Jokes on you I was always looking for why rocket propelled grenades are so addicting! I can't get enough of the explosions! Thanks for a good laugh, but yes, I think you're right about the exploration and such. It ties into the constant variety of things to find, at least for me. Exploring new areas to discover new locations is just as fun as exploring new crafting recipes, or spell combos, or what have you as long as it results in something new!
What if there's a way to combine action RPG with strategy RPG? What is certain enemies, or enemies of a certain level lower than you, were fought with action RPG sense of right out in open, but bosses and enemies within a certain level were fought in strategic combat?? Something like JRPG style with turn based attacks. It sounds crazy, but I'm doing it anyway. The coding dev on this project has said the code is fighting back, but we're making progress.
I never thought about reaching out to devs directly on published games. I just assumed I'm too small to reach that kind of height, thanks for the idea! As for relaxed atmosphere, absolutely agree. Being able to go about at my own pace allows freedom to enjoy things properly as I play. Never played TMW, but it does sound like a game that makes memories, which is what I'm hoping to achieve as well. Unique, memorable, and enjoyable experience.
Speaking of BG3, I mentioned my party model to friends and they said it's similar to BG3 in that each companion alters the experience of the game. So, I think that's a good thing! BG3 devs and I have the same mindset of put energy into everything no matter how small! I love that!
Oh, choices absolutely matter. There's no time frame on making decisions, but once you do, that's it. Some are mild and will only affect some friendship points, but others can completely remove an NPC from the game entirely! Though, it's not going to be a shocker when you follow that path and commit to it. I'd really hate to just jar someone with a decision they had no way of knowing the outcome of. Cough cough Mass effect 3 conversations cough
True, feature creep is something I've been warned of not only from friends but also in classes for Game Design. I want to make sure this game flows smoothly without a bunch of one off features like some of the Nintendo Wii U games that needed the feature of the Pad for simple things like opening inventory or blacking out the main screen to aim from the pad screen. My features are, hopefully, going to be all together needed for progress without creating an issue just for a single feature to solve it.
Do you like to write deep character stories and wold developments?
YEs, that's a major focus. Story for the game overall and then each NPC needs their own reason for being!
Do you want to create a challenging tactical combat system?
Yes! The turn based system is almost functioning properly and the active battle system is working perfectly!
Do you want to develop a wide array of party customization?
Sort of? I think having some depth to the party system will give players more opportunity to connect while in a large server. Such as being able to limit if others can join freely, or access all chests or doors, etc. Not enough to overwhelm, but enough to feel fine inviting someone into a party for a fight and not stressing getting them out before they raid your house.
Do you want to build a online community game?
Absolutely! With servers holding 48 members each, this is MADE for RP and multiplayer enjoyment ( Though, you can use NPCs instead or go solo and the enemies will scale to that )
Do you want your project to be open source so other developers can join you?
Not at the moment, the dev I'm working with is a close friend and he seems comfortable coding out what needs to be done as a software engineer. I do the art! Though, he has said some time after the game releases, he's going to drop a dev kit for it so modders can just go wild as soon as possible.
Do you like survival elements and resource management (often found in post-apocalyptic)?
There may be some of that, but mostly just resource gathering from mining, monster taming, trades with other player shops and all that. So, nothing from a god view looking down on the village. Not in this game at least, but I do love those games!
What theme do you like? Medieval fantasy? Futuristic? Western? Comedy?
This game is mostly Medieval Fantasy. Magic is prominent, weapons are swords, axes, bows, and bombs. Many different races exist and each one has their own quirks. A Forest Tail's overall feel is more realistic? It doesn't try to be funny, though there are funny characters. It has a down to earth feel where decisions have impacts and it's not a quirky little story, but a world that you're defining as a being that wasn't expected to exist in it to begin with.