Animated Todying, Groveling Assistent Wanted

For what's not in 'Top Priority Game Design'. Post your ideas, visions, suggestions for the game, rules, modifications, etc.

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Impaler
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Animated Todying, Groveling Assistent Wanted

#1 Post by Impaler »

I have been thinking it would be nice to have an OPTIONAL, little animated assistent that entertain and help the player much like that little paperclip thing in MS word. Here are some job requirments.

* Must be small to medium size (resizability a pluss) and be able to be Draged and Droped across the Galaxy map

* Must have ability to change skins much like Win-Amp to display differnt sorts of creatures such as robots, aliens ect ect. Each Skin having its own set of 3-4 basic animations and a selection of humorous audio voice files. (v1.0 might ship with only the "official default" but theirs mod makers can create new ones)

* Must be able to provide a scripted tutorial for new players AND apropriate "tips" for intermediate players AND then if instructed to do so by expeienced players to simply grovel and lick my boots.

* Must react to triggered events such as Sit-Reps, game time remaining warnings, player actions ect ect and provide apropriate responses.

* Must open up a menus when clicked on/moused over for configuring above options and possibly providing a list of "favorites" or other user definable options.
Fear is the Mind Killer - Frank Herbert -Dune

Bastian-Bux
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#2 Post by Bastian-Bux »

You forgot two requirements:

* the player needs to be able to replace his mouse pointer with a nasty looking tool of destruction

* the assistent must be able to try and avoid beeing shoot, and if shoot die horribly^^.

DEATH to the pokemons.
Wenn du die Macht hättest die Geschichte zu ändern, wo würdest du anfangen. Und viel wichtiger, wo aufhören?

If you had the power to change history, where would you start? And more importantly, where would you stop?

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utilae
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#3 Post by utilae »

He he, I thought people would be sick of those office assistants by now. It would be cool for entertainment, especially if you could kill the darn thing. Maybe you could search through the encylopedia through the assistant. Or maybe it could add some comedy by making wacky comments on your actions. Maybe you could get assistants that are serious, some that are comedic, some that are paranoid, etc. So a serious one would make serious comments, while a paranoid one would go nuts.

discord
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#4 Post by discord »

i have one word for this idea.
'no'.
or if you for some IDIOTIC reason want to spend valuable resources on something like that, make it optional, and by default OFF!

//discord

Ablaze
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#5 Post by Ablaze »

I'm amused. When the shooting starts he should dive behind some panel or button and then poke his little head out when the shooting stops and grovel.

"Ohh thank you for sparing my life, master, I promise to do better next time."

BLAM!

"MY TITLE IS YOUR IMMINENCE"
Time flies like the wind, fruit flies like bananas.

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utilae
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#6 Post by utilae »

discord wrote:i have one word for this idea.
'no'.
or if you for some IDIOTIC reason want to spend valuable resources on something like that, make it optional, and by default OFF!

//discord
Naturally it would be an optional feature. Default off, maybe, but easily able to be turned on in options.

Bastian-Bux
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#7 Post by Bastian-Bux »

If its killable, its ok for me.

I remember that one gaming fair just a year after that boom of nagging lill toys which wanted to be taken care at all times..

At one place they sold this thingies for cheap. So a guy was standing there, buying one, getting his swiss knife out, and hitting that toy again and again with the knife:

DIE, DIE, DIE

ok, gimme one more

DIE, DIE, DIE

....


Must have been a teacher. :twisted:
Wenn du die Macht hättest die Geschichte zu ändern, wo würdest du anfangen. Und viel wichtiger, wo aufhören?

If you had the power to change history, where would you start? And more importantly, where would you stop?

Ran Taro
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#8 Post by Ran Taro »

discord wrote:i have one word for this idea.
'no'.
or if you for some IDIOTIC reason want to spend valuable resources on something like that, make it optional, and by default OFF!

//discord
Proposing different ideas isn't idiotic, being abusive to someone coming up with them is.

Ranos
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#9 Post by Ranos »

This is a great idea!!
discord wrote:i have one word for this idea.
'no'.
or if you for some IDIOTIC reason want to spend valuable resources on something like that, make it optional, and by default OFF!
You're just always so polite discord. Lets practice being nice to people. Here's a little test that anyone can take:

If you don't like something somebody suggested you should:

a) Say you don't like the idea and state why.
b) Not say anything at all.
c) Either a or b.
d) Mouth off and insult the person which past experience should have taught you, only gets you banned.

If you answered c, then you are correct. If you answered d, then you are discord.

If this is done, it should be by done by a volunteer who isn't heavily invloved in the actual programming of the game. That would prevent this little fun but unnecessary project from interfering with the actual work of the game.
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Moriarty
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#10 Post by Moriarty »

It seems this idea only really has one real question to solve based on the responses, how many times should you be able to kill it, and how many different ways would their be to kill it? 8)

We certainly have a budding collection of not-entirely-benevolent dictators around here. :twisted:


This could provide a little comedy value.
A little known game called ballerburg that i recently bought does something similar. The aim of the game is to run a castle and fire cannons/catapults etc at the enemy castles. When you hit the enemy one of your "serfs" pops up and says something like "You have a funny way of asking for firewood". Or you miss with a long shot: "You're supposed to be aiming at the enemy castle. Not squirrels in the forest BEHIND the castle" etc.
They can be turned off, but i find them quite amusing. The key is to have lots and lots of them so they arn't repetative.

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Prokonsul Piotrus
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#11 Post by Prokonsul Piotrus »

The idea has some merit as a comedy tool, but I think that is is way less important then most other stuff mentioned in brainstorming. I'd put the 'assistant' as 'the things to do after we have 1.0 and wonder what to do next' and forget about it for now.
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utilae
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#12 Post by utilae »

It's funny.

We think of lots of things that should go in the game after v1.0.

Sejant Chimera
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Re: Animated Todying, Groveling Assistent Wanted

#13 Post by Sejant Chimera »

Impaler wrote:I have been thinking it would be nice to have an OPTIONAL, little animated assistent that entertain and help the player much like that little paperclip thing in MS word.
As long as it doesn't sneer when you make a mistake as the paperclip in MS Word does, I don't mind :)

Seriously though, while I'm not too sure about having an assistant wondering around with the through the whole game, I did miss the assistants in MOO2 who appeared whenever you invented a new tech, captured a new tech or so on. It seemed like real progress when a scientist appeared and explained that your empire had discovered fast missile racks, or in SMAC when you saw the doors close on your greatest adversary now left to suffer in a punishment sphere, rather then the boring vague mention you got in the status report of MOO3.

Impaler
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#14 Post by Impaler »

The groveling assistant isn't nessarily the one who introduces your Science sucesses (a more ecientist looking character would be better for that). I think of them more as the "Emperors personal Secretary". Most of the time their simply a vehicle for Sit-Rep delivery and various managment tools. Its customizable enough to provide some humorous content and not critical to the playing the game so it can be deactivated if so desired.

It seems most people are strongly leaning towards making its a post 1.0 optional project. That sertainly seems reasonable considering that considerably more work needs to be completed just to get to 1.0
Fear is the Mind Killer - Frank Herbert -Dune

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