Hey there, In the game I'm designing, Vehement Thrones, the powers that are used in the game are based off of emotions. I haven't decided on which emotions to be used in the game yet so I thought I'd get some opinions on which would work best. I'd like it if you could say the emotion, and what element you would relate to it. Eg Anger = Fire, Love = Light. Cheers, -James-

How many / what kind of elements are you going to allow?

Sadness - Water
Rage - Fire
Joy - Air
Defensive - Earth

I mean what other kinds of elements are there? You could probably get around 4-5 elements (looking at Platonic and Eastern models also) without going into abstract things like considering Light and Darkness their own elements. Why won't you supply us with a list of elements in your game, and this would probably go a lot easier.

Love - Spirit

Here is a list of the elements I was considering on putting in:
-Fire
-Water
-Ice
-Lightening
-Wind
-Earth
-Light
-Dark

I would also consider variations of these elements, so that some characters have character specific styles.

-Fire = Angry (burning mad, hot headed, etc)
-Water = Calm (water is peaceful and calm flowing, soothes you)
-Ice = Cool (come on, cool as ice? heheh) but since cool isn't really an emotion... I'd say Distant. as in your giving someone the cold shoulder, etc
-Lightening = Energetic (self explanatory)
-Wind = Carefree (easy going, just breezing through life, etc)
-Earth = Stubborn (not budging, stubborn as a rock, set in their ways like stone, etc)
-Light = Happy (obvious)
-Dark = Sad (obvious again)

Quote: Original post by Konidias
-Fire = Angry (burning mad, hot headed, etc)
-Water = Calm (water is peaceful and calm flowing, soothes you)
-Ice = Cool (come on, cool as ice? heheh) but since cool isn't really an emotion... I'd say Distant. as in your giving someone the cold shoulder, etc
-Lightening = Energetic (self explanatory)
-Wind = Carefree (easy going, just breezing through life, etc)
-Earth = Stubborn (not budging, stubborn as a rock, set in their ways like stone, etc)
-Light = Happy (obvious)
-Dark = Sad (obvious again)

These are more states of mind, than emotions, but this may be what I have to do as there isn't many emotions to choose from without crossing over into the same category. EG Joy/Happy/Bliss, Sad/Sorrow/Upset, Angry/Mad/Furious.

I may have to change it to states of mind but still use emotions as a base. Keep coming up with ideas based off emotions and we will see where it takes us.

I think empirically, don't try to bind an emotion to an element at first. Just think about what attack would match with what "groove."

For example, you could make it such that a certain attack can only be available when a certain emotion is present. When that happens, the the attacker is 'possessed' and gets into that certain combat mode.

A normally docile character, when emotionally overloaded, would attain the combat mode of that emotion. Examples:

Avenger Mode - The energy of this mode flows as long as the target is or is seen as the cause of grievance. This mode makes the attack concentrate on the target until it is destroyed. Anyone that is in the way is also attacked without hesitation.

Challenger Mode - Energy flows as long as the target is perceived as an equal or stronger opponent, and the only reason of the fight is for the attacker to prove themself. This mode is sustained only if the fight consists only the attacker and targets that they see as part of the challenge. When the fight is interrupted by others budding in, the flow stops.

Chivalry Mode - Energy flows as long as the attacker has something to protect or to assist. The flow stops when the subject to be protected is destroyed.

Denial Mode - Energy flows when the attacker denies an event. The attack targets the evidences holder that supports the event. Energy stops when that attack comes to accept the event.

Executioner Mode - Energy flows as long as the attacker is order to kill the target. The attacker must have no relation to the target other being ordered to kill the target. The flow stops when the order changes or when the target is destroyed.

Loyalty Mode - Energy flows when the loyalty of the attacker is being questioned. The flow stops if the attacker is acknowledged.

Justice Mode - Energy flows when the attacker believes that justice is being served given the evidences. Energy stops when new contradicting evidence surfaces or when justice is served.

Neutral Mode - Energy flows when the character is being attacked without wronging the target. The character only returns the among of damage the target attempts to deal to them. Energy stops when the target stops attacking, or when the character realized what they did wrong.

Nihilist Mode - Energy flows when the attacker feels no reason to do anything or not to do anything. The attacker could attack anyone, or attack no one. The attacker could do anything for no reason. Energy stops when the attacker finds something specific to do.

Punisher Mode - Energy flows when the attacker perceives themself having a role to punish the target. Energy stops when the target is punished to the content of the attacker or if the target is cleared.

Raging Mode - Energy flows when the attacker has hatred. Attacks anyone. Energy stops when everything is destroyed, or when the attacker is pacified.

Sadist Mode - Energy flows when the attacker finds pleasure in seeing suffering. Attacks and tortures anyone.

Self-Preservation Mode - Energy flows when the life of the character is threatened.

Stalker Mode - Energy flows when the attacker has an upper-hand, possibly in a position where the target can be ambushed or destroyed by surprise. Energy stops when the attacker is discovered by a third party.

Transcender Mode - Energy flows when the character tries to understand the motive of the attacker while neutralizing the attacks. Energy stops when the motive is known and the fight is neutralized.



A character is powered when it has an affinity to that mode and the situation allows that mode to apply. For example, a character that does not care about why other people do what they do normally cannot attain a transcender mode. If that character also has no strong reason to live, the character would just be fighting normally. If the character has a strong reason to live normally, the character might activate its self-preservation mode.

A character with a Transcender Mode could activate it when it is put in combat, and the character can keep their composure to reaffirm that their role is to neutralize the fight by understanding the attacker. But suppose the attack attacks and kills a teammate, the character could get knocked out of its energy source if the character cannot forget about the loss. The flow can only continue if the character somehow still believes that only way to resolve the situation is by neutralizing. So in that case, if transcendance mode is the only mode the character has and the character wants to continue fighting, the character must suppress (rid of) all anger, guilt, loss, sadness, vengeance etc, to maintain the transcendance energy. That mode is the only mode in which the character's combat form gets its energy. If the energy flow stops, the character returns to a normal person and the monster will overpower it.

[Edited by - Wai on April 16, 2009 12:15:58 AM]

Hmmm, and then instead of elements, use representative objects instead (to which may encompass elements). For instance the "element" of Executioner Mode may be Axes (raises cutting power). The element of Chivalry Mode may be Shields (raises defense power). So on so forth.

I am okay with elements, but in the way I described there could be a lot more emotion type than elements. When that happens, their assignment to element could feel arbitrary, because each emotion already has its own described way to be neutralized.

You could still bind them with elements when some elements are fitting. For example, Raging can still be affiliated with fire, because when it is hot and you are angry you just want to destroy. (Whereas if you are angry but it is cold, your anger is suppressed because everything is so low energy so they don't look like they are fueling your anger.) So if you make it such that a certain emotion is stronger when the right weather is present, that will also be fitting. (And that also applies to when you change the weather when the emotion is strong.)

When I picture it like this, Avenger Mood would be bound with darkness and lightning, because ideally, the Avenger wants to by pass anyone else and just destroy the target, but at the same time, it wants the target to know of its presence, and make the target be frightened by the coming of its doom. So from the eye of the target, it would be like a dark night with lightning, where the Avenger appears in the lightning. The lightning would keep hitting around the target to make the target afraid, until the Avenger is satisfying and destroys the target. So in the empowered Avenger mode, even if the boss has minions to protect the boss, the minions cannot locate or surround the Avenger to do their job. That is the power of that combat mode.

When I picture an Executioner, I would picture a cloudy day. It is not complete darkness because the Executioner is not trying to hide itself. The Executioner is not a torturer it is just doing its job. It is cloudy because from the perspective of the executioner, it does not matter who he is. The executioner is emotionless in that he does not try to make the target be afraid, but he has a job to make the target know that the target is not being killed randomly, but is being execution. For what reason? The executioner does not need to know. The executioner is just doing its job. Nothing personal. The combat mode would involve the executioner disarming any weapon of the target, immobilizing the target, and just kill the target in one hit. In this combat style, the Executioner does not actually fight. The weapon of the Executioner is not for fighting. It is only for killing. The Executioner would have a mask because symbolically its identity is unimportant. The combat mode of Executioner is not effective when he is surrounded by people intercepting. In that situation, the Executioner's combat strategy is to immobilize everyone and kill only the target to be executed. The rest would just watch and are freed afterwards. The Executioner does not exist to fight.

wow this is getting deep.
I am seeing how I could get this to work in my game, and it would also be a style I haven't seen before. When you show the modes like this I picture it like this:

The player gets an emotion form, which would have a certain attack style, with a corresponding element. When the form is changed from the default form to a powered form, the effects would not only be on the player, but on the surrounding area as well.

EG: The player changes to their Joy form, the whole area becomes much brighter and sunny, the scenery changes and starts to grow flowers and grass, if there is ice, it begins to melt, things like that. If the element of Joy was wind, then there would be small wind gusts here and there, but as the player levels up, the effects become much stronger, where the small gusts can become huge bellowing winds that knock enemies off their feet.

This could also be used to gain access to places. If there is a gap you just can't jump, change to Earth mode and create a small bridge across.

As for their being conditions for each form, I think it would make some forms harder than others to reach. Where as that would be a good thing in some games, I'm not sure the player will be able to meet the conditions for some forms. I would prefer it to have the player to be able to meet these forms equally, so as not to hinder the movement into the game.