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Open world RPG design notes from Enderal, a big long Skyrim mod

Radiator Blog

Whenever an NPC is about to dump backstory and exposition on you, they'll ask you to take a seat. It is much better than the boring shot reverse-shot cutscene stuff going on in AAA RPGs these days, and makes Skyrim's "sit" mechanic more meaningful. Destroy the player's expectation that relationship mechanic = main cast member.

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Indie game capsule reviews: Immortality, Wayward Strand, Cult of the Lamb, Betrayal at Club Low, Atuel

Radiator Blog

Gradually all these advancements and upgrades add up to a NPC-driven town that can maintain and feed itself automatically. And yet it doesn't get more mechanically complicated. Do you believe in the importance of live sacrifices? But also veganism? Your cute animal cult will follow whatever "Doctrines" you declare.

Indy 52
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Item Variants and Randomization in Roguelikes

Grid Sage Games

Items in Rogue may also be cursed and therefore non-removable except via special means, though that is a tangential mechanic tied more to the identification minigame rather than item randomization itself.) Other types of NPCs can modify or convert other types of items. Find a Mechanic who may be hanging around a Repair Station.

Data 52
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The Lost Ark Has Found its Way

Deconstructor of Fun

Balancing relies heavily on gear, maps are crowded with question marks, Boss fights feature repetitive mechanisms. Battle: Simplified skill point system and amazing visual effects The core of the skill system relates to balancing and mechanisms. In the later game, raid mechanisms become quite rich. Skill UI of the Witch class).

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That Lonesome Valley as cowboy coin crusher

Radiator Blog

Here my walking mechanic borrows some sensibility from Death Stranding, where terrain can seriously slow down the player's speed, so a skilled player should micro-optimize their route a little and avoid water / hills / obstacles. You can place this game in a tradition of walkie-talkie games like Firewatch or Wheels of Aurelia.

Pixel 52