Ways to get monster parts - ideas?

[Kristina]

I hope this is the correct place, if not I'm sorry.

I'm making a game that focus on crafting, finding items, develop friendship with NPCs, quests etc. so basically no battles.

To be honest, I considered having some battles but only to get specific items for crafting. That would be bat wings, slime etc.
However, I think that the default battle system will annoy the player in the end since it's only to get those items and it just doesn't fit the rest of the game.

I thought of an ABS but it's huge work, so I'm unsure of it.

So, does anyone have any idea of different ways to get monster parts that doesn't include battle? Would it be weird if it's something the player will just find in chests, random places or specific ones like caves etc.?

 

[Ami]

umm......monster farming?

 

[Kristina]

@Ami That could be an idea, not sure how it would work though. I will try to think about that, thanks!

 

[JtheDuelist]

The Monster Hunter series is probably a good place to get some inspiration for something like this- besides parts from battles, you can also find things like scales that have been shed, piles of bones, and more strewn about the environments you can gather certain monster materials from. And given you want to focus on NPC interaction as well, you could always make something where like NPC A will trade you a part in exchange for a different part when your relationship with them is good enough, as a sort of incentive for some players who usually ignore NPCs to actually get them to interact with them.

 

[Kristina]

@JtheDuelist Thanks, I will check out The Monster Hunter series. Thanks for those items ideas, didn't think of bones and scales. NPC trading is a good idea, will definitely use that.

 

[cekobico]

You know the general formula for sidequest in typical rpg is "Please bring me 10x bear claws/bat wings/wolf fangs/etc."

Now since you don't want battles, what about becoming the other side of that formula?
You go to a tavern/guild and post a 'wanted' poster to kill a monster and then after a certain time, a random adventurer will show up at your doorstep bringing the loot and you pay them money.

Maybe have a fame system where people eventually know you as "that guy who pays a lot money for monster loot" in the town; and you could essentially create a hireling management system; where you recruit 4 adventurers with randomized jobs/stats and send them on a specified hunt. After few days, they will return with an assortment of random monster loots. The higher your fame is, the greater the level of adventurers who are willing to join your cause.

I see since you also have friendship-with-NPC tied into your game; you could also make it that if an NPC is close enough with you; they are willing to join your monster-slaying business as one of the adventurers lol

 

[Finnuval]

What @JtheDuelist said. Also finding nests, nesting grounds and caves/dens with shed scales, furr, eggs, etc.

Dead animals, killed by other predator is another option.

 

[palatkorn]

Trade monsters, exchange parts, or trade items or play mini games.

 

[Kristina]

@palatkorn Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Sigony]

TNT, it's dynamite.

Blow them up. No combat required.

 

[Ami]

TNT, it's dynamite.

Blow them up. No combat required.

i prefer a Peace Treaty

 

[BladeRED]

You can also make the monsters give you some parts of their own. For example, you can make a ninetails fox having some trouble seducing a female of his species, and he ask you help for that.
If you succeed helping him, he'll cut one of his tails and gives to you (since it's a magic the tails replace very easily x) ).

You can also make your hero looking for nest of monsters and collect eggs. It can be a sort of infiltration dungeon with some monsters keeping the nest and if they spotted you it's a gameover and you need to find another dungeon x) .

Another idea could be crafting parts of monsters by crafting monsters. For example, you can go looking for some magic materials to create elementals, slime, and other magical creatures. You could also catch normal animals and modify them, for example changing a lizard into a dragon, a bird into a phoenix, etc. And you will gain monster parts in the process.

 

[Kristina]

@Sigony Thanks, but I don't think that will fit my game though.

@BladeRED Oh, I like those ideas! Thank you.

 

[BladeRED]

No problem, hope it will help you for your project

 

[M.I.A.]

This may seem silly, but for one (or more) certain Monster Parts, you could have a pet that occasionally drops a part. Like a feather.. or a slime that will just leave ooze behind now and then.. and put it on a timer.

Just a thought.
-MIA

 

[Kristina]

@M.I.A. I actually thought of just that this morning. I think that might be what I will do, thanks!

 

[Tai_MT]

One of the things I've often requested with crafting systems (but no dev ever wants to deliver on) is the ability to just buy your crafting materials.

I never feel good about having to grind for drops from monsters. I just don't. Or, grind for resources in a game at all. This stuff exists in single-player RPG's 'cause some very bad devs saw it in MMO's and decided it would make for a "good singleplayer experience!". It doesn't. They forget that these resources are often tradeable between players, sellable, purchaseable, and can often be ignored since crafting is a "side thing" you can do for great equipment and to make a great amount of money from other players.

Crafting in a single-player RPG is often just... tedious busywork that really isn't all that fun.

To that end, I often wonder why "crafting systems" aren't imported from the MMO's they're from as "whole cloth". Why can't you buy crafting materials? Or sell them? Or trade them for higher tier materials? Maybe I spent a bunch of time grinding levels early game and got a lot of bat wings, but now to make the Tier 5 armor, I need Wyvern Wings. Why can't I trade my 999 Bat Wings for like 100 Wyvern Wings? Do I seriously have to go out and kill over 100 Wyverns to get those wings? Why?

Most games I've ever played with a crafting system, I end up with more money than I can reasonably spend and not enough desire to grind materials from monsters/locations. I don't want to mine Mithril. I have 6 million gold... why can't I just buy Mithril? Why can't I pay someone else to go get me 30 Bear Rumps? I don't want to go out into the game and kill Bears for their Rumps. Let someone else do that. I have more money than God in this setting and I can't even pay someone to do the grinding for me.

 

[Kristina]

@Tai_MT You can buy them but not all the time - you can buy the monster parts at special shops on specific days and there are other items as well you can buy on other days. However, I want it to be possible for the player to get the items themselves as well in case they need the items right away or just don't want to wait for the day to come

 

[velan235]

Crafting tend to be ignored if it's too complicated and tedious. As mentioned above, classic MMO crafting concept can't be slapped into single RPG without adjustment.

some of the "crafting" games that I find "passable"

Atelier / Mana Series:Basically all crafting items are found in the map, like interactable object, and recover over time. you can lock some of the materials in next chapter / dungeon (easier to balance and gives good feeling of progression)

YS VIII has this simple tier-based crafting. basically every item is categorized based on their type (bone, wings, Hide, Ore) and most crafting involve all those material with different tier (BoneTier2 + wingsTier1 = Ring). now IMO it's good because it doesn't overwhelm you with random material, everything is "tiered" and you are familiar with the material type for the rest of the gameplay, and later on you could unlock a shop that trade number of lower tiers to it's higher tier

but if the whole focus is the crafting, these mechanic might be"too simple" for the game

 

[Tiamat-86]

could do a thing with event chase type plugins and in field actions like throwing knives / bow and arrow but instead of "chase" they flee.
if ever played breath of fire 1 and 2 and done the hunting things that appear you know what im talking about.