If Karbo put you in charge of directing a Felarya video game

First off, I'd have to do more research. I'm a relativer newcomer, my knowledge limited to the manga, browsing DeviantART and the wiki. I'm old enough to witness the horrors of idiots who Did Not Do The Research. Captain N anyone?

That being said, my ideal Felarya game would be a 3D beat-'em-up/RPG, just like X-Men Legends. That game...was the best licensed game ever, giving me hours of nerdy bliss in awe of how all the characters were done justice. Felarya deserves the same treatment.

But for a Felarya action/RPG, I'd have the gameplay split between two 'teams' you can put together. To see Felarya the way its predators do, at times you'd put together a four-member 'Predator' team, with choices like Crisis, Anna, Subeta, Melany, Vivian, Garnet, Jade, Erica, Violet, and probably plenty others. Other times the game would put you in control of a four-man 'Explorer' team (calling them Prey would be off-putting to the uninitiated). Lea is the obvious choice as front-runner of this team. Her teammates could be Mezzus, Aimi and Isham, and even Voidfingers and Telekline from the manga. I'd even put in the fairy Lily, just so that team has at least one flier. For the major dangers this team faces, that's a perfect opportunity to throw in predators that couldn't be playable characters: mermaids, dryads and slug girls. I can easily see a boss battle with Anko: trick her into using her tongue, dodge so it instead hits some metal object Mezzus or Lea used an ice spell on, and get in some quick hits while Anko's tongue is stuck.

Naturally, the game would need some overarching, epic plot to keep it moving and have both teams eventually working toward the same goal. That would naturally be a job for Karbo. Hopefully it would still have Lesona from the manga as a villain, as I can't see a more conniving and threatening Big Bad for a Felarya action/RPG. The fact that she's human at the end of the day, and not a massive predator, makes her SCARIER in my eyes.

Anyway, I'd look forward to areas where you control not one team, but BOTH. For example, I can see some level set deep in or under Ur-Sagol, where the Predator team gets stuck at certain barriers (magical or physical), switching the game over to the Explorer team to find a switch or whatever so the Predator team can advance. This could even apply to bosses. I can see a sequence where Crisis lays a butt-whooping on a uber-predator, holding it still so Lea moves in with some Quick Time Event uber-move.

As for how some of the characters would play....
Crisis & Jade: purely physical fighters, best two in the game
Anna Demorah: excellent variety, with mid-range electrified tail strikes and long-range high-tech weaponry
Vivian: magic for mid-range and her staff for short-range, plus illusions and hypnotism
Lea: a lot like Vivian minus the illusions
Garnet: mostly magic, able to hurl bigger chunks of rock and make bigger quakes as she levels up
Subeta: quick flying attacks, scanning spells...and her gloved hand enlarging for a finishing blow a la Battletoads
Violet: poison claw attacks, attacks based on her webbing

One final thought: X-Men Legends ended with Mastermold, a gigantic mutant-killing machine. Just what the HELL would be the equivalent for a team of Felaryan predators? Do we wanna know?

Well, seeing how I've only played one role-playing game (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles), I don't think my Felarya game would be anything like that. I'd go with a more of a beat'em up game starring humans. It would be as violent and bloody as I could make it without putting myself in a position to not make any money off of it. Now that I think about it, it would be a lot like Left 4 Dead 2. That game gave me such lovely nightmares!

What about an adventure game without fighting? Felarya's supposed to be funny, and characters who use their wits are encouraged. If anyone has played Space Quest or Monkey Island, you'll know what I'm talking about.

gt500x wrote:

Well, seeing how I've only played one role-playing game (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles), I don't think my Felarya game would be anything like that. I'd go with a more of a beat'em up game starring humans. It would be as violent and bloody as I could make it without putting myself in a position to not make any money off of it. Now that I think about it, it would be a lot like Left 4 Dead 2. That game gave me such lovely nightmares!

Well, my hypothetical scenario was making a game so KARBO could profit from it, and later getting your cut.

I was actually just thinking about this, and I've got an idea...

How about a parody of survival-horror games, like Resident Evil, Dead Space, etc? Felarya is a ridiculously dangerous place full of voracious and, from my point of view, anyway, rather disturbing creatures. Running and hiding and fighting tooth and nail to survive as a human in this no-man's-land where the enemies are almost all gigantic and where nearly everything is out to get you would provide plenty of horrific scenarios. However, as much as I love survival-horror, I'll be the first one to tell you the genre is riddled with cliches, like ominous writing on the walls, apocalyptic logs, gratuitous jump-scares, sudden flashbacks and hallucinations, so on. There's a lot to make fun of there, and with some clever writing and ideas, there could be a lot of great jokes to balance out the horror elements. I can just imagine the ominous writing on a surface near where you encounter Vivian: "YES, THEY'RE REAL, AND NO, YOU WON'T GET TO TOUCH THEM".

if Karbo would put me in chared of directing the Felarya game I would probblely make it the way Greyman would.

but then again I might as well let someone else do the directing(mainly because I've never directed anything before).

Stabs wrote:

What about an adventure game without fighting? Felarya's supposed to be funny, and characters who use their wits are encouraged. If anyone has played Space Quest or Monkey Island, you'll know what I'm talking about.

I know where you're coming from, but a banjo playing contest with a pirate suit wearing Anko who eats you after shooting her banjo with your gun might not be the best game experience, in my honest opinion.

Normally I'm an RTS guy, but I suppose that wouldn't work.

I'm not entirely sure. A free-roam game would have its advantages, since Felarya is a world of adventure, but it'd also be a MASSIVE undertaking, unless you were restricted only to certain areas. On the other hand, a level-based or linear story would have the advantage of better-realized environments and gameplay.

If it were to be sandbox, something similar to the Fallout series would be a good fit (although I'd hope to see a greater stress on the RPG elements, like in FO2, with side-characters that do more than just follow you and shoot stuff). Turn-based combat could be an option, but it's becoming increasingly unpopular among the majority of the poser gamer community.

In fact, combat is my main concern. While God of War excelled at giving players massive opponents to fight, most of us would agree that we don't need a Kratos character rampaging through Felarya. Cool in GoW, not so cool in Felarya. The way I see it, the problem is this: there's no one way of fighting for Felaryan adventurers. Some would use guns, others spells, others agility and speed, and most would use a combination of several factors. When it comes to weapons and spells, you also have a massive variety! For this reason, you'd either have to go with pre-set characters, or just have choices on character creation that can't possibly include that crazy list.

Personally, I think something like the Kingdom Hearts combat engine would work well, with some tweaks. It had its share of large enemies, real-time combat (even if it was quite repetitive), and the ability to work spells into swordplay. Now, I'd advise giving a little more variety to combat. I haven't played Dragon Age 2 yet, but I've heard that combat (though it has its share of flaws) is based upon proper application of class skills and timing. So that's good, I guess. I don't like class systems, but it may be unavoidable.

Now, Stabs brings up a good point. Fighting your way through everything is a good way to get worn out. After all, Felarya has no shortage of threats, but you do have a shortage of ammo and stamina. I would love to see the opportunity for skill puzzles (and I do NOT mean repetitive platforming or pushing blocks around!), character interaction, or other non-combat methods of passing an obstacle. There could be some funny parts (I've always seen Felarya as having a little dark humor anyways... this is, after all, a world of sapient creatures who find it amusing to watch other sapient creatures be eaten whole), but there's a line between having jokes here and there, and just being plain cartoony.

All in all, I'm no game designer. I really only have a basic idea of what can and can't be done. In the end, I'm forced to use existing models and engines to predict what's doable and how to implement it.

Given that the Felarya we know so far is only one region of what we assume is a continent, just imagine the size the world map would have to be. Plus, in order to keep in the spirit of Felarya's danger, it would have to batshit insane difficult, like Demon's Souls level of hard. At least in the wilderness.

There have been a couple of game discussions regarding Felarya in the past and I think it was all agreed that it would be too much effort. Personally, I'd say we wait until we're more insane before trying to make a game out of the setting.

To be honest, I have to agree there.

To answer the original question I'd probably freak out and faint from excitement

Mine would be an MMORPG with some shooter and Sims elements as well. And would be rated A for AWESOME!

ZionAtriedes wrote:

In fact, combat is my main concern. While God of War excelled at giving players massive opponents to fight, most of us would agree that we don't need a Kratos character rampaging through Felarya. Cool in GoW, not so cool in Felarya.

While I whole heartedly disagree with what you said, I will fight to the death to defend your right to say it.

(To be clear, we're talking about Kratos and no OC immitations of him.)

I shall agree with what Zion said actually. Felarya is about survival, not brute-forcing everything.

I think a game about an adventurer trying to avoid predators with very few, if any, ways to defend yourself from giants would be more fun and challenging than some game about some giant super-soldier that blows everything up and whatnot.

And to answer the question, I don't think Karbo has any experience when it comes to game development. It's a rather difficult process.

...says a Pokemon lover.

Whatever. Different strokes for different folks. Just don't disrespect.

^^

Well I haven't any experience in coding and programmation indeed.
But I believe the kind of games which would work better with Felarya are RPGs type indeed for the interraction with the world. Now you can have them under many different forms, from the classic "walk around the world map and fight random encounters" ( final fantasy ) , to more real time hack and slash based ( zelda ) or even platformers ( Faxanadu , sorry very old one but can't think of another at the moment ^^ )
As for the style I would definitely go more for something 2d and quite cartoony rather than realistic 3d I think. I tend to be a bit cautiou with 3d ^^;

I had a moment of pause yesterday after reading some comments. I understand that not everyone likes over the top violence but that doesn't mean you can say something isn't needed in Felarya. This thread is a about what each person would like to see in a game. Everyone has a different view point. I don't want to feel like there's a lack of respect for certain ideas and things that don't match our own preferences.

Karbo, frankly I don't think I'd enjoy your idea for a game, BUT that's just me. I can't tell you it's not what Felarya needs... not just because Felarya is your creation, but because you are entitled to your viewpoint as a member of the community. I should and I will respect your opinion on the matter.

(I'm going to take a little time off to sort myself out before I decide to post the things I've been working on.)

Karbo wrote:

Well I haven't any experience in coding and programmation indeed.
But I believe the kind of games which would work better with Felarya are RPGs type indeed for the interraction with the world. Now you can have them under many different forms, from the classic "walk around the world map and fight random encounters" ( final fantasy ) , to more real time hack and slash based ( zelda ) or even platformers ( Faxanadu , sorry very old one but can't think of another at the moment ^^ )
As for the style I would definitely go more for something 2d and quite cartoony rather than realistic 3d I think. I tend to be a bit cautiou with 3d ^^;

Don't take this the wrong way, Karbo, but for the lighthearted animated look you need not stick to 2D. Look to the PS2, with Kingdom Hearts and Sly Cooper, or the X-Men Legends came that I said I'd model a Felarya game after. That definitely had a comic book visual style.

Also, reading the comments, there's something I just don't get. Maybe it's because I mostly know of Felarya through the e-manga, but I don't get this insistence that a Felarya game be solely from the perspective of nameless humans or nekos stuck there. I guess I see it like the Godzilla franchise, where fans are attached to the monsters themselves and expect to play as them in games. I don't get why Felarya fans wouldn't want to play as Crisis, Anna, Vivian and the rest. That's why I suggested splitting a Felarya RPG between two teams so the world is seen from both sides.

gt500x wrote:

I had a moment of pause yesterday after reading some comments. I understand that not everyone likes over the top violence but that doesn't mean you can say something isn't needed in Felarya. This thread is a about what each person would like to see in a game. Everyone has a different view point. I don't want to feel like there's a lack of respect for certain ideas and things that don't match our own preferences.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing God of War. I personally loved it. That series was very enjoyable, and the over-the-top action was part of its charm. What I meant was that I don't see it fitting with Felarya, as Karbo himself has said he doesn't think it does. Like I said: it's cool in God of War, but not so much in Felarya.

Greyman wrote:

I guess I see it like the Godzilla franchise, where fans are attached to the monsters themselves and expect to play as them in games. I don't get why Felarya fans wouldn't want to play as Crisis, Anna, Vivian and the rest. That's why I suggested splitting a Felarya RPG between two teams so the world is seen from both sides.

Felarya has different viewpoints. I, for one, do not at all sympathize with the predators. Some do, some don't. (We've had discussions about this, and I do not plan on repeating them right now.)

Greyman wrote:

for the lighthearted animated look you need not stick to 2D. Look to the PS2, with Kingdom Hearts and Sly Cooper, or the X-Men Legends came that I said I'd model a Felarya game after. That definitely had a comic book visual style.

Well sure but the problem with 3d is it's a bit all or nothing I think.
You can indeed get a great result with 3d but that means having a very solid team.. if you go halfway, you'll often end up with a result that looks pretty terrible. I think the 2d is more flexible and forgiving in that. My opinion is that 3d can be very nice but it's easier to mess up than 2d.

Karbo wrote:

Greyman wrote:

for the lighthearted animated look you need not stick to 2D. Look to the PS2, with Kingdom Hearts and Sly Cooper, or the X-Men Legends came that I said I'd model a Felarya game after. That definitely had a comic book visual style.

Well sure but the problem with 3d is it's a bit all or nothing I think.
You can indeed get a great result with 3d but that means having a very solid team.. if you go halfway, you'll often end up with a result that looks pretty terrible. I think the 2d is more flexible and forgiving in that. My opinion is that 3d can be very nice but it's easier to mess up than 2d.

That's pretty much Mind Jack in a nutshell.

Greyman wrote:

Also, reading the comments, there's something I just don't get. Maybe it's because I mostly know of Felarya through the e-manga, but I don't get this insistence that a Felarya game be solely from the perspective of nameless humans or nekos stuck there. I guess I see it like the Godzilla franchise, where fans are attached to the monsters themselves and expect to play as them in games. I don't get why Felarya fans wouldn't want to play as Crisis, Anna, Vivian and the rest. That's why I suggested splitting a Felarya RPG between two teams so the world is seen from both sides.

I would have to agree with Greyman on the game play with two teams(mainly because I like the idea of playing as one group from there viewpoint and then shifting to the other group and playing from there viewpoint and then shifting from group to group as you play through the game)


as for 2d and 3d if there would be plans for a secound Felarya game I would say make the first game 2d(like the old Final Fantasy games)and then make the secound game 3d.

well thats just my idea on the matter if anyone doesn't like my idea please feel free to quote me sorry if I didn't help the matter at all

Greyman wrote:

I guess I see it like the Godzilla franchise, where fans are attached to the monsters themselves and expect to play as them in games. I don't get why Felarya fans wouldn't want to play as Crisis, Anna, Vivian and the rest.

Oldman is now imagining Anna roaring with a Godzilla roar, as her scales light up before she shoots out an "atomic breath" beam attack.

Sounds like a fun idea.

Oldman40k2003 wrote:

Oldman is now imagining Anna roaring with a Godzilla roar, as her scales light up before she shoots out an "atomic breath" beam attack.

I guarantee we'll see a bit of art about that within a month, hopefully by Karbo himself.

As for this whole '2D or 3D' thing...I'd like to think 3D would have a lot of benefits. For example, say if Crisis got caught in some sort of trap set in the jungle, and control switches to Lea who has to free her. In 3D, it'd be easier to do things like Lea jumping from branch to branch, then aiming with a staff and taking out the rope/chains/whatever. Just my thoughts. With the right camerawork, something like that could convey how awe-inspiring Felarya is.