Post by Damian on Jan 14, 2016 11:45:48 GMT 10
After some discussion with other game developers/fans and some rework of the script it has become clear that our Void Champions need some work.
The good news is that it's mainly fiction layer related. Very few game mechanics to consider.
Recap time:
Abominations
Void Champions are no longer from the Void and are called Abominations. Abominations are a specialised class of undead.
"Champion" was always a temporary term and now that we have Flesh Crafting this term seems more apt.
Arena
Other necromancers now have the ability to summon an Abomination and can compete against you in the Arena.
The player has a special connection to the Void that other necromancers do not. We'll talk more about this in a future dev log.
Flesh Crafting
Flesh Crafting is a big part of Lord Of Decay and something you will do often. We had initially planned that Void Denizens would drop Void Body Parts upon death that you could use on your Abomination. However, this would have been problematic as most enemies you face will be human.
Void Denizens will be few and far between early in the game which would mean that Void Body Parts would be annoyingly rare and would be a bit of a grind.
Now that all body parts are from the realm of the living it is simpler and Abomination Body Part drops will be more frequent.
Player Expectations
The Void is a mysterious place that players will want to visit and explore. However, we do not think we can create a good experience in the Void. Largely because the Void is a dark and empty place that only souls can inhabit, but also because we do not think we can create something that does not look like a million other underworlds and parallel planes of existence that you would have seen in other games.
By removing the Abomination from the Void we hope to reduce player expectations that they can actually go there.
Necropolis
Until now we had considered that the player would choose their Abomination at the beginning of the game i.e. Flesh Golem, Death Knight, Lich.
What we have been hearing is that people want to own more than one Abomination. This is either because they want to play with all types of Abomination to find what best suits their play style or choose the most appropriate Abomination based on the enemies and combat situation at hand.
So we allowed the player to own up to three Abominations in total. That allows for one of each type or any combination you prefer.
These abominations would be kept in cages that you must build inside your lair at the Necropolis when they are not in combat.
Quests
Making the above changes provides many opportunities for player progression and interesting quests.
One of your first quests will be to compete in an Arena match at the Necropolis. First though you will need to build a cage in your lair. Then you would have to find the necessary body parts to flesh craft your Abomination. Only then could you fight in arena.
Other quests might be that a guild necromancer refuses to help you or take you seriously until you can defeat his Abomination in the Arena or flesh craft an Abomination with a rare body part.
Of course most of these quests would be optional.
I'm excited to see how this works out and I can't wait to get concept art and build the Death Knight and Lich.
What do you think about the Abominations? Are you disappointed that they are no longer from the Void?
Is this better or worse than the concept of the old Champions?
The good news is that it's mainly fiction layer related. Very few game mechanics to consider.
Recap time:
- Champions can be summoned from the Void when your Blood Meter is full.
- Champions are powerful minions that deal great amounts of damage.
- Champions can only be sustained on the battlefield for a short time.
- Champions come in three different flavours i.e. Flesh Golem (Hand-to-Hand), Death Knight (Melee), Lich (Magic)
Abominations
Void Champions are no longer from the Void and are called Abominations. Abominations are a specialised class of undead.
"Champion" was always a temporary term and now that we have Flesh Crafting this term seems more apt.
Arena
Other necromancers now have the ability to summon an Abomination and can compete against you in the Arena.
The player has a special connection to the Void that other necromancers do not. We'll talk more about this in a future dev log.
Flesh Crafting
Flesh Crafting is a big part of Lord Of Decay and something you will do often. We had initially planned that Void Denizens would drop Void Body Parts upon death that you could use on your Abomination. However, this would have been problematic as most enemies you face will be human.
Void Denizens will be few and far between early in the game which would mean that Void Body Parts would be annoyingly rare and would be a bit of a grind.
Now that all body parts are from the realm of the living it is simpler and Abomination Body Part drops will be more frequent.
Player Expectations
The Void is a mysterious place that players will want to visit and explore. However, we do not think we can create a good experience in the Void. Largely because the Void is a dark and empty place that only souls can inhabit, but also because we do not think we can create something that does not look like a million other underworlds and parallel planes of existence that you would have seen in other games.
By removing the Abomination from the Void we hope to reduce player expectations that they can actually go there.
Necropolis
Until now we had considered that the player would choose their Abomination at the beginning of the game i.e. Flesh Golem, Death Knight, Lich.
What we have been hearing is that people want to own more than one Abomination. This is either because they want to play with all types of Abomination to find what best suits their play style or choose the most appropriate Abomination based on the enemies and combat situation at hand.
So we allowed the player to own up to three Abominations in total. That allows for one of each type or any combination you prefer.
These abominations would be kept in cages that you must build inside your lair at the Necropolis when they are not in combat.
Quests
Making the above changes provides many opportunities for player progression and interesting quests.
One of your first quests will be to compete in an Arena match at the Necropolis. First though you will need to build a cage in your lair. Then you would have to find the necessary body parts to flesh craft your Abomination. Only then could you fight in arena.
Other quests might be that a guild necromancer refuses to help you or take you seriously until you can defeat his Abomination in the Arena or flesh craft an Abomination with a rare body part.
Of course most of these quests would be optional.
I'm excited to see how this works out and I can't wait to get concept art and build the Death Knight and Lich.
What do you think about the Abominations? Are you disappointed that they are no longer from the Void?
Is this better or worse than the concept of the old Champions?
