Improving Minor Story Elements

[olafreinhardweyer]

1) DIFFERENT FROM OTHER POSTED TOPICS I WILL COME BACK TO THIS VERY first TOPIC ENTRY YOU ARE READING RIGHT NOW AND EDIT NEW SUGGESTIONS INTO IT. VIEW THIS VERY FIRST ENTRY AS AN ONGOING ARTICLE.. THIS IS TO KEEP IT ALL NICE AND TIDY AND FIND ALL SUGGESTIONS IMMEDIATELY IN ONE OGOING TEXT.

 

2) IF YOU POST HERE YOURSELVE D O N O T Q U O T E T H I S V E R Y F I R S T P O S T.

 

3) YOUR OWN SUGGESTIONS WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO THIS VERY FIRST POST LATER ON (SEE 1) YOU WILL BE CREDITED FOR YOUR POST TOO.

 

4) THIS TOPIC OBVIOUSLY CONTAINS SPOILERS. SHIOULD YOUR RESPOND CONTAIN SPOILERS TOO PLEASE MAKE A NOTE ABOUT IT

 

 

Here we go:

 

GOODSPRINGS

 

1) SHOT IN THE HEAD

 

The whole town must know i've been shot in the head and somewhat came back from the dead. I find it odd that it doesn't come up in any conversation i have once leaving the doctor. It might as well have never happened.

 

Solution: The voice acting is already done, but modders will add new features to NPCs it has always been this way. While you are at it, you might as well add a few lines to Goodsprings NPCs mentioning it. It need not be to fancy, but the player should be able to choose from a few answers to this; how he really suffers from trauma, how he is really tough about it etc. NPCs should also be a bit more squimish about giving you their quest unless you have already proven you can handle yourself (perhaps by shooting those first geckos with the girl and the dog; however then she should be the first to utter her concerns). Also consider this: The doctor released you out of his care. This might be the players softest argument when talking about the maater. On the other hand, folks might just give that as an answer like "well, 'doc let you back on your, so i recon you can handle yourself". Right now you can only imagine that's what folks in Goodspring are thinking. It would be better to LEARN about it.

 

REASON: There is also a dramatic reason for this: Stressing the goal of the mainquest and improving the players conviction to follow it through. It's hard to follow a goal when all you have is a short introductory movie with no interaction on your part. If the player is supposed to want revenge for what has happened to him and finding out who he is, he must be driven towards it. And he must be driven toward it by EMOTION, not just asking about what other people know about the guys who shot you in the head. What matters most, is not those other guys. What matters most, is that you have been shot in the head and have lost your identity. The emotion is in having been shot in the shot and having lost your identity. Otherwise finding the guys is just a job. Now if it is stressed more often what has happened to you, when you talk to Goodsprings folks, this is just what happens. IT MIGHT ALSO BE A NEAT IDEA TO NOT GETTING A GOODNIGHT SLEEP WHEN SLEEPING I A BED EVERY SO OFTEN WITH A MESSAGE POPPING UP: "You're nightmares about beeing buried alive make for an bad night sleep." There should be perhaps 10 different messages not repeating themselves or else it gets boring (and boring is the opposite emotion of what we want!) That emotion is projected on the guys who did it (naturally). There is a different in wanting to find someone and wanting to find someone for a reason. If you don't mention the reason often i enough, the reason fizzels away and so does the emotion.

 

2) FREESIDE IN THE DISTANCE

 

When I saw Freeside in the distance i thought that to be New Vegas. Now the player character might know that (even with partly lost memory) but the first time player doesn't. As i player i was worried i would be so close to New Vegas. I figured i wouuld finish the mainquest very, very early. That put me off, especially because Goodsprings and it surroindings didn't gave me the impression there where much else to do in this gameworld. Only later would i learn of the many things inbetween. I expected boredom. If i could aks NPCs about the shininh New Vegas seen in the distance they could correct me about my asumptions. They would mention they've never been that far out, but that they imagine it would be quiet an eventful voyage with many dangers until i finally reached New Vegas - or even Freeside for that matter. "Make no mistake, lad [young lady]. The desert is far from empty." ... or something like it. However we do it, beeing pi**ed at the game because initially there seem to be not that many places must be confronted by convincing the player that it is not so. I didn't like to be pi**ed and it would have been nicer of not having to correct myself about it once i e.g. came as far as Novac. The Correctional Facility was the first time i could imagine a bigger coherent world. However it is not mandatory to visit the facility. Since the facility helped me at least get a glimpse of the world, it would be neat you HAVE TO GO THERE FOR SOME REASON (mini-quest) very early in the game.

 

3) THE GREAT KHANS at Boulder

 

It did not hear much about the Great Khans until i reached Boulder. I actually thought they where some part of the Legion. Without overdoing it, it would be nice to at least learn tiny bits about factions before you meet them for probably the first time. The southernmost NCR Outpost did this very very wel in regards of The Legion. Learning about other factions, only a little bit, might be accomplished through the many Caravans. They know their way in this gameworld and could talk a bit about it. This shouldn't be to much, only enough to give you a general orientation.

 

4) NOVAC Murder Mysery

 

I suspected i would suspect everyone even the other Motel guests. I didn't. I couldn't put them up before the dinosaur. I find this very odd! Also, it might be very funny to suspect the pseudo-ghoul scientist once he is living in Novac. He might answer: "You've been shot in the head or something. You made me just get here yourselve!" (Another reminder having been shot in the head (see above), a humouros shot at the doctors bad relationship with people (this time by YOU suspecting him, haha! and a bit of humour in general, because could just use a little bit more of that).

 

5) NOVAC Nightkin Brahmin Bashing

 

Once i encountered the Nightkin in the Ghoul quest, i suspected them to be behind the Brahmin slaying. It would be nice, if you could ask the Nightkin Boss about it (if you have high Intelligence) and could mention it in front of the "farmer" who gave you this (unmarked) quest (again: high intelligence).

 

A nod to Obsidian is in order however: Despite having perhaps already solved the Nightkin quest by making them leave, the quest still can be finished. It is not to unlogical to assume some of them was left behind

and to be able to finish quest is more convenient than the more realistic version of the Nightkin having gone too.

 

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So far my ideas. AGAIN PLEASE DON'T QUOTE THIS, MAKE FAST REPLIES ONLY!!!!