Unlocking Characters

[Excess]

As Kevin stated, he's not completely happy with how the XP system works right now. Here's my suggestion to overhaul it to unlock characters.

How we unlock the new characters then?

Character would be unlocked by doing certain character-specific actions. It wouldn't be linear, any character could be unlocked at any given time. For example:

• Burn down an Optimus Pine with a torch, unlocks Willow.
• Dig up Wendy's ghost (special tomb marked by statue or "Here lies Wendy" carving), unlocks Wendy
• Destroy a 3 tier spider nest with your bare hands, unlocks Wolfgang

• Burn down 50 trees, unlocks Willow.
• Un-burrow 3 ghosts, unlocks Wendy.
• Carry 64 stones simultaneously, unlocks Wolfgang.

But how do player find out about this?

Off course, for this to work we should be able to see the background image of each character before unlocking them, so you have a hint of what needs to be done. Willow is fairly easy to unlock by accident, who didn't burned a forest down? Once you unlock the first one, you can figure out the other ones.

Also, a hint system should be implemented. Each character would have 3 hint: A vague one, a more direct one and a rather obvious one. In order to encourage survival and discourage grinding, a new hint would be available for every 15 days survived. First the vague hints will appear, and once every character has a vague hint, the direct hints start unlocking. And so on.


90% off the players will run to the forums and read how to unlock them, but the 10% that figure it out themselves (either knowingly or by accident) will have their mind blown.

But what if..?

Ideas? Flaws? Let's hear them. Xacktastic already helped me refine my system, I can't wait to hear what you guys come up with.

[Xacktastic]

Looks good! =D Hopefully it gets some attention.

[burfl]

So Excess, I really like the direction you're going here, but I don't like the fixed number of things you need to do, i.e. "burn down 50 trees". These feel too much like quests to me. I really REALLY liked the article Klei did on quests and why they aren't a part of this game and even though your "quests" aren't presented as obvious objectives, there will still be players who find them in a wiki or a forum or a let's play and then it becomes a quest.

Also, offering a hint every X number of days incentivizes turtling. I think this needs to be designed to incentivize exploration and experiencing everything the game has to offer. For instance, maybe there are hidden things spawned "out there in the world" (I dunno, shrines or something) that you discover to partially unlock a particular character. "Achievements" of sorts sound acceptable as long as they're black and white "I accomplished something" achievements and not World of Warcraft "kill fifty of that guy and collect 75 of the thing he drops".

Perhaps you could unlock the creepy girl for going insane?

[Excess]

I thought about it, but I don't think Klei's article applies here. It's not a quest in the sense that you don't have to do it. Its actually a surprising reward for simply playing the game. Also, it's a one time only thing. It's not like the game in centered around getting x amount of stuff or anything.
Regarding "turtling" and reading about it elsewhere... perhaps you shouldn't have to unlock the hints. They could be available to anyone, but with a warning. Something like...

Are you sure you want another hint right now?
Don't give up, you'll find it!
[YES] [NO]

...perhaps?

[Xacktastic]

I feel like it would work either way, honestly.
Personally I like the idea of a straight up experience bar with multipliers based on days survived.
At the same time, Excess' idea fits into the game better.

[burfl]

I agree for the most part. The only hitch in your plan is people reading about it (perhaps by accident) on the forum. All of a sudden, the "pleasant surprise" factor becomes "must burn 50 trees". When we run out of "must do x" what do we do then?

I just don't like quantifying it is all. Otherwise, it's a great suggestion.

[Excess]

When we run out of "must do x" what do we do then?

Play the game with a whole new character! :P

I insist, I don't think Klei's article would apply here. This "must do"s aren't part of the game. They aren't the games purpose. You still have to survive on your own, with no one to guide you, just like you've already been doing before even thinking about unlocking new characters.
When you encounter a game for the first time that has locked characters, you don't immediately think "OMG, I HAVE to unlock that character RIGHT NOW even before I try this game with the default character!". You don't. You play with the available character and taste the game. That's when Klei so cleverly wispers to the players ears "I'm not your mommy, you are a grown-up, YOU figure out how to survive". By the time you hit a plateau or die several times and start wondering how would be playing with the other characters, that state-of-mind is so burned into the gamers head that no "unburrow 3 ghosts" will snap you out of it.

I just don't like quantifying it is all. Otherwise, it's a great suggestion.

I don't either. How do we avoid this?
Would unburrowing a ghost from a specific tombstone that says "here lies Wendy" count as "unquantifying"? Or is it the same?
How could we go about Willow? Setting Optimus Pine on fire?
And Wolfgang? Destroying a 3 tier spider nest with your bare hands?

[burfl]

I just thought of a good way to explain the point I'm trying to make so I'm double-posting. Sorry.

Try to imagine the following, Excess. You're a new player. You are a bit frustrated that you don't know how to unlock, say Wendy (full disclosure, I don't know the differences between them, so I'm assuming Wendy is the pyro). You jump on the forums and ask "Hey community, how do I unlock the Wendy?". LadyD replies "Just burn down 50 trees!" What do you do next? You tab back into the game and go burn down 50 trees. It's a chore now. But what if LadyD had instead replied "You have to find her diary." What do you do? You tab over and play the game. Because who knows where it spawned? You'll be inspired to explore and maybe even get some story out of the diary.

EDIT: I guess I'm not double posting. You interjected

[burfl]

I don't either. How do we avoid this?
Would unburrowing a ghost from a specific tombstone that says "here lies Wendy" count as "unquantifying"? Or is it the same?
How could we go about Willow? Setting Optimus Pine on fire?
And Wolfgang? Destroying a 3 tier spider nest with your bare hands?

Now you're putting words in my mouth If digging up random graves until the ghost of Wendy appears is the solution, then that's still quantifying in a sense. It's no different than the MMORPG approach of "kill as many bugbears as it takes for them to drop 12 sammiches". But if you have to find a specific grave, with a monument to her, that's a different story. Now it's exploration. It's adventure. It's not just repeating action X until it yields the desired result.

[Excess]

Awesome, I like where this is going. Exploration above chores.

I'll edit the first post to reflect the upgraded system


Keep coming the comments people, let's make this A THING!