Post by monkeyking on Jul 19, 2011 14:37:56 GMT -5
I have been reading the Patrick O'brian's Aubrey Maturin Series. It got me thinking I would like an RPG or adventure game based on that series, but the obvious flaw is the sea.
Captaining a ship around is not an easy task to do even in mild simulation. For the sailing and sea warfare to be even slightly accurate and for the game to be fun for most people you would need the sailing to be done for people. I would certainly provide an avenue for player to take on the role of a captain telling the boat where to do and what sails to lay or furl away, and even allow for battle decisions to be made. However, I think in my RPG I would make the choices for playable characters somewhat more flexible. Being the doctor or a supernumerary onboard the ship would be a much more interesting game play experience.
The players would thus be surrounded by NPC that ran the ship, ran the guns in and out during battles, rowed the gigs when you wanted to go ashore, and did all those things in perfect sea manly fashion. You as the player could be a doctor, naturalist, spy, soldier, or some other more flexible character who could participate in all the actions aboard ship without having to deal with the steering ort tactics of fighting on the ships. That means you have free run of the ship at all times, you can climb anywhere talk to anyone, and would be free to leave the boat because your responsibilities would be that of a supernumerary. So yes you could help with firing a gun, boarding an enemy ship, sword fighting on the quarterdeck if you wished; but you could also grab a musket and fighting from the rigging as a sharp shooter or attend to helping with the wounded below decks.
When we play military shooters games you do not play as a Major or Coronel, no you play as a grunt or at most a Lieutenant if it is a game about SCREWING UP by killing everyone! So why in all these sea warfare games do they make you navigate the ship, fire the cannons, furl the sails, and acts as seaman, shipwright, master, boson, leftenient and captain all at once? In sea warfare games it should be about great game play, not about tedious detail. There is room for such games to be sure, there are people who would love nothing better than taking on all the roles and tediously tacking their ships around, but that is NOT the only or best use of that game ‘world’.
I just think it would be an interesting game-space to play within for long. As an RPG even aboard ship, there would be tasks to do, mysteries to solve, etc. On shore, you could explore ports cities with all their nefarious activities too. Overall, I think a 19th century sea adventure game where you not bogged down with being the captain of the ship would be awesome.
Captaining a ship around is not an easy task to do even in mild simulation. For the sailing and sea warfare to be even slightly accurate and for the game to be fun for most people you would need the sailing to be done for people. I would certainly provide an avenue for player to take on the role of a captain telling the boat where to do and what sails to lay or furl away, and even allow for battle decisions to be made. However, I think in my RPG I would make the choices for playable characters somewhat more flexible. Being the doctor or a supernumerary onboard the ship would be a much more interesting game play experience.
The players would thus be surrounded by NPC that ran the ship, ran the guns in and out during battles, rowed the gigs when you wanted to go ashore, and did all those things in perfect sea manly fashion. You as the player could be a doctor, naturalist, spy, soldier, or some other more flexible character who could participate in all the actions aboard ship without having to deal with the steering ort tactics of fighting on the ships. That means you have free run of the ship at all times, you can climb anywhere talk to anyone, and would be free to leave the boat because your responsibilities would be that of a supernumerary. So yes you could help with firing a gun, boarding an enemy ship, sword fighting on the quarterdeck if you wished; but you could also grab a musket and fighting from the rigging as a sharp shooter or attend to helping with the wounded below decks.
When we play military shooters games you do not play as a Major or Coronel, no you play as a grunt or at most a Lieutenant if it is a game about SCREWING UP by killing everyone! So why in all these sea warfare games do they make you navigate the ship, fire the cannons, furl the sails, and acts as seaman, shipwright, master, boson, leftenient and captain all at once? In sea warfare games it should be about great game play, not about tedious detail. There is room for such games to be sure, there are people who would love nothing better than taking on all the roles and tediously tacking their ships around, but that is NOT the only or best use of that game ‘world’.
I just think it would be an interesting game-space to play within for long. As an RPG even aboard ship, there would be tasks to do, mysteries to solve, etc. On shore, you could explore ports cities with all their nefarious activities too. Overall, I think a 19th century sea adventure game where you not bogged down with being the captain of the ship would be awesome.