Moonpearl's Workshop: keywords

Feb 24, 2012

Verbal Interaction System

Verbal Interaction takes the Keywords system one step further. It's still about using keywords, but now actions are also keywords - meaning you'll have to specify whether you want to examine, open, pick up objects, just like in good ol' Lucas Arts. This is perfect for puzzles because the player is forced to give a little thinking to what he does, clicking anywhere like crazy doesn't accomplish anything, unlike in your everyday RPG.

Features

Programming responses to actions with the eventing system is as easy as: if selected action is PICK UP, then change items ("Potion" +1)
Cycle through known actions using the HUD
Each object is assigned a default action with a specific button as shortcut
You may also eaasily combine items from your inventory with objects

Screenshots

Download

Click the following link to download this script. Terms of use and instructions are provided within. Please credit me if you use it in your own project. A nice comment is always appreciated.

Download Verbal Interaction System v1.00 (247 KB)

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Jan 5, 2012

Keywords System

How do you make up a puzzle in a standard RPG? Since there's so little interaction (only a single button and choice between 3 options, 4 at best), it usually goes this way:

get stucked and be given an obvious hint that you must find a way through
find a random NPC who gives you an obvious clue you've never asked for
go back to the place you were stucked at and get an obvious choice between use the obvious clue or do nothing
flatter your own intelligence, while you've actually done nothing but run around randomly

What's wrong in there? It's that you get things incidentally; without actually being required to investigate, that's what I call a "self-unfolding game" - it's just a matter of clicking around until it works, even a dumb computer could do it.

Now what if you could give virtually any answer to a given riddle, rather than choose between X options you had not even imagined yourself? What if NPCs would wait for you to prompt them with a topic, and give you clues only in response to the appropriate one? Well, my Keywords System does exactly that.