Scars of War Developer Blog Update

[GameBanshee News]

Continuing on his musings on save-games and dramatic tension, Gareth has another piece up on the Scars of War blog.

The general reaction to the Karma system has been unfavorable. Reasons vary; some dislike the fact that the system draws them outside the world, killing immersion. Others feel that casual players, without the playtime to build up Karma, will feel punished. Which was the opposite of my intention, really. I thought that the system was easy enough to ignore, more an easter egg, a way to tempt players into a behavior you desire instead of forcing them to it. But I suppose it is like having 2 children, and giving one a present in front of the other. Sulking and discontent ensues

Scorpia even raised the question of “why bother"? Isn’t there enough failure in life, why do we need to experience it in games? What is the point of getting the player to accept “small failures"?

Well, the reason is simple. Drama. Tension.

Heroic fantasy is almost an oxymoron these days. You see it is impossible to be heroic unless there is some type of challenge to overcome. And for the “heroic” title to apply you can’t face some minor challenge, either. Delivering the post is not the stuff that champions are made of, no. In fact a key feature of any heroic tale is the triumph over incredible adversity. Often the hero suffers some sort of setback from which he or she makes a dramatic comeback. It’s a simple trick but one which works. (In some of the greatest tales the flaw the hero overcomes is within themselves, but that is a topic for another time, heh.)

The problem is developers have become convinced that the only acceptable form of setback for a player is the scripted setback. You know the type, you and your party have hacked and slashed your way through the Ultimate Caverns of Doom, a well-oiled, death-dealing machine, when a script kicks in, cue cutscene with rocks falling and half your party is separated from you! Oh no! Drama and tension ensue! Or do they? Is that drama or annoyance you feel?