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mmorpgs need more solo rpg content
Lumster
Member Posts: 230
Who else thinks that NPCs standing in front of their house 24/7 kinda ruins everything? What I need from games in general is an epic feeling and some realism, now many rpgs (Gothic, Oblivion) got that.
Realism = common sense, just because we are shooting fireballs doen't mean that everything can feel unnatural.
-How great would it be if the toons had to rest from time to time? Imagine that....taverns were actually usefull (but please not the same system as DDO)
-NPCs go to sleep, no lights in their houses etc. rogues could actually steal stuff then and when they are cought they get banned etc.
NPCs need a life!
Of course, such a system requires a lot of problem solving. What do you do with people who only play at night? Well, in cities there are always people awake, be it in taverns, guards other players etc.
I'd like to hear your ideas about this, because what mmos lack for me is that they are really lonely if you play you are in a part of the world where higher lvls don't have to go anymore.
Even if you play 5-8pm WoW for example can be a lonely place, that's why I would love a more interesting/realistic world.
NPCs will never replace humans and in a MMO they shouldn't but what do you do when almost noboy is online?
Comments
npc life would be great but cost a lot, and can only result in less content for the game itself
mmm , flame target -> wow
are u telling me the mmo with 8 million acounts feels lonely ?
i would not mind have a mix of the classic mmos with sims online , not sarcasm , eating , sleeping , etc etc , its cool i like it.
the reason i think mmos should reward grouping , its becose everyone just wants to do everything solo , get more exp , or more drops what ever reason that makes people solo , imo is ridiculus in MMOs ... if people just like to group with friends , thats fine but should get less for playing solo.
why grouping is important in mmos ?
becose knolage should spread , the noobs will become less noobs playing with experienced players. whats the real use of a experienced player if not to teach noobs ?
i mean , whats the point of being rich , having the best uber gear ..
helping noobs go up is what makes all those things usefull
if you are rich and bored , give stuff to noobs will make you feel better
teach how to solve a quest
i know i can just ignore the solo players , but i think they are a waste of server band
i know also this goes a bit oftopic , but anyway i got inspired to say those things
Guild - http://lightness.goodforum.net/
Blog - http://www.pierrecarlier.com/
-I am flamer because.......oh why exactly am I one? I like WoW and played it for almost one year
-yes it would cost a lot of time and resources
-NPCs with a life wouldn't take grouping away, you still have to group for quests and dungeons. They just don't stand in front of their houses all day long. They would do things you do in a world, like sleeping and working.
Nobody is going to spend all they long watching a NPC *-.-. It would just a great feeling and feature to mmos and games in general, it would feel more realistic and that you are actually in a "real" world (no matter how unreal it seems).
A real day/night circle work/sleep circle would add so many possibilities...
Contingent upon someone developing an engine that is easier on mid range PCs I think it is a fine idea. With many existing games towns are crowded with PCs, crowding them with active NPCs would make town type graphical "lag" (usually the game running out of main memory and having to use the swap file constantly) would make life a lot worse.
Also I'm kind of the opinion that it should be all or nothing in some cases. If the NPCs, I don't know, maybe wandered around town randomly until they reached some kind of range around a node that would cause them to start an activity (talking to another NPC, doing a job, sitting at a table, whatever) I'd be in favor of that. It'd feel kind of alive. The real downside is that it'd probably require a lot of tweaking and bug fixing to make sure it worked reliably all over the world.
Having them just go on patrol paths or something isn't very exciting for me though. I'd see them in exactly the same activities or whatever dozens of times. Thats more like going into the uncanny valley, in my opinion. "Oh look, its an NPC going in a circle" isn't enough better than "Oh look, its an NPC standing around" for me to think it is worth the extra time/money to develop.
You guys are right, the technology to do this is still some years off....maybe 3-4 years?
Cities (capital cities at least) in almost any MMO are way too small. Look at WoW, even the new bloodelf city is very small compared with real life. Tho...major cities should be crowded.
Well it's just a dream, I really do hope that npcs look and act a little more real. Would make the RPG part in MMORPG a lot more fun...
Age of Conan is doing exactly that. All AI controlled characters, both creatures and humanoids, have a need based pyramid system. Think about what happens when you leave the characters in the "Sims" game alone, only these guys arent so stupid they can't make it to the bathroom on time.
Sun goes down, and fires need to be lit, the nearest NPC to each flame source that is responsible for doing so gets a boost to the "need" to light said fire. The local blacksmith will close down shop where he had been hammering at the forge all day creating or repairing equipment for the local guard or anyone who wanted to buy, grab some food and drink from the tavern, and possibly spend some time in the brothel house before going home and going to sleep. These are not prescripted events, the "needs" that are most prevalent based on the character's nature and current situation determines the action the character takes. Including three different items that make up reactions to a hostile situation, the need to survive, the desire to avoid conflict, and the desire to gain victory (be it for the sake of loot/food, personal safety, or simply bloodlust).
Oh, and yes, players will have the opportunity to climb on and break into buildings to steal crap.
Its no dream, no far off technology, its already here.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway
You mean its in Q4 2007 if the game doesn't get delayed?
Its probably already had its last delay, but yeah.
The point is, its not a concept that is way out of reach.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway