more...

I think it would make sense to have the first member of your party introduced after you leave the island, for whatever reason. It would be better this way because we can be more free to design the character, instead of sticking with someone that might look like Merle, seeing how they are from the same place, basically I think it would be better if your party is very different from one another. Now, lets just start with the first addition to your party, I'd say it is a male character. I don't think that him "saving you" is a good meeting point, but if you become stranded somewhere and you run into him, that could be good. Maybe this character is a pilgrim or in search of something, and later in the game you get to go to his homeland. In terms of meeting him right off the bat... i dunno.Because i was thinking of like, say you fight for awhile and get a hang of combat, and then you meet him a little later on, and in battle he does useful things that you are kinda like "well this is sweet and I wish I had him earlier", just to give depth to the character traits and abilities, it would be cool if each character fights differently. Maybe this character is long ranged or something...

ANYWAY, seeing how we like the cross between technology and olden times, I think that the ships coming to the Island can still be done, however maybe its just one ship? I like the idea that there is a civil war going on somewhere important. I had this thought earlier about some plot developments. How about we make a strict distinction between those of the "new ways"(technology and guns" and those of the "old ways"(kinda like Merle with swords and stuff)... Now the tricky part is combining these two groups in a world that makes sense. But it would be cool to incorporate this into the story as a dividing factor, like some areas you go are old areas and some areas are city-like. -hmmmm