NPC's Ahoy!

Share your ideas and thoughts for the game with the community and team.
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evilkinggumby
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With the last blog post by Seith we got to see more of the programs and process he has been working with. In the comments (Thanks David for fixing them!) I asked about how many enemies the game might have and Seith confirmed there would be less than 10 (or so) but he also said that number was NOT including NPC's.

So I was curious what folk would love to see for NPC's in the game? Vendors to buy and trade? Other mice lost on the island needing rescue? Possibly a love interest?

Whereas I am sure Seith already has a lot of this planned and what not, it can't hurt to shoot for the moon (it's made of cheese, so our hero might like that!).
  • What NPC's would you love to see?
    Different types of creatures? Personalities?
    Where would they live? Does the island have a house they always lived in? (or a cobbled new one?)
    Are island inhabitants going to treat the hero mouse friendly? Suspicious? Scared? Hostile?
Post who you think might be living there and what they're like. :)

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david
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A constant NPC companion, like a wise-cracking beetle, for comic relief would be fun. But I suspect that two of the threads of the GoaT experience are loneliness and disempowerment. This is why we have a tiny minstrel mouse (not a mighty, muscled warrior) on his own, arriving at the dangerous island of Periclave on a quest. I think this mouse will puzzle, stealth, and battle his way alone, for the most part... so brave and cute! Perhaps for another game, but I still like the idea of a wise-cracking beetle though.
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The island of Periclave seems like an exceedingly dangerous place. I imagine that a lot of the neutral inhabitants (NPCs) of Periclave will be cautious of strangers, possibly a bit hostile at first. Perhaps they eke out an existence by foraging, and keep well-hidden from the dangerous factions, like the skeleton rats. At the beginning, they might pop up briefly every now and then, just barely seen as a flicker of movement, as they watch the mouse and try to figure out his intentions. If they think you are ok, they might carefully leave guidance or a cooked meal in your path.

Evilking, I know what you mean about the romance angle too. It is a staple of movies and videogames to have a romantic interest embedded in the story. I know Seith has the insight to avoid cliche, so it will be really interesting to know how his take on this.
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I also really like the idea of meeting a chatty fish, who is bored and lonely in his pond. He is a pleasant, roly-poly character who just keeps on talking.
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If it is technically realistic, it would be cool to have some NPCs who are so big and powerful, that the scurryings, problems and conflicts that the smaller creatures have with each other are irrelevant. Elsewhere on the forums, Raggon suggested a goat. I imagine these bigger creatures to be slow-moving and sage-like, perhaps wise, but also annoying to any tiny creature who is embroiled in the conflict and suffering on the island.
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evilkinggumby
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If they think you are ok, they might carefully leave guidance or a cooked meal in your path.
I totally love this concept. The idea some of the inhabitants will be just watching and hiding is kind of creepy, but kind of neat. Seeing them slowly feel trust or hope in the hero, and even try to help him, would be kool. Even if it was just dashing across the path a few yards ahead and leaving a bundle of food or a random health item to use. Maybe include a hand scratched note with words or encouragement or praise(which in itself could be a secret collectible for a bonus after the credits secret scene!)

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Seith
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Very neat!

NPCs are going to be very scarce on the Island of Periclave; this is a forlorn place, a seemingly abandoned land reputed to be haunted. Who would want to live there?

But it is also a place rich with history. A very famous battle occurred there so long ago that those events have turned into myths. Then into lies.
Raggon
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Aha! That's where all those rat skeletons came from, right?
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david
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@EvilKing... "kind of creepy"... exactly like that! I imagine that, as you start off from Periclave's grim beaches, you wouldn't even be sure if there were anything watching you, there would just be occasional flickers of movement, perhaps a patch of grass sways oddly, perhaps some misplaced pebbles roll down the hill, perhaps fresh tracks crossing your path, perhaps the flash of sunlight on a spyglass in the distance (tropes, perhaps, but these are just random musings). Then you wouldn't know the creatures watching you were friends or enemies, or even if the food is poisoned. Maybe this is a puzzle :?:

@Seith... sounds great, I really like that there are layers of complexity to the tale... just like real life. GoaT may have animals (omg so cute) but it seems like it is also shaping up to be a smart, grown-up story too.

@Raggon... you might be right! I also bet a couple of the NPC are the survivors (or decendants of survivors) of the many shipwrecks off the eerie, forlorn shores of Periclave.
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evilkinggumby
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Who would want to live there.. indeed. :) That alone makes for some interesting opportunities for npc's with some spice. Is it lots of salty old warf rats who used to sail but gave it up after being shipwrecked and getting hurt? Of an adventurous (and stubborn) farm family tat chose to settle down there and refuses to give up their slice of heaven because of some pesky ghosts/undead. Or is it the lone hermit who has hunkered down in his own and keeps to his things, never paying no mind to things alive or dead?

Makes me imagine someone like Mr. Agis (sp?) from the Secret Of Nymh, and old saucy crabby mouse, helpful as he can be, who is safe from the skeletal rats and ghosts because he refuses to be bothered, interrupted, or stopped by them. When they come lurking and threatening him he just shushes them away and cracks them on the noggin with his cane/walking stick and keeps going. The undead shrug at each other and give up, moving on. lol

The fact the site was once a place of many wars means so much possible. Yes you have a place where the dead can roam unhappily, looking for vengence or resolution. It would be kool to see not only skeletal rats but sometimes have a chance to talk to them (or their ghost) to find out why they won't lay in rest. Did they lose a comrade in the fight? Have they a trinket that needs to eventually be returned? Did they do something vile and need to admit guilt to rest? Or are they so determined to win the fight they refuse to accept the war is long over?

So much fun could be had.. spooky fun. :)

As well with war brings spoils. Would you stumble across the occasional looter or scavenger(or the remnants of one.. lol)? Folk may come to the island looking to dig up a war chest of gold or old fine weaponry or armor. Are there still cache's of weapons and supplies buried in the hills from back then? Possibly jewelry and statues from the leaders that visited? I could imagine all kinds of "visitors" that might attack or connive our hero as you explore. Gawd... makes me almost think of Treasure Island a bit.. But with medieval rats and mice. :)
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Nexar
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Taking a bit of a cue from some of the "Souls" games, I really like the idea of individuals who you don't know whether you can immediately trust, as well as individuals who appear friendly and helpful only to have ulterior motives for leading you along, and the most dreaded of them all: an npc you can unsuspectingly aid who is only interested in murdering all the other npcs while you are away. I generally quite like characters who are "gray" as far as morality goes.
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Seith
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There will not be many NPCs in the game but the ones you can talk to have a clear agenda, and it will be up to the player to discover it.

The game may have "cute" aspects on the outside but this is definitely not a Manichean world. Morality in Ghost of a Tale is definitely in the gray zone; no complete bad guys and no boy-scouts either.
Nexar
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Seith wrote:There will not be many NPCs in the game but the ones you can talk to have a clear agenda, and it will be up to the player to discover it.

The game may have "cute" aspects on the outside but this is definitely not a Manichean world. Morality in Ghost of a Tale is definitely in the gray zone; no complete bad guys and no boy-scouts either.
That's great to hear, I've always found it rather interesting to encounter antagonistic characters and the like with goals or motivations that may in the end be difficult to entirely find fault in, balancing with other possibly more simple or petty individuals.

I hope that there may be contextual clues in some way, as a means to learn more of some characters without necessarily having to speak with them. Such a thing could be a form of aid to extra attentive players if what they learn of a character in some way contradicts their outward behavior.
avatartagg
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With how late I am in finding this game it might be too late but with how much this game reminds me of the Redwall series i would love for there to be NPCs in reference to some of its characters. Like a mouse named Martin. Or a rat named Cluney.
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evilkinggumby
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welcome to the forums. And yes it would be kool to see that! I haven't read those books but I hear more and more from folk in varied places that loved them a lot.

Perhaps if this game is highly successful, Seith will be hired as lead designer to make a redwall game alongside Ghost of A Tale Chapter 2 ;)

now THAT would be killer.
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Seith
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There will be little references to things we like in the game, but they're fairly subtle nods.

Regarding Redwall I only read the first book in the series quite a while back. But I've spent my whole professional life working in big studios with little control over the final product (other than the visuals). So I probably wouldn't want to work on an adaptation unless I have full control on what I can do and where things are going. Which pretty much guaranties that I would never work on a Redwall adaptation, sorry... :)

Besides I think there kinda is a Redwall game in the works (there was a Kickstarter campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/so ... ts/1141013 a while back). The little I have seen does not bode too well though. But who am I to say that, I haven't even worked on a game before!!! :D
psxpetey
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Seith wrote:There will be little references to things we like in the game, but they're fairly subtle nods.

Regarding Redwall I only read the first book in the series quite a while back. But I've spent my whole professional life working in big studios with little control over the final product (other than the visuals). So I probably wouldn't want to work on an adaptation unless I have full control on what I can do and where things are going. Which pretty much guaranties that I would never work on a Redwall adaptation, sorry... :)

Besides I think there kinda is a Redwall game in the works (there was a Kickstarter campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/so ... ts/1141013 a while back). The little I have seen does not bode too well though. But who am I to say that, I haven't even worked on a game before!!! :D
Personally i'm kinda glad its not an adaptation I like new things, ideas and going in a new direction sometimes it is cool to revisit things but its awesome to have new experiences! awesome podcast by the was on your part! I see you mentioned the "Secret of Nihm" in you cast did you work on that movie? Loving the updates!
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evilkinggumby
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psxpetey wrote: Personally i'm kinda glad its not an adaptation I like new things, ideas and going in a new direction sometimes it is cool to revisit things but its awesome to have new experiences! awesome podcast by the was on your part! I see you mentioned the "Secret of Nihm" in you cast did you work on that movie? Loving the updates!


I second that. Whereas I love the original concepts for redwall, nymh or even my signature line series Mouseguard, I also totally prefer new and fresh ideas and what we have seen so far showws that this series and concepts, built from the fertile mind of Seith, has a ton of potential and nuanced beauty.

I guess all those years working in larger studios created the perfect storm in Seith's brain. he got to hone his skill in his craft and many tertiary ones and at the same time grow and inspire him so that when set loose to run his own game, all that pent up creativity, ideas, and concepts flourish and thrive. I suspect when this thing hits the market.. it'll explode and there will be no looking back.
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Seith
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psxpetey wrote:
Seith wrote:There will be little references to things we like in the game, but they're fairly subtle nods.

Regarding Redwall I only read the first book in the series quite a while back. But I've spent my whole professional life working in big studios with little control over the final product (other than the visuals). So I probably wouldn't want to work on an adaptation unless I have full control on what I can do and where things are going. Which pretty much guaranties that I would never work on a Redwall adaptation, sorry... :)

Besides I think there kinda is a Redwall game in the works (there was a Kickstarter campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/so ... ts/1141013 a while back). The little I have seen does not bode too well though. But who am I to say that, I haven't even worked on a game before!!! :D
Personally i'm kinda glad its not an adaptation I like new things, ideas and going in a new direction sometimes it is cool to revisit things but its awesome to have new experiences! awesome podcast by the was on your part! I see you mentioned the "Secret of Nihm" in you cast did you work on that movie? Loving the updates!
That's great, thanks! No I didn't work on The Secret of NIMH (I was still a kid at the time). But later on while at Dreamworks I did work with artists who worked on that movie. So that's like the next best thing! :D
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Seith
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evilkinggumby wrote:
psxpetey wrote: Personally i'm kinda glad its not an adaptation I like new things, ideas and going in a new direction sometimes it is cool to revisit things but its awesome to have new experiences! awesome podcast by the was on your part! I see you mentioned the "Secret of Nihm" in you cast did you work on that movie? Loving the updates!


I second that. Whereas I love the original concepts for redwall, nymh or even my signature line series Mouseguard, I also totally prefer new and fresh ideas and what we have seen so far showws that this series and concepts, built from the fertile mind of Seith, has a ton of potential and nuanced beauty.

I guess all those years working in larger studios created the perfect storm in Seith's brain. he got to hone his skill in his craft and many tertiary ones and at the same time grow and inspire him so that when set loose to run his own game, all that pent up creativity, ideas, and concepts flourish and thrive. I suspect when this thing hits the market.. it'll explode and there will be no looking back.
That's a very nice summary, Nefarious Sovereign Gumby! Let's hope it proves to be an accurate one down the line! :D
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