Tasks / Adventures

[action9000]

Will there be any "fighting" tasks like defeating a sharptooth?

Probably but they will be minimal.  I don't want to focus much on fighting for two reasons:

1) Fighting in the classic sense of the word doesn't exist very much in LBT.  Outwitting sharpteeth to defeat or simply lose them seems to be more common.  In most "combat" situations in the game, chances are a face-to-face fight won't be the nature of the fight.

2) Programming artificial intelligence scares me.   The less I need to program intelligent enemies, the happier I'll be.  

[Kor]

Those could be done in various ways so one doesn't really fight one.   I agree that fighting sharpteeth of various types doen't fit into LBT, running from, escaping them, outsmarting them, and either getting to where the grown ups are, does, but not battling them personally.  If the pc's are going to be kids it seems unlikely.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Just make sure there's a cliff+boulder or 2 trees+slingshot vine somewhere near each sharptooth. What'd be cool is if each sharptooth had a diferent way of taking it out, turning it from routine dogfights to a different unique problem to solve every time.

The downside is, depending on our amount of amassed creativity and Action9000's supply of aspirin, we might not be able to add that many sharpteeth, or the game would take longer to program.

[Malte279]

When it comes to "fighting" sharpteeth I really think that we ought to focus on somehow tricking it rather than actually fighting it head on (no way a dinosaur kid could "defeat" a proper sharptooth that way). I guess it would be more practicable to let one character (preferably a flyer) lure it away from the way it is blocking for the other characters of the group or the like.
In my opinion we should really avoid making silly sharpteeth which will trip and die in agony if one of the kids hurls a pebble at it or crawls under its feet.

[Kor]

That is a good idea.   Though also maybe most quests and tasks do not require encountering sharpteeth, maybe only a few and only group ones.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

When it comes to "fighting" sharpteeth I really think that we ought to focus on somehow tricking it rather than actually fighting it head on.

I didn't mean take it on in a head-to-head. I meant climb the cliff and drop the boulder on it's head (a strategy which has worked well in several LBT movies already), or use two trees & a vine as a slingshot, either to take out the sharptooth from afar, or even just to shoot yourself over and past it.

BTW, when you say "crawl under its feet," you aren't thinking of any 'kid' in particular, are you?

[Malte279]

BTW, when you say "crawl under its feet," you aren't thinking of any 'kid' in particular, are you?

I was referring to Shorty in LBT 10. That scene really destroyed anything that was left of the Sharpteeth in that movie being a menace of any sort.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

BTW, when you say "crawl under its feet," you aren't thinking of any 'kid' in particular, are you?

I was referring to Shorty in LBT 10. That scene really destroyed anything that was left of the Sharpteeth in that movie being a menace of any sort.

I know. I just thought it was funny, since the exact same event popped into my mind when the topic was broached.

[Kor]

That was an odd scene.  I wonder why they got the idea to do that.

[Serris]

As for tasks I've got some (inspired by Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and examples inspired by the LBT movies):


Find [insert object]: This is a simple "fetch" quest.

Example:
Mr. Threehorn: My wife is missing some Shining Stones. Why don't you make yourself useful [player's name] and get some for her?


Rescue: This is a mission to save a certain character (or characters).

Example:
Cera: The twins are missing! [player name], please help me find them! (In this example she'll temporarly join as a playable character)

Example:
Ducky's Mom: Ducky has been kidnapped, please rescue her [player name]! (This will be a more combat oriented mission.)


Escort: This is a mission to escort a character (or characters to a certain destination)

Example: Escort Mo to the Big Water.


Others: This can be anything from guard a nest to clean up after a natural disaster.

[Kor]

Helping find missing hatchlings is a good task for any kind of dino and one many can do.  Cleaning up is a good idea, though I guess it would have to be coded something like, take x number of y to z location.  

Since some folks are repeating some earlier ideas maybe a list can be done somewhere to keep them organized.  Just an idea.  

Maybe for flyers or swimmers maybe bringing a special item that can only be found high up on a certain location or deep, to prove how skilled they have gotten at swimming or flying.  Something similar for other types.

[F-14 Ace]

Maybe for holidays like Christmas and Haloween, there could be some holiday themed task just for fun, not for story purposes.  I think there are several online RPGs that do special stuff for holidays.  Runescape had a Haloween mission where you got a Grim Reaper outfit as a prize.  Maybe we could have some special occasion stuff and the prize be a couple extra points or something.  

Or, what would be even better would be celebrating LBT events in the game.  They do seem to have some special occasions in the movies, like at the end of the third movie, they mentioned the "Time of the Great Giving".  Maybe once a year, that could be celebrated like a holiday and anyone who takes part can have a few points or a free skill upgrade for the skill of their choice.

[Kor]

That can be a fun thing for some folks and may be fun also since they are things that happen only once a year.  As for holidays that are celebrated in the Great Valley, the time of the great giving may have been just a one shot thing, or it may be celebrated to remember how things are like in the Mysterious Beyond.  There is also some who celebrate their star days,  though not all since some of the gang had never heard of it, but Mr. Clubtail had.  There is also The Bright Circle Celebration that has been seen in 1 episode that is celebrated.  

They are likely not tied to a day like April 4th, but maybe like the the after the first full night circle (full moon) after the cold time is over, and things like that.  But it certainly does not mean there can't be special holiday things put in that are calibrated in parts of the world.  Maybe even a special look to certain things that are in the Great Valley, or to npc's and things like that.

[Malte279]

I agree that many holidays would probably be based on something the dinosaurs could observe. Maybe the longest / shortest day of the year or something like that. With regard to the time of the great giving day maybe one could gain special experience points for every bit of food or the like which one gave to someone else who actually ate it (to prevent the acquisition of countless experience points by just switching the same treestars between two players... come to think of it I'm not really sure the striving for EPs would really transport the spirit of the time of the Great Giving. Something else may have to be thought of in case we want to adapt the idea into the game.

[Explorer]

Curiously, some time ago, some friends and I were making a project about a game for Land before Time... it got out, since we got separated... anyways, besides normal tasks, we included shorter quests, the sidequests, in other words.
Sure, it would probably take a storyline for a sidequest, but there is another way of including them: quests inside quests. For example, decisions on what to do with object X, whther to give it to Y or to Z, assuming Z is the original character that asked for the item.
I hope I didn't make it too confusing...?

[Noname]

Perhaps there could be quests for several major NPC characters, some of which become available as older ones are completed... (more ideas)

Tops
1. Deliver message to Cera.
2. Gather special leaves for "buffet" at big meeting.
3. Deliver message to Tria.
4. Get "sweet bubbles" (grapes) for Tops and Tria.
5. Locate lair of hidden mammals (optional!)
6. Deliver message to upstart Triceratops male who challenges Tops.

Tria
1. Find shiny stones
2. Find/return Tricia
3. Get leaf to help Tricia's injury.
4. Deliver message to... Mrs. Twoped?
5. Find thick-barked scratching tree.
6. Find hot springs (from movie VIII)

Littlefoot's Grandfather
1. Investigate possible hole in mountain walls
2. Help close up hole in mountain wall
3. Deliver message to Littlefoot's grandmother.
4. Find missing Sauropod eggs (for other Sauropods, of course!)
5. Gather dinosaurs for important meeting
6. Find Littlefoot

[Explorer]

We did think, however, of a few sidequests. The sidequests were meant to be the unlocking factor of other areas, like caves. For that, we expanded slightly the Mysterious Beyond, which has nearly infinite possibilities, and created a small place called the Cave Plaza. As its name implies, caves will open for some factor as a certain sidequest is completed.

[kanganix]

Or on the play station the LBT games on it but one the not allow

1. great race adventure

the task or quest of a characters are different or the same that is up of the game maker

( this is just a idea   )

[Flathead770]

Perhaps there could be quests for several major NPC characters, some of which become available as older ones are completed... (more ideas)

There also should be chain quests to give a bit more depth to the quests. For any of you that don't know, chain quests are a series of quests, one given after another, and usually relating to the previous quest. Taking one of Nonames quests for example.

-Find/return Tricia to Tria
-Upon returning Tricia, Tria notices that Tricia is injured in some way, and asks you to go to Mr. Thicknose to make some sort of herb or medicine.
-Ask Mr. Thicknose to make the medicine, but he realizes that hes out of ingredients, and asks you to find them for him.
-Return to Mr. Thicknose with all the gathered ingredients so he can make the medicine.
-Finally, return the medicine to Tria.

[Kor]

As long as it is not to complicated or to many things to do, or wont' take to long to do.  Some of those could be different, but not to many or it could get annoying.