How unique are your worlds?

[Dragonsbrethren]

I've been curious about this lately, and since I have no way to play the RPGM1 games yet and I sold my copy of RPGM2 I really can't play to find out. How unique are you worlds? Do you try to explain everything in your games? Do you use a lot of "real world" references?

I have a really drawn out world for my game, the people have their own religions, governments, and social customs. At one point the different regions spoke differently but I abandoned this, it was too hard for me to do right. Problem is I'm having a hard time explaining this to the player without "breaking the third wall" and I'm starting to think it'd be better to leave some of the explaination out (After all, it'd be very odd for some random person on the street to come up to you and explain how our governments work...).

Then again it's really important to explain this, since it's causing a great war between two of the nations and I don't think the player will "get it" either way. Either I kill the emersion or I leave the player clueless...

[Armor King 108]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

I always try to make my own world. I don't like using real world references. In my RPG Maker 1 game, I had four different Kingdoms (one has lots of knights; another has samurais, ninjas, and dragons; one has lots of animals and demi-humans; and the last is a chain of islands with dramatically different inhabitants and cultures) the Underworld, and the Moon...it's not the most original thing to do actually. Plus, I never made any areas for the Moon (I never finished my game), but I planned on making it unique...

Anyway, about your problem. I don't think it would be too weird to have a book or something that explains the different governments and religions and stuff...But, it would be annoying having a load of text in one book. Notice how most RPGs when you pick a book of the shelf it's rare to even read a paragraph? You could having something like that, but have it be one of many in a library, you know, some kind of historical archives in the library that describes the different forms of government in your world. Just a suggestion.

[Rodak]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

Damn the third wall.

Just have a Birdman pop up on screen and explain everything.

I'm using a monkey (the Gorilla's Storyteller in Pop Art mode).

Why stick to the routine boundries? They are arbitrary and limiting.

And my worlds are always unique because I only do silly things, even using pre-set graphics you can be unique if you are out of your tiny little mind. Like me.

Most of my references are to The Three Stooges or Bugs Bunny.

Peace.

[marcus]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

Lizards that are born to bake pastries

A dead chicken that rules an entire continent

A frog that controls most of the world's trade

And a bird mailman who's prone to going postal

Don't even get me started on my rpgmxp game which is 100% based off my dreams.

Yea, I think my world is unique.

[Omnislash024]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

I make fantasy worlds, nothing realistic. Well except for DHM, that took place on earth. But fantasy type RPGs I use fantasy worlds. In this game I explain a little how the Government works a little bit. Well hard to explain without giving anything away.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

The main character in my game Living Legend is from the past so it makes sense for him to ask a lot of questions and for people to explain the way things are to him. I didn't want to do the book thing because a lot of people just ignore those unless they absolutely have to read it to progress. But if you work your world explanations into the story and dialouge you have to remember to put an option for the player to skip it. Since they might have already played through that part before and had to restart before saving or something. I hate to have to sit through long explanations more than once.

[snake storm]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

i'll only fully know when i finish. for tsubasa it'll be kind of historical, but with exile and delgaia, they'll be pure fantasy.

[Dyne]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

The typical fantasy world. My game takes place in the world of Terra (yes, yes, very common name, but I like it.). It consists of the Six Island Nations (i.e., a field per island). Each Island has its own type of climate: Ice, Grassland, Desert, ect. Pretty ordinary, but I like it.

[Ultimate Gamer]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

My world will have mountains, forest, duengons, a castle, four towns, rivers lakes, graveyard. Thats about it. Pretty much a normal world but there is much more to it.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

Oh, I didn't even describe me world. Well it's a pretty basic fantasy world. The kingdom is named Telria. During the time period of the game there are only a handful of good cities called Havens because they are the only places safe from the Black Queen and the Sorceress's magic. They're named after their elemental locations except for Firsthaven, there's Peakhaven on top of the highest mountain, Brookhaven on the banks of a river, Mysthaven in the misty valley, Pyrehaven at the lip of a volcano, Brighthaven at the North Pole, and Volthaven in the center of a petrified forest (the trees act as lightning rods). There's also a few evil cities and then the big black castle the villains live in.

[Loki]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

That's pretty cool Panda.

My world is called The Kingdom of Little America. It's not fantasy, except it's fantastic. And it's not modern, though there is modern technology. Basicly it's a hogepodge of interesting ideas and places that I've come up with.

[tjoris9]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

My current projects on RPGM3 and RMXP are heavily inspired by D&D, though you don't really get to see a whole lot of the world in the RM3 game.

Then there's Omegablade Saga, which has a couple unique elements to the world, like Gloris, a city named after a flower that only grows in its soil.

I think the most unique idea I have for a game world is my Etherdrive D20 system universe, which is pretty much a hybridization of D&D, D20 Future, and Star Wars.

Then there's the world I created for a regular D&D game, where humans and elves were getting over a war that lasted 50 years. Let's just say the half-elven characters were put in a tough situation in an adventure that took place in the waning years of the war.

[The Toecutter]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

The world on my planned PC and RPGMXP games is this world, but in the future and on a different timeline. Somewhere between Mad Max, John Titor, and Blade Runner, odd as it seems. It's an exagerration of our possible future and will be loaded with satire.

[Aminveloscasin]

Re: How unique are your worlds?

First of all it's breaking the "fourth wall"

In a play there are two sides and back drop, the fourth wall is the audience.

I'm also not sure what you mean by "real world" references.

Having regions speak differently is too difficult for me. Although I do have a few characters with a different dialect, which can still be understood if the player just sounds out the words.

________________________________________________________________
My game lies on the world of Vesglen on the continent of Erathia. The continent is split into seven major kingdoms with two rising city states and
five major religions each with their own form of government. Each major kingdom also had it's prefered battle tactics and specialties.

The important thing about exposition, is to only explain what can't be better resolved in active developement.

My game begins at the end of my game, which creates a clear theme for the player. Then I make the usual introductions with an epilogue on geology. My first two quests for my main character are simple, and they establish my characters class in society and how other characters view the main character & the societal status of that char.

Example
My main character's family are farmers and had a bad harvest last season, and they want their daughter to continue attending the local academy in hopes of going to the capital city and becoming an Imperial Knight. So the main character has to make deliveries, some of the costumers look down on the main character due to their $$, while others don't see the difference in status.
2nd example of active explanation
My main character needs to get some medicine from a certain doctor, who is a follower of Velos but he won't give me the medicine to cure the blacksmith who follows Gorfnaur. This establishes conflict over religion, which can now be looked upon at a larger scale.

I also explain things through the main party by having them investigating and speak to each other when they find certain things or enter certain areas, while leaving the player player to add obvious 1 plus 2. This takes away from full exposition and includes the player in the process.