Post by Tokrochiru on Oct 11, 2011 0:26:08 GMT -5
Hey, before I get started posting more locations and the like, I thought I might make this thread. This should answer a good deal of questions people who are curious might have about Ark Ethos.
How is Ark Ethos different from Kyril? - Aside from the more sci-fi oriented setting (space travel and all that good stuff), the format is very much different. Profiles for Ark Ethos are quite a bit different than ones for Kyril. Furthermore, Ark Ethos is NOT a sandbox. This isn't an RP where the objective is to wander around and do whatever you want. It's more like a Bioware RPG, except with even more of an emphasis on free choice. The very premise of the RP is to present the RPer with moral dilemmas, difficult decisions, and heavy consequences for just about every conceivable action. You may have the chance to destroy an entire solar system at the push of a button, but even then, would it actually be a bad thing? Would you kill/arrest a scientist working on a cure for a deadly plague because he's been performing terrible experiments on people in order to obtain the cure? How far would you go to end galactic depression? It's all up to you. Whatever you choose, that decision will stay with you forever, and shape the universe around you.
How is the RP going to progress? Are you going to post seperate threads for different events in different locations like Kyril? - In Ark Ethos, RP threads are split by mission. Throughout, your character (and I mean ONE character) will go on missions, either because you were sent by your commanding officer or you simply decided to embark on it yourself. These missions will be numbered 1 through 10, and each be given a name. The missions you go on will be determined by your actions. I mean, you can't go on a mission to save the Secretary of Defense for the fourth mission if he already died in the second one, right? After the tenth mission, the game will end, and you'll get your ending, which will be determined by who you chose to side with, and what you did. My objective is to throw as many mentally challenging moral/philosophical/logical dilemmas as I can without it becoming a nuisance. This should naturally cause each player's character to develop more quickly and strongly, since they are challenged, rewarded and punished more often.
This reminds me of R2C a bit... - In some ways, it's very similar to R2C. This RP isn't meant to last as long as it can; it lasts until the campaign ends. It's the equivalent of one really long campaign that decides everything, like R2C. Of course, R2C was not canon to the Solliusverse, so it differentiates from R2C in that whatever happens here is canon. It's also much less steel-balls-hard than R2C. While the danger of death is there, and always will be, most of the time, you'll be captured instead of killed. If your character IS killed, it will not be anticlimactic. I made a promise to myself to not allow any character to go without a humongous bang. If your character dies, she/he will probably save billions of lives, or do something of equal value. There are no pointless deaths in this RP.
What's the setting like? - Gritty. You probably already know coming in here that it's mostly sci-fi with some fantasy elements (magic exists), but there's a lot more to the setting than just that. The setting, in comparison to Kyril and Ankaa, is incredibly depressing. The entire galaxy is in an economic depression. People are eating each other alive out of desperation. Vandalism, theft, arson, rape, murder, and generally cruelty have all skyrocketed beyond what the charts can measure. Rape, of course, is downplayed in order to not be cliche. Comic relief, while there, is less abundant and extreme than in Kyril or Ankaa. This should allow people to appreciate the funny moments more, as they are few and far between. Expect to shoot at least one innocent civilian by accident in this. The mood generally stays at a point I'd like to describe as Death Note with more action (no, not Code Geass.). There is also quite a bit less ham in Ark Ethos. The player characters' abilities are pumped up further than Kyril's limits allow, but behavior overall is a bit less extreme.
Will I be able to recycle my old characters into this? - For the most part, unfortunately, no. I don't necessarily mind if you bring a less well known character, or a character who never got to see the light of day into the RP, but only if you can make him/her fit. The reason for this, is while recycling characters in itself isn't a bad thing, it doesn't fit for this RP. This RP, over all else, is supposed to be different, and its characters should reflect that. Don't fret if you REALLY want to bring a character in that you've used before; I might allow an exception. I'm personally using Duster from Kyril since I quite Kyril before allowing him to develop much, so if you've got any characters who have undergone anything similar, feel free to make them.
How does leveling up work? - 500 stat points per mission completed, plus one ability. If you've reached the cap for how many abilities your character can have, you must put it in that character's Ability Bank, where you can store the ability until you want to take another ability out, put THAT ability in the Ability Bank and make room for the new ability.
How do you intend to prevent Ark Ethos from dying like Ankaa did? - Ankaa pretty much died because I railroaded it. I allowed no freedom, and made everything pretty much a run from point A to B. This is also what made WC go stale several times. I'm hoping that the emphasis on free choice, and the consequences of characters' actions will keep people interested. I'm hoping that people will stick around because they want to see what becomes of their efforts. Ark Ethos is much less certain than Kyril, which should make it unique and just as enjoyable.
How are PCs and NPCs handled? - Characters are handled in a way you guys might not be particularly comfortable with, but trust me, if done right, it can provide a much more interesting experience with more surprises and things to hook you in. Each player is only allowed to have one, and I mean ONE character. No exceptions. NPCs, including the ones stated by your character's background, are controlled by moi. Also, your character might be "special" in ways you may not realize. For example, I may decide to make it so your character is actually descended from some extinct alien race, or that your brother is ACTUALLY a spy for an opposing force. These are cliche examples, so these two probably won't actually apply to the character you make, but trust me when I say I've got some surprises planned for him/her. I also plan on giving everyone a nemesis; someone she/he can consider as a rival or a personal enemy. In Slvr's words "it allows things to stay fresh, because there will be more surprising." So far, both Slvr and Advix like this idea. If you can't learn to accept this, then this RP isn't for you. Sorry.
How many players do you need minimum? - This RP can actually work quite well with just one player aside from myself. We don't need a lot of players. In fact, a lot of players would kill it for sure. I'd say 5 players maximum, including myself.
What are your main inspirations for making this RP? What were your "muses"? - Deus Ex, Mass Effect, Warhammer 40k, and Metal Gear Solid.
Well, that's all the questions I can think of that need answering atm. If you guys think anything should be added to this thread, feel free to suggest it.
How is Ark Ethos different from Kyril? - Aside from the more sci-fi oriented setting (space travel and all that good stuff), the format is very much different. Profiles for Ark Ethos are quite a bit different than ones for Kyril. Furthermore, Ark Ethos is NOT a sandbox. This isn't an RP where the objective is to wander around and do whatever you want. It's more like a Bioware RPG, except with even more of an emphasis on free choice. The very premise of the RP is to present the RPer with moral dilemmas, difficult decisions, and heavy consequences for just about every conceivable action. You may have the chance to destroy an entire solar system at the push of a button, but even then, would it actually be a bad thing? Would you kill/arrest a scientist working on a cure for a deadly plague because he's been performing terrible experiments on people in order to obtain the cure? How far would you go to end galactic depression? It's all up to you. Whatever you choose, that decision will stay with you forever, and shape the universe around you.
How is the RP going to progress? Are you going to post seperate threads for different events in different locations like Kyril? - In Ark Ethos, RP threads are split by mission. Throughout, your character (and I mean ONE character) will go on missions, either because you were sent by your commanding officer or you simply decided to embark on it yourself. These missions will be numbered 1 through 10, and each be given a name. The missions you go on will be determined by your actions. I mean, you can't go on a mission to save the Secretary of Defense for the fourth mission if he already died in the second one, right? After the tenth mission, the game will end, and you'll get your ending, which will be determined by who you chose to side with, and what you did. My objective is to throw as many mentally challenging moral/philosophical/logical dilemmas as I can without it becoming a nuisance. This should naturally cause each player's character to develop more quickly and strongly, since they are challenged, rewarded and punished more often.
This reminds me of R2C a bit... - In some ways, it's very similar to R2C. This RP isn't meant to last as long as it can; it lasts until the campaign ends. It's the equivalent of one really long campaign that decides everything, like R2C. Of course, R2C was not canon to the Solliusverse, so it differentiates from R2C in that whatever happens here is canon. It's also much less steel-balls-hard than R2C. While the danger of death is there, and always will be, most of the time, you'll be captured instead of killed. If your character IS killed, it will not be anticlimactic. I made a promise to myself to not allow any character to go without a humongous bang. If your character dies, she/he will probably save billions of lives, or do something of equal value. There are no pointless deaths in this RP.
What's the setting like? - Gritty. You probably already know coming in here that it's mostly sci-fi with some fantasy elements (magic exists), but there's a lot more to the setting than just that. The setting, in comparison to Kyril and Ankaa, is incredibly depressing. The entire galaxy is in an economic depression. People are eating each other alive out of desperation. Vandalism, theft, arson, rape, murder, and generally cruelty have all skyrocketed beyond what the charts can measure. Rape, of course, is downplayed in order to not be cliche. Comic relief, while there, is less abundant and extreme than in Kyril or Ankaa. This should allow people to appreciate the funny moments more, as they are few and far between. Expect to shoot at least one innocent civilian by accident in this. The mood generally stays at a point I'd like to describe as Death Note with more action (no, not Code Geass.). There is also quite a bit less ham in Ark Ethos. The player characters' abilities are pumped up further than Kyril's limits allow, but behavior overall is a bit less extreme.
Will I be able to recycle my old characters into this? - For the most part, unfortunately, no. I don't necessarily mind if you bring a less well known character, or a character who never got to see the light of day into the RP, but only if you can make him/her fit. The reason for this, is while recycling characters in itself isn't a bad thing, it doesn't fit for this RP. This RP, over all else, is supposed to be different, and its characters should reflect that. Don't fret if you REALLY want to bring a character in that you've used before; I might allow an exception. I'm personally using Duster from Kyril since I quite Kyril before allowing him to develop much, so if you've got any characters who have undergone anything similar, feel free to make them.
How does leveling up work? - 500 stat points per mission completed, plus one ability. If you've reached the cap for how many abilities your character can have, you must put it in that character's Ability Bank, where you can store the ability until you want to take another ability out, put THAT ability in the Ability Bank and make room for the new ability.
How do you intend to prevent Ark Ethos from dying like Ankaa did? - Ankaa pretty much died because I railroaded it. I allowed no freedom, and made everything pretty much a run from point A to B. This is also what made WC go stale several times. I'm hoping that the emphasis on free choice, and the consequences of characters' actions will keep people interested. I'm hoping that people will stick around because they want to see what becomes of their efforts. Ark Ethos is much less certain than Kyril, which should make it unique and just as enjoyable.
How are PCs and NPCs handled? - Characters are handled in a way you guys might not be particularly comfortable with, but trust me, if done right, it can provide a much more interesting experience with more surprises and things to hook you in. Each player is only allowed to have one, and I mean ONE character. No exceptions. NPCs, including the ones stated by your character's background, are controlled by moi. Also, your character might be "special" in ways you may not realize. For example, I may decide to make it so your character is actually descended from some extinct alien race, or that your brother is ACTUALLY a spy for an opposing force. These are cliche examples, so these two probably won't actually apply to the character you make, but trust me when I say I've got some surprises planned for him/her. I also plan on giving everyone a nemesis; someone she/he can consider as a rival or a personal enemy. In Slvr's words "it allows things to stay fresh, because there will be more surprising." So far, both Slvr and Advix like this idea. If you can't learn to accept this, then this RP isn't for you. Sorry.
How many players do you need minimum? - This RP can actually work quite well with just one player aside from myself. We don't need a lot of players. In fact, a lot of players would kill it for sure. I'd say 5 players maximum, including myself.
What are your main inspirations for making this RP? What were your "muses"? - Deus Ex, Mass Effect, Warhammer 40k, and Metal Gear Solid.
Well, that's all the questions I can think of that need answering atm. If you guys think anything should be added to this thread, feel free to suggest it.