01-08-2007, 01:27 AM
Wouldn't penalizing 200 LE discourage members from attempting difficult and risky goals? Furthermore, 200 is a big number. Based off Tasks/Quests alone, a member has to complete 20 in order to make up for the lost LE. When you factor in the time it takes to do each quest, as well as how often a member will take breaks (or burn out), getting back your lost LE can prove to be an extremely difficult task. You don't want your members feeling like they're walking on egg shells in any big quest because of the possibility of death. You're essentially crippling a member's willingness to take risks.
Really, I'm finding myself confused. You say death is not something to worry about because you have 15 clones, but you still lose 200 LE per death. I would rethink this system. For starters, 15 is too big of a number. Efficiency is what makes an RPG able to run, and your staff is going to strain themselves to the brink of wanting to slam their heads against the wall by trying to keep up with however many clones each person has. I would eliminate the clones completely and would just find a more creative way to explain someone being able to continue on even after death.
Also, revamp the entire scientist thing. Not only doesn't it make sense for scientists to kill themselves, but also your timeframes are far too big. Every four months a scientist dies, until none are left and the Gundam Calling happens. However, with 10 scientists, are you realizing how long it'll take for that saga to happen? It'll take 40 months for the Gundam Calling to occur. The average writer doesn't stick to an RPG anywhere near that long. Also, six months is a long time for the saga to happen. Realistically, you're looking at 10-15 members. You don't think they'll get tired of fighting each other? I mean, you're asking them to fight and try to gain knowledge for six months. That's half a year; it's a long time to be dedicated to anything.
My suggestion would be to keep the 10 scientists and have each one specialize in a different Gundam part. Maybe one scientist specializes in Weaponry. Another specializes in Agility (boosters and etc). A third could specialize in Armor. See what I'm getting at? What I'm getting at is opportunity.
Opportunity is what keeps people interested. Opportunity is what keeps Chubbs running. Opportunity is where members have a multitude of options to choose from, options that are both fun and rewarding. I can go to Vegeta-Sei and partake in Lord Vine training. Or, I can go to Kajin Rala and train under a Sensei. One of the reasons Chubbs is successful is that it has a wide span of opportunities for its members to engage in. Rather than killing off scientists, by providing NPCs that all offer something different, you are increasing the amount of opportunity your members have. You're giving them more options to partake in. Create a massive world where members can all be doing something different at the same time and all be having fun while doing it. But, at the same time, know your limits. Chubbs doesn't have 50 planets because we only realistically have around 30 members. That leaves a large amount of planets unexplored and uninteresting.
Items look creative. Keep in mind not to start out with too much variable information as you'll just overwhelm people looking to join. Keep the advanced parts for purchase out of the starting kit so that members can begin to understand what everything means when the time comes for them to purchase advanced parts. I'd also eliminate the whole "insurance companies can steal your money" thing, just because it puts members in a hole that they can't get out of. You never want to limit your members. Again, opportunity is key. The second that someone has their money stolen and they can't get a new suit, that's when someone gets ticked off. The good part about Chubbs is that, even when someone dies, they still have a vast amount of opportunities. They can train under King Kai, do quests, or have someone revive them.
I basically just skimmed over it, but there's a few pointers for you. If you need further advice, I can go more in depth.
Really, I'm finding myself confused. You say death is not something to worry about because you have 15 clones, but you still lose 200 LE per death. I would rethink this system. For starters, 15 is too big of a number. Efficiency is what makes an RPG able to run, and your staff is going to strain themselves to the brink of wanting to slam their heads against the wall by trying to keep up with however many clones each person has. I would eliminate the clones completely and would just find a more creative way to explain someone being able to continue on even after death.
Also, revamp the entire scientist thing. Not only doesn't it make sense for scientists to kill themselves, but also your timeframes are far too big. Every four months a scientist dies, until none are left and the Gundam Calling happens. However, with 10 scientists, are you realizing how long it'll take for that saga to happen? It'll take 40 months for the Gundam Calling to occur. The average writer doesn't stick to an RPG anywhere near that long. Also, six months is a long time for the saga to happen. Realistically, you're looking at 10-15 members. You don't think they'll get tired of fighting each other? I mean, you're asking them to fight and try to gain knowledge for six months. That's half a year; it's a long time to be dedicated to anything.
My suggestion would be to keep the 10 scientists and have each one specialize in a different Gundam part. Maybe one scientist specializes in Weaponry. Another specializes in Agility (boosters and etc). A third could specialize in Armor. See what I'm getting at? What I'm getting at is opportunity.
Opportunity is what keeps people interested. Opportunity is what keeps Chubbs running. Opportunity is where members have a multitude of options to choose from, options that are both fun and rewarding. I can go to Vegeta-Sei and partake in Lord Vine training. Or, I can go to Kajin Rala and train under a Sensei. One of the reasons Chubbs is successful is that it has a wide span of opportunities for its members to engage in. Rather than killing off scientists, by providing NPCs that all offer something different, you are increasing the amount of opportunity your members have. You're giving them more options to partake in. Create a massive world where members can all be doing something different at the same time and all be having fun while doing it. But, at the same time, know your limits. Chubbs doesn't have 50 planets because we only realistically have around 30 members. That leaves a large amount of planets unexplored and uninteresting.
Items look creative. Keep in mind not to start out with too much variable information as you'll just overwhelm people looking to join. Keep the advanced parts for purchase out of the starting kit so that members can begin to understand what everything means when the time comes for them to purchase advanced parts. I'd also eliminate the whole "insurance companies can steal your money" thing, just because it puts members in a hole that they can't get out of. You never want to limit your members. Again, opportunity is key. The second that someone has their money stolen and they can't get a new suit, that's when someone gets ticked off. The good part about Chubbs is that, even when someone dies, they still have a vast amount of opportunities. They can train under King Kai, do quests, or have someone revive them.
I basically just skimmed over it, but there's a few pointers for you. If you need further advice, I can go more in depth.