a wish to see MtG MMORPG

Tyroine

Mtg Mmorpg Basics

What mmorpg's of today are lacking is any type of real dynamic fighting, so the real fight comes before the battle with how you prepare yourself, then of course not panicking and executing properly. In most cases if you're a warrior, you basically run next to your target and click a few skills, healing when necessary. If you're a mage you click your few offensive spells repeatedly, healing and running when necessary. If you're a healing type, you buff everyone else and heal like a bastard. This is why I don't like most mmorpg's created and know that I will get bored extremely quickly. Right now, I don't believe we have the technology to make a melee fighter be truly dynamic as in a pure fighting game sense, or if we did just wouldn't be as good. But we can make it so that magic duels would have so much variance and strategy that every single battle would be different from the last. One of the most unique magic dueling systems is already out there, the game "Magic the Gathering" the card game is a very complicated strategic magic game, and if translated over to the real time in a mmorpg, it will be the most unique game to come out in years.

As long as the creators of this game did a good job, it would be a guaranteed success. Taking an already good game, with lots of variance, strategy, and a fantasy base and turning it into and mmorpg won't be easy, but is well worth what it may become. First of all, in game tournaments will be better then any game as of yet. I mean duels are what this game is, they'll be huge events with multiple duels going at the same time, hundreds of participants and even more spectators then that for the larger ones. Honesty who wouldn't want (that plays magic) to watch the best 64 wizards with kick ass decks (or satchels of amulets) duel it out in 3D real time. PVP will be amazing, the entire game could be pvp and will work wonderfully, though a good mix with pve would probably appeal best to most players, and the amount of pvp would still be completely unique to any mmorpg out now. Imagine for your color's house, you just watched the last duel, having your name called to walk out on that field. You stop on your side of the box, staring at your opponent, the gong sounds, you step into the arena....

Well first off some money perspective. Asheron's call has 100,000 players, Everquest has 450,000 players, all paying more then ten dollars a month. Also Magic already has a large fan base, somewhere I read 7 million, though that might be a high estimate, even a tenth of that is an amazing start. I also have the feeling that many Magic the Gathering players are into mmorpg's, actually I'm pretty damn sure. Mtg has connections into all magazines and gaming shops for some great advertisement, also this being an actual unique mmorpg being released would cause an instant hit. I would say at the least you'll have 100,000 subscribers, possibly even breaking Everquest's dominion, that means one to five million dollars a month. I would say that would cover the expensive costs of making/ advertising/ distributing/ maintaining the game, also selling the game, hopefully for not too much, would overcome the costs in the short term. Interest in this game would also benefit your other titles such as MTGO, Battlegrounds, or the card game in general through a general liking of this type of game, and basic advertisement on the web site.

Well this would have to be a quite a bit different from card game, and Magic Battlegrounds was a good start, but you could take it to a whole other level. People want a world to develop in and to actually identify with their wizard by improving with it, and actually having a good battle system will be nice. You will be controlling more then one thing pretty much at all times so you will need an interface to cover that. For duels or tourney's you start with your 1 wizard in the arena, or even in the open, it starts, you both build your mana, cast spells, and duel it out trying to take the other person out to win of course. Well that's just the basics, here are some design ideas.

Duels should be less then 7 minutes in length, well it's real time so they should be shorter in most cases, keeps players more interested and will just be a better, less repetitive game. Also, 2 or more on 2 or more, and 3 or more wizards in free for all duels, with special arena's that have effects would be really fun and pretty damn amazing to participate in or just watch. Best of all, this will be the first mmorpg with actual dynamic fighting. You won't just stand next to a monster and hack and slash, or be casting your 2 best offensive spells at the enemy. You will actually have to think and adapt to situations, countering what your opponent has done. Even pvp in other games, especially for warrior, can get pretty monotonous, hopefully this game will take a step against that.

Of course you need a world for this MMORPG, so as an idea, have the 5 school's of magic in different cities in the world, maybe pentagon shaped or go with the books world. which I only read 2 books so I don't know if it's good or not, or just a new design, whatever would be best. Make the 5 houses completely player run so color wars/alliances are possible. Tourney's of one color against the other would be great events. Of course you're not limited to the color of your house, or even have to belong to one (though there are benefits). Your house color will probably be your main color or shared with 2 or 3, though 5 color decks are possible. Quests done in the world can be done in a few ways, first the run of the mill quest, "defeat this wizard in this dungeon", "Bring these cookies to my cousin", and so forth. Or incorporate a pvp questing system, like defeat this wizard, if he refuses he loses a spell, if he loses he loses some money, if he wins he gets a random card of yours, if you win you get something from the quest guy, but that's just options. Or better, "beat someone of this color, of this strength of better", also "attain this card", so you'd find people because they have the same quest to come get you. well lots of quest possibilities in this type of game.

The way you get mana is you accumulate it, the speed is based on how good your character is, based on RPG stat points. Levels are a good option, but an "Ultima Online" (when you use a skill it increases it by chance with no other factors) system mixed with levels (levels for personal stats/skills) would be best I think. So if you used more red spells, your skill in gaining red mana would increase. Your main stats and actual skills would be based on the level system though. Also from certain artifacts, maybe by controlling certain points on the map (as in the 5 mana producers, even special lands), your guild, or you personally, would benefit your mana regeneration or special effects. Though a system for control would have to be created, something like, if you take an area, you get an item representing it that can be traded or bet with, other options to also consider.

Gaining spells would be done through trading, buying, quests, betting on duels (option if both player want, random or choice, and option of more then 1 card, maybe like 3 maximum), won or lost in tourney play, awards in tourney play, in dungeons, from defeating certain wizards, and maybe creatures. As for access to your spells, in a way having access to all of them makes sense and might work. Would take some getting used to, and maybe limiting to like 10-30 spells max, and with the mana system, could make it work, especially making colored spells more dependant on their color mana to make it harder to freely use 2 or more colors together. I mean a satchel is a decent size and weight so you couldn't have too many spells, or maybe too much magic put together is dangerous beyond a certain amount, and a skill could effect it. This would cause problems with you always starting a duel the same, but maybe not due to the fact that your deck will always be adapting to your opponents, so after the first couple spells, you'll be countering what they do a lot. Protection from colors will be removed, or severely cut back in strength, that and circle of protections. That falls into card/color game balance so will be dealt with as progress goes along. Finally spell casting times, based off of spell strength and skills, and a time for the spell to recharge before being able to be used again.

Training up combat would be a viable option to support yourself, and casting spells on yourself possible because you and the enemy wizards will be monsters just like everything else. Though maybe wizards should start with some type of natural shield for that extra life. Also armor, equipment, weapons for you or maybe your monsters, depending on the monster of course. Toughness becomes life, maybe armor value too, healing spells replenish life or give more, and certain monsters regain health or get more powerful. For example Sengir Vampires, they'd gain strength and a portion of their lost health depending on what monster they killed, and this will vary depending on each monster of course, and cards will be tweaked to make it balanced and viable. Monsters can have spells, well of course fast effects, and maybe more detailed like minor wizards. Artifacts aren't summoned, and only have an activation cost, but artifact creatures are still summoned off of artifacts. You'll definitely have a limit of spells/artifacts you can carry.

Things about the game that are questionable and take testing. First, in the wild would you have to challenge people to a duel, or could you attack anyone without warning? or just no pvp in the wild like other carebear mmorpg's? (Personally I don't like the pure carebear, and don't think for magic it's the best option, actually I think it sucks). The challenge rule would work, and if they declined, some penalty could happen based off of wizards strength difference. For example the loss of little cash or no challenging at all from huge difference in strength, or a card or money if the wizard's are almost equal strength. Also some skills to help avoiding fights, maybe cloaking spells and the such. The pvp all the time in the wild idea would work IF there was a limit to how many spells you could have summoned at the same time, like a maintaining fee on all things. That would actually work well, so say when you summon your zombies, you regain mana slightly less quickly for each one till you get no more, and a cap on your mana in general. Or no maintaining fee but a limit on summons based on their strength and how good your character is. It will also help keep down lag from 10+ monsters summoned. This might create a really nasty pvp game with lots of picking on newbies, so either have some constraints, like really good awards to killing pk's. Or just ve it on one server, though it would be lots of fun in my personaly opinion, but definitely not for everyone. Even without the pure pvp server there would be more pvp then any other game out there, it's based around pvp, and only about 2 other games coming out are like that. Tournament play could get rid of summon limits due to the field maintains the monster/spells for you, would make tournaments duels more exciting.

For computer monster/wizards, of course have AI wizards in the world, monsters too most likely, but what do you get from beating them, and how do they roam the world? and can you just attack or do you have to declare a duel? I really do like the idea of just being able to attack, I mean it would make the game extremely unique, always running around with a few summons ready to bash something, with as much mana saved up as possible, it makes the most logical sense for a world. But losing and gaining cards through world fighting and such is a balance issue that can't be resolved until more is known.

Lastly, you would be able to have quite a few characters so that random blue rare you found might help your other character. Having a storage system that is the same for all your characters would make switching the cards back and forth nice and simple instead of having to go through other players. The game would look like any other 3d, think battlegrounds but much better, and would need some really nice camera angles to supplement it. The game would also need decent AI for your monsters, with a basic, defend me/follow me/attack them or attack specific monster commands. Lastly, some things like flying monsters would be trouble implement but I think possible nowadays.

Well after I wrote this I popped it up on a website and had a couple friends who are also into magic and mmorpg's read it. We discussed game balance, and how to keep the game true to the card game, and though there has to be changes, especially converting it to real time, it can be done and done well. Now if you like this idea at all, I put a small bit of our conversation on the website (www.experiencedgaming.com) that goes further in describing some balance and design issues, plus tons on more detail about the world in general, so post on the forums or contact me if you like it at all. Would be nice if a game developer took this seriously. But that's asking too much at the moment.

edit: hmm... just found out where i should have posted this, so i'll put it there and the admins can delete because it appears i can't