Pamatronic
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Changes to OBH and status Update
🕑 Added 2023-07-31 17:21:47 +0000 UTCIts been a while, but yes I´m still alive.
The overall reception to the Last Update has been better then expected, there were of course some of the usual fringe cases for some Users for which I don't have an immediate explanation, but overall it seems to be mostly working as intended. There have also been some error reports for which I DO know whats causing them and how to fix them, and they have been adressed.
There will be an update shortly, and I want to talk about some minor changes, stylistic decisions, and the path for us going forward from here.
First of, the campguards will be set to essential. This has the following reason:
If you get caught, the ensuing scene will require some orks to properly work. right now a single one would do, but The more elaborate ones later on probably wont. And If its possible to kill campguards, I´d have to write the scenes in a way which does account for differing numbers of orks, which is a great way to make me go mental. So in order to circumvent that, Ill just make them immortal. And I also think this isn't completely unreasonable lore-wise, since the player at that point is still suffering from the after effects of the poison and therefore just shouldn't have the energy to land a fatal Blow against an hardened Orc. Knocking them into Bleedout and thereby taking em out of the pursuit will of course remain possible.
About camp events:
I have done some thinking over the last weeks, And I think I want a more Immersion based approach for the Entire OBH project then what we currently have for the PA extensions. That means that The Lethal outcomes will mostly be focused on NPC´s (followers especially). Obviously this doesn't mean that the player is safe, But based on the mechanics I´ve seen in submissive Lola, I think I want to make it a bit of a challenge to get yourself killed and thereby reducing the immersion breaking reloads. Loosing your favorite followers as a consequence of bad decisions Is a better gameplay mechanic in my opinion. (Tell me your thoughts about this in the comments)
After the next update, I was planning on a vote.
Directly continuing with the Stronghold will be an option, but for those who want a bit of variety, we can also mix it up with with two new additions to Deadly furnitures. And depending on what our chief writer says, we might even get the Whiterun show trial as an option.
Thats it for now. Talk to you again soon.
Comments
Bob
Sounds amazing - one of the things that appeals to me about the direction you're taking PA in is the shift away from immersion-breaking events to allowing for a continuity in narrative. It allows for a long playthrough even with PA and its add-ons installed, and instead of providing breaks in the narrative, even adds to it. For example, in a recent playthrough, I set up a character that stole to survive and was arrested and eventually sent to be hanged in Whiterun through PA. The struggle/escape mechanic allowed said character to escape, and provided a narrative element to the playthrough - this was a character that cheated death, who would later go on to join the Thieves Guild so as to not be alone facing the short end of the law a second time. Had it just been a straight death sequence, that option wouldn't have been available. This change in direction sounds similar - if the character is caught travelling and loses, say, Lydia or Vorstag or another companion as a result, that adds a lot of narrative heft and PC backstory - perhaps they're motivated to avenge their companion and join the Dark Brotherhood, or swear off crime to honor their memory, etc. It allows the PC to choose a lot of off-rails for their character and progress their development. The best mods allow for a continuity with existing game content, and your recent additions to PA really help that happen. Hats off to you! :)
Flying Leaf
Happy to hear the things went well with the previous update. In regards to the outcome events I do have thoughts: If there's one thing I've learned is that everyone plays Skyrim (and games in general) differently. For people who want a singular and unbroken experience the quickload might be a dreaded button; for people who play to explore all content including the different varieties and options quickload might be a close friend. And then you have weirdos like me: I play Skyrim about once a year for a few weeks, doing a couple of runs: hardcore on legendary. Most of these end really quickly but a few go the distance. And two of those have now been cut short by a very sudden, and very a memorable end via your PA events. So I'm a big fan of lethal events for the player, they make things stick out for me in terms of risk, tension, and possible conclusion. I also don't use followers at all, I find they get in the way so all content with them is kinda lost on me. Because of the above I'm a big proponent of customizability, putting thresholds and chance based sliders into the MCM so players can adjust to their liking and tastes (with your own preference serving as the default settings). The settings I like might be awful to a more singular oriented player, or frustrating to a content exploring player, while I might find their settings boring as I like a lot of risky unpredictability. You work has been pretty modular and fairly customizable so far and personally I hope that trend continues.
SkatingJesus
Good luck for this next update!
