With a helper I mean NPC''s like NAVI in Zelda (which i think is the most popular of them helpers ) I want opinion from you guys, what is better an active helper or a passive helper. A passive helper (as i am defining it) is the one that only helps you with information and makes your gamplay a little bit easier. An active helper is the one that also helps you out in the fight and doesn''t just make things easier but also helps adding to the stats (Like in Diablo II) Or would a mix of them both be the ideal stuff. Dark Era: Concealed Evil. The next generation of online gaming.

Well, if you have a passive helper, by your definition, like Navi, then there REALLY should be a way to turn it off. You have no idea how many times Navi said "Hey, listen!" and I felt like screaming "SHUT UP YOU, STUPID @#%*ING FAIRY!!! I SEE THE DAMN SWITCH! TAKE YOUR SQUEAKY VOICE AND GO AWAY!!!"

Then again, maybe I just get annoyed too easily

Helpers like in Diablo are good, because they add to the gameplay (assuming they have decent AI). But the ''passive'' helpers can really be more intrusive and irritating that anything else to people that are no longer beginners.

TheShadow, I think you need both types.

First we need to define "Helper", then classify him asA ctive, Passive, etc. I guess by Helper you understand a NPC that helps you in some way to solve a quest, or otherwise advance through the game story/game world. Well, it depends on the game type, but you positevely WILL need different types of help.
In Diablo, things are pretty much straighforward - hire, kill, get killed, back to town, hire, kill... So helpers'' variety in that kind of Hack/Slash game is limited.
But in Ultima-like game, you cannot expect everyone to go fighting along for small amount of cash. There are Characters that are useful just the way they act - providing information.
You could use some Party Refill NPCs, but usually the game designers think that tons of people are willing to go on a almost certain death, so you won''t have much trouble getting those. Actually, at some point you''ll feel like "GET OUT OF THE WAY, WE DON''T HIRE ANYMORE!".

So much for the standart issues.

What I''m working on is a mixture of both types.
A Character that will have really strong motives on joining your company. He will have his own agendas, so he will be free to leave at any time. Also, he can bring new information, or present a different look to a specific situation. I.e. the party is surrounded by Mad Wolves; normal reaction - cast A-very-destructive-spell and draw you swords; some of the Characters could talk and propose a different approach to the problem, or even try to escape on his own, maybe look for help, so on. This IS active helper.
A Character that is a good source of information, for a price of course. The more you pay, the more important/more exact info you get. The special thing here is that the Character could be willing to join you for a while for his own reasons. Let''s say you ask him about the Monster''s cave and he tells you: "I''ll give you the location if you take me with you and escort me to there and back." It may look like a normal quest, but that trip will enrich the Character''s info database. I have many situations developed, could post for interested.

As a bottomline, the term "Helper" will change pretty much if one implements personal tasks and desires for the NPCs. Because in the real world nothing is for free. If he helps you, then he''ll want something in return. And not just 50 of your 1000000 gold pieces, whereever you put them. It''s much likely the NPC to start bargaining before it gives you the smallest info. But that''s another topic.


Boby Dimitrov
boby@azholding.com