Millennium 5: speculations, hopes, anything

[Indinera]

Different topic. So far each new episode has begun with only a small amount of money, so the prudent player spent everything at the end of the previous episode in order to have items/gear to sell and pay for promotions etc. As people re-play MM4 to get a good save file, will we all need to do the same again, or will we carry our money forward?

Hmmm I dunno yet, to be honest.

Also, in previous episodes we didn't get to keep our levels. Will we be able to keep the bare hands levels, or is it not worth spending time getting them up?

Hands levels will be kept.

[MiladyDW777]

I'm wondering if there's even a point to spending time/money to level up characters who aren't going to be in the 13, i.e., Merline, Piu-Piu, Mom, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed doing that, but if Piu-Piu's entire reason for being was to slip through a wall and misspell a name (and thank GOODNESS he did and I was THRILLED when it happened!), should I just blow him off when I replay in preparation for MM5? Or would you care to reward those of us, Indy, who were diligent and paid attention to ALL the characters???

[Indinera]

They do get some time in MM5, if that's of any help.

[MiladyDW777]

They do get some time in MM5, if that's of any help.

Ahhh... It is! What I'd personally love is if the non-13 characters had their own set of quests, or maybe just one uber critical mission. Something they could do away from the warriors to give them a chance to shine.

BTW, one thing that bothered me in MM4 was that my second favorite fairy in all of Myst, Dee, had not a scrap of dialogue in the entire game. She definitely came in handy more than once, and was obviously taken into consideration when you developed it since there were jewels for her in the swamp (weren't there? Again, I've slept since then), but it would have been nice to have a "hihihi" out of her occasionally. Can I hope for a more noticeable role for her in MM5?

[Kirin]

I hope that during the battle against the Lords of Mystrock, we can actually have unique battle portraits for them and NOT have a blown-up facial portrait of them as the enemy. That was kind of silly in MM3, and I definitely don't want a large Borgon face at all.

[Indinera]

Ahhh... It is! What I'd personally love is if the non-13 characters had their own set of quests, or maybe just one uber critical mission. Something they could do away from the warriors to give them a chance to shine.

Hmmm they have stuff to do, that's all I can say.

BTW, one thing that bothered me in MM4 was that my second favorite fairy in all of Myst, Dee, had not a scrap of dialogue in the entire game. She definitely came in handy more than once, and was obviously taken into consideration when you developed it since there were jewels for her in the swamp (weren't there? Again, I've slept since then), but it would have been nice to have a "hihihi" out of her occasionally. Can I hope for a more noticeable role for her in MM5?

I'll try to pay more attention. MM4 was overwhelmed by the time limit, and everybody getting steamed up, Dee probably was the wise one in shutting up to make things more forward lol

[eve]

Hmmmm you mean time-limited quests?

Huh,well those can be quite tricky but not so much as the time limited quests,as in the secret items I search everything and everywhere and in the end I end up leaving something behind and am like ''oh no ''

[nancyred]

This isn't specifically about M5, but about the entire Millennium series.
Between this series and the Aveyond one, I've become totally spoiled. They set the standards for every other RPG I've played (which, to be fair, haven't been all that many. Aveyond was my intro to the genre. Still...)
Now I want beautiful artwork. I'm not really into anime, so I appreciate the more natural look of the human good guys in Millennium. It would be cool to include a few facial expressions for them in M5, as well. The backgrounds haven't been matched anywhere else that I've seen. As for the monsters, most of them are well drawn, with just a few that I didn't care for (The bear animal king looked weird, and so did the yellow spiders in M4.) I was very pleased to hear that you're updating the M4 Mystrock lords portraits to reflect the new artwork for them.
Music in a game is optional, as far as I'm concerned. During the work week, I have my radio on while I'm playing, so the game music is turned off or way down. On weekends, yes, I do have the music on while playing, unless there's some other distraction that needs my attention. As a result, I don't even remember most of the music I've heard in any particular game. I do remember enjoying it in M2, and keeping it turned off in M4 after the first play-through so I don't feel quite so rushed.
Now I associate certain things with a quality RPG:
- lots of side quests, all of which can be fulfilled, with hopefully some reward
- enough playable characters to give me a full battle crew most of the time
- hidden treasure/goody rooms, preferably with some hint of their location while in exploration mode
- sufficient places to rest and heal, and to buy needed things
- a nice variety of equipment, items, skills, and spells, all of which get better as the game progresses
- visible monsters that look the same in exploration and battle mode
- a clear, easily-understood main quest
- good dialogue, well-edited/proofread, with a healthy dose of humor
- a user-friendly control panel, including a tab for options, quests, active party changes, etc.
- the ability to travel quickly between towns or map sections, at least after you've slogged there on foot the first time
- mouse and keyboard compatible
- choice of difficulty modes, optional tutorials, etc.
- alternate endings, but making the "canon" one clear in case there's a sequel down the road

Of course, every RPG I've played has its own "cool" variation. I like being able to assign skill points when a character levels up. I like being able to combine battle skills. I like the ability to forge my own weapons and armor. I like spells that can be learned by more than one party member. I like the occasional puzzle thrown in. I like mazes/dungeons that have numbered screens, so I don't get lost so much. I like seeing battle participants with weapon in hand, using that weapon on the enemy, and the reactions when a participant is hit.

Millennium has made some welcome improvements with each installment, particularly with the control panel. I expect M5 to be the best one yet. The standard will be set even higher.

[Indinera]

Thanks for the comprehensive feedback.
Have you tried Moonchild? I think it has a lot of what you like (including the visible monsters that look the same in map and battle mode ^^)

alternate endings, but making the "canon" one clear in case there's a sequel down the road

I hear you. MM5 will definitely have a canon ending.

The standard will be set even higher.

Hope I can meet up to it!

[Kirin]

It kind of makes me wonder what Merline and the others who are not registered in the tournament should do, besides watching. Maybe you could have them do a secret mission of snooping around the arena for any foul play by the Lords of Mystrock? As some stated earlier: Dee had practically little to no lines at all in MM4.

It's kind of sad that Piu-Piu would always be a joke character. Maybe there is a way for him to turn into Superpiu? (Or not?)

[MiladyDW777]

Kirin, if you're going to do what many of us are doing and replay the previous 4 games before MM5 comes out, try leveling up Piu-Piu as much as possible. He can wear the Karinina Ring (I know I misspelled that), and that will give him extra MP whenever you find a basket. In early fights when you've got Marine, Benoit and another strong character, put Piu-Piu in and hit defend, or do that when you've got a weaker boss fight to get him the points. He DOES level up quickly. When you finally have enough MP for him to use his moves (and you'll see them on his Skills list even before he has enough MP to do them), you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results. (Just don't expect that first move to happen more than once per battle ;-)

But, like you, I want the non-13 to have an important role in MM5, and in another thread, Indy said they did. To Indy's credit, I have to say that he has NEVER had a "throwaway" character in any of the games I've played that he developed. I did worry a smidge about Piu-Piu until the MAGNIFICENT ending of MM4, but that's it. If you've got an active character in your arsenal, it's there for a reason.

[Indinera]

It's kind of sad that Piu-Piu would always be a joke character. Maybe there is a way for him to turn into Superpiu? (Or not?)

Megapiu, like in Dreamscape?

[Indinera]

MAGNIFICENT ending of MM4

Awwww thank you, I did work hard to make it a great ending.

[MiladyDW777]

It WAS.

Mind you, I had a moment of deep sadness when I realized that, had James been the one in charge of writing down Old Suzuki's name, he would have botched it to the point of it being completely unrecognizable, which means little Piu-Piu is the better speller...

Indy, there are some bestselling authors out there whose series I've loved, and are coming out with sequels in the next few months (in time! for! Christmas! ). Frankly, I'm either irritated, frustrated, or refusing to actually purchase their books because, while I keep reading out of a need to know what happens next, I wish I didn't. They've repeatedly killed off characters I was ENCOURAGED to love (I'm looking at YOU, George R.R. Martin), introduced pointless plotlines (yeah, YOU, Charlaine Harris), and DON'T understand when it's time to stop beating a dead horse (Laurell K. Hamilton, I love Anita and her boyz, but... REALLY???).

Bottom line? I. DON'T. TRUST. THEM. ANYMORE.

That, Indy, my dear, is where you're so different (and yes, I put you in the same creative category as a "standard" writer; you're building worlds and stories as much, if not more so). I COMPLETELY trust you. I know you've said there are variations for the MM5 ending, but I KNOW they'll all be honest and true to everything leading up to it, to all the efforts we've put into it. I know I'm not going to come out of it thinking any less of the characters, the stories, or you. Knowing that makes me eager and excited about this final chapter, even though it IS the last chapter... I've said before I'm emotionally attached to these characters and their stories, and I look forward to all of our dreams being realized.

OH, and Indy? When Hirado is declared State Poet (by whomever ends up in charge... because I think you do have something up your sleeve ), I've got something I'd love to send you if you need a "let's all join hands" bit of writing.

[Kylie]

If Ciera would log on, she'd have a conniption over what you just said about Hirado... and she would suggest that Indi kill off Hirado. XD
You know, I really can't wait to see what her sprite acts like when Indi puts people in the game. She's such a spitfire, she'll probably say something horrible right off the bat to Hirado.