by Jlokison » Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:21 am
First, I've enjoyed this game since it was first posted here but unfortunately can not contribute money to the cause, I know thoughts aren't as helpful but sometimes they can make a difference.
Second, I'm playing version 0.9e so might be missing a few things, I apologize if 1.0 makes any thoughts I have null and void.
So on to my thoughts about the game (warning this got a bit long):
Character starting stats/level;
A new level 1 player begins with their 6 Primary attributes at 5 and 2 Secondary attributes at 12 with either 3 or 6 experience points to spend. The total value of those starting attributes before you spend any points in experience points is 38 experience points, (total of primary attribute + 1/3 of total secondary attributes). Now even before the game begins your character, an adventurer by class has been gone for several years, this is established in the very opening scene. Until you spend any of those experience points your attributes are all poor, the best you can do is get 1 of them to normal. This might explain why you've returned home with nothing but the clothes on your back and some cash but not why you aren't buried in an unmarked grave elsewhere. Alice and Julia always seems to start off better than this and there are Thugs and Whores in the game that if you subtracted the points of experience for their level they have base line stats with a value of over 50, which means they will always be better than your main character at the same level, there are also whores, especially the cheep street ones with starting stats with a lower value. Now as far as I can tell skill wise there is currently nothing different between the Thug class and the Adventurer class except name, maybe that will change in the future so that should not be the reason for the difference in stats.
Now for my suggested solution, change the starting characters base stats and starting level. Have the same minimum values but give an additional 12 experience points to spend before the 3 per level, or bonus 3. At Easy difficult the player starts at level 5 they have been out in the world adventuring for some time before returning to home, so that's another 15 points to spend, but then are level 5 and will not level as quickly throughout the game. Likewise Medium difficult starts at level 4 with 12 additional points to spend. Hard difficult the player character has only been gone maybe a year and starts at level 3 with only 9 additional points to spend. So by choosing a difficulty you select the beginning level of your character as well as maybe Alice and Julia's starting levels. Then you select your starting bonus as currently.
Balance this by making the people you encounter in the bar, or the streets more variable in level but less variable in attributes, so that their attributes are more a factor of their class, trait and level than Random Number Generator. Also the level of police officers and loan collectors arriving at your establishment would probably have to start a little higher.
Characters Classes and Traits;
I assume class has more to do with special skills and personality than it does with the actual job one does.
Based on the information given about clients to the brothel the game seems to have a diversity of Male character classes; Adventurer, Commoner, Lord, Merchant, and Thug. Male characters seem to have no traits though.
Females seem to have much less diversity being limited to ; Adventurer, Maid, and Whore. But females may or may not have one of the 5 traits as well; Empathy, Kleptoman, Lazy, Naive, or Tsundere.
Currently this only effects special skills in battle, starting dignity and other than client preferences only 3 of the 5 traits have any effect on game play.
My first suggestion; 2 more female classes, Lady and Merchant. At the moment this is pointless but if the ability to interact with the bartender becomes part of the game or a bar/lounge or first aid room is added to the brothel they might be handy.
My thoughts on what the different classes mean;
Lords and Ladies have very high starting dignity, standards and are hard to please but are also almost always wealthy and politically connected. NPC's stats might be heavier on flexibility, wits and beauty than others.
Adventurers are risk takers and gamblers, they like to push themselves and like the rush of action, the act of trying something is more important to them than actually winning something although that is a nice bonus to them. For NPC's their stats would probably be balanced but skewed towards whatever job they work at.
Merchants are skilled individuals and trades people, they don't like risk and prefer a sure thing, this would make them resistant to many types of charm and coercion, but they are not above criminal acts if they feel it is a sure thing. NPC stats will be heavy on Wits, Charm and Stamina
Commoners and Maids I see as baseline ordinary individuals, educated but not necessarily overly so, they work both skilled and unskilled jobs, they are motivated to take care of those they care about and themselves and stay out of trouble if possible. NPC stats would be skewed towards whatever job they work at.
Thugs and Whores have lower dignity and with it low self worth usually, society has failed them and they are trying to take care of themselves however they possibly can, using their body to get buy. NPC stats for Thugs are heavy on the Strength, Flexibility and Hit Points, Whores are heavy on Beauty, Skill and Stamina.
My thoughts and suggestions about Traits;
Allow the main Character to choose one, although this choice should be limited to Empathy, Kleptoman and Tsundere, they should all have some benefits and penalties. Also all characters male and female should have a trait.
Empathy (not available to Thugs) allows a person to read and be aware of how others fell about things. The overall mood of everyone in the brothel will influence those with Empathy, the more positive it is the more positive they will be and conversely the more negative the more depressed those with empathy will be. The main character can use this trait to have a better understanding of those they talk to and possible receive hints as to how their choices might affect the outcome of a conversation. They might get a bonus on charm tests as well. NPC's with this trait might have a bit more Wits and Charm than average for their class.
Kleptoman have trouble with the concept of personal property. A Whore might steal extra money from a client, other staff might steal money from the main character, especially if mood is low. The Main character might pocket items while shopping if caught they might have to return goods, pay a penalty, be banned from a store for a while, have to fight the proprietor and staff, security, or police even. NPC's with this trait might have more Flexibility than average for their class
Lazy (not available on Adventurers) no real change here, staff other than whore, might fall asleep on the job so those assigned to security will give a reduced security bonus, when they take a day off they would get a mood increase.
Naive not stupid but can be gullible, they are easier to charm and talk into things but they also can find happiness with simpler things so mood penalties are reduced and or mood gains increased. NPC's with this trait might have a bit more Health and Stamina than average for their class.
Shy (not available to Adventurers, Merchants, Thugs or Whores) Julia would have this trait, those with this trait would also have a bonus to resist charm and possible mood penalties when forced into certain things.
Tsundere have trust issues, and can respond violently when trust is broken. They are harder to charm than others, and like Whores any other staff with this trait that you fire will threaten or attack you, and depending on their class might go to the police after the fact (Thugs and Whores are much less likely to). A player with this attribute is also resistant to being charmed by others. NPC's with this trait might have a bit more Muscle and Wits than average for their class.
Where to find different character classes and additional encounter types:
Slums;
Most common encounters would still be Whores and Thugs and would work like they already do.
Escort missions might be Lords, Ladies, Merchants, Commoners or Maids, some might pay quite a bit more than others which a much greater chance of having to fight.
Street Vendor Merchants might try selling you "special" deals on items they have "acquired" (narcotics, weapons, clothing) without the selection of a shop but possibly at a better price and with fewer questions asked.
Job Seeking Adventurers might approach you on the street looking for a job.
Reverse Escort a Lord, Lady or Merchant is traveling through the Slums for some reason and their Hired Escort of Thugs and or Adventurers, possibly Commoners think you and your party are a threat, should have an opportunity to run (bad for reputation), to talk your way out of a fight (possibly making a special deal with the one being escorted), or just dive right in with possibly severe consequences.
Bar;
I suggest that in addition to the one or two people at the bar that you can try to hook up with that there also be a table with one or two people at it where other things can occur, this might have to be in a back room so that it can be on a separate screen. What character classes are most likely to show up and what is going on at the table might vary depending on the time of day so if you can't find what you're looking for try a different time.
The Bartender should be Merchant class, if there is more than one bartender or servers for a back room they might be Adventurers, or Maids, and Commoners for a male, instead of Merchants.
Those seated at the bar could be of any character class.
Those the the table could also be of any class but might be looking for work, gambling (opportunity for player to join in), or trying to sell something.
Cause too much trouble and you and your party will have to deal with the Bouncer(s) which will be either Thugs or Adventurers.
Shops;
Will always be run by Merchants, their staff might be merchants as well or either Commoners or Maids if the opportunity to talk to such becomes available in the future. If a problem occurs in the store such as deliberate theft or Kleptoman pocketing something you might have to deal with just to store staff but they might call for a security or police response.
Police and Security Character classes;
Those responding to a crime might be street cops but character class can vary from Commoners and Maids to Adventurers and Thugs.
Those investigating crimes might be Merchants or Adventurers.
Loan Collectors;
Unless you have a strong story line in place I think this should depend on difficulty level.
On Easy difficulty your father was just in debt to the bank, the first people they send will be a merchant a commoner and a maid, and as long as you don't fight them they will send the same people, get in a fight with them and they will start sending security personnel and eventually the police.
On Medium difficulty your father got involved with a loan shark with criminal ties, this progresses pretty much as things currently do Thugs supported by whores, although Adventurers of both genders might get mixed in.
On Hard difficulty your father is in debt to a Lord with both political and criminal ties, the more you fight instead of paying them the more rapidly things escalate with the police investigation of your business as well as the loan collectors.
My thoughts on Weapons and Hit Point Loss;
I've played a lot of different role-playing games both on and off the computer and several have the concept to of stun damage and lethal damage. This might be the solution to a lot of people concerns.
Stun damage is recovered from quickly and as long as that is all you suffer no issues or legal repercussions in the Slums or Bar.
Lethal damage results in penalties to stats and stays with a character until healed. Such healing could simply be time, but certain character classes may also have skills to heal lethal damage or reduce the time it takes to heal. If you lose all your Hit points to lethal damage you are dead, game over thank you try again.
Medical supplies might be available for sale in a specialized shop… I assume weapons will not be sold in the same store as clothes. You might also considering adding a first aid station or more detailed medical room to the Brothel… although you might have to start renovating a second or third floor above the ground floor and basement, 1 or two more possible upgrades to the place... it was one of the greatest hotels in the city at one time if you can believe Alice.
Once the player starts using weapons that cause lethal damage, even in self defense, this will get the polices attention and become a bit more of a priority than a rumored Brothel. Also if you are known to the police to use lethal weapons they are much more inclined to quickly escalate to a lethal response to protect themselves and others.