Feedback on game mechanic (long post)

[Andail]

I've always thought it's a pity that more seasoned developers tend to stop using the community, at least for the developing part, and I've also always thought that people should receive far more c&c on game and plot ideas, not just art & music and other assets.

So here I am, letting you all in on the very fundamentals of my upcoming game.
I'm working on a game currently titled God's Algorithm. The plot isn't super original - it's a sci-fi where technology has been kind of reset, in an attempt to stop AI - and its catastrophic consequences - from happening.

You play a federal agent tasked with investigating a string of murders in a remote rural town. Obviously, the government has an ulterior motive with sending you there, but yeah, you get it.

Anyways, the government has secretly gone against the high-tech policy and equipped their top-ranked agents with cybernetic implants. So you have special powers. Now, this isn't ground-breaking in any way; Donna and other games before have used special skills to break up the "use inventory object A on hotspot B" kind of monotony.

Here's a list of some special abilities I had in mind (copy-pasted from my GDD):

Extra vision: This is a powerful tool that allows the agent to see in darkness, and furthermore it highlights bodily fluids and other organic residues, effectively combining night vision and blacklight. It is the augmentation of choice during technical forensic investigations.

IQ-boost: Activating this will temporarily increase the agent's intelligence. This does not make the agent more learned, but in dialogues it may enable her to point out contradictions in others' arguments. Chiefly, the agent will use it to solve discrete logical problems, math, ciphers etc. It can not help the player to understand the overall plot.

Healing: This releases anti-toxins and/or antibodies into the agent's bloodstream. It can also discharge nanoparticles to wounded areas to speed up coagulation and prevent scepsis. It cannot heal serious trauma, hydrostatic shock, excessive bleeding or other injuries that would typically kill a person instantly or within seconds.

Muscle boost: This implant increases muscle effect very briefly. It gives the agent the explosive strength of a bodybuilder, and the speed and dexterity of a professional athlete.

Lie detection: Activating this while talking to people will make a sincerity-meter appear as a GUI. When people tell lies, the sensor will react. Only explicit lying can be registered - not whether people withhold the truth, or hide their hostility towards the agent.

Persuasion: This is a weak power that may influence others' attitude and disposition toward the agent, via subtle discharges of hormones and electroencephalic signals. If nothing major is at stake, the target is more likely to agree with the agent, and will cooperate more easily. It is comparable to being persuaded by a close friend or relative, or someone you're strongly attracted to, as opposed to just a random stranger.

What I can't come up with is a good system of implementing these powers. One way to add another dimension is this (also from the GDD):

A number of cybernetic augmentations, or implants, are available to Vera, to assist her in her work. The implants are grouped into three different “builds”. Depending on how much Vera uses implants within a specific build, they will gradually affect Vera's mood and behaviour. In some dialogues, certain options may appear or disappear depending on how far Vera has progressed in a specific personality alteration.

Analytical
Extra vision
IQ-boost

Introverted, antisocial

bodily/corporeal
Healing
Muscle boost

Authoritarian, self confident

empathetic
Lie-detector
Persuasion

social, sensitive

The personality alterations are mild, and in-game mostly noticeable during dialogues, in which options may appear/disappear depending on Vera's current build. They're an unintended side effect of hormonal and synaptic redistributions in Vera's brain, comparable to the effects of modern hormone-adjusting medications, or a woman's menstruation.

If Vera constantly changes between implants of different builds, the alterations will cancel themselves out, and she will not experience any effects.

This opens up a discussion of the "I" of the protagonist - how much is going to be made up by the artificial effects of her implants, and how much is just her? Also, it will encourage the player to try out different builds. Obviously, the game will have to present ways to solve most of the puzzles staying within one specific build.

Another system I had in mind to make it more tactical was to let the player "load" a set of implants each morning, pretty much like wizards (mages? can never remember) can choose which spells to cast that day in traditional D&D, and force the player to rest and begin a new day should they need other skills, and also put in effect a highscore table of who can solve the game with the fewest days used (the protagonist would be able to rest at various designated resting places). The disadvantage here is that the player would spend more time resting-waking-trying all skills on all things just to find out the fastest way, which would promote rather repetitious and tedious gameplay.

A third way is to implement a battery meter that will measure how much the implants have been used, and either disable them altogether or maybe demand new bio-batteries regularly, just to add some kind of restrictions. In Donne, the player had to regularly drink blood to charge the powers, but to my mind that system didn't really add anything, since there wasn't much skill or action involved in the drinking-blood routine.

I also thought about letting the player choose one or two initial powers, and then "unlock" more powers throughout the course of the game; problem is I have no idea how to integrate this into a typical adventure game setting (in an action game or RPG you would just introduce a credit system or even let the player find power ups along the way). Since the technology is forbidden in-universe, there wouldn't be an established system of buying or unlocking powers. Unless there's a black market for them. But then there's still the problem of currency...

Ah well. Thanks for reading about the problems I'm facing. If you have any feedback I would be grateful!

[Mandle]

I have a special place in my heart for games that allow you to gain "super-powers", the original "Deus-Ex" being my very fave! And your project sounds like it is along similar lines.

No time right now to comment on your main questions but I can answer one:

In D&D they are known as "Magic Users"....

BOOM!!! (Self-admitted nerd award)

[Andail]

Well, it was worth a shot, hehe, I guess it's hard to give feedback on something this complex.
Back to the drawing board!

Thanks Mandle for your reply

[Darth Mandarb]

I've been thinking on this for a few days...

I prefer very simple game mechanics.  I think what you've laid out here borders on too complex, but isn't quite too complex.

Another system I had in mind to make it more tactical was to let the player "load" a set of implants each morning, pretty much

I do like the idea of selecting a "load out" for each game-play session but when thinking of a few old games that used something similar it raises some concerns:

Bionic Commando (NES) - You could pick you weapon, radio, extra item (etc) for each level you started.  The problem the game suffered from was that each level had a specific load-out that was best and you really wouldn't know it until you played through it a few times.  Sure it got players to do multiple play-throughs but I always felt this was a heavy handed way to achieve that.

Wing Commander/Privateer - You could select the weapons (missles, guns, shields, etc) to attach to your ship.  I loved how this worked because there wasn't a real clear advantage one way or another.  You could customize it to what you worked best with and it gave you a very "in control" feeling. I like this much better.

So this can work... but I just prefer the latter method.

I also thought about letting the player choose one or two initial powers, and then "unlock" more powers throughout the course of the game...

This method I do not like at all!

I have never liked the "get stronger/more powers as you play" method (unless you start out as a young kid who's never trained, traveled, etc).  It's always felt so unnatural to me.  I don't know why, it's just my personal preference.

A third way is to implement a battery meter that will measure how much the implants have been used, and either disable them altogether or maybe demand new bio-batteries regularly

This I actually like.  I feel it's the most... organic... style of game-play. In real-life you need to eat, rest, etc. to keep living. I like this transferred to a game mechanic.

I know my thoughts here are random and not too well formed.  I wanted to reply though 'cause I know how frustrating it is to not get replies.  Feel free to pick apart what I wrote with questions.  I'm happy to explain anything that wasn't clear!