Hey there, I wanted to share here a suggestion regarding an existing game concept that I find really interesting, but I feel does not get a proper introduction. The rival system is, from what I’ve played, very unique. It contributes to both character customisation and worldbuilding, and is a neat way to farm treasure charts that does not feel grindy. As such, I decided to try and give it an introduction in the storyline, that would encourage new players to engage with it.
Main Idea:
When a player starts the Iris the Anomaly story quest, a level 20 criminal NPC will spawn in one of the multiple new dedicated spawn locations in Frostmill island, between the frost brigand spawn area, and the Iris spawn area.
(If more than 3 players have the quest at the same time, the associated NPC’s spawn is queued)
This NPC will aggro onto the player, forcing them to kill it. When the NPC is killed, he will say a dialogue expressing his will to take his revenge, with an emphasis put on his name. The quest will update so that no quest NPC associated with that player can spawn anymore, and it is considered as if the player had killed a bounty board NPC (adds one to the rival metre)
When the player reaches level 40, this criminal will appear on wanted boards, at level 45, only the player will be able to hunt him. Their poster will also appear with a crimson glow around it, when selecting it, a caption will read “You recognise a familiar foe”. Just like Evander, they will occasionally try to hunt the player, he can also sail the bronze sea using a caravel. Killing them once again (no matter whether you get his bounty or not), will add another level to the rival metre. Then, a hint will pop up, explaining that if the player wishes to make this criminal his rival, he should hunt him again, and if he does not, he can simply hunt another. A more lengthy explanation will also be included as its own page in the guide book. if they are not killed before the story is further completed, their level will be increased to one slightly higher than the player’s.
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After completing Chapter 2 - Part 17: The Order’s Hideout (2), their level will increase to 65
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After completing Chapter 3 - Part 24: Escaping the Dungeons, their level will increase to 85
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After completing Chapter 4 - Part 30: Mysterious Bloodline, their level will increase to 105
Story dialogues will also hint at your rival, in order to lead new players to the bounty board
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In the dialogue in Chapter 2 - Part 1: Ravenna’s Secret, Ren will mention he felt the player was being followed, through his sensing
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In the dialogue in Chapter 3 - Part 2: Order Rumors, Morden will advise the player to be wary of a wanted criminal sailing in the Sailor’s lodge proximity, mentioning their alleged name (the same one as the player will have seen on Frostmill island).
Extra:
If this concept is to be added to the game, including the ship pursuit part, I believe it could be neat to have the criminal keep doing this when they becomes your rival, however I do understand the issues and annoyances that would come with it.
Pros:
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Like I stated in the introduction, I think that this feature is a great showcase of the game’s attention to detail, its showcase to new players could probably help with retention, at least to some players.
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These newly upgraded criminals could also provide a challenge for lower level players.
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Most importantly, if you keep the rival the story has assigned you, which I believe is what most would do, it develops your character within the game itself, and opens up the possibility of references to this rival, or even entire side quests dedicated to them.
Cons:
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This could feel overwhelming to some newer players, though that could be compensated by level balancing.
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When creating new slots, this would act as more of an inconvenience.
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Dialogues would require quite a bit of work in order not to feel tacked on.
Thank you for reading this, I’m open to any and all questions and precisions. If you have criticism, I’m very much open, and looking forward to it, however do make sure to make it constructive, thanks !