The "What I'd like to see in ToB" thread
#1
Posted 14 October 2003 - 01:28 PM
Save a vampire. Give blood.
#2
Posted 14 October 2003 - 03:38 PM
#3 -juicinator-
Posted 14 October 2003 - 04:09 PM
First off:
1. Will we see more interaction between Chloe and Akadia? Will Lathander make an appearance?
2. Any follow-up on Chloe's tribe and the kidnapped boy?
It would be great to see more interjections, especially the ones that make Chloe seem as if she's been around the adventuring world (maybe she and Demogorgon have fought before?)
I also enjoyed the parallels between Chloe and the main character. Perhaps Chloe could lose some of her special abilities (the way that the main character does when Irenicus steals her soul) and then gain some really great ones near the end of the game. That would certainly give you some banter/lovetalk options.
Anyway, thanks again for a great NPC, and good luck with the expansion!
#4 -Billy the Bard-
Posted 15 October 2003 - 02:17 AM
Have Akadia grant Chloe a wish, and render the player character pregnant. After all, the player character isn't the only child of a god in this setting.
It could make for interesting banters, as party members discuss the new turn of events.
It could change Chloe's motivation for being with the group (to protect her offspring). She may refuse to leave the group if the player character attempts to dismiss her. Or, instead of being protective, she may want the player character to embrace her warrior tradition, so the child is born on the battlefield. A Chloe mission for ToB could involve a return (by teleportation) to her villiage where Chloe and the PC have to perform some service for their child to be considered a worthy descendant of Akadia. Maybe collecting the materials for the childs first weapon (and forging it), or killing some monster.
Take or leave the suggestions. I'm sure the mod will be great.
#5
Posted 15 October 2003 - 04:30 AM
Also, I'm a fan of sappy stuff. I wouldn't mind lots of focus on the -romance- part and plenty of interactions. I want love talks up the wazoo! Also, I'd love to see Chloe and the PC to leave the rest of the party behind for some kind of quest that involves them both personally, to rejoin the others later.
#6
Posted 15 October 2003 - 06:17 AM
Just use an item like the belt of gender change (yeah, I know a cursed item) or some variation on a polymorph spell on one of the females, for a specific period of time...*shrugs*
"I read about the evils of drinking, so I gave it up." "You gave up drinking?" "No, I gave up reading..."
#7
Posted 15 October 2003 - 06:50 AM
Considering he has been holed up for the last billion years or so this is highly unlikelyIt would be great to see more interjections, especially the ones that make Chloe seem as if she's been around the adventuring world (maybe she and Demogorgon have fought before?)
how come you always look so damn cool in every photo I see you in?!?
Speaking of modding, I listened to IER 3 yesterday, so you can have another quote for your signature: how come you sound so damn cool, as well as look it? It's unfair. Seriously.
Still a cyberjock, still hacking the matrix, still unsure of what that means.
TeamBG member - http://www.teambg.eu
#8
Posted 15 October 2003 - 10:18 AM
Discussing having a baby could be interesting. Does Chloe want children? Does CHARNAME want children? Does Imoen want children? Obviously if Chloe's involved with Imoen, whether they have a baby or not is beyond the player's control, but if Chloe's involved with CHARNAME, it would be better if it was optional depending on dialogue (and perhaps CHARNAME has to actively talk Chloe into it, rather than just acceding to a suggestion from her).
Using a Wish sounds less drastic than one of them changing genders, actually. And less distasteful--that is, Chloe herself, as well as any character I play who romances Chloe, is unlikely to want sexual contact with a male body no matter whose mind is in the body.
http://www.moveon.org/fox/
"You are what you do. Choose again, and change."
--Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan
#9 -Blade Nightstar-
Posted 15 October 2003 - 11:16 AM
however, how would one of them fight if pregnent? i know, i've seen xena do it, but even that seemed a bit rediculous. i don't think the PC would be willing to halt his quest for 9 months either. so to me it would make sense that either they ask for a baby using a wish as part of the epiloge (after ToB) or it's an "uh-oh" resulting from their adding gender change to their playtime.
well, those r just my thoughts on the subject.
for other stuff in the ToB part of the mod, how about having the option for chloe ascending along with the PC if the PC chooses to keep her powers? it would kinda make sense seeing chloe's heritage. or how about having imoen, chloe and the PC all ascend! personally, i couldn't see my char ascending without the 2 ppl my char's closest too (imoen and beloved).
oh, and how about a quest where chloe has to take out a bhaalspawn causing chaos of the plane of air? you can have the PC absorb some of the air-bhaalspawn's powers or get a kewl weapon after defeating it or something.
#10 -Roland-
Posted 15 October 2003 - 11:19 AM
Personally, I think that whoever shows up at the Wraith scene should be connected to Chloe's village--a mentor perhaps? Or maybe somebody she grew up with who was killed during the attack? One option would be to have whoever it is to condemn her for not dying for her people--I think this would be especially effective since Chole has admitted her worst fear is Hell.
One other thing: since Chole is an established mercenary by the time she meets up with Charname, I'd like to see an encounter in Amkethran. The way I see it, she's bound to have made enemies of other mercenaries, and it'd be interesting to see them butt heads (with Chole and Charname coming out on winners, of course!)
Thanks for humoring me.
#11
Posted 15 October 2003 - 11:29 AM
Pregnancy normally takes nine months for a human woman. I doubt very many people spend more than, at the most, two months in all of ToB. A two-months pregnant woman is nowhere near having significant physical restrictions.however, how would one of them fight if pregnent?
http://www.moveon.org/fox/
"You are what you do. Choose again, and change."
--Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan
#12
Posted 15 October 2003 - 11:30 AM
But the whole thing with pregnancy should be something that might come up in an epilogue (as directed by conversation pieces) rather than have one actually get pregnant (if Chloe uses this, that is...none of this Aerie few days instant pregnanc nonsense)
"I read about the evils of drinking, so I gave it up." "You gave up drinking?" "No, I gave up reading..."
#13
Posted 15 October 2003 - 07:50 PM
Save a vampire. Give blood.
#14
Posted 15 October 2003 - 09:33 PM
http://www.moveon.org/fox/
"You are what you do. Choose again, and change."
--Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan
#15
Posted 16 October 2003 - 02:10 AM
Problem with ToB is that it's short and the environment is not conducive to a relaxed relationship at any point except maybe Amkethran. An idea I've kicked around is using the pocket plane "transporter" to go to other locations. Perhaps the PC and Chloe could travel back to some areas from BG1 or SoA. Another idea is to snag some areas from other Infinity Engine games and use the pocket portal to travel to them.
Some examples: spend a cozy night by the fire in the frigid towns of Easthaven (IWD1) or Targos (IWD2). Have a "moment on the beach" in the jungles of Chult (IWD2). Maybe even travel to Sigil (Torment) and visit the Sensates. If nothing complex is required, then perhaps a simple romantic dinner somewhere. Can't be killing Yuan-Ti, dragons, ogres and Golems all the time.
I also like the idea of a wedding. Perhaps jump back to Baldur's Gate or even Candlekeep to have the ceremony. Many possibilities when you have got your own personal transporter.
Other than that, I would like some more dialogue between Minsc and Chloe.
Colstan
#16
Posted 16 October 2003 - 04:04 AM
1) It makes more of a pro-gay statement than I intended with the mod as it basically says "They don't even NEED a man involved to make a baby! Which invalidates heterosexual couples." As I've stated numerous times, the mod is not intended to be a "yay gay!" statement. I went through many pains to limit the amount of negativity focused on the homosexual elements, instead choosing to have npcs focus the negative feelings to Chloe's personality instead. I also made a big effort to have homosexuality be seen as natural and nothing more than a less common but accepted lifestyle choice.
2) The "no need for a man to make a baby" statement itself. Yes, it's a fictional game in a fictional world with fictional magic that does cool things like bring people back to life and turn them to stone and such, but fundamental things like "you need an egg cell and a sperm cell to make a baby" just shouldn't be changed if you're still dealing with humans and two-gendered humanoids. Yeah there's nothing stopping a gay couple from either adopting a baby or having outside assistance to make a baby, and they make just as good parents as hetero couples, but still, a man should be necessary to make a baby, just as a woman should be. You also have to consider that this not only makes a "who needs men?" statement, but also a "gay couples are even more unnatural than you think! They don't even have to respect natural law in Forgotten Realms!" statement... it's a double-edged sword. Either way, it's not something I want to say.
3) I don't think either the PC or Chloe is ready for a child anyway. The PC is going through a hellish ordeal, first with having to track down and rescue her sister from a mad wizard and then losing her soul and having to get it back whilst turning into a rampaging mindless beast that goes after loved ones. Then once that's over with, a group of the PC's half-siblings start trying to kill her and she's thrust into the middle of a war between family members. This doesn't exclude the possibility of a child after ToB, but that's another matter. As for Chloe, play the Chloe-Imoen romance to see how Chloe responds to the idea of having a child. If you can't tell that Chloe is by no means ready for a child, then I'm not a very good writer.
4) This then leads to the question of whether a child could be involved in an epilogue. Well, I'm not saying it couldn't be involved, but would it have to be explicit? Like "Some years after they had been together, the PC and Chloe had a baby. They got a house with a white picket fence and got a dog and lived happily ever after" It just doesn't seem right to me. An implied child could be far more effective... like "The PC and Chloe found happines and fulfillment with each other, and their relationship broadened in ways neither of them ever expected." and blah blah with other stuff. The player could then interpret the latter in any manner he or she wished, as to whether that meant they had a child together by whatever means, or if they just found new and interesting ways to express their love for one another, or even if they got involved in a broader relationship, like where another person (likely Imoen) was involved. As it's the player's interpretation, it would mean the player would be right, no matter what they thought. This, I think, is a much better alternative than saying "Yeah, one of em got knocked up and they had a baby together then they did this and this and then this."
Ok... I think that's enough of that. Though I'm not condemning counter-arguments, I will say I'm pretty adamant about the above. If given enough pressure, who knows, I might make an optional "baby-patch". But don't hold your breath.
Save a vampire. Give blood.
#17 -jcompton-
Posted 16 October 2003 - 06:35 AM
I know you're kidding, but I think this would be as lousy of an idea as Arian's "happy patch" for Tashia was. Either you, the author, believe it's part of the character's story, or you don't.If given enough pressure, who knows, I might make an optional "baby-patch". But don't hold your breath.
From a stylistic standpoint I'd like to see you start giving the NPCs she interrupts with commentary a chance to respond to her, in part because right now Chloe is the "rarely-argued-with voice of her-own-reason" and in part because I find it jarring when the replies show up under HER name when I'm actually addressing another character.
#18
Posted 16 October 2003 - 02:08 PM
#19
Posted 16 October 2003 - 04:59 PM
one of the biggest and most popular, and to my personal experience the funnest part of the arnel nalia romance mod was the incredibly funny and fun wedding sequence...A wedding, like Gabrielle suggested, or at least plans for one after the war is over, would be nice. Some dialogues with Chloe that involve planning our future. Some indications of how Chloe's personality has changed since the beginning of SoA--it's my firm belief that real people change constantly, though usually in small ways, and characters who always remain exactly the same are far less interesting than those who show personality changes.
a wedding, with boo as ring bearer, keldy, or saravok as best man, aerie, naturally as the maid of honor, jaheira as matron of honor, and the priest you can help in amkethran officiating would be wonderful component of the mod...
much funny dialog could be said, and minsc would express surprise that both brides are wearing white dresses and veils...and of course boo would explain it to him...
Darth...
Darth Gizka...
#20 -jcompton-
Posted 16 October 2003 - 09:24 PM