Hidden Player Characteristics (Patreon)

Hello, some people asked me about this already and others are curious too, probably. I wanted to post this with the release, but thought that it would be too much information at the same time.

I wanted to make a system that would allow players to approach and solve situations in different ways. 

Of course, I could just add stats like intelligence, strength, charisma, etc., and force players to raise them. But in my opinion, a system like that does not work really well in this kind of games. It's just a waste of time for meaningless grind.

Therefore, I needed something simple and subtle, so that the players would not even be distracted by some numbers. I came up with several characteristics that reflect the player's behavior. Here they are:

Aggressive - Hot-headed, bold, or impatient.

Benevolent - Charitable, kind, soft, or weak.

Clever - Sarcastic, sassy, foppish, or irreverent.

Diplomatic - Cautious, tame, or courteous.

Shady - Dishonest, manipulative, or shrewd.

Honest - Guileless, sincere, or straightforward.

Passionate - Zealous, romantic, or obsessive.

Rational - Practical, standoffish, or cold.

Stoic - Tight-lipped, cool-headed, or simple-minded.

I took these descriptions(for personal use, you won't see them in game) from another game (Pillars of Eternity). They worked there and fit me perfectly. At first, I tried to reduce their number, but in the end I left everything.

How exactly they affect the game?

I didn't have a clear answer to this myself until I played Disco Elysium a year ago. This game has a system of 24 skills that does not require much effort to implement and affect the gameplay quite strongly. (in my opinion, and I only have 9 instead of 24)

If a certain stat is high enough, you will see additional options in the menu of various quests. Like, if you are aggressive enough, you can just scare the enemy. Or to bargain for a discount(diplomatic), cheat (shady), etc.

Also, from time to time, you will see additional text that is only available due to the correct characteristic. For example, a smart person will notice more important details, and a cunning person will recognize a lie.

They also work as reputation. Other people are more likely to believe an honest player.

How do I raise these stats?

Simple. Every time you decide how to behave in different situations, you raise one of these stats. Even when you choose something like "It's none of my business" and seemingly nothing happens, you actually raise the corresponding stat. No grind, easy.

Therefore, there are often quite a lot of options to choose from in the menus.

This system is already in the game. The effect may be not visible right now, as the game is in early stage, but it will snowball later.

But, here’s an example: if you force Penelope to help with the distraction of the Vice-principal during the test - she will wear a bra later. You can persuade her to take it off, only using some of these stats.

I'm not going to lie, there will be other hidden characteristics in the future, for which you will have to work a little. But I still got rid of grind and replaced it with fun quests, so you probably won't even notice.

What do you think about this system?