Personally I am against mind control vs. the player... as in my opinion it has a way of twisting the gameplay rules to much. Especially in multiplayer...
BUT
If there is a need for it, I think it is important to give the player a counter for it... even before it is released on the player.
For example in a sf rpg the player could witness someone using the mind control against a NPC... and through a few ''obvious'' hint learn that by substituting the evil combat helmet for a armor weak ''tin foil'' helmet (mentioned by someone above in the thread) the mind control will not work...
A good way of mind control in my eyes would be to still allow the player full control but distort the view....
::aggression is the result of fear::
Mind control
quote:Original post by Sandman
If mind control means that some ai/other player gains control of the players avatar, then that would be horrible in an fps, because the player would just be sitting there helpless watching his character do things he doesn''t want.
i don''t think that it would be so bad as long as the player a; comes under the spell of another gradually (like on the scale that i typed above), and b; is able to counter the spell while it is still in it''s forumlative stages. for instance, in the game i''m working on keystrokes initiate actions, like swinging a sword or casting a spell. if under middle control the player''s actions would not work normally, but they could use different combinations, or a repetition of an action, in order to break the spell.
quote:A more interesting way of implementing it would be to manipulate the character by illusions. For example, an illusion might appear to make friendly characters look like horrible, slavering monsters. Enemies might appear as damsels in distress, urging you to rescue them from the horrific beasts that surround them. A better ''mind controller'' might be more subtle.
this i like, although i wouldn''t really file this under mind control in the tradional sense. this is more like perception control, because the character retains free will even during the times that the "control" is the strongest, when distressed damsels cry out and slobbering friends approach menacingly. and once a player knows that what he is seeing is false, then that''s it, the trick is over, and most likely will never again be used effectively against that player. but this is definently something that i would use in a limited sense.
An interesting idea would be if it was split second control depending on the characters level for 1-5 seconds. Just long enough to cause some chaos among the other players. Think about in FPS shoot game you mind control one of the other team for just long enough to drop a genede amonst their own team or unload their assult rifle into there buddies back. Next thing you know they are shooting each other and your a laughing in the shadows wait to see the results. 
-----------------------------------------------------
Writer, Programer, Cook, I'm a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
[edited by - TechnoGoth on October 15, 2003 4:39:29 PM]
[edited by - TechnoGoth on October 15, 2003 4:41:57 PM]
-----------------------------------------------------
Writer, Programer, Cook, I'm a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
[edited by - TechnoGoth on October 15, 2003 4:39:29 PM]
[edited by - TechnoGoth on October 15, 2003 4:41:57 PM]
I think the dual control mind control idea has some potential - it allows the player an intuitive method to "resist" the mind control, and also an obvious way of scaling the intensity of the control.
A couple of ways of making the mind control feel fairer: Allow the player to mind control others. Consider the logic - if someone is attempting to control someone else''s actions, then their own body is going to be immobile and damaging the body of the controller may well weaken or break the control. Combining both ideas, the obvious counter to being mind controlled is to mind control the other person back - they''re going to be vulnerable, and if you''re weaker at mind control, you''re probably physically tougher, so will require more work to suicide...
The big problem with Krez'' "hypnosis" suggestion is that, as it stands, it requires a robust method of evaluating which actions are or aren''t in character. This sounds like a pretty hard AI problem.
The illusion idea could work, but it would be hard to allow player characters to use the ability.
Another example of games where mind control has been doen successfully: the early XCOM games (UFO to Apocalypse) featured mind control - initially restricted to enemies controlling your units, but with the right research, you could unlock the same powers for your (wo)men. As with Final Fantasy, you have control of multiple units, so losing a small number of them is not disastrous but in XCOM, as long as the enemy is willing to keep putting in the effort to control a unit, you can''t do anything about getting it back (apart from incapacitating or controlling the controller)
A couple of ways of making the mind control feel fairer: Allow the player to mind control others. Consider the logic - if someone is attempting to control someone else''s actions, then their own body is going to be immobile and damaging the body of the controller may well weaken or break the control. Combining both ideas, the obvious counter to being mind controlled is to mind control the other person back - they''re going to be vulnerable, and if you''re weaker at mind control, you''re probably physically tougher, so will require more work to suicide...
The big problem with Krez'' "hypnosis" suggestion is that, as it stands, it requires a robust method of evaluating which actions are or aren''t in character. This sounds like a pretty hard AI problem.
The illusion idea could work, but it would be hard to allow player characters to use the ability.
Another example of games where mind control has been doen successfully: the early XCOM games (UFO to Apocalypse) featured mind control - initially restricted to enemies controlling your units, but with the right research, you could unlock the same powers for your (wo)men. As with Final Fantasy, you have control of multiple units, so losing a small number of them is not disastrous but in XCOM, as long as the enemy is willing to keep putting in the effort to control a unit, you can''t do anything about getting it back (apart from incapacitating or controlling the controller)
Author
Thanx again!
I might just have different levels of mind control.
And it would only be in higher levels.
I might just have different levels of mind control.
And it would only be in higher levels.
You could handle the mind control as more of a goal.
I.e. controller A casts a spell on subject B to go pull the lever on the other side of the board. The player, while still having full control, has x amount of time to accomplish the task (or break the spell some how) or take some penalty.
I.e. controller A casts a spell on subject B to go pull the lever on the other side of the board. The player, while still having full control, has x amount of time to accomplish the task (or break the spell some how) or take some penalty.
Depends on the genre but...
What I could see as being a nice way of implanting this would be to have the control last only an arbitrairly short amount of time (perhaps a few turns). Then, the controlled player regains control and immediately knows who controlled him and what has happened. Maybe even take it to an extreme and get a "feeling" as to where, more or less, the control was issued from. Furthermore, control cannot be issued more than once per, say... I dunno, hour?
So yeah. You can control someone but then you''ll most likely be hunted down by some really angry player.
What I could see as being a nice way of implanting this would be to have the control last only an arbitrairly short amount of time (perhaps a few turns). Then, the controlled player regains control and immediately knows who controlled him and what has happened. Maybe even take it to an extreme and get a "feeling" as to where, more or less, the control was issued from. Furthermore, control cannot be issued more than once per, say... I dunno, hour?
So yeah. You can control someone but then you''ll most likely be hunted down by some really angry player.
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
