Exploration Game Concept

[JasonWright 0]

Hey folks! So let's get started.

 

My main project is to create an enermous open world which is completely exploreable and extremely detailed (custom graphics, catchy, eye-candy stuff, mostly for the looks).

The game concept would be "exploring everything" sort of stuff with treasures and things like that.

 

The whole thing would be set in a "Brave New World" with a mixed technology. Sort of Steampunk-ish, sort of modern-ish and yet in a wild world which is not yet explored completely.

 

So that's all nice, and stuff, and my problem comes in here: I plan this game to be not a combat-orientated one, and I can avoid that obviously. However it would not be a kind of game that would keep every person entertained.
Therefore, my questions are:

• Should I add side-quests? (an utterly high amount of them)
• How should I motivate the player to visit every single screen of the game?
• Should I put in some survival elements? (hunger, energy... - however that would be combat-related)
• What kind of quests would you complete in that sort of genre?
• Should I give the player a world map at all? I think that would kill the point of discovery.

Further ideas: 

• Floating continets in the sky (?)
• Instead of fast travel/teleport system - player controlled airship, boats (and moving it on a small-scaled world, which would make things faster)
• Day-Night cycle
• Maybe Season cycle
• Gender selection (Like in Pokémon)
• Depth in details (in the culture of the people, detailed main story of the protagonist)
• Relationship-system (I don't see so much chance of this point becoming real, but still.)
• Jobs and professions as minigames and source of money (Blacksmithing, Mining, Woodcutting, Leatherworking, Cooking, etc.)
• Housing (extremely pending)
• Encyclopedia - listing encountered species of plants, animals (Like in Pokémon - again)

Side note: The whole project is inspired by some post-rock songs, the atmosphere is in the focus.

Edited June 15, 2013 by JasonWright

[Rabie 39]

This is a great idea for an RPG.  It catches my eye.

 

Here are my opinions on your ideas so far.

 

 

• Should I add side-quests? (an utterly high amount of them)

I have no idea what the main quest would be, besides completing an Atlas (if that's what you mean by explore everything).

Side quests are generally geared towards giving the character a break from the dramatic story of the main quest.

As such your side quests could potentially be the inverse of normal side quests.

With no dramatic main questline, your side quests would be your main quest-line.

Although they may have no intended connections, the misadventures you happen across on your exploration would be the consistency of your game's story.

Think of any open world game without any of the strong questlines that fuel the story.

As long as the game doesn't become a collection grinding game, it seems like a beautiful idea.

 

 

• How should I motivate the player to visit every single screen of the game?

Beautiful graphics, and the promise of adventure.

Make sure that no matter where you are on the map, there are obvious, discrete, and hidden pathways everywhere.

 

Also, remove the invisible barrier binding the player to a road.

There's a forest around you, why are you confined to the road?

 

 

• Should I put in some survival elements? (hunger, energy... - however that would be combat-related)

I'm not sure if this is what you are going for, but making the action of the game take place on the map in a way similar to The Legend of Zelda would give survival elements without the battle.

Think bottomless pits, traps, puzzles and the like.

 

A minecraftesque Hunger meter wouldn't be all that bad, and you could have difficulties in which the player must satisfy their hunger more often.

 

An energy bar doesn't have to be combat related.  Think Stamina.

You shouldn't be able to sprint forever, or Jump up a mountain without resting.

 

Just Food for thought.  (Pun intended)

 

 

• What kind of quests would you complete in that sort of genre?

Like I said before, the quests could all pretty much be handled in a similar fashion:

• Discover Curious Something
• Investigate Curious Something
• Decipher Curious Something
• Get Rewards

I personally would set up some large quests which offer gameplay abilities as rewards, again like Legend of Zelda.

 

 

• Should I give the player a world map at all? I think that would kill the point of discovery.

It would get annoying trying to keep up with what you have and haven't discovered if there was no map.

If you could accomplish mini-maps which fill out as you discover more area, it would greatly improve play-ability.

However you're right an entire world map would defeat some of the purpose of exploration.  Perhaps have large areas clouded off and only display the "Known World".

 

 

• Floating continets in the sky (?)
• Instead of fast travel/teleport system - player controlled airship, boats (and moving it on a small-scaled world, which would make things faster)
• Day-Night cycle
• Maybe Season cycle
• Gender selection (Like in Pokémon)
• Depth in details (in the culture of the people, detailed main story of the protagonist)
• Relationship-system (I don't see so much chance of this point becoming real, but still.)
• Jobs and professions as minigames and source of money (Blacksmithing, Mining, Woodcutting, Leatherworking, Cooking, etc.)
• Housing (extremely pending)

1. Floating Continents:  Offer more area do explore without widening the Land base.  Great Idea!  Also, consider underground maps and dungeons.
2. I think the fast-travel/teleport system is the trump card of exploration.  The ability to jump anywhere when you start to get bored of an area adds very much to the play-ability overall.  You could accomplish fast-travel using the vehicles, but I think there is much more to be said about exploring on foot rather than taking a cab around the world.
3. and
4. These would be a personal Must Have.  They aren't that difficult to make, the lighting is the trick to making them work.  It offers more content for what can be done at certain times of day or year.  Also, consider biomes.  The dynamic environments add to visual appeal and offer more possibilities with landscape interaction.
5. I don't think character customization would be too important to me, but a short set of drastic options like gender and race wouldn't hurt one bit.  On the other hand, if you managed to implement a visual equipment system (so you could see the changes in equipment on your player graphic) I would rejoice.
6. Lore can make or break a game for me.  If the details of the game are boring, unoriginal, and predictable stories, they begin to show through in the gameplay.  If you bother to write details, make them interesting and entertaining.  I'd rather they be entertaining and a little bit far fetched than lawfully boring.
7. A simple fame/infamy level would get the job of interaction done.  Players react differently to you depending on your public actions.  An entire set of romance arcs could distract from the exploration.  However, a few strong character relationships would be necessary for my survival, and I DON'T think anyone would prefer NOT to have them.  (note the double negative)
8. These distractions are what I commonly refer to as "Grinder Meat".  Any grinder will take advantage of these and exploit them until they have enough money or materials to defeat the difficulty of the game.  Be aware of this and only offer leveled gifts to a certain point.  Don't simply allow players to continuously build gold from nothing *cough* fable II *cough*.
9. I could only see housing as a content option if you collected resources and had romantic interest already built in.  I prefer my adventure games free of these cumbersome distractions and generally avoid them even when built correctly.

You covered a lot of ground here, but let me give you some ideas of game-traits that would significantly enhance gameplay.

1. "Pixel" Movement.  The block to block movement default with Enterbrain's engines get the job done.  However there is rarely a time when I would not consider adding "Pixel" Movement to my game.  The realism it adds is instant and fun.  I'd especially recommend it for any game which involves exploration as a major trait.  Obviously that applies here.
2. Comedy.  This isn't a game-play element so much as thematic material.  Still, comedy brightens up a dull story.  Just don't be lame.
3. Platforming.  Not as a mini-game, but seamlessly built into the area maps.  Jump from cliff to cliff, avoid slippery slopes, scale viney walls, and spelunk deep into caves.
4. Strategy Based Combat.  Yet again, think of zelda.  Remember how nearly every enemy that wasn't a Moblin had its own strategy of defeat.  I'm not asking that you add battle, but combat encounter's which rely on the gamer's wits to defeat enemies instead of statistics and luck.
5. I'm running out of ideas, I'll edit this post if i come up with any more.
6. I hope this helped.  

[JasonWright 0]

1. Pixel movement is a great idea, added to the "to add" list.
2. Comedy is indeed a must have
3. Platforming discussed above, I agree.
4. I wanted combat to be built in a puzzle. I mean you have to get into covers when the enemy shoots at you, and whatever. Just to make it somewhat fast paced and exciting (Yeah, I hate the basic battle system of RPG Maker.   )

 

You helped so much already, thank you.

Edited June 15, 2013 by JasonWright

[��� 53]

You can motivate the player to explore by having them need to explore in order to explore more. Confused? Here's what I mean: If you've ever played a video game, chances are you've had to solve some sort of puzzle or find a key object in order advance to the next stage. You can have your open world, but don't be afraid to hold the player back. Have it so skills need to be learned, items obtained, clues discovered. 
 
You want my 2¢? Put 'em on an island, ala shipwreck. Already the player has two big incentives to keep exploring (and reach end game): get off the island, and survive. 
 
↑ Take that as literal or figurative as you like.

 

I wrote out a lot more using the island as a motif, but since I ended up building the whole game for you, I decided to delete it. If you're serious about pursuing your project and would like any more advise, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to chip in.

[+ Xyster 53]

if you're going to add day/night and seasons, I would recommend a weather system as well to give that additional "eye candy" feel.  Nothing like going back to the same location but seeing it in rain/thunder or buried under snow instead of green and flowery.  Perhaps make it so that certain places are only accesible during the right season.  Perhaps you can't get to that land beyond the mountain pass becuase the snow makes it impossible to scale, maybe during spring that river is not able to be crossed due to flooding.

 

There could be a couple of "main story" quests I can think of.

1. Your character is some type of explorer, tasked with completing a world map or atlas.  Perhaps looking for specific areas at a time could advance the game and give you a sort of guide.  Find civilization A.  Now find ruins B.

2. Your character is lost in this new world (new continent ship wreck, magical teleportation, whatever you would like) and needs to find his/her way home.  The only way to do so is to find all of the treasures, items, areas or what have you.

 

There may be more, but these are what come to mind.  These could be added onto by the civilizations/cities/towns you come across having specific quests to seek out types of animals, areas, ruins, lost treasures, whatever you would like.

 

On a side note, with something like this I wouldn't mind seeing a mount system as well implemented to help you get around faster, espeically if you have the player covering ground over a main area repeatedly.  It really would depend on the layout of the maps, but it isn't something you see alot in RPG maker games.

[JasonWright 0]

You can motivate the player to explore by having them need to explore in order to explore more. Confused? Here's what I mean: If you've ever played a video game, chances are you've had to solve some sort of puzzle or find a key object in order advance to the next stage. You can have your open world, but don't be afraid to hold the player back. Have it so skills need to be learned, items obtained, clues discovered. 

 

You want my 2¢? Put 'em on an island, ala shipwreck. Already the player has two big incentives to keep exploring (and reach end game): get off the island, and survive. 

 

↑ Take that as literal or figurative as you like.

 

I wrote out a lot more using the island as a motif, but since I ended up building the whole game for you, I decided to delete it. If you're serious about pursuing your project and would like any more advise, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to chip in.

 

Thank you for suggestions, that was useful. And as I said, puzzles and riddles are essential part of my project. Well, we're talking about a highly open exploration and adventure game.

 

 

if you're going to add day/night and seasons, I would recommend a weather system as well to give that additional "eye candy" feel.  Nothing like going back to the same location but seeing it in rain/thunder or buried under snow instead of green and flowery.  Perhaps make it so that certain places are only accesible during the right season.  Perhaps you can't get to that land beyond the mountain pass becuase the snow makes it impossible to scale, maybe during spring that river is not able to be crossed due to flooding.

 

There could be a couple of "main story" quests I can think of.

1. Your character is some type of explorer, tasked with completing a world map or atlas.  Perhaps looking for specific areas at a time could advance the game and give you a sort of guide.  Find civilization A.  Now find ruins B.

2. Your character is lost in this new world (new continent ship wreck, magical teleportation, whatever you would like) and needs to find his/her way home.  The only way to do so is to find all of the treasures, items, areas or what have you.

 

There may be more, but these are what come to mind.  These could be added onto by the civilizations/cities/towns you come across having specific quests to seek out types of animals, areas, ruins, lost treasures, whatever you would like.

 

On a side note, with something like this I wouldn't mind seeing a mount system as well implemented to help you get around faster, espeically if you have the player covering ground over a main area repeatedly.  It really would depend on the layout of the maps, but it isn't something you see alot in RPG maker games.

 

I like the "area open during x season" idea.

 

As a main storyline my idea was like an "inverted America" sort of thing. I mean our civilization is on an island living their lives day after day. And our town's king sends us a letter: make an Atlas for this world, discover the species and the plants, locate the mountains and rivers (etc). And that's it. You have a ship in the beginning of the game. However as you reach shores, your ship is damaged and unusable.

So yeah, basically your first idea.

 

And I like the mount system thing also. Thank you.

 

It was a great idea to post this thing here.

[Arfax 5]

Well, I expect you already got some experience in RPG Maker if you plan to pull off this kind of game, else

you'll have a very hard time.

 

As for the suggestions:
 

1. Sidequests. TONS of it.
 

2. Action-RPG style gameplay. This encourages the players to explore different areas in your game, given the

fact that they have to grind for xp, complete quests, get treasures, etc.

 

3. Broad storyline. Nothing is more compelling than a well-written story set in an immersive world.

 

4. If your world is that enermous, why don't you put some MMO feel? Crafting weapons, making

potions and stuff and many other things a player can do besides exploration and combat.

[JasonWright 0]

Well, I expect you already got some experience in RPG Maker if you plan to pull off this kind of game, else

you'll have a very hard time.

 

As for the suggestions:

 

1. Sidequests. TONS of it.

 

2. Action-RPG style gameplay. This encourages the players to explore different areas in your game, given the

fact that they have to grind for xp, complete quests, get treasures, etc.

 

3. Broad storyline. Nothing is more compelling than a well-written story set in an immersive world.

 

4. If your world is that enermous, why don't you put some MMO feel? Crafting weapons, making

potions and stuff and many other things a player can do besides exploration and combat.

 

Yeah, I made some smaller projects with this engine, not that big tough. 

 

1. Yep
2. You mean some in-world real-time combat? (zelda-like hack-n-slash?)
3. -> 1.
4. As Rabie said before, jobs and professions would "distract" the player from exploring, however if I put some high level ingredients in higher level areas, it would be still a motivation to go out, mine stuff, explore. 

[Jay Heartay 10]

Easter eggs would be nice, too. Like including characters from other games ( link, zelda, sonic, characters everybody knows ) that are hidden somewhere in the map ( for example, the main actor could collect all of the three triforce's parts ) and turn into Link when equipped. This leads me to a second idea: clothing. By wearing [x] armor, your character's graphic should be different. Example: in some snowy mountains, hide some very hot clothes. On a beach, hide a swimsuit, those kinda things. You can also add costumes: like a clown, a rabbit, or even a Mario costume. These are little things that makes the game funnier, so less boring. Having to explore for days could get annoying. But exploring for days in a unicorn costume... Could actually become funny. You can also include worldwide known stuff, like zombies.

[JasonWright 0]

Easter eggs would be nice, too. Like including characters from other games ( link, zelda, sonic, characters everybody knows ) that are hidden somewhere in the map ( for example, the main actor could collect all of the three triforce's parts ) and turn into Link when equipped. This leads me to a second idea: clothing. By wearing [x] armor, your character's graphic should be different. Example: in some snowy mountains, hide some very hot clothes. On a beach, hide a swimsuit, those kinda things. You can also add costumes: like a clown, a rabbit, or even a Mario costume. These are little things that makes the game funnier, so less boring. Having to explore for days could get annoying. But exploring for days in a unicorn costume... Could actually become funny. You can also include worldwide known stuff, like zombies.

 

I like the idea of easter eggs, and always appreciated that kind of "humour" in the games. I planned to refer some mainstream games, paintings, music, books and stuff. For example the (sub-)title is going to be "The Brave New World" which is obviously refers to Aldous Huxley's book: Brave New World.

Also, I liked the idea in Star Wars: TFU2 when you entered a room filled with the statues of Guybrush Threepwood, the protagonist of the Monkey Island series (planning references on that game too), so that's in plan of course. Thank you for pointing that out, my friend.

[Arfax 5]

 

Well, I expect you already got some experience in RPG Maker if you plan to pull off this kind of game, else

you'll have a very hard time.

 

As for the suggestions:

 

1. Sidequests. TONS of it.

 

2. Action-RPG style gameplay. This encourages the players to explore different areas in your game, given the

fact that they have to grind for xp, complete quests, get treasures, etc.

 

3. Broad storyline. Nothing is more compelling than a well-written story set in an immersive world.

 

4. If your world is that enermous, why don't you put some MMO feel? Crafting weapons, making

potions and stuff and many other things a player can do besides exploration and combat.

 

Yeah, I made some smaller projects with this engine, not that big tough. 

 

1. Yep
2. You mean some in-world real-time combat? (zelda-like hack-n-slash?)
3. -> 1.
4. As Rabie said before, jobs and professions would "distract" the player from exploring, however if I put some high level ingredients in higher level areas, it would be still a motivation to go out, mine stuff, explore. 

 

On # 2: Yes, perhaps you could go with something zelda-ish.. Though it might be better if you add

a little bit of more advanced mechanics such as enemy hp bars so you'll have an idea if the monsters would be

dead with a few more hits. Also, you could make the enemies respawn when you re-enter the map.

 

On # 3: Crafting system or making things involving materials that needs to be hunted does not kill the idea of

exploring. You can put low probability rates on rare materials that are necessary for an epic item, and designate

those items to different monsters in-game. That way, the players would have reason to go to a different area to hunt

that same item.

[estriole 326]

for pixel movement i against it. since it might hard to manage (bugs. event activated where it shouldn't. accidentally enter unpassable place). just stick to regular movement.

 

then for the side quests. you could make 'series' of side quests. the example is legend of mana of PSX. the game concept is having lots of side quests. each side quests series have their own story...

 

you could make it like that game and make the side quests could trigger certain ending if you follow the series till finished. so it open up for multiple endings. means more replayability.

 

also in that game certain feature only can be accessed when doing certain side quest. (smithing, instrument, etc). you could implement that too.

 

if it's only open world. it would be boring game. so you need to spice it up .

[Atmas_Sylphen 31]

I've got the perfect idea! Nearly every RPG has treasure chests dotting every nook and cranny but hardly any of them explain why they're there. Especially when they contain stuff that has nothing to do with the area =p. What if the player is the Treasure Chest Master or whatever, and it's their job to go around to all the places a perspective RPG character would go and place chests in specific locations. The player would also need to collect stuff to put in those chests (Money, Potions, Equipment what have you). Just a random thought 8D

[Bunni89 85]

Wow, what an awesome idea!! It'll be difficult to balance so I'm glad you've come here to ask about stuff. I hope my feedback will be helpful :3 (but lol I have unusual tastes so sometimes my ideas are dumb)

Oh and @Atmas: I LOVE your idea for a plot-based excuse! That could spin off in many directions... I mean maybe it could lead to a humourous spoof of videogame cliches or maybe it could be more mythic and you're some sort of spirit of adventure that works to give travellers a fighting chance on thier journey. So maybe other minigames like messing with the ecosystem to put certain monsters in certain places? Or setting up/breaking down traps for the benefit of the next guy that passes through? Perhaps you're like the spirit guide of the traditional chosen hero and the aim is to tailor his/her adventure by always staying one step ahead. So you'd have to balance exploring with moving fast enough, and maybe a kindness/toughness principle? Like.. if you give loads of challenges to the hero they could grow stronger, but perhaps it'd be TOO tough and they fall.. or give up or become cynical or whatever. But on the other hand if you're too kind then they won't be doing much training and they might start relying on their "luck" to get them through anything. (the idea would be that you can't assist them against the final boss, you can only prepare them. So one day that "luck" won't be there anymore..)

 

Relating more to the OP:

Incentive to explore everything: perhaps a minimap that fills up as you go along, and you get a reward when you completely explore each area? (like in star ocean 3) That way you have the exploration element but also the conveinience of a map if you're backtracking through the same area. And perhaps you DO have a world map but it's blank and again fills as you go along. Like just a doodle of all the continents unlabelled aside from the places you've been- that way you get a general idea of how much you've seen and roughly where you are, but you have no clue what's to come in the future.

Other ideas for incentives.. maybe various quests regarding different sorts of exploration? like you can examine objects for some flavor text and perhaps there's a guy who wants you to collect photos of chairs all around the world, or review every beer in every bar, or other sillyness XD I was doing something like that in a game idea I dropped- it was a bed quest where your character waxed lyrical about each HP-restore bed when you first tried it, and the Sandman gave you rewards periodically once you racked up a high number. (As well as just being rewarded with more hammy ridiculous poems about comfortable sleeping XD)

And perhaps resource collecting and crafting? That gives people an incentive to run around if they have to look for certain special spots to dig for ore, or an incentive to examine everything if some plants give wood or fruit or whatever.

Another good idea- maybe Fable-inspired Demon Doors? These are magical doors scattered around the place that hold rewards behind them, and only open if you fullfill some requirement. (Like reaching a certain stat level, passing a plot flag, wearing a certain outfit..) This gives incentive to run around trying to find them, and incentive to try and complete everything, work to grind stats, and backtrack if you can't complete a quest until later. (perhaps add an element of an early area not being fully explorable until later? So when the player comes back to open that door, they have a bunch of new things to do while they're there) Also you can have a bit of fun making the quest requirements into puzzles or riddles! Some of the demon doors were like that and it gives an odd sense of satisfaction to figure them out.

 

That's all I've got at the moment.. I don't wanna comment on everything all at once cos my post would be HUGE! xD But I'm definately gonna stick around following this thread and chip in if I have any more ideas :3

[JasonWright 0]

for pixel movement i against it. since it might hard to manage (bugs. event activated where it shouldn't. accidentally enter unpassable place). just stick to regular movement.

 

then for the side quests. you could make 'series' of side quests. the example is legend of mana of PSX. the game concept is having lots of side quests. each side quests series have their own story...

 

you could make it like that game and make the side quests could trigger certain ending if you follow the series till finished. so it open up for multiple endings. means more replayability.

 

also in that game certain feature only can be accessed when doing certain side quest. (smithing, instrument, etc). you could implement that too.

 

if it's only open world. it would be boring game. so you need to spice it up .

 

Side-quest series are great idea, however only a few of them should be longer and complex (I mean picking an option over an other - that's what you meant, am I right? "choice-based quest-giving")

Loved the idea of different endings. However each ending should be hugely different. Like a bad ending, where our hero went insane or dead, or whatever, and a good ending where our hero accomplished his quest of exploring the wildness, he is celebrated and stuff.

Splendid idea, diggin' it.

 

 

I've got the perfect idea! Nearly every RPG has treasure chests dotting every nook and cranny but hardly any of them explain why they're there. Especially when they contain stuff that has nothing to do with the area =p. What if the player is the Treasure Chest Master or whatever, and it's their job to go around to all the places a perspective RPG character would go and place chests in specific locations. The player would also need to collect stuff to put in those chests (Money, Potions, Equipment what have you). Just a random thought 8D

 

This is a great idea, however my concept is very different from it.

 

Originally the pirates made that treasure-thing popular. They had a fortune, put it under a deserted island's surface, so no-one finds it, but the owner of the map that leads you to the "X".

That is a real life (legend?) example of hidden chests, however games aren't always based on true events and legends.

 

Wow, what an awesome idea!! It'll be difficult to balance so I'm glad you've come here to ask about stuff. I hope my feedback will be helpful :3 (but lol I have unusual tastes so sometimes my ideas are dumb)

Oh and @Atmas: I LOVE your idea for a plot-based excuse! That could spin off in many directions... I mean maybe it could lead to a humourous spoof of videogame cliches or maybe it could be more mythic and you're some sort of spirit of adventure that works to give travellers a fighting chance on thier journey. So maybe other minigames like messing with the ecosystem to put certain monsters in certain places? Or setting up/breaking down traps for the benefit of the next guy that passes through? Perhaps you're like the spirit guide of the traditional chosen hero and the aim is to tailor his/her adventure by always staying one step ahead. So you'd have to balance exploring with moving fast enough, and maybe a kindness/toughness principle? Like.. if you give loads of challenges to the hero they could grow stronger, but perhaps it'd be TOO tough and they fall.. or give up or become cynical or whatever. But on the other hand if you're too kind then they won't be doing much training and they might start relying on their "luck" to get them through anything. (the idea would be that you can't assist them against the final boss, you can only prepare them. So one day that "luck" won't be there anymore..)

 

Relating more to the OP:

Incentive to explore everything: perhaps a minimap that fills up as you go along, and you get a reward when you completely explore each area? (like in star ocean 3) That way you have the exploration element but also the conveinience of a map if you're backtracking through the same area. And perhaps you DO have a world map but it's blank and again fills as you go along. Like just a doodle of all the continents unlabelled aside from the places you've been- that way you get a general idea of how much you've seen and roughly where you are, but you have no clue what's to come in the future.

Other ideas for incentives.. maybe various quests regarding different sorts of exploration? like you can examine objects for some flavor text and perhaps there's a guy who wants you to collect photos of chairs all around the world, or review every beer in every bar, or other sillyness XD I was doing something like that in a game idea I dropped- it was a bed quest where your character waxed lyrical about each HP-restore bed when you first tried it, and the Sandman gave you rewards periodically once you racked up a high number. (As well as just being rewarded with more hammy ridiculous poems about comfortable sleeping XD)

And perhaps resource collecting and crafting? That gives people an incentive to run around if they have to look for certain special spots to dig for ore, or an incentive to examine everything if some plants give wood or fruit or whatever.

Another good idea- maybe Fable-inspired Demon Doors? These are magical doors scattered around the place that hold rewards behind them, and only open if you fullfill some requirement. (Like reaching a certain stat level, passing a plot flag, wearing a certain outfit..) This gives incentive to run around trying to find them, and incentive to try and complete everything, work to grind stats, and backtrack if you can't complete a quest until later. (perhaps add an element of an early area not being fully explorable until later? So when the player comes back to open that door, they have a bunch of new things to do while they're there) Also you can have a bit of fun making the quest requirements into puzzles or riddles! Some of the demon doors were like that and it gives an odd sense of satisfaction to figure them out.

 

That's all I've got at the moment.. I don't wanna comment on everything all at once cos my post would be HUGE! xD But I'm definately gonna stick around following this thread and chip in if I have any more ideas :3

 

I adore the idea of the riddles and the Demon Doors. Maybe a cool way to play around with people's creativity and logic. Some extra item (maybe riddle-related armor or weapon, or misc. item) as a reward would be fine.

[+ Xyster 53]

If you are going with a "making an atlas" type plot and want to encourage more exploring/time in an area a neat idea might be to add certain animals in areas that could be semi-tamed and used by finding special plants and traps.  You could use this for the mounts to traverse otherwise impassible terrain or explore spaces that your character could not normally reach to find special items (tame small animals to go into areas you can't fit into) It would also give the game a little more companionship, as I have always found large games a tad lonely if there's not something follow me around.

 

This could also add a beastiary aspect where you learn more about the animals in an area and how they might be useful to your kingdom or whoever you are scouting for.

[estriole 326]

 

Side-quest series are great idea, however only a few of them should be longer and complex (I mean picking an option over an other - that's what you meant, am I right? "choice-based quest-giving")

Loved the idea of different endings. However each ending should be hugely different. Like a bad ending, where our hero went insane or dead, or whatever, and a good ending where our hero accomplished his quest of exploring the wildness, he is celebrated and stuff.

Splendid idea, diggin' it.

 

in legend of mana. you can decide to do quest series A1. then do quest series B1. do quest series B2. do quest series B3.

basically every quest series is a mini story. with link to each other in the same series. and when completed the series we get the ending.

finishing quest series A1 unlock A2. finish A2 unlock A3 and B1. sorta like that. also we can choose to do ALL quest series (except the ending series cause that will end the game. but if you make it able to continue after ending....). so the replay value will be high.