The Tower of Ivem - Ideas

I'm going to post this here, since, evidently, nobody reads the hacking sub. Move if you like, mods.

Okay, for a while I've been working on a mod entitled the tower of ivem. The only person here who has played that mod so far is boots, but I have a half baked demo version for anyone who wants to look at it. (I got screenies too, just don't feel like posting 'em now.)

Er, just so the mods don't move/close this, screenies: Practice Arena | Village

I want this mod to be as likable as possible, so what do you want in a mod? what did you like or dislike about other mods? Schism is obviously an amazing mod, but why? Everyone likes nators mods, but what about them is good? Remember, I am an assembly junkie, so I can do almost whatever you say, just be reasonable, there is no way I could fit in 43 weapons in my mod. I'm hankering towards a mod a bit like Original Sin, but please tell me if you don't like that type of mod.

Lace.

 

I want epic combat and platforming.

 

can you be more specific?

 

No.

 

helpful.
then again, you are the most jerkiest member on this forum.
now, no flame war, what do you want to see in a new mod?

 

helpful.
then again, you are the most jerkiest member on this forum.
now, no flame war, what do you want to see in a new mod?

first off that is definately not me.
seconddly when i say epic combat i mean like in metal slug where just one person is fighting a one million man army.

 

okay, thanks.
by most jerkiest, I meant least helpful, but the wrong words came out. =O

Also, in case anybody was wondering, I'm planning two modes for the bubbler, an offensive mode, like the rock cannon in os, and a defensive mode, like the bubbler level three. you will be able to switch in the item screen.

 

What makes modes likeable? That's going to be different for everyone lace, and you can't satisfy them all. The most important thing for me tho is the details. If i play a mod where doors don't work right, events with unnecissary script sound, or dialog with missused <NOD it will take me right out of the game. Even if everything else is done well, if little details like these are ignored it just will not feel right. So make sure all the little details work proporly.

Now if you stick the details that isn't going to make your mod good (imo) but at least it'll feel like you took the time to make it as feel as professional as possible. And this is the only aspect all the mods i like share.

 

I have to agree, ever played quest?
brilliant mod, absolutely brilliant, but the maker misspelled everything used symbols, and had words hanging over the edges of the text boxes.
needless to say, I only played it once.

As for things that I like/dislike, puzzles fit both. Really hard puzzles are fun, but can make you really annoyed (Jenka's nightmare, anyone?). Also, I don't like when bosses are over used. makes them less fun.

 

When designing puzzles its hard finding the right balance of hard / easy... obvious solution / what the fuck am i sposed to be doing with this shit?

 

This is the mod with the wall-ignoring Firball, right?
Personally, when it comes to modding, make it how you'd like to see it.
I believe that the key to failure is trying to please everyone, so...
But I have to say that I personally do like the feel of the demo I played so long ago. It's got an interesting setting, in my humble opinion.

And when it comes to puzzles, be creative.
I mean, classics like the three-switch-door are good, but get creative with it.
Personally, once again, I'd advise against agrivating puzzles like the tele-puppies in Jenka's.

 

I kinda liked the Jenka's Nightmare puppy/teleporter puzzle actually, but the main problem with it was that it wasn't obvious that there even was a puzzle at all, which is something you should avoid. You should also make sure that solving the puzzles involves actual logic/intelligence as opposed to just trial and error (the thingy in Curly Brace's story with the gaurds that shoot you on sight, for example, is a bit too trial/error-ish).

 

okay, thanks for your input. also, in the original metal gear story (the good one) there was a stealth level, would you like something like that in my mod?

 

Stealth levels are good.

I haven't played through the demo yet because my computer is being a douchebag, so I'll give you some more input about what makes a good mod.

In short, what makes a good mod is everything. Storyline, graphics, level design, gameplay, music. And not only does every aspect of the mod have to be good by itself, they also have to fit together cohesively. Schism and Magic, for example, both do a great job of creating this sort of "cohesion" by providing an overall "mood" that can be felt throughout the mod. The original Cave Story, of course, also does this extremely well.

One difference between mods and games is that the "wow factor" tends to be more powerful in mods than in games. People play the mods and think, "wow, how did they do that just by using the Cave Story engine?" whereas with a game, it's less this way because the creator programmed the engine by themself so they're not limited by the constraints of the game that they are modding. This is good news for you, since you're good with assembly, so you can really milk the wow factor in your mod. Original Sin, for example had a lot of the wow factor because of all the hacking that RuneLancer did. Had I not known before playing Original Sin that it was a mod of Cave Story, and had thought that it was an original game, the wow factor would have been less powerful.

 

One thing I think a lot of mods here do very badly at is save point placement. Too many is bad, but too few is much, much worse (IMO)

 

O_O

platforming like hell platforming :eek: ummmmm new wepons sheilds bombs multiple ending being good or bad and lots lots of anoying spots like the core anoying

 

No real idea as to what I should be doing in this mod. :/

 

cause there isn't one yet.
run around, have fun. =P
open all the doors.

I could add another simple hack, but I dunno.
this mod is very.... skeletal right now, what does it need in the first bit?

 

okay, I removed my demo-pre-demo cause that's really not what this thread is about.
here is the list of things said so far:

- New Weapons
- Shields
- Multiple Endings
- Stealth levels
- Multiple Characters
- Mood and Cohesion
- Creative puzzles, which are not aggravating, not too easy, and are obviously puzzles.
- Don't over use bosses
- little details
- large armies
- character talks

okay, thanks for the input thus far.
Lace

 

Multiple endings? Is there a single mod with a single ending?