Sinathor's Design Tools (Side-missions and dungeons!)

[+ Sinathor 72]

Hey guys!

 

Are you totally hopeless when coming up with side-missions? Do you have trouble keeping your brain in check and constantly having to double-check what you've done and what you haven't done when it comes to side-missions? Is your brain generally a clusterfuck to work with?

 

Are you also totally hopeless when it comes to balancing your dungeons and game as a whole? Do you forget what status effects you've already used and what you haven't? What elements are over- and under-used?

 

If you're like me and answered "yes" to all of the above questions, I have good news to you!

 

Here are 2 tools I made mainly for myself, but they are made in a way that everyone can use them easily.

 

 

 

SIDE MISSION GENERATOR

 

 

 

 

Using this simple graph you can generate a huge amount of side-missions on their bare bones level. Knowing who you're working for, what you're doing, and why -before- you start writing anything, can help you tremendously to come up with new and exciting little stories.

 

Next up, balancing multiple dungeons over the course of your entire game can be tricky. If you use the following tool and write down to each of your dungeons all the bare bones information from the tool, you can easily see what features you've already used and what features are under-used.

 

DUNGEON BALANCING TOOL

 

 

 

These are probably not for everyone, but I hope some of you find these little tools useful. I find it so much easier to have something small like this to kick me forward on the design table.

 

 

Leave comments below if you found this interesting or helpful.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Sinathor

[Lord Vectra 414]

This is interesting. Nice work

[Tsarmina 2,612]

Hahaha I have trouble with side missions all the time...maybe that's why I don't come up with many. @_@ This chart is great, though I think it's kind of funny how no matter what path you choose, you end up with the same end results  But I'm sure it's the method of getting there/why that really counts when making the quest, because it needs a reason. Am I right? :3

[+ Sughayyer 163]

Very good and helpful information.

[+ Sinathor 72]

Hahaha I have trouble with side missions all the time...maybe that's why I don't come up with many. @_@ This chart is great, though I think it's kind of funny how no matter what path you choose, you end up with the same end results  But I'm sure it's the method of getting there/why that really counts when making the quest, because it needs a reason. Am I right? :3

 

Heh, yeah. The arrows are pretty pointless there. They are pretty much remnants from an earlier version. Then I noticed that all the final results do fit with all the previous choices. In the end, it doesn't matter. It's the writing that makes the missions distinct in the end. This just helps the writing process.

[+ Brackev 66]

The side mission generator looks cool.  I'd have to get out my dice to use it...

 

The Dungeon Balancing Tool doesn't seem like it's fully explained.  Do you put a tick by each skill/status/element/ability each time you use it?  Do you lower enemy levels as you add additional quantities of them?