This is my first idea from the "Wild Fantasies" series, which are impossible but cool ideas for the Piratez. I've been thinking about it for a bit, then chatted with Dioxine about the idea, and here's what we came up with.
Chapter One: The MarketsWe get rid of the purchase screen. Well not entirely, since you can buy the very simplest stuff there like metal pipes and maybe chemicals, but no real weapons, nothing that a peasant wouldn't have, because the screen represents dealing with your immediate neighbours - most likely rural folk. Anything above that requires a proper supplier.
Where to find such suppliers? In cities, of course! You need to actually go there to talk to the sellers, meet interesting people, and possibly get some action! (More on it later.) At first you only have access to several cities nearby, but can unlock more by beating a Pogrom there or through some other means.
Of course you need to actually go there in your craft.
Chapter Two: The MarketscapeWhen you get to the market, it is a static background with some characters on it, like in Reunion, or Freelancer, or Star Trek Online, or Adventure Quest:
The characters are sprites superimposed on the background. They are traders, passer-bys and special characters. Clicking on a character brings up a menu - for example, clicking on a trader will initiate trade, clicking on someone else has other effects (usually conversation).
An important concept: haggling. It's a skill check based on Voodoo Strength (or some new stat, we've discussed this but I'll omit it for now) which determines the outcome. Twist: the more people you send to the market, the lower your effective haggling is; this is to create a situational choice, so you have to decide if you want better haggling or better protection (see
Chapter Four: The Adventures).
Chapter Three: The CharactersAs explained before, the characters are sprites with associated names, so they represent individual people.
Let's start with traders. Each trader has a specialization, for example Doctor Hybros sells medicine and psychoactive substances, Boris the Brute has low-level heavy weapons, Granny Martha sells some mundane basic stuff, and so on. The trick is, there are many traders and only three or four stands, so you get a random collection of goods (though Granny Martha or someone with the same wares is always there, so you can always buy your smoke grenades and pistol clips). If you want something less common, well, tough - come back later or try another
castle mutant community.
When you click on a trader, you have the option "Trade". Ideally there would be more, like "Chat", "Steal" and whatever, but right now this would go too far even for a Wild Fantasy.
Whey you initiate trade, in goes like in any generic RPG game (you can sell everything you have in all your bases, or at least everything this trader deals in), but there's a small chance for a special event (see below).
Other characters have less defined roles; some are just dudes you can harass, some will have a business offer for you, and some will attack you outright because you're on their hit list or something. They normally include: other
gangsters adventurers, local folk, military/police representatives, mysterious strangers and perhaps even celebrities. (Plenty of opportunity for shout-outs and pixel art stealing.)
Chapter Four: The AdventuresAdventures are additional market-related stuff. It can be initiated on several stages: sometimes before you even get to the damn place, sometimes when you interact with characters. Here's some examples:
- Ambush: Before the marketscape is generated, you may get a sudden battlescape, with you in the middle, some enemies around the map, and your craft as an exit area (puts you back in the air). If you kill or subdue all attackers, you may proceed to the marketscape. Note: the more protection money you extract from countries, the more hardcore your ambushers get! At first they are low-level bandits, but when you're really famous, might as well be some Mercenaries. This adventure should have 5-10% chance of happening.
- Random encounter: After clicking on a passer-by, it turns out he is actually looking for you, and wants to kill you for some reason (well, there are many possible reasons). A battlescape is generated and you fight. This adventure has a low chance for happening, but it varies a lot between citizen types (generally, do not harass government agents... but they also give quests!).
- Help, I'm being robbed! When you click on a trader and want to trade, the trader begs for your help - apparently someone already wants his goods for free. You may defend the store (battlescape starts) or walk away; if you fight and win, you get a decent discount for the day or maybe some freebies. This adventure should be at like 2%, because it's not realistic to have it happen all the time.
- Arena: You are offered an arena fight. One person, melee only (a generic variant, there may well be others). Win big money or die trying. Takes place on a special battlescape map.
- Quest: A more elaborate scenario, where you are transported to some battlescape map and are supposed to either kill a specific target or recover some McGuffin. Worth plenty of cash and normally isn't very hard, but it can be tricky.
- Pogrom! A Pogrom is initiated right when you are there, minding your own business. Starts a normal Pogrom. A very unlikely mission, as it breaks the mission mechanics, but cool/evil enough to add it.
- Special Special: Something else entirely, with non-typical events - for example, "a stranger gives you a Small Drill and walks away" or "you wake up in an alley and your equipment is gone".
Of course it's probably not a complete list, but it's a start.
Chapter Five: The CitiesJust to complete the model, we can have trader types somewhat dependent on city type (city being a loose word, since they are shady communities of outcasts - you have nothing to do in a real city). "Cities" in the Piratez setting differ by type, including: a shanty town just by a real city's outer wall, a free mutant village built among the ruins, a local crime lord's den, and so on, and of course they have different terrain if you have an adventure or a Pogrom there. This is related to the current "Contacts" mechanics. which has a part in what cities are unlocked.
Unlocked cities are cities where you can trade. In locked cities, either you don't have a contact or the people are hostile to you for some reason. The only option you have when you click on a locked city it "Raid City", which is basically a Pogrom: you fight some local forces, get some loot
and lose a shitload of points. With an unlocked city, you also have the option "Go Trade", which starts the marketscape.
