http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/ 2012-05-16T18:24:40-07:00 http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/ http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/lib/tpl/arctic/images/favicon.ico text/html 2011-11-03T18:22:47-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=sidebar&rev=1320369767&do=diff * Home * Level Patterns * Quest Patterns * Worked Examples * Games Analyzed * Design Patterns Projects * Contact Information * [Internal] text/html 2011-08-09T17:30:05-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:altering_side_stub&rev=1312936205&do=diff Description Altering Side Stubs are branches from a mission, allowing the player to complete some side task before the final objective. The results of completing the side stub alters the current quest hand, for better or worse. A common function of Altering Side Stubs is to allow the player to lower the difficulty of a later action in the quest. This pattern might apply to side areas in dungeons, where going into these provides a reward to help with the final challenge of the quest. This is no… text/html 2011-07-09T00:58:07-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:noninpc&rev=1310198287&do=diff Description A non-interactive NPC is an NPC with no (or incredibly limited) player interaction. Players cannot start a dialog with non-interactive NPCs. If the player attempts to, the game will usually merely play a sound byte such as “hello!”. Non-interactive NPCs are decoration for the world, to make it feel “lived in”. text/html 2011-07-09T00:55:28-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:inpc&rev=1310198128&do=diff Description An interactive NPC is any NPC with whom the player can enter a dialog tree, or at least receive a length monologue from. Variables and Affordances See NPC and dialog tree variables and affordances, and also the specialized NPC types. npc text/html 2011-07-09T00:53:16-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:npc&rev=1310197996&do=diff Description An NPC (non-player character) is any character who is not controlled by the player. NPCs serve a variety of functions in RPGs, from driving quests to being enemies to selling items to the player. An NPC's role depends on its specialization; some NPCs belong to more than one category of specialization. text/html 2011-07-09T00:50:13-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=examples:exampleindex&rev=1310197813&do=diff In progress! We are in the process of wiki-fying worked examples. text/html 2011-07-09T00:48:22-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:key&rev=1310197702&do=diff Description A key is a special kind of item that is used to unlock locks, lower barriers, or gain access to secret areas. Variables and Affordances * Associated lock: what the key unlocks * Location: where the key is originally held, and how far away it is from its associated lock. Searching for keys in a level is a common way to have a player fully explore an area and have many different enemy encounters. text/html 2011-07-09T00:43:10-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:map&rev=1310197390&do=diff Description A map is a collection of physical areas and elements that is reused in different parts of the same game. There may be minor changes made to the map between instances, such as blocking doors or adding furniture. Variables and Affordances * Mutable: whether or not the map can be changed across instances text/html 2011-07-09T00:39:24-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:companion&rev=1310197164&do=diff Description A companion is a special kind of interactive NPC who travels with the player and adds their abilities to the group. Companions are in all games that have a “party” system as opposed to a single adventurer. Variables and Affordances * Control: whether or not the player can control the companion member, or the extent to which the companion can be controlled. For example, some games allow the player to control party members as much as the player can control their own character, whi… text/html 2011-07-09T00:34:10-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:tavern&rev=1310196850&do=diff Description A tavern is an area that is usually accessible from cities where the player can learn information about the goings-on in town, receive quests from other NPCs, and safely rest to regain strength, health, and magic abilities. Examples * Mass Effect, there is a nightclub in the Citadel (a city) called Flux, which serves as a meeting area for many NPCs. The player can receive a number of quests from this location. text/html 2011-07-09T00:29:51-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:side_quest&rev=1310196591&do=diff Description A side quest is a quest that the player is not required to complete in order to complete the game. They are often used to provide the player with additional story, or opportunities to gain experience and more abilities for use in the main quest line. Side quests may be hidden, in which case they are a reward for the player's exploration. They may also come from picking up a particular item, rather than be explicitly given to the player by another character. text/html 2011-07-09T00:17:27-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:quest_tied_item&rev=1310195847&do=diff Description An item who's only purpose exists inside the bounds of the quest. Required for a fetch or deliver quest, the Quest Tied Item can also be used as a trigger to distinguish quest related actions to prior actions. For example, with player fore-knowledge you could tell a certain NPC about an event before the game intends you to, but a letter, in the form of a Quest Tied Item, can trigger that conversation option. The Droppable and Sellable attributes, when true in this pattern, can add m… text/html 2011-07-09T00:15:08-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:vehicle_mission&rev=1310195708&do=diff Description A vehicle mission consists of any quest that forces the character to use an alternative control scheme and different stats/abilities than they normally would have. This is typically shown through the character entering a vehicle or mounting a creature. text/html 2011-07-09T00:13:09-07:00 Gillian Smith http://rpgpatterns.soe.ucsc.edu/doku.php?id=patterns:questindex&rev=1310195589&do=diff Quest Action Quest actions describe actions the player takes in the service of completing a quest. These are closely related to the mechanics of the game, but are framed in terms of achieving quest goals. * Choice * Equip Action * Kill Action * Moxie Action * Move Action * Skill Action