Interview and leveling up

Here's your chance to find out more about Sam Richards, the creator of Tweet RPG! He's given an 'access-all-areas' interview opportunity to mysterious role-playing fanatic, The RPG Guy. Head over to his site to gorge yourself on salacious geek gossip.

Also, I've got an apology to make: I forgot to let all you Starfall players level up your AuGArma after the recent boss battle! I would fall upon my own katana, but who would update Tweet RPG?

To remedy this mistake, you can choose one stat to boost by +1 point, by commenting at the end of this post. Choose between ATK, DEF, SPD or HP - the stat with the most votes will get boosted! You have until 8:00pm GMT on Weds the 31st.

Starfall: Story Summaries - Votes 21-34

You decide to avoid a confrontation by distracting the Grak. Picking up a chunk of rubble, you hurl it into the air past the group of alien creatures. The loud 'clang' as it lands causes them to rush off in the direction of the noise, leaving your path clear.

Exiting the pipe complex, you find yourself standing in front of a large building with a wide hanger bay at its front. The walls and surfaces have been marked by some kind of acidic organic substance – it seems this structure may have been infested and used as a hive by the creatures. Although you are surrounded by danger, you decide to take a look within.

Inside the infested building, you find many vehicles and a few LiftCarry Arma docked in bays along the sides of the hanger – they've been abandoned but still look as though they're in working order. Checking the cockpits and store cases of a few of the vehicles, you find some useful supplies. You are startled from your search by the appearance of a lone Grak – you take on the monster in combat, defeating it with ease.

At the end of the hanger, you find a long sloping passageway, leading down to a lift shaft. The passage turns off to the side, leaving you the choice to inspect the shaft, or descend further down the passage. You decide to investigate the lift shaft – the lift is jammed above, a deep drop below, with an AuGArma access ladder in the side of the shaft.

Ray alerts you that a group of Grak are approaching from lower part of the building. Utilising your agility, you drop into the open shaft, the Grak unaware of your presence. One of them is a tall & powerful Alpha Grak, the large fin on his skull demonstrating his superiority. Deciding to watch the group of aliens, you observe as a burst of destructive energy slams into them, ripping them apart.

As the blinding light fades, you see two cyborgs striding across the hanger, beam cannons attached to their mechanical arms. They stand at least ten feet tall, their faces the only human element visible.

In a flash of inspiration, you wait until the two augmented humans are about to pass by, and then burst out of the lift shaft, grasping one of the surprised men by the neck. After a brief impasse, you discover that the cyborgs are after the Grak eggs – a valuable item on the intergalactic black-market. You strike up a deal with the cyborgs: in exchange for their help in exiting the factory complex, you will accompany them deeper into the hive.

You reach a roughly-hewn tunnel cut into the side of the passage – the path into the centre of the Grak nest. Agreeing with the suggestion of the cyborgs, you stay in the passage, guarding the flank. It quickly becomes apparent that this was a necessary choice, as two Grak appear – an Alpha Grak and a lesser Grak. Standing your guard, you slay the monsters, sustaining heavy damage.

The cyborgs rush out of the tunnel, a couple of eggs under their arms. A deafening screech alerts you that the Queen Grak is in hot pursuit – and she's not very happy. As you flee along the passage, you bring your missiles online. Using them in a confined space could be dangerous, but you need to stop the Queen. You fire the projectiles into the ceiling, the giant mother alien flying towards you, spewing her acidic venom. Engaging your boosters, you sent the Ragnarok into a mad flight out of the collapsing passage, the cries of the angered Queen Grak muffled by the falling masonry.

The cyborgs and you dash out of the building, the hooting calls of many Grak echoing from all over the abandoned industrial complex. Deciding to head towards the fence together, you find yourself being pursued by a pack of aliens. You spot a stack of gas cylinders beside a nearby residential building – a risky but possibly effective way to deal with the Grak. You decide to take the risk, firing your missiles. An explosion rips out of the ground, knocking your AuGArma off its feet – there much have been a hidden pipeline nearby. You manage to recover from blast, taking minimal damage. The Grak aren't so lucky.

You reach the fence. The cyborgs set about trying to tear the metal plates apart. You could jump over the fence, ensuring your safety, or you could help the cyborgs escape first...  

Gameplay Update

We're always looking for ways to update Tweet RPG, and have come up with a few gameplay adjustments that should streamline the process and improve your gameplay experience.

Combat

The current combat system has shown itself to be a little sluggish and ineffective recently - a disproportionate amount of attacks had been resulting in 'misses', and the mechanics required too many time-consuming dice rolls. Therefore, a new system has been devised that ultilises the same stats as the previous system. The new combat mechanism works like this:

• The value of a combatant's ATK refers to the max amount of melee damage they can inflict per round, i.e. if you have an ATK of 9, you have the chance to inflict 9 points of damage.
• The number of dice that equals the opponent's DEF are rolled i.e. five dice for a DEF value of five. 
• For each die that lands on a even number, the opponent has blocked a point of damage.
• Reverse and repeat for each individual attack.

Don't worry if this doesn't make sense, just know that it will make things faster and more exciting!

Healing/Repairing

It's been observed that spending a whole twelve-hour voting session on deciding whether or not to restore HP is a little dull. Therefore, an 'healing threshold' will now be established for in-story healing/repairs. In future, this threshold with be established during 'Character Creation' - as Starfall has already commenced, this threshold will be set at 25% of total HP. You will only be given the option to heal during story events if your HP has dropped below this level. If you think this threshold should be set at a different value, get in contact and we'll organise a vote to get everyone's opinion.

 Quick-fire/open decisions

Some story decisions require more choice than just 'a' or 'b'. With that in mind, we will be introducing 'quick-fire' and 'open' decisions.

• Quick-fire decisions - these story options require a quick and immediate decision. The first person to vote will determine the direction of the story in these situations, and the story will continue immediately.
• Open decisions - with this addition, each player gets to put forward their own individual suggestion for where the story should go. When the voting session finishes, we'll pick our favourite and continue the story according to that suggestion.

If you have any questions, comment below or contact Tweet RPG on Twitter!

Awesome sketch of a Grak by @symatt

This is brilliant! It's a sketch by fantasy artist @symatt - his vision of what a Grak could look like:

Really impressed with this! Check out @symatt on Twitter and also visit his blog!

Starfall: Story Summaries - Votes 13-20

Instead of filling you with fear, the scrawled warning on the large Ollakoma Industries sign fills you with intrigue. You head towards the giant gate barring the path into the sprawling factory complex. Utilising the Ragnarok's speed and agility, you leap over the gate, landing within the facility.

Once inside, you decide to check out a nearby guardhouse. You send Ray into the abandoned structure, watching from within your AuGArma as the A.I. robot explores the building. Ray finds some long-dead bodies, as well as discovering that the factory has been plagued by infestation of something referred as 'Grak'...

Before you can react, a vicious alien beast attacks your AuGArma - a fast humanoid creature with deadly bone-blades for limbs and chilling arachnid eyes. You manage to fight off the Grak, and head into the factory's pipe complex.

As you move through the maze of giant metal tubes, another Grak launches an attack upon the Ragnarok, dealing some heavy damage before you defeat it. You find a damaged security terminal within the walkways of the pipe complex. Ray suggests using a patch-kit to reactivate the factory's dormant auto-guns, but you attempt to hot-wire the terminal instead, with no success. Reaching the end of the pipe complex, you spot two Grak up ahead in front of a large building. The Grak seem to be guarding the structure, which has been pock-marked by an acidic substance. The two alien creatures block your path: how will you deal with them?

A Starfall Update

Hello! This is a brief message from Tweet RPG creator and moderator, Sam Richards. I'm going to be away for a couple of days and won't be guaranteed internet access, so I'm gonna put Tweet RPG on hold for a couple of days until I get back. Sorry for the delay!


Todays vote, Starfall Vote no.17, will stay open until 8:00pm GMT on Wednesday the 17th of August. See you all then!

Starfall: Story Summaries - Votes 1-12

After piloting your AuGArma battle-machine out of the crumpled DroPod, you find yourself in a wide plain surrounded by high cliffs. You've landed nearby a field of tall windmills next to a small farm settlement. Feeling cautious, you decide to approach the settlement within the Ragnarok, rather than on foot.

As you head towards the farm, a battered LiftCarry Arma engages you in combat. The domestic machine is no match for you. The pilot, an elderly bearded man, escapes unscathed, but is extremely unhappy that you've trashed his Arma. You order him to help you, but he bluntly refuses. Feeling annoyed, you blast one of his windmills with your minigun. The old man suddenly becomes very compliant, offering supplies and advice.

You investigate the nearby ridges surrounding the plain, and then decide to follow the old man's advice, heading towards the gap in the hills – the easiest path out of the plain.

Ray, the Ragnarok's A.I. computer, warns you of an enemy approaching from behind – the old man tricked you! Just managing to avoid a barrage of deadly missiles, you fire up your boosters, flying towards the battle contestant's Arma. The struggle is hard, the Ragnarok, taking much damage, but you manage to prevail, striking down Josha's AuGArma.

Taking the enemy's 'Scatter Missiles' secondary weapon, you travel out of the plain. Ray detaches himself from the main AuGArma body, hovering high in the dull sky. The small metal orb reports back that there are three possible routes to take: a mountain pass in the east, a flat plain ahead of you, and a large factory complex to the west. You head towards the factory, finding a nearby sign warning you to stay away. Will you try a different path or let curiosity get the better of you?  

Starfall Gameplay: Leveling Up

Just filling you all in with a slight update to the Starfall gameplay.

After a boss battle, i.e. combat against another AuGArma, as well as being able to cannibalize some of your opponent's components to raise your HP, you will now be offered the opportunity to boost one of your stats by one point. So to summarise, after defeating a fellow contestant you can level up either your ATK, DEF, SPD or HP.

Happy adventures!

Starfall: The Beginning

“We salute you, brave warriors,” says Max Herald, smiling gloriously, soaking up the attention of the cameras and the audience. “May the best pilot prevail!”

You and your fellow contestants turn and climb the gantries towards your CommandCores. The protective plates close around you, hemming you tightly within the pod at the centre of the Ragnarok AuGArma. Remembering your intensive training, you coax the armoured beast into life, the cramped darkness in front of you opening up with light and colour as the visual sensors spring into action.

From your high vantage point, you look down on the ceremonial hanger bay. The audience whoop and applaud from the rows and rows of seats. Lights flash, smoke billows, triumphant music plays.

You sneak a look at the other AuGArma robotic suits being boarded by your opponents. Machines of a variety of colours, sizes and shapes stand before the cameras and the audience – it seems you've all made some very different choices in picking equipment. You wonder what capabilities and weaponry they'll be packing – difficult to tell until you enter the fight...

Reylan's blue and silver Arma stands motionless next to yours. It doesn't appear to be anything special, but you shiver a little as you study it. Will you face him in combat? Can you beat someone like him?

With a flourish of his cloak, Herald gives the signal. You fire up the main generator, the powerful rumble of your warrior-machine mixing with the noise of your fellow competitors, the crowd roaring with delight. Moving with skill, you turn the metal giant and enter the DroPod behind you. The one-use landing craft locks your Arma in place, its leaf-like shell closing around you.

You take one last look down at Dee. He seems to know you are watching, and raises his thumb towards you, a grim smile on his face.

“Ready to give em' hell?” chirps Ray in your ear.

“Most definitely,” you reply.

The DroPod fires you down out of the ship, rushing out into space, towards the planet below.

To be continued... by you!

The Starfall adventure begins tomorrow at 8:00am GMT – but don't forget to retweet the below to level-up your HP:

“Time to buff up and prepare for battle! #Starfall, the next @tw33t_rpg adventure, begins at 8:00am GMT tomorrow! Please RT!”

Happy adventures!

Starfall: Character Creation

The Starfall Character Creation process will begin tomorrow, Wednesday the 3^rd of August, at 8:00am GMT! You must choose which specifications and equipment your AuGArma will use. Choose carefully; your choice could lead to victory, or your downfall. Each different load-out will require a different strategy; bear this in mind too.

Voting Session no.1 (opens at 8:00am, 3/8) – Stats

Which area of your AuGArma would you like to prioritise?

• IronKnuckles Melee fists – focused on dealing damage – ATK: 9, DEF: 6, SPD: 6
• Paragon V Shield-Arm – armoured against attack – ATK: 6, DEF: 9, SPD: 6
• KNitro booster upgrade – equipped for agility – ATK: 6, DEF: 6, SPD: 9
• Standard load-out – a balanced approach – ATK: 7, DEF: 7, SPD: 7

Voting Session no.2 (opens at 8:00pm, 3/8) – Secondary Weapon

Which shoulder-mounted long-range weapon would you like to equip?

• Arrion 5.5 Minigun – light-weight, fast, low-damage = +1 damage, 1 Round Recharge, 6 Rounds Ammo
• TKB 'Hellfire' Cannon – medium weight, speed and power = +2 damage, 2 RR, 3 RA (-1 SPD)
• WollenBurst Missile Battery – heavy, slow, but highly powerful = +5 damage, 4 RR, 2 RA (-2 SPD, -1 DEF)

Voting Session no.3 (opens at 8:00am, 4/8) – AuGmentations

Which special perk would you like to choose?

• Master mechanic – +2 HP after every battle, combat repairs = 2/3 total HP, story repairs = +1 base HP (as well as fully restoring HP), post-boss battle repairs = 2/3 total HP
• Stealth alloy – gives you a 50% chance of avoiding target-lock from a long-range weapon (organic weapons unaffected), one die rolled – 1-3 = successful evasion, 4-6 = unsuccessful (-1 DEF)
• SOS reactor – kicks in when your HP drops below ¾ of total - raises your DEF by 2, but reduces your ATK by 1 (effect wears off after battle or if your HP rises above ¾ of total)

Special event (begins at 8:00pm, 4/8) – Reinforcing your Arma (Gaining HP)

You start with a base HP amount of 16. After the third voting session has ended, a tweet will be posted relating to your HP amount. It will read:

“Time to buff up and prepare for battle! #Starfall, the next @tw33t_rpg adventure, begins at 8:00am GMT tomorrow! Please RT!”

For every 10 times this tweet is retweeted, 1 HP will be added to your max total. Let's get Starfall trending! (If we get a crazy amount of retweets, we'll reassess how much HP is suitable). This special event will close when the Starfall narrative begins!

Tuning up: gameplay updates

Our first Twitter-based RPG adventure, King Slayer, provided the opportunity to test the Tweet RPG game system. Many of the processes worked really well and will be unadjusted for our next story, Starfall. However, other parts of the project require some tweaking, so as the player can be given the best gaming experience possible. There are also a few Starfall-specific additions to the gameplay, which will be detailed below.

General Updates

Combat

The damage rolls have been modified, because the chance to inflict low or critical damage was too varied. Now, when a die is rolled and added to a combatant's ATK to determine the amount of damage inflicted (minus the opponent's DEF), 1 = 0, 2,3 = +1, 4,5 = +2 and 6 = +3. For example, if you have an ATK of 7 and your opponent has a DEF of 5, rolling a 2 would mean you inflict 3 points of damage (7-5+1=3).

The SPD stat was not given much value during combat in King Slayer, making it less useful than its counterparts. Therefore, if the combatant's SPD is equal to or higher than the opponent's + 50%, the combatant gains an extra action per turn. For example, if your SPD = 6 and your opponent's is 4, you have 2 actions (4 x 1.5 = 6).

Death/Failure

In King Slayer, if you died or failed you would be sent back to the start of the adventure or to the middle if you had passed that point. Because of the amount of time it takes for voting sessions to be administered, it seems unfair that you should lose so much progress. Therefore, if you fail or die in the next adventure, one die will be rolled – 1,2 = go back 3 voting sessions, 3,4 = go back 4 voting sessions, 5,6 = go back 5 voting sessions. You will start at your new position with your initial stats and inventory.

Voting Sessions

This is only a very slight update to make Tweet RPG easier to update and maintain. Voting sessions will now open/close between a rough timeframe of 8:00-9:00 AM/PM GMT. If there is any majority variation from this plan, players will be informed.

Starfall-Specific Updates

Secondary weapons

Instead of having a long-range weapon which is used outside of battle, i.e. the hunter's bow in King Slayer, secondary weapons in Starfall are used during battle. Each weapon has different effects and capabilities. There are three qualities for each secondary weapon: damage, recharge and ammo.

• Damage = the amount of additional damage inflicted upon the enemy, regardless of DEF.
• Recharge = how many rounds a weapon must (re)charge for before it can be used.
• Ammo = how many times a weapon can be used before it is depleted (per battle).

During Starfall you will be offered the choice to exchange your current secondary weapon for another at various points. Choose wisely! Some weapons may inflict status effects instead of damage; some may do both.

Restoring HP

There are two types of restorative items in Starfall: 'patch-kits' and 'repair-kits'. Patch-kits are used during battle – they restore half of your total HP, and used automatically when your HP reaches 0. Repair-kits are used after battle – they fully restore your HP, if you should choose to use one.

After boss battles against other AuGArma suits, you are able to harvest parts from your defeated opponent and use them to repair your Arma – your HP will automatically be restored to half its total if it is below that number at the end of the battle.

Get ready for battle! Character Creation begins 3/7/11, the adventure begins 5/7/11.