Shadowknight12
2012-05-21, 08:02 PM
Latest Update: Haunting 101 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13311744&postcount=4).
http://cdn2.spong.com/pack/g/h/ghostmaste139782/_-Ghost-Master-The-Gravenville-Chronicles-Xbox-_.jpg
From: Wikipedia, with slight alterations. I do not recommend reading the actual article, as it contains spoilers for the game. :smallsmile:
Ghost Master (known as Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles on the Xbox and Playstation 2) is a puzzle/strategy game for the PC.
The player assumes the role of the titular Ghost Master, a bureaucratic spirit tasked to perform certain duties. While the bulk of a Ghost Master's duties consist of hauntings, a Ghost Master may also be "called in" to increase belief in the supernatural, avenge deaths, and conscript renegade ghosts. Because a Ghost Master cannot directly interfere in the world of mortals, he or she is given a team of subordinate ghosts to do so.
In all but a few levels of Ghost Master, the goal of the game is to cause all mortals to flee the area in fear or succumb to madness. Ghost Master plays similarly to a real-time strategy game. The player first chooses the ghosts he wants to field in the level.
The player cannot field every ghost in every place. Each ghost has one or two types of objects (or "fetters") it can be bound to. For example, a ghost who died during a robbery could only be bound to a "Murder Fetter," whereas a water spirit can only be bound to a bath, sink, or a simple puddle of water.
Another limiting factor is "Plasm". This numerical resource dictates which abilities a ghost can use. As a human becomes frightened, Plasm is generated. With more Plasm, stronger abilities (and more ghosts) can be fielded at any one time.
Once the objective(s) for a level has been completed, the game rates the player's progress. Many factors are considered, including time, amount of impact on the mortals, and how many mortals fled. If the player is able to complete the mission fairly quickly, there is a multiplier added to the final score. This score determines the amount of "Gold Plasm" given to the player, which is used to add more skills to ghosts.
That is the bare-bones basics of the game. As an interesting bit of data, the game was a commercial failure, but not necessarily because it was a bad game (it received positive reviews from critics and generally favourable reviews from players), but it suffered from a distinctive lack of marketing and a lack of certain micromanagement/award element that was present in other strategy games (and the presence of a couple of extremely frustrating stages where victory was not dependent on player skill but on sheer luck).
There is a post mortem of the game from one of the lead designers, where he discusses Ghost Master's failures. It's written with a game designer audience in mind, so a lot of what's discussed flew right over my head (if you don't know what Fiero means in the context of videogames, for example, a lot of what's being said will sound like Sanskrit). I cannot link you to these posts, because the writer is too fond of discussing forbidden subjects in his blog, but anyone who's resourceful with search engines can find it if they're interested.
I am going to make heavy use of the official strategy guide. In fact, a lot of what I'm talking about when it comes to powers and game mechanics will come straight from there. The second post after this one will be reserved primarily to summarise mechanics and effects for those who are curious or wish to have an easier time when playing the game.
The format of the LP will be Videos With Subtitled Commentary.
I will also be posting (fast-forwarded and musically accompanied) Triple Pumpkin runs of every single stage (for those not in the know, this basically means "gold runs" or "S-rank runs" of each stage).
Game Intro (http://youtu.be/Q6_Ra-85KMo)
Table of Contents
I. Opening Post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244000).
II. Game Mechanics (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13267623&postcount=2).
III. Them Ghosts (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13286013&postcount=3).
IV. Act I, Stage One: Haunting 101 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13311744&postcount=4).
V. Act I, Stage Two: Weird Séance.
VI. Act I, Stage Three: The Calamityville Horror.
VII. Act I, Stage Four: Summoners Not Included.
VIII. Act II, Stage Five: Deadfellas.
IX. Act II, Stage Six: The Unusual Suspects.
X. Act II, Stage Seven: Facepacks and Broomsticks.
XI. Act II, Stage Eight: Poultrygeist.
XII. Act II, Stage Nine: The Phantom of the Operating Room.
XIII: Act II, Stage Ten: The Blair Wisp Project.
XIV: Act III, Stage Eleven: Spooky Hollow.
XV: Act III, Stage Twelve: Ghostbreakers.
XVI: Act III, Stage Thirteen: Full Mortal Jacket.
XVII: Act III, Stage Fourteen: What Lies Over the Cuckoo's Nest?
XVIII: Act IV, Bonus Stage: Class of Spook 'Em High.
http://cdn2.spong.com/pack/g/h/ghostmaste139782/_-Ghost-Master-The-Gravenville-Chronicles-Xbox-_.jpg
From: Wikipedia, with slight alterations. I do not recommend reading the actual article, as it contains spoilers for the game. :smallsmile:
Ghost Master (known as Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles on the Xbox and Playstation 2) is a puzzle/strategy game for the PC.
The player assumes the role of the titular Ghost Master, a bureaucratic spirit tasked to perform certain duties. While the bulk of a Ghost Master's duties consist of hauntings, a Ghost Master may also be "called in" to increase belief in the supernatural, avenge deaths, and conscript renegade ghosts. Because a Ghost Master cannot directly interfere in the world of mortals, he or she is given a team of subordinate ghosts to do so.
In all but a few levels of Ghost Master, the goal of the game is to cause all mortals to flee the area in fear or succumb to madness. Ghost Master plays similarly to a real-time strategy game. The player first chooses the ghosts he wants to field in the level.
The player cannot field every ghost in every place. Each ghost has one or two types of objects (or "fetters") it can be bound to. For example, a ghost who died during a robbery could only be bound to a "Murder Fetter," whereas a water spirit can only be bound to a bath, sink, or a simple puddle of water.
Another limiting factor is "Plasm". This numerical resource dictates which abilities a ghost can use. As a human becomes frightened, Plasm is generated. With more Plasm, stronger abilities (and more ghosts) can be fielded at any one time.
Once the objective(s) for a level has been completed, the game rates the player's progress. Many factors are considered, including time, amount of impact on the mortals, and how many mortals fled. If the player is able to complete the mission fairly quickly, there is a multiplier added to the final score. This score determines the amount of "Gold Plasm" given to the player, which is used to add more skills to ghosts.
That is the bare-bones basics of the game. As an interesting bit of data, the game was a commercial failure, but not necessarily because it was a bad game (it received positive reviews from critics and generally favourable reviews from players), but it suffered from a distinctive lack of marketing and a lack of certain micromanagement/award element that was present in other strategy games (and the presence of a couple of extremely frustrating stages where victory was not dependent on player skill but on sheer luck).
There is a post mortem of the game from one of the lead designers, where he discusses Ghost Master's failures. It's written with a game designer audience in mind, so a lot of what's discussed flew right over my head (if you don't know what Fiero means in the context of videogames, for example, a lot of what's being said will sound like Sanskrit). I cannot link you to these posts, because the writer is too fond of discussing forbidden subjects in his blog, but anyone who's resourceful with search engines can find it if they're interested.
I am going to make heavy use of the official strategy guide. In fact, a lot of what I'm talking about when it comes to powers and game mechanics will come straight from there. The second post after this one will be reserved primarily to summarise mechanics and effects for those who are curious or wish to have an easier time when playing the game.
The format of the LP will be Videos With Subtitled Commentary.
I will also be posting (fast-forwarded and musically accompanied) Triple Pumpkin runs of every single stage (for those not in the know, this basically means "gold runs" or "S-rank runs" of each stage).
Game Intro (http://youtu.be/Q6_Ra-85KMo)
Table of Contents
I. Opening Post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244000).
II. Game Mechanics (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13267623&postcount=2).
III. Them Ghosts (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13286013&postcount=3).
IV. Act I, Stage One: Haunting 101 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13311744&postcount=4).
V. Act I, Stage Two: Weird Séance.
VI. Act I, Stage Three: The Calamityville Horror.
VII. Act I, Stage Four: Summoners Not Included.
VIII. Act II, Stage Five: Deadfellas.
IX. Act II, Stage Six: The Unusual Suspects.
X. Act II, Stage Seven: Facepacks and Broomsticks.
XI. Act II, Stage Eight: Poultrygeist.
XII. Act II, Stage Nine: The Phantom of the Operating Room.
XIII: Act II, Stage Ten: The Blair Wisp Project.
XIV: Act III, Stage Eleven: Spooky Hollow.
XV: Act III, Stage Twelve: Ghostbreakers.
XVI: Act III, Stage Thirteen: Full Mortal Jacket.
XVII: Act III, Stage Fourteen: What Lies Over the Cuckoo's Nest?
XVIII: Act IV, Bonus Stage: Class of Spook 'Em High.