Gameplay and Story Integration?

[KainLightsworn 63]

All right, so in my current project, I've got a rather large emphasis on the integration of the storyline with gameplay mechanics. My big question is, when does the integration of story come at the detriment of gameplay? Where does one draw that line? Looking at the mechanics I see as potentially problematic in my own project, we have:

 

1) A crafting system becoming necessary and items being rather scarce from beginning to end, with the most mobility to get good items from NPCs being at the very beginning of the game when your characters have the highest status in game. As the game progresses and your characters become fugitives to varying extents, items and shops naturally become more scarce, and avoiding the guards becomes something that must be dealt with. Does this make things too difficult, or is it a good way of making the situation feel more real?

 

2) A combat system where "Will" takes the place of what is perceived as MP, and every action is based upon a character's will to fight in battle. Each combat action, from guarding to attacking to skills, takes a certain amount of Will to use. The only thing that restores Will aside from items is Waiting for a turn, which restores anywhere from 2-5 WP. At certain points in the story, characters will enter battle with their Will sapped or completely gone due to their utter lack of willingness to fight this particular battle or tactics by the enemy. A character without any Will is basically unable to concentrate and act until they've gotten some Will restored. Is this something that accurately reflects the psychological state of the characters, or just a really annoying mechanic that will have people shutting off the game in frustration?

 

This is the quandary I'm having here. Any feedback I could get on this would be great.

Edited February 10, 2016 by KainLightsworn

[Tuckie 59]

Centering a game's mechanics around the plot, and having those mechanics integrated in the story is something I fully support, and unfortunately is seldom used in games. It's a unique aspect of storytelling I really wish was explored more. I feel that doing things like you have planned can be a real benefit to the game, but under the caveat that they are set up correctly. The crafting/items system I think could work really well, as long as it is made clear why the game is set up that way in a way where players are immediately alerted to that mechanic as soon as it becomes relevant. It makes sense that a game should be challenging (This mechanic would add to that), but at the same it has to be implemented fairly. By this I mean that the story itself has to be set up to put players in a mindset of conservation. You have to understand that most RPG Fans are used to games where they can just grind and head back to town to stock up on gear, and if you aren't making a game that allows for this, many players will be surprised midway through the game when they run out and can't get any more. This puts the players in a situation where the game is unfairly difficult, and will halt them from progressing in many cases. That's why it's important to give the players the knowledge or tools they need to handle the game. Many post-apocalyptic games create this scenario: where players are brought to treasure their few belongings, so you could look to adjust their formula for your title.

[Shiggy 630]

1)
I enjoy stealth games but I really hate stealth gameplay in non-stealth games,I don't know if otehr people feel like me but  be careful with this whole not being detected by guards thing.

I would agree with Tuckie that communicating what will happen to the playeris important but another way to do it and have a BS RPG reason (the shop is closed,the craftsman is sick...) for not giving access to crafting and such at the beginning so players actually gain stuff despite their characters losing stuff . But this depends on how long your early phase of the game last , because it could really feel too game-y if you do several quests/arcs but you still do not have access to the stuff

 

2) 

In terms of mechanics,this sounds great because it can hep you control how much MP your player will start battle with and balance around it but right now I don't understand why a character will lose its will to fight by doing stuff and regain it by doing nothing

[TheManlyFairy 51]

1)Making shops more scarce is probably not too realistic. Every town/village/city needs some sort of commerce to finance itself so making more towns with less shops as you go along might seem a bit strange. BUT, making a shops availability more scarce is probably more realistic. This is only assuming your characters are the good guys and are being persecuted, but if their wanted status is varies, then so is the people's belief in their guilt. This means some shops would still be willing to do business with them while others would probably alert the guards which would result in a battle scene. Mid to late game you could probably turn the characters need for items more desperate and introduce a kind of black-market NPC where trades would be either somewhat more expensive or you would be requested to do something in return. 

 

2)This seems like a good mechanic overall, makes sense, "Will" reminds me of Fable so that's a nice throwback. The only thing I personally think you should do is not make guarding cost Will. Just because somebody doesn't want to fight doesn't mean he'll just stand there and let people do their worst to him. I can see the logic where in a state of complete despair and lack of Will to do anything you wouldn't have the mental strength to even protect yourself, but the idea of starting some battles with 0 Will makes your characters just seem ridiculously fragile minded, especially if they've done something so bad they're now fugitives.

[Kayzee 4,033]

I would say:

 

1) A crafting system often seems like kind of a gimmick in a lot of RPGs where it's often just a alternative way top get items you can get elsewhere. I think a sort of set up where you need to rely on crafting more would be more reasonable if the game focused more on survival. Needing to find and cook food, scavenging for items, maybe even dealing with wounds and stuff.

 

2) I would say that "will" as a resource to magic is an idea I have also thought of. Honestly I kinda think it would end up as another kind of hit point for enemies to attack as well. Why not have enemies attack your will with mind magics and they can control you if you lose it all as well? Maybe do the same to enemies? Then again on that note, not all skills might use will. Maybe some use HP as well, or there could be a stamina meter too. Also reminds me of the Shadow Heart games, where your magic points used Sanity so you went crazy and would do things mindlessly if you abused magic, but I haven't played that series too much.