Curse

actionjack · Aug 05, 2006, 04:19 AM // 04:19

Honpan : Isle of Mist Expansion.

What Is It:
I am a advocator of adding expansions for GW. Expansions can be considered as a half-chapter. It offers its story, missions, explorations areas, and much more. However, it is design for those who already own a GW game, as a further continuation for those who reach the “end-game” stage. Thus most of the contain are for lv 20, and it has no low level areas. It would be a stand along expansion, that means while it is best to play it with your existing character, you don’t have to have to own an existing GW game to play. (but all new RP character made there will be already lv 20, and can not move out of the island). This Pack of deign for those who already own GW: faction, as it best support player there.

Background:
Honpan, also know as Land of Mist, is a mysterious island some distance from Canthra. It is an island nation, that is in friendly term with the Empire of Canthra, but is no way subject by them. Rule by a clan of Realm Lords, those pride people has close Honpan’s border for hundred of years, making few contact with those on the mainland.

But recent political struggle has left the nation weak, leaving behind scars that allow darkness to seep in. The Nagas, who has been in the shadow for centuries, biting their time, see this as their opportunity to rise to power. Naga raids on smaller villages are but a foreshadow of greater danger yet to come.

Sung Mitchu, first daughter of the ruling realm lord of the Moon Crane Clan, has secretly came to Cantrha seeking brave warrior and adventure in aid to their struggle. Will you help?

Story:
A storm has blow you off the course on your trip from Cantrha to Honpan. Instead of going to the major seaport, you arrive on the beach of a small fishing village. As luck would have it, a Naga Raiding party is spotted. With Sung Mitchu, you must help defend the village against this unwelcome invaders.

Mission 1:
Help defend the village from the Nagas. The Nagas will come in different direction. You must kept at least 75% of the villagers, as well as Mitchu, alive.

Your group manage to defeat the Nagas, who appear not just raiding, but seem like they are searching for something. You set your way to Honpan’s Capital City, Kenyoto. With a minor hardship (going through some exploration areas), you mange to arrive. A group of soldier quickly “escorted” your part in to meet the ruling Realm Lord, Sung Yojin, head of the Moon Crane Clan.

The pride old man quickly explained to you, despite his draught’s plead, that his country does not need your help, and want you to go away. You are escorted away to a guarded “Guest House”, to be deported next morning.

In the middle of the night, your party are broken out of the guess house by group of rebelling fighters, who are dissatisfy by Sung Yojin’s rule, and seek your help to defeat the Nagas. It is a small group, lead by a young man name Lan Yamanu, first son of the Mountain Stag Clan.

Mission 2:
A stealth mission, where you must sneak or run pass the guard to reach a designated safe spot to finish. However, you can not kill any guards, as any of their death will result in fail mission.

You broke out of the city, and agree to help Yamanu against the nagas. He suggest going on a “trip” to the Naga’s main lair to take a look to see what they are up to. After bit of traveling, you arrive at a giant sea cave city, the Naga’s Lair.

Mission 3:
The first part of mission have you take out few Naga Patrols and mobs to infiltrate into the lair. You must not allow any Naga to escape and alert others. (scripted AI that will run away when start loosing the fight).

Cut scene
You see army of Nagas in the cave, lot more than what Yamanu, or anyone, has imagine. You also learn of Naga’s plane, where their Ritualist seek to revive their deity, the Giant Snake of destruction, the Orochi. But to release Orochi from its prison, they need 3 ancient artifacts held by the 3 ruling Clans. Before you learn more of it, you are discover.

The 2nd part of the mission will have you try to escape, as throng of Naga comes after you. Its best not to linger too long in any fight, as more and more Naga will pill on to you.

You manage to reach safety. The goal seem clear to you now, to find the 3 artifacts before Naga, so you can protect and hide them away. I won’t got on more with the story, but will surely involve old legend, getting into the political struggle between the 3 clan, the trial they give you to deem you worth or not, love and romance between Mitchu and Yamanu, betrayal and tragic death, epic battle between the Naga army and a sieging castle, and of couse, the final show down in the Mountain Shining White, a sleeping volcano that is the jail of Orochi.

Features:

- 6-8 new missions that tell a powerful tale.

- Several new exploration areas.

- New Class, the Samurai.

- New skills for Assassin and Ritualist.

- Several new mob, including more Naga verities, and of course, the giant boss Orochi.

- The blacksmiths of Honpan are crafters of exotic new weapons and armor.

- Silver Crane, Golden Crab, Mountain Stag new pets.

- A new guildhall, the Toriyama Castle.

- New challenging arenas and game type, such as Naga Raid.

- Extra Character Slot.

Sell Price, around $29.99 to $19.99

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Ellipson · Aug 05, 2006, 06:55 AM // 06:55

I like it!

I don't, however, think that new classes should be available in these things. It would speed up development time a ton, and therefore (maybe?) make it financially feasable to produce.

One class doesn't seem like much, but when you have to balance it against 10 other professions for PvP purposes...

BahamutKaiser · Aug 07, 2006, 03:13 AM // 03:13

It is a large addition to add a new profession in an expansion, but if it is an identity which belongs in a previous chapter, than making an add on to that chapter is better than making this new profession in a totaly new chapter.

At this point I don't much think that many skills are balanced anyways, players have to find a nich of skills which work together effectively to compete, in reality there are dozens of skills which are sorely underpowered and underused, and basicly exsist as skills for NPCs to use. A new class just has to be limited enough to not overpower other classes with certain combinations of skills.

Also, swapping out and doing expansions instead of chapters may be a nice alteration, making a totaly new chapter every 6 months is bound to introduce some less appreciated and enjoyable chapters (hell most people complain about Factions), so doing an expansion of a certain chapter may be a much better option, with only a few interesting differences and a one new class you can take away into other chapters, an expansion would be great.

Without something like a new class or something new you can use in other chapters, newly introduced players and infrequent players will have little interest in spending time on a small side adventure when they can just wait for the next big one, or just graft professions from previous chapters and play new ones with them. This sort of underscores the importance of improving Assassin and maybe even Ritualist, unless they are improved, alot of new gamers and some players who never got around to buying Factions will simply skip it and continue on with better chapters and classes and never buy Factions; I already know some people who simply didn't care about Factions enough to play it because many of their friends confessed that Assassin blows and Rit is very situational.