alleys
Clueless newb
Posts: 87
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Post by alleys on Apr 28, 2015 5:43:35 GMT -5
You are right of course, combining elements from different cities may look good, but ultimately there is a chance it will destroy the general theme that may offer new conflicts and plots. That perspective may explain or even give a decent root reason of a lot of problems players are pointing out for years. Very smart observation and great point.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
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Post by Jeshin on Apr 28, 2015 9:20:03 GMT -5
My 2 cents on the issue...
I personally think that theme in game design is critical. Games are crafted experiences to claim that they aren't misses out on the greatest strength of a game. The ability to connect with its player(s) on an emotional and intellectual level. You don't want to include superhero themes in a horror setting. The two do not play well, one is about empowerment while the other is about victimization and helplessness.
I think Tuluk as a high level concept was good. I think it had a lot of ingredients to work. I think those things didn't translate down to the detail level in a way that meshed and thus we had (as the OP suggests) a city / play zone that is split into different pieces of the pie and as long as you're enjoying your piece you're fine but when you get to an intersect you realize it's two entirely different pies.
If Allanak is about corruption and brutality and subjugation. Than Tuluk could easily have been about fanaticism, indoctrination, and elevation (of the most fanatic and indoctrinated). They would have played very well with each other because in my (limited) Allanak play experience the characters there tend to be a lot more cynical and suspicious of their Templerate/City-state. Just a thought.
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Post by jcarter on Apr 28, 2015 9:39:24 GMT -5
i don't think Tuluk works, thematically, in Arm and I don't think a lot of it makes sense. Allanak would have figured out long ago that Tuluk was full of mind-bending templars and used it as propaganda to smear the city-state, considering mindbenders are the most despised people in the world.
thematically, it's just this weird arcane system and nobody is allowed to disagree with it ICly. if you disagree with it you're playing your fiercely loyal Tuluki character wrong or will be murdered and removed from the game by the mindbending PCs who have at least one HG guard with them at all times. i don't think it was very well thought out, because it had a house system from Allanak but seemed like it was being differentiated just to be Not Allanak rather than its own unique thing.
i think expanding the caste system more would have helped Tuluk, something similar to the historical Indian caste, putting Jihaens/Lirathans at the top in the 'priest' caste and then working down from there. i also would've revamped the society from being super fanatically loyal OR ELSE because, like I said, it just seems like this inconsistent thing. like a guy who united 12 feuding tribes demands total fanatical loyalty.
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Post by sirra on Apr 28, 2015 9:49:27 GMT -5
My 2 cents on the issue... I personally think that theme in game design is critical. Games are crafted experiences to claim that they aren't misses out on the greatest strength of a game. The ability to connect with its player(s) on an emotional and intellectual level. You don't want to include superhero themes in a horror setting. The two do not play well, one is about empowerment while the other is about victimization and helplessness.I think we've discovered Armageddon's true genre, as of late! Nyr must think it's a horror game. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2015 9:55:44 GMT -5
If the thematic aspects of the city were on point, I still question whether or not people would have been playing there because of the absurd staff decisions made on the area, like capping clans and stifling growth.
They tried to micromanage the entire city state, and what this accomplished was nothing short of a death blow to an area already struggling to pull in and retain players.
I wholeheartedly agree with the thematic issues discussed here, but I think it probably could have been playable still if just a few aspects had been different:
- no Nyr
- no Lirathans
- no clan caps
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Post by RogueRougeRanger on Apr 28, 2015 10:05:00 GMT -5
If the thematic aspects of the city were on point, I still question whether or not people would have been playing there because of the absurd staff decisions made on the area, like capping clans and stifling growth. They tried to micromanage the entire city state, and what this accomplished was nothing short of a death blow to an area already struggling to pull in and retain players. I wholeheartedly agree with the thematic issues discussed here, but I think it probably could have been playable still if just a few aspects had been different: - no Nyr - no Lirathans - no clan caps Tuluk gets the same micromanagement and clan caps as Allanak and the rest of the game gets. Under this stress of the stifling staffing of modern Armageddon, Tuluk was the first to go because it was the weakest link in large part for all the thematic and design problems that have been cited in this excellent thread and elsewhere on the SB. Just like when a plague hits, its the weakest in society that die first, Tuluk was the weakest part of the game and its been the first to die off. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2015 10:11:47 GMT -5
Are nobles in Nak being capped with as few as two PC minions? If this is/has been the case, I wasn't aware... It seemed like a problem that was centered on Tuluk for a while, but if it has grown to be part of policy for the whole game, then I definitely see what you are saying.
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Post by RogueRougeRanger on Apr 28, 2015 10:39:09 GMT -5
Are nobles in Nak being capped with as few as two PC minions? If this is/has been the case, I wasn't aware... It seemed like a problem that was centered on Tuluk for a while, but if it has grown to be part of policy for the whole game, then I definitely see what you are saying. The noble house caps may have been instituted for Tuluk first, but they're in place for Allanak as well. Maybe now that Tuluk is closed the staff will lift the caps in Allanak? That would be a good thing. |
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