, then evidence, I think it should have sped up to increase the need for a solution (which could have pushed us to assassinate Koax instead of hold off for the ritual, which had little to no consequences even when Koax knew we knew her identity).

Puzzles/Difficulty - I loved the puzzles! Especially the actual jigsaw puzzles. xD All in all they were awesome. I loved the imagery used with the evidence, too, such as the creepy poems or Vam's diary entries (even if we never found them, haha).

Interviewing and Rapport System - I think it needs some work, but at the same time, I can understand how it's difficult to decide on positive or negative factors. It worked well, but could use work.

Possible new actions - Not too sure on this, but I liked the idea of protecting someone at night, following someone, or even surveying a place overnight, for instance. This would add danger, as there could be consequences involved for taking a poor action.

A third way to win? - Nah. I liked how it was!

Anything else? - I also think there could be a proper risk. For instance, getting an NPC killed because you went to a Stalker (who you didn't know was a Stalker) and said "Oh hey Vam, Prat thinks you murdered a bunch of people" and Vam goes "Oh how silly!" Then Prat winds up dead the following morning. Also risk to oneself; like Velocity was explaining, perhaps getting injured and being prevented from taking actions could be a good way to go.

I also found that it would be nicer if we could try to involve everyone in important actions, rather than whoever gets to it first, ESPECIALLY because of people's schedules and timezones. I felt like I did one significant thing (unlocking the windmill box) and a lot of players didn't get to do even that. I know this is fair game for everyone, but it would be nicer if there was something special that everyone could do (even if it's aside from taking an important action).

I think it would be really cool if, for something like this, time was a significant mechanic. That way, you could say something like "Day 1 is coming to a close; please submit your actions for tonight" and you could do things like survey a character, protect a character (from harm), venture out at night (for a purpose which would be predetermined), etc. However, sometimes actions could fail, or if you venture out at night, you could be targeted and injured or something. You wouldn't respond to those posts like you would an action such as interviewing, but, rather, it'd be a whole update after, say, 12 hours, regardless of whose action you're up to. The doom tracker could relate to this too. Let me elaborate on the time mechanic. Let's say that your responses work exactly as they did with this event:


Interview Charles


Search the park


Search the volcano


Xanthe interviewed Charles


Day 1 is coming to a close. Please post your actions for Night 1 within 12 hours. <tag all participants>


Interview Anna

Night 1: Follow Charles


Speedy searched the park


Night 1 - Protect Anna from a Stalker


(12 hours later)

Xanthe followed Charles but he slept all night.

Eric protected Anna successfully.

Speedy didn't act.


Eric searched the volcano

Each player would have the opportunity to act, but they may choose not to, or they do nothing if they don't act. The time mechanic doesn't have to follow real-time days; one event day could be two real-time days, for instance. The doom tracker could work so that an NPC gets killed every x days, but then when it speeds up, two would be killed every x days, then three, etc. Hope that makes sense. xD

I also thought that it would be cool if next time, while searching places, the text could involve the player's physical attributes a little more. For instance, I think you used "walked" for me at one stage, but I was a misdreavus. xD I liked what you said about Viridian being able to slip through that abandoned place which was only possible because of her size. That was a good example. Seeing tiny little details about what pokemon each player is would be cool, is all I'm trying to say. XD


Overall it was amazing! :D A sequel would be wholeheartedly welcomed, and as you know, I'd love to help out. ;)

[Chibi Altaria]

This game was awesome! :D I'd just like to thank you, Neo, for doing such an epic job. I don't think anyone can beat you when it comes to RP stuff. xD

Game Duration
Okay! I do wish the game was a bit longer. I think we all got addicted and started hacking at it waaaaaay too fast. If there were fewer people it would have been alright. As it was, we had a couple of late newcomers and it was harder for them to catch up and join in when it finished so fast.

Noblejanobii I'm pretty sure several times I suggested for someone to go and make a thread specifically for discussing theories and such, but no one ever did and we all stuck with the General Chat thread. xD

Themes
I'm with Emerald and totally up for a Sci-Fi theme for the next one! Or, yeah, something Halloween related or another horror is fine by me. If I'm honest, I love freaky stuff. The freakier, the better!

Doom Tracker
This was a little easy. I think we probably would have been fine with ten being the limit, instead of twenty. Or maybe the killings could be more frequent? Or have circumstantial killings? Like, if you know someone is evil and you go and interview them anyway, be prepared for the consequences! Or if you get something super wrong, kill someone as punishment. :p

Puzzles
I love puzzles! More puzzles! We probably could have used some harder ones, I think. Not like overly hard...I like Speedy's picross things. O: Or find-a-words, or something. And did I mention more?

Interview/Rapport System
This could probably use a bit of tweaking, imo. It was understandable that if two Pokemon shared a type they'd incur a bonus, but both super effective and not super effective types to have the same result seemed a little odd to me. I was vaguely reminded of the Paragon/Renegade system used in Mass Effect, and I was thinking that would help super effective/not very effective types to come into play. Where super effective types against the Pokemon being interviewed could be seen as a Renegade action, and not very effective types could be seen as a Paragon action. Otherwise it would be seen as Neutral. Bonuses of shared types and/or evolution stages could be applied over this. So for instance; Paragon, Positive. Or Renegade; Negative. Or something. The type of information revealed in the interview would vary based on which route was chosen. Also, the particular Pokemon being interviewed might respond better to one or the other. So even Pokemon with a not very effective typing could be more useful, in a Renegade situation. It's a little more intricate that way, but it could work well enough, I think!

New Actions
I'm with Velo. Maybe since (in this game) Mew had given us powers, we could have had some specific actions based on said powers? Such as an option to restrain a Pokemon once we'd found them out. Or use one of us to guard an NPC. Or the option to interview the townspeople at night -- which would obviously hold a higher risk.

Anything Else
Yeah, we need a higher risk factor. It was a bit too easy, in my opinion. For instance that trap Jeff walked into behind the Disorder Door could have knocked him out of play for a while, so others could have taken actions. If this is based in the PMD universe, I think adding certain kinds of traps into play would work nicely.

I agree also that it was rather "first come, first serve" with the important/main actions. Especially towards the end where a couple of people were getting in quick because of timezones and it just felt less fun. I'd get on and be like "Oh, that's already done" and I JUST had to catch up because I'd woken up. Perhaps it could be restricted so players only have access to a certain amount of "critical" actions so that everyone gets a turn. Maybe like...only a Pokemon under such and such height can crawl through a tunnel. Ooooor a large Pokemon is needed to open this heavy door. Someone with wings, or the ability to levitate, is required to cross this gap. And then tag everyone appropriate for said action. If they don't want to do it, then it can be a free-for-all. Have actions catered to everyone, and restrict them so we all get a turn.

Kinda adding to what Xanthe said, we could have some RNG component added to the actions. So you could effectively search an area and, if a dice was rolled and you got 50 or below, your search failed. To that end, maybe make important items have a higher RNG percentage? As in you have to roll 80 or above to get the item. But this depends, because we all know that RNG is a cruel *****. XD To make it easier, maybe just have places available to search both day and night. And certain items can only be found at a specific time.

[Suicune's Fire]

Kinda adding to what Xanthe said, we could have some RNG component added to the actions. So you could effectively search an area and, if a dice was rolled and you got 50 or below, your search failed. To that end, maybe make important items have a higher RNG percentage? As in you have to roll 80 or above to get the item. But this depends, because we all know that RNG is a cruel *****. XD To make it easier, maybe just have places available to search both day and night. And certain items can only be found at a specific time.

I actually was thinking RNG but forgot to add it in. The issue with RNG is that it can be a little unfair. And when things get too random, then it's based a lot less on skill, and more on luck. So in that case, maybe we could have something (reeeally simple, because overcomplicating everything would be too much for the GM) like a rank. You gain points that go toward the rank when you complete certain actions. The higher your rank, the higher the chance that the RNG will work in your favour. Sort of like "talent points" in games, except we should probably only have one gauge, instead of one for stealth, speed, magic, attack, defence, etc. XD That would be ridiculous. Let's have a go:

Rank 0 = 25% chance of success
Rank 1 = 50% chance of success
Rank 2 = 75% chance of success
Rank 3 = 99% chance of success (or even 95%, whatever)

I don't know how the ranks could rise, but perhaps you rise to Rank 1 once you complete two or three actions successfully. Then Rank 2 takes four or five MORE successful actions, etc. The actions maybe don't even have to be searching or interviewing, because then it could get tedious and long, and having to wait for the GM to get to your post might make it not fun. So that stuff could use work. (Or maybe there's a side-quest mechanic that happens in a different thread which is geared specifically towards ranking up, I don't know. That could be run by an entirely different person, so that the main roleplay's GM doesn't have to be bouncing between threads.)

[Neo Emolga]

I've been reading these and I'm seeing some AWESOME stuff! You guys rock!

I would just like to let everyone know that Xanthe (Suicune's Fire) is officially my helper for Round 2. I got a LOT of offers from people to help host this, but she came to me first and really expressed a strong interest in helping out. And while I love help, it would be great to see the rest of you continue participating like you have been. :3

Round 2 is likely going to be bigger, and now that I have a strong idea of what works and how the system feels and runs, we could make it "evolve" in a way.

About Game Size and Duration:
Seems like you guys want MORE! I'll admit, Round 1 was finished sooner than I expected, but it was still good nonetheless. What we're looking at is definitely a city-size/style map as opposed to Round 1's more rural setting, lots of more searchable locations (high-rise apartment buildings with multiple searchable levels), lots of more NPC Pokémon, and of course, more Stalkers.

Themes:
A lot of people said keep the horror and a few said go with sci-fi. Maybe we could do a hybrid of both. I'll admit, Aryia's "technology level" was low and pretty 19th century-ish, but in Round 2's world, we could make it where these Pokémon are definitely more "techie" and have more technology at their paws that compensates for Pokémon of varying sizes in a Zootopia kind of way. This would also open up a lot more possibilities when it comes to the puzzles, map, and that kind of thing. I'd love to try it.

Doom Tracker:
Yeeeaaahh... this was almost completely irrelevant. I thought the game was going to take longer and I had it where one Pokémon would be axed every three days, so I wanted to play it safe and not make it feel too hard. And then BOOM, people charged through it and I actually kicked it up to every two days. And toward the tail end, I was like "yeah, they blew this thing away." I might make the killings more frequent, and unlike Round 1, I don't think I'll have the players know what happened when the body was discovered by the cops. However, you could interview the cops again and again to get the necessary details. So in this case, you could go to Zick the Jolteon, who everyone knew was the main NPC investigator, for the details, but having the players instantly learn about what was discovered... eh, I don't think I'd do that again.

Interviewing and Rapport System:
Yeah, Xanthe and I are discussing this because while it worked a bit, it's not perfect and I think there's room for improvement here. My thought is:

Shared Type - Positive reaction. This stays and overrules any case of super-effective/not very effective, such as dragon vs dragon and that kind of thing.

Not Very Effective - Your Pokémon character is seen as more modest by the NPC. Some Pokémon may like that, others might see it as weak.

Super Effective - Your Pokémon character is seen as more intimidating by the NPC. Most Pokémon won't like it, BUT... some rare few might see it as your character having balls to stand up to them.

For all those that were wondering, this was how the evolution stages worked when it came to rapport:

Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) to Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) = +1
Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) to 2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) = No change
Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) to Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) = -1
Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) to Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) = +1
Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) to Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) = -1
Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) to Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) = No change

2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) to Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) = No change
2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) to 2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) = +1
2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) to Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) = No change
2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) to Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) = No change
2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) to Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) = No change
2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) to Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) = No change

Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) to Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) = -1
Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) to 2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) = No change
Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) to Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) = +1
Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) to Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) = -1
Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) to Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) = +1
Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) to Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) = No change

Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) to Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) = +1
Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) to 2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) = No change
Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) to Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) = -1
Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) to Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) = +1
Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) to Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) = -1
Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) to Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) = No change

Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) to Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) = -1
Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) to 2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) = No change
Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) to Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) = +1
Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) to Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) = -1
Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) to Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) = +1
Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) to Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) = No change

Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) to Basic Stage 1of3 (Charmander) = No change
Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) to 2nd Stage 2of3 (Charmeleon) = No change
Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) to Final Stage 3of3 (Charizard) = No change
Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) to Basic Stage 1of2 (Vulpix) = No change
Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) to Final Stage 2of2 (Ninetales) = No change
Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) to Final Stage 1of1 (Farfetch'd) = +1

This part of the Rapport System, I think I'll keep.

So with this new adjusted system, you might have something like a "Very Positive, Nonthreatening" rapport if your character shares a type and an evolution stage, but has one type that is not very effective against the NPC's Pokémon. Or, you might have a "Negative, Threatening" rapport if the evolution stages differ and your character's type is super-effective against the NPC. These get weighed against the NPC's personality and that's generally how the outcome of your interview will be determined.

Puzzles/Difficulty
You people want more? MORE!? Oh... oh goodie. >:D

And yes, I freakin' love that jigsaw puzzle creator. Anyway, the master has heard you, you will get more puzzles. Which is especially good since we're likely going bigger.

New Actions
I've read your responses and I think these might work:

Restrain: The way this would work is the Emissaries haul the NPC's butt off into the Secret Clubhouse and restrain them. While they're here, they could be interrogated on advanced level to make them spill everything they know, or it could be done to bar them from killing anyone else if they're a Stalker. But, to prevent too much overuse, you can only have one Pokémon Restrained at a time, or else there's nothing stopping people from Restraining the whole city. XD

Escort: This is where you would select another NPC and take them to a location, where they might be able to help you or use a skill to do something. Case in point, one NPC might be a locksmith that could break down a particular lock. That same lock could also be disengaged by an NPC that's good at lockpicking. In another case, there might be some busted electronics that need to be fixed in order to open up a door, so a Pokémon skilled in electronics could help with that and fix the wiring. This would be rapport-dependant, so you would have had to get a good rapport from them first before asking for their help.

You guys will know and be alerted when an NPC Pokémon with an employable skill or trait becomes available after a good rapport interview. Don't worry too much if one Pokémon seems impossible to recruit for their skills. There will likely be multiple Pokémon possessing the same skill if it's necessary for game progression, just to make sure there isn't a lockout and that one guy with that absolutely essential skill can't be used for Escort because of the particular Pokémon people picked to use for their own self-reflected characters.

Monitor: Stalk the Stalkers! What this would do is your character investigates a character and sees exactly what they do on a day to day basis, hidden and concealed from their scrutiny. You would know where they live, where they work, and how they interact with other Pokémon characters like family or coworkers. I don't want to make this too powerful to the point where if you just happen to select a Stalker, it instantly becomes known that they are one. However, it would give you strong leads to pursue it further.

Protect: Is there an NPC that you feel you can't possibly afford to lose? You could use this and be their bodyguard for a while, which will make it impossible for them to get killed by the Stalkers. When the time comes and a victim gets chosen randomly, all Protected Pokémon will be immune to getting rolled.

A Third Way to Win?
I'd have to agree, I think it's fine as is, but I figured I'd toss the suggestion out there!

Anything Else
I've read your ideas, and I had these in mind:

Stress/Strain Level

A lot of people mentioned that some people did all the action and other people who wanted to get in on more of the super-creepy, Epitaph kind of stuff didn't quite get the chance. I had an idea that addresses this and adds a feature to make it more immersive.

I figured I'd keep this kind of thing as simple as possible, but effective and easy to understand. If your character enters areas that have a lot of creepy stuff (the abandoned areas in Round 1, for example) or areas that have a lot of blood or signs of violence, they start getting stressed. The classic case of Jeff and the Aglome Oen jumpscare is a great example of big-time stress event. If you do what Velocity and Dash did and interview the Stalkers and make them aware that you know their true story, they might do something that bumps up your stress too.

You start unstressed, of course. Next to your name on the main post, you'll have (OOOO) to indicate your stress level. An (OOOO) would mean you're unstressed and perfectly fine. If you do something that would raise stress, it turns one of those O's into an X. With some of the more extreme cases (Jeff's nightmare courtesy of Vam, discovering Epitaph's slaughterhouse workshop), it may turn two O's into two X's. If you turn all four of those O's into X's, your investigations into the very creepy areas will just outright fail and you'll run your butt out of there each and every time, wailing in fear and not get anything out of it. Your interviews with some of the more unruly NPCs will also get messy and you won't get too much out of them either. You'll be all jittery and start stuttering.

To turn X's back into O's so you can do some of the more intense stuff again, you might need to do things that help your character unwind (a possible extra command). There could be a spot in the city like a cafe that spending some time at could unnerve you. Talking to an NPC Pokémon that has a nurturing and comforting trait or personality might help also. There might also be items to add to the Team Inventory that a player could use to reduce their stress, also. Not acting for a while could also bump down the stress.

I feel this would ensure everyone gets a chance to do the gritty stuff and would make it feel more immersive by indirectly forcing a limit on how much of the grizzly stuff a character can do. I haven't completely worked it out, but it might be something like this. Simple, but effective.

-----

Health and an RNG Component

I'm currently thinking this over, but it might be something along these lines:

Some activities carry a personal health risk, such as investigating certain areas (an abandoned house that carries a chance of falling through the floor, for example). I don't want anything to cause people's characters to get killed, but having them get a little beat up would be okay. If you enter a particular area that has danger, you have a % chance of taking a hit.

Like Stress, I might make it where you start with (++++) to indicate Health. Falling through the floor, having to walk through broken glass, or getting hit with a booby trap might turn a + into an X. Heck, an assassination attempt could also result in a fight that does some damage to your character. Turn all your +'s into X's and you're out of commission for a while (but never die, of course). The only action you might be able to take then is something like "Recover" where you're forced to spend time at a place to heal up, or use an item to turn those X's back into O's.

Having certain traits like being able to fly, having a smaller weight and size, or being of a particular type (a fire type having to go through a room that's on fire) may help you avoid damage entirely. Other areas will have a % chance of taking on damage. A lot of this I'll be working in behind the scenes and will be open-ended on my side to think of how realistic the situation would seem (I'll try to use my best judgment given what Pokémon you are and what the situation entails. because there's way too many potential scenarios that can't be addressed ahead of time), but you'll know when these rolls take place and when your character has had to deal with some nasty hazards.

-----

Time:

I like Xanthe's suggestion of a time mechanic, and her format seems pretty cool. Not to mention it might relax the queue a bit! With this going on, people will drop what action they'd like to do for Day 1: Day, wait until enough people have dropped in an action, and then I'll go ahead with stating how they resolve rather than try to plow through each action as soon as possible. Then Day 1: Night will arrive, which will change things. Investigating might be harder with the lack of sunlight, but you might catch suspicious activity happening in the act. Your character might need some time to sleep also, or else Stress. Still not sure, I'm thinking this kind of stuff over.


Overall, I'd like to keep things as simple as possible, but still easy to understand and still fun. The beauty of Round 1 was it was fast and easy to just pick up and play for most people. There's room for the system to grow, but I don't want it to get too extreme where there's a lot of weird and gimmicky rules that might confuse people. It seems like most people understand the core components of the game, so there's possibility to introduce a few extras without risking too much complexity.

Let me know what you think of these and which additions seem really good. I'm also open to changing or tweaking the way they work.

[Steven_Six]

I'm just excited for an actual timer turn thingy in the next round. I feel like I did very, very, very little. But this will help me have an input EVERY TURN! And yeah, getting knocked the fluff out should be a thing... I actually imagined that I would corner a Pokemon who would be very stressed looking at my Evolved Fighting-ness compared to its Unevolved Normal fluffiness, and then the Stalker inside snaps, and I proceed to get an achievement for being the only player to get himself killed.
"Some situations aren't made to be pressed to their limits..."

[VeloJello]

I'm just excited for an actual timer turn thingy in the next round. I feel like I did very, very, very little. But this will help me have an input EVERY TURN! And yeah, getting knocked the fluff out should be a thing... I actually imagined that I would corner a Pokemon who would be very stressed looking at my Evolved Fighting-ness compared to its Unevolved Normal fluffiness, and then the Stalker inside snaps, and I proceed to get an achievement for being the only player to get himself killed.
"Some situations aren't made to be pressed to their limits..."

listen i worked hard for my darwin award and i will brook no competition

As for the skills mechanic, would it be possible for the player characters to have skills? You mentioned passive skills that might help on a search, but say there was a padlock. What would stop one of our Fighting-types from smashing it?

I still think that a mechanic for suspicion from the townsfolk would be good. We sat back and let the murderers run around for a while; while it was for a greater good, who's to say that everyone would see it that way? I doubt anyone that found out that we knew a bunch of Stalker identities would be terribly pleased with the Emissaries doing what in their minds is probably nothing.

[Neo Emolga]

listen i worked hard for my darwin award and i will brook no competition

As for the skills mechanic, would it be possible for the player characters to have skills? You mentioned passive skills that might help on a search, but say there was a padlock. What would stop one of our Fighting-types from smashing it?

I still think that a mechanic for suspicion from the townsfolk would be good. We sat back and let the murderers run around for a while; while it was for a greater good, who's to say that everyone would see it that way? I doubt anyone that found out that we knew a bunch of Stalker identities would be terribly pleased with the Emissaries doing what in their minds is probably nothing.

We could do something like this where you could "buy" a skill when you sign up, as well as extra Health and/or Stress points. We could also do it where you could customize how much health and stress tolerance your character has, but if you spent a lot of points on Health, for example, you won't have as much for Stress and you may not be able to buy a skill, and vice versa and so on.


Also, offhand, how would people feel about Sun and Moon Pokémon being in this? Personally, I don't see it as a problem, but I'm not sure if any of you are dodging spoilers.

[VeloJello]

Personally, I don't mind Sun and Moon spoilers. Trying to stay unspoiled is way too much hassle for me. XD

And ooh, skill points! Love me some level-up mechanics. Maybe there could also be skills that make searching and interviewing better, too, if those are going to have some sort of failure chance, as well as skills that mimic NPC skills (if for whatever reason an NPC is being uncooperative, needs something done that no one wants to do, etc).

[AWA1997]

I'm not actively avoiding or seeking Sun/Moon spoilers, so I don't mind either way.

I do like the idea of skills. Those make it so easy for character customization and could allow me to do what I normally do in multiplayer games: Play the tank-style protector.

[Chibi Altaria]

Ooooh, I like that idea, Neo! As in the "buy a skill" thing. Kind of like everyone has their own personal trait.

Also I think Xanthe was avoiding spoilers for Sun/Moon, so you might wanna run that idea by her. O:

[LKWayvern]

Something I thought might be kind of interesting... If we want to go for a horror theme, why not ramp up the paranoia a little bit? Maybe if a certain Pokemon gets a bit too close to the truth, townspeople or Stalkers could actively seek them out? For example, if Laura is hot on NTH's trail, she receives a personalized warning from them? Or perhaps even certain Emissaries could be blackmailed by Stalkers, through PMs?

Also I know we never did use the Assassinations, but maybe we can work on that a bit, too? Like, perhaps taking into account type advantages, evolutions, size, speed and the like.
For example, Laura goes to assassinate Senia. Senia fends Laura off by virtue of type advantage. But when Aurimas goes to Assassinate Senia, his superior size and weight, as well as his type advantage, allows him to prevail.
Also, maybe with each Assassination that is failed on a specific Stalker, that Stalker gets more prepared for future Assassinations, and more agitated, perhaps sending more of the threats?

Just some ideas, they'd probably need more work.

[Chakramaster]

Aww, darn. So I won't be helper for this next one huh? Maybe next one then :p. *wanted to help with this first one actually xD*

It'll be nice to get another run in later on for sure! Already can't wait for it.

[EmeraldSky]

What about some ways for us to defend ourselves? If not Pokemon moves, than some kind of appropriate weaponry?

(was actually hoping to fight a monster or three)

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Great job Neo! I will try and give more feedback later, but for now I wanna say that I actually found it fun to try and figure out the stalker identities, and that maybe it would be cool NOT to have a ritual/other ways of winning but to actually have to figure them out. :O

[Suicune's Fire]

Such good points! I can't wait to work on this with Neo. >w< We're going to make it awesome for you guys! I think I might end up making a video explaining how things work if that's easier for people to sit through than reading a long explanation. We'll see. XD Hopefully it won't be complicated.

I definitely like the idea of involving type advantages/disadvantages into assassinations. And skills as a whole. It might take a while for us to sort through everything, haha.

Also yeah...avoiding Sun and Moon spoilers over here. xD Then again, if we don't get this all figured out until next month, it won't matter! Because it comes out in a month. 8D

[VeloJello]

One thing just occurred to me: I wouldn't mind seeing more of the Legends in the next one. Maybe not up-close and personal, but it seemed to me that other than Mew being in the sign up thread we didn't see much of them - even during the Sin Purge ritual, if memory serves. It would be cool to see how the Legends play into this, have more/cultural implications in-universe, etc.

[Bulbasaur]

Was way too short for a college student like me. Had a busy week and once I was ready it was done. :(

[Neo Emolga]

One thing just occurred to me: I wouldn't mind seeing more of the Legends in the next one. Maybe not up-close and personal, but it seemed to me that other than Mew being in the sign up thread we didn't see much of them - even during the Sin Purge ritual, if memory serves. It would be cool to see how the Legends play into this, have more/cultural implications in-universe, etc.

No problem, we'll try to think of some ways to incorporate them more, but it is more about the players (Emissaries) in the overall picture of things.


Was way too short for a college student like me. Had a busy week and once I was ready it was done. :(

Round 2 is guaranteed to be longer, but I figured better to run something short and sweet than have something go on for way too long and never get finished. There's room for it to grow and that's exactly what we're doing with it.

[Suicune's Fire]

I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE PUMPED FOR THE SEQUEL! It's gonna be bigger, better, and longer! Neo and I are currently building on it. We'll update you guys when we've progressed.

Right now I'd say it's about 15% complete, but hey, that's only with a few days' work! Most of it was laying down the groundwork, so once that's done and we just have to fill in the gaps, it'll be a much quicker process.

[EmeraldSky]

Can't wait--here's hoping we can actually use some Poke-powers this go-round.

[Suicune's Fire]

Can't wait--here's hoping we can actually use some Poke-powers this go-round.
What sort of poké-powers do you wish to see? Mainly we just have it incorporated as types affecting small aspects of the experience (like interviewing) but did you have something more significant in mind? :)

[EmeraldSky]

Actually getting to use moves our chosen Pokemon (and its evolutions) know in battle, as well as possibly interacting with the world, like a Pikachu using Thunderbolt to warn something away or jumpstart an electrical device, a Fire type being able to create campfires (and in effect mini safe zones).

[Neo Emolga]

Actually getting to use moves our chosen Pokemon (and its evolutions) know in battle, as well as possibly interacting with the world, like a Pikachu using Thunderbolt to warn something away or jumpstart an electrical device, a Fire type being able to create campfires (and in effect mini safe zones).

I don't want to say too much, but we're bending things more along the lines that you would have to have the skills and knowledge on how to pumpstart said electrical device to get any use of out it without destroying it. Just because you're an electric type Pokémon doesn't automatically mean you know how to do this correctly. As someone who has worked with building circuit boards and electronic devices, too much voltage could fry the entire thing (and it creates a very awful smell!). Of course, once you have this skill, you're free to RP yourself correctly doing this, but until you do, you're not sure how it works. It's like expecting someone to do open heart surgery before they go to medical school and complete their residency. Just because they have two hands to hold surgical tools doesn't mean they know how to use them correctly for their intended purpose, and the same applies for this, also.

Once you have the skill, if you want to RP yourself making resourceful use of your electric powers just for fun, that's always welcome because in that situation, it's implied your character knows what they're doing and how to do it right. But in this game, being a certain Pokémon doesn't automatically unlock certain skills.

At the moment, we don't have a definite battling/combat component to this game (although there are a few things that will be kind of like it). Given, I don't want to say TOO much, but your Pokémon selection will still matter more than it did in Round 1.

[Steven_Six]

If there's anything i can do to help out, I am a pretty good writer if i say so myself. Because I LOVED THIS THING SO MUCH!

[EmeraldSky]

Ah, I see--can't wait to see what Round 2 will be like

[Chakramaster]

I don't want to say too much, but we're bending things more along the lines that you would have to have the skills and knowledge on how to pumpstart said electrical device to get any use of out it without destroying it. Just because you're an electric type Pokémon doesn't automatically mean you know how to do this correctly. As someone who has worked with building circuit boards and electronic devices, too much voltage could fry the entire thing (and it creates a very awful smell!). Of course, once you have this skill, you're free to RP yourself correctly doing this, but until you do, you're not sure how it works. It's like expecting someone to do open heart surgery before they go to medical school and complete their residency. Just because they have two hands to hold surgical tools doesn't mean they know how to use them correctly for their intended purpose, and the same applies for this, also.

Once you have the skill, if you want to RP yourself making resourceful use of your electric powers just for fun, that's always welcome because in that situation, it's implied your character knows what they're doing and how to do it right. But in this game, being a certain Pokémon doesn't automatically unlock certain skills.

At the moment, we don't have a definite battling/combat component to this game (although there are a few things that will be kind of like it). Given, I don't want to say TOO much, but your Pokémon selection will still matter more than it did in Round 1.

Well maybe not so much just use electric moves to just kickstart electric panels. More to maybe to recharge or take in energy. One example being an electrical surge constantly flowing through an area do to a recent accident. the place was unaccessible until after it happened and it can be stated when it does or something due to an explosion the night before, or a small electrical pulse that deals damage to anyone effected by it with its radius (-1 hp if normal effectiveness and +2 with super effectiveness).

As for the battle system....I have an idea. I'll PM it to you soon as I can Neo. I feel it may work here pretty well

[Suicune's Fire]

Good points, guys. The only thing is, once we implement one type, we have to implement seventeen others. When it's electrical-related, it's easy to factor in. When you try to set up a dark-type problem...well...where do you even begin? And we can't have several scenarios for each different type (as one scenario per type would leave some people unable to help if another person gets in before them). Instead we have another skill set that will work very well, regardless of your type.

Chakramaster At this point, battling might be too complicated to factor in. xD We already have a lot to do just by expanding the list of residents. After adding in new features, it's going to be bigger already, and trying to make room for battling may not be the best idea. Things still need to be kept relatively simple, otherwise there'll be a million things for players to read through, and for Neo and I to keep in mind.

Keeping in mind what people want is also something we're interested in doing, so all this is not to say that we can't compromise. ;) I'm happy to involve something very simple that only certain types can do, for instance. But at the moment, that isn't a priority during the planning stages so it'll be something we work out later. :]

Thanks for the input, guys!

[Chakramaster]

Good points, guys. The only thing is, once we implement one type, we have to implement seventeen others. When it's electrical-related, it's easy to factor in. When you try to set up a dark-type problem...well...where do you even begin? And we can't have several scenarios for each different type (as one scenario per type would leave some people unable to help if another person gets in before them). Instead we have another skill set that will work very well, regardless of your type.

Chakramaster At this point, battling might be too complicated to factor in. xD We already have a lot to do just by expanding the list of residents. After adding in new features, it's going to be bigger already, and trying to make room for battling may not be the best idea. Things still need to be kept relatively simple, otherwise there'll be a million things for players to read through, and for Neo and I to keep in mind.

Keeping in mind what people want is also something we're interested in doing, so all this is not to say that we can't compromise. ;) I'm happy to involve something very simple that only certain types can do, for instance. But at the moment, that isn't a priority during the planning stages so it'll be something we work out later. :]

Thanks for the input, guys!

Maybe I'll send it to you both then. I love the thought of this battle system. I've had some years of experience using it. Of course I'd have to twist it up a bit to fit this, but that's simple enough. When I get some time later I'll send it to you both. Not really got anything better to do anyway. Still stuck in this hospital bed until at least Friday :(

[Neo Emolga]

Maybe I'll send it to you both then. I love the thought of this battle system. I've had some years of experience using it. Of course I'd have to twist it up a bit to fit this, but that's simple enough. When I get some time later I'll send it to you both. Not really got anything better to do anyway. Still stuck in this hospital bed until at least Friday :(

Well, all right, I'll check it out and think it over. If it seems like it would fit with what we're doing, we could try it.

Hope things go well, dude. I hate dealing with hospitals...

[Suicune's Fire]

Chakramaster Omg that sucks! D: I hope you're okay! We'll definitely give the battle system a read, though no guarantees for implementation. GCEA, ASB and URPG are already systems revolving around or including battle so there's not so much a need for it. In terms of narrative, there's not much need either.

[SassySnivy]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but I think we would benefit from maybe having some things changed in order to give us more of a challenge and force us to strategize and use our actions wisely.

I feel as if every X actions should be when a murder occurs, instead of semi-randomly. c: That way we can't just explore all willy-nilly and be able to complete the game so easily. There will be a consequence to everything, basically.
Speaking of consequences, maybe make more of our actions have potential negative consequences?

Also maybe we can still have a solve-all route, but maybe make it much more challenging than it was so we don't, again, solve the whole story before we find everything out. Exposition is important and by hacing an easy solve-all, we miss out on a lot of plot building.

Not really a big fan of a battling system. This is meant to be a murder mystery; its meant to be strategic and brainy, n a sense

I do agree with Eric though about being able to utilize our abilities as Pokemon in some way! I liked the little mention that my Snivy was able to access the top floor of the abandoned, dilapidated apartments thanks to her size. There should be various things that certain Pokemon can or can't do based on their abilities, to act as further obstacles so we can, once again, strategize who does what. Maybe a door is a little too heavy for a smaller, weaker Pokemon to open? Maybe there are some things that require opposable thumbs or something? Etc. Even if it doesnt involve our Pokemon utilizing their attacks I feel that this makes things feel much more realistic and immersive.

[Neo Emolga]

Ah goodie. The rules to Round 2 are on the verge of being done, but we're keeping everything quiet just in case we need to make a last minute change or addition.


Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but I think we would benefit from maybe having some things changed in order to give us more of a challenge and force us to strategize and use our actions wisely.

I feel as if every X actions should be when a murder occurs, instead of semi-randomly. c: That way we can't just explore all willy-nilly and be able to complete the game so easily. There will be a consequence to everything, basically.
Speaking of consequences, maybe make more of our actions have potential negative consequences?

You'll be happy to know there's now a set system as to when murders occur. It's not random anymore, there's going to be Day and Night cycles. You'll get to do one action for each cycle. Some actions behave differently depending on the cycle, and some actions are only available during one of those cycles, but not both.

And yes, some of your actions and choices can have potential negative consequences. You'll also run into situations where you need to choose who survives and who dies. What's that you say? You wanted more challenges? Oh boy, you're in for a real treat, then! >:3


Also maybe we can still have a solve-all route, but maybe make it much more challenging than it was so we don't, again, solve the whole story before we find everything out. Exposition is important and by hacing an easy solve-all, we miss out on a lot of plot building.

Without spoiling anything, I can say there's multiple ways to win and finish Round 2, but it's extremely unlikely and impossible you'll solve everything 100% perfectly where everyone survives, goes home happy, and eats, drinks, and stays merry. Some deaths will be out of your control. Some you will have to make a very hard decision, but nonetheless, heavy outcomes rely on it. And not taking action is still a decision. We could run Round 2 a hundred times and I honestly think the outcome would be different each and every time.


Not really a big fan of a battling system. This is meant to be a murder mystery; its meant to be strategic and brainy, n a sense

We actually tried to incorporate a battling system, and it just didn't fit in with what we were trying to do. So yeah, no battles.


I do agree with Eric though about being able to utilize our abilities as Pokemon in some way! I liked the little mention that my Snivy was able to access the top floor of the abandoned, dilapidated apartments thanks to her size. There should be various things that certain Pokemon can or can't do based on their abilities, to act as further obstacles so we can, once again, strategize who does what. Maybe a door is a little too heavy for a smaller, weaker Pokemon to open? Maybe there are some things that require opposable thumbs or something? Etc. Even if it doesnt involve our Pokemon utilizing their attacks I feel that this makes things feel much more realistic and immersive.

And you will! :D

Your size matters, your type(s) matters, and your evolution stage matter not just for Interview rapport, but for a LOAD of other things as well. Certain areas and barriers can only be bypassed by certain types of Pokémon. Bigger Pokémon get more health, but are more susceptible to taking damage while smaller Pokémon can dodge it more easily thanks to their smaller and more nimble sizes. Yes, there's traps. Oh sweet heaven to Betsy, there are traps.

And YES, you will DEFINITELY NEED to strategize about who does what depending on your character's skills, what kinds of perks they have available, and who hasn't had their Health and Sanity stats beaten to a pulp yet and can take on entering some of those more dangerous areas. Every member of the team has the chance to make a massive difference. Get your friends, get anyone who know in on this. The more people you have to help you, the better your chances will be. The magic word for Round 2 is: Diversify!

Xanthe and I are VERY excited how about this is developing and we're avidly looking forward to game day. Be prepared! >:3