RMMV Permanant Morph (FF6)

[Nekohime1989]

For storyline reasons, i'm considering having the MC morph permantly. The effects of said change would be as follows.

ACCEPT
Pros
Gain Access to Magic (Kitsune, so fire mostly)
MAT and LUK skyrocket.
Unarmed attacks are considered none element allowing them to effect all enemies equally. They're also magical attacks and bypass reflect.

Cons
Weapon is removed and the slot sealed.
DEF drops a little

REFUSE
Pros
You can equip some of the best weapons in the game. Otohime's Trident and Silence Glaive for example.

Cons
Can no longer enter shrines which also blocks warp spells. (HUGE DEAL BREAKER)

 

[Marquise*]

I think this is original in games. It was done often in fables and fairytales, except now it let the player experience that bit, only you are nice enough to let them the choice.

I dunno why, but that one seems hard to pull in the game story. Will the character quest to return back from the curse? Does it have a condition to reverse spell such as finding the love of your character's life? (I know... classics. ^^; )

 

[Wavelength]

It's interesting, but I'm not optimistic about how it will work in practice. Aside from the fact that (I assume) you'd need to branch a ton of content throughout the game based on whether the player morphs or not (people are going to have a very different reaction to a fox than they will to a human!), you're permanently locking the player out of a lot of content in either scenario, and the player probably won't have a good idea of what they're gaining or losing when they make the choice (even if you tell them upfront, they won't be able to appreciate the effect of "MAT skyrockets" vs. "Can't use weapons"), unless they've already had the chance to play some content as the kitsune.

Since almost all of the benefits and drawbacks are battle-related (and the only one that's not, "Can't enter shrines and warp", is just a severe player inconvenience), I would recommend changing your design to allow the player to morph back and forth between a human and kitsune, instead of having to make a choice that stays permanent. This would allow the player to experience both types of battle, and switch strategically between them - and would also allow for cute mechanics like only being able to use the shrines in kitsune form. You could even have some puzzles that require switching between the forms to solve!

 

[SpicyNoodleStudios]

(people are going to have a very different reaction to a fox than they will to a human!), you're permanently locking the player out of a lot of content in either scenario, and the player probably won't have a good idea of what they're gaining or losing when they make the choice (even if you tell them upfront, they won't be able to appreciate the effect of "MAT skyrockets" vs. "Can't use weapons"), unless they've already had the chance to play some content as the kitsune.

I think this could be true or false, depending on how the world is. It depends on how different the two types are viewed. If people are used to communicating with Kitsune to the point where it's natural and there is no bias against them, there's a good chance they wouldn't react any differently to one at all.

I also think making the player make an unknown but important choice is a matter of narrative design. That's a pretty tense decision and it would really mean something in the context of the game if they had to stick with that choice. It could be something that can't be undone for a good reason and the tension from making the choice could add a significant value to the overall game.

(and the only one that's not, "Can't enter shrines and warp", is just a severe player inconvenience),

I agree that players shouldn't be purposely inconvenienced whenever it can be avoided. However, if it's important to show that being a Kitsune is more convenient, though it has other drawbacks, that's something important too. In other words, unless an inconvenience has a specific importance that must be there, it shouldn't be there.

 

[Wavelength]

I think this could be true or false, depending on how the world is. It depends on how different the two types are viewed. If people are used to communicating with Kitsune to the point where it's natural and there is no bias against them, there's a good chance they wouldn't react any differently to one at all.

That's completely true; you make a good point. I kind of assumed kitsune were rare based on the fact that you had to choose to morph into it (and only the MC gets the choice if I understood correctly), but if that assumption is wrong, then you wouldn't necessarily need too many different reactions/branches.

I also think making the player make an unknown but important choice is a matter of narrative design. That's a pretty tense decision and it would really mean something in the context of the game if they had to stick with that choice. It could be something that can't be undone for a good reason and the tension from making the choice could add a significant value to the overall game.

I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze. While the dramatic effect is undeniably cool, this "unknown but important choice" drastically changes the way the player goes about playing the game for several hours (or more), in ways that are not all positive. The main problem is that (I assume) the player has no way to know what each play experience will be like at the point they make the decision.

It would be like if a game asked you to pick a class between Borbleebeep, Trararalel, and Kreggamor before starting the game. Even if those classes came with brief descriptions of what stats/abilities they have, the player will have no idea what they'll enjoy more. Except in the Kitsune case, the player will have already invested some amount of time (possibly hours), and unless they've been really smart about keeping multiple saves, there will be no way to back out from a decision that forces them into a playstyle that seems really un-fun (unlike in the "pick a class" scenario where you could just restart the game).

On the other hand, if the player has already gotten to experience both the Human gameplay and the Kitsune gameplay by this point, a lot of these drawbacks disappear, and the only big thing you need to worry about as a designer is the extra work that goes into branching some or all things from that point onwards, based on the player's choice, if Kitsune aren't normal, common members of society in your world.

 

[jonthefox]

As has been discussed, I think it's a cool idea if it fits the storyline AND the player has had some time and experience to make an informed choice about which path he or she wants to take. If the player is just blindly guessing about which decision to make, then it feels problematic.

 

[SpicyNoodleStudios]

It would be like if a game asked you to pick a class between Borbleebeep, Trararalel, and Kreggamor before starting the game. Even if those classes came with brief descriptions of what stats/abilities they have, the player will have no idea what they'll enjoy more. Except in the Kitsune case, the player will have already invested some amount of time (possibly hours), and unless they've been really smart about keeping multiple saves, there will be no way to back out from a decision that forces them into a playstyle that seems really un-fun (unlike in the "pick a class" scenario where you could just restart the game).

The thing is, it's not like only one way of playing a game is fun. If it's made well and appeals to it's niche then it could end up creating replayability. "What would it have been like if I had attempted the jump and transformed instead of playing it safe?" If the problem was that playing as either type of character was plain not fun then that would be a problem on it's own.

I'm not completely disagreeing with you, and I do think that more open game design usually turns out to be more fun but I still think what matters most here is what leads up to the choice and why the player is having to choose to transform at all.

 

[Nekohime1989]

oh I like the idea of using the kitsune abilities for puzzles after all they have many.

• illusions
• shapeshifting
• possession
• fox-fire

oh one thing i forgot to mention is that the story would branch in act 2 because of this.