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Dr Who MMORPG
Akulas
Member RarePosts: 3,029
What do you think about it? Would anyone play it? How would it work? Would you be a timelord yourself or just some random person in the world(s)? I'd be curiouse to see it done AAA style.
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Comments
The problem of Dr Who as an mmo is that the Doctor has a huge impact on events in the universe. Let's say the game would play in a time well before the series events, before the timelords were locked away so everyone could be a Timelord. The feeling of the series could never be reproduced, simply because an mmo isn't able to give us this feeling of impact and significance. I'm still waiting on a good single player that'll pull it off, really.
In any case, should it be done, it should be pretty much combat free, focusing on exploration and investigation. And running. Lot's and lot's of running.
While I love DR Who, Tom Baker being the best doctor followed by Dave Tennant. This would be a very bad idea. The new doctor that replaced Tennant is really on my nerves. Yes thats right I do watch BBC.
You only ever had one Dr Who, and one evil Master. Yes sure there a lots of dialects, cybermen, and evil guys all over the place you really only have one main character, one main protagonist, and a handful of helpers.
This would be great for a rpg, but not for an mmo. I cant see thousands of time lords running around. The only way it would work is if it would be the time lord war vs the dialects and it would have to be in the time lock that means one small area inside a time lock with no way out and after 1000's of years surly all the time lords and dialects in that time lock are dead.
Sorry but I think this is just a horrible idea Do not go messing with a great show.
Why do I have a feeling every single one of the players would smoke a joint while playing?
Really, the IP is just not optimal for a MMO. For P&P, sure but MMOs like that is almost impossible to make, just like Amber.
You would have to pick just a few time periods and planets and it wouldnt really do the IP justice.
The spinoff "Torchwood" would work though.
Please don't. I'm a long-time fan of the show and the pencil-and-paper game was actually pretty good for its time, but there is no computerized version (single-player or MMO) of that universe that I can imagine that I would ever want to play.
You "could" have a game where you play an assistant, and work in small groups with a "timelord" NPC, who you follow around, do quests for, and travel with. Their TARDIS could give them new quest chains once one was finished, and you could have scenarios where small groups of players take on the role of the enemy and work to sabotage the timelord and his assistants.
The TARDIS could be a small groups "housing instance".
(So long as it was set before the 'time war' so Gallefry is still there).
But a game where you play as a Timelord I dont think would work in an MMO setting. Too many people. Would be like Jedi's in SWG all over again
"When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright
Dr. Who
I actually played this in my younger days.
Ok let me put forth a worst case scenario:
You play in a 'Tor Like scenario' where you chose a faction time lords or darlics fighting the galactic war thousands of years ago (which by the way in canon the time lords lost)
Players would compete using a wow like system participating in raids across many worlds for various different color sonic screwdriver drops.
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I remember that game on the shelves of the RPG store I managed. It never sold that well, which was a pity.
In the real world I don't think it would be viable. Doing justice for Dr Who in a game would be a very lofty goal.
However my friend and I discussed this and came up with two ideas for a best case scenario:
1) Zone transitions.
Imagine everyone playing in a fairly large persistent zone (with different servers of course). Everyone would work towards a certain global goal, this global goal completion initiates a global zone transition or time shift or new timeline in terms of game lore.
Players would then have to work to discover what is wrong with this new zone/world/time and then work towards that. I imagine a game with strong communication mechanics and very little in terms of quests. Players would have to just look for strange events, then possibly contact information NPCS and then spread the word on what needs to be done. It relies on player communication in order for people to know what to do.
So instead of finishing one zone and then travelling to the next, you essentially change the world for everyone every time you finish the global goal.
Immediate problem - server population, zones have to be recycled
2) Multiple time zone servers.
This is where there are many instances of one world each in its own particular time. Like GW1 you can pick America 1 or America 5, in this you would pick America 1900 or America 2001. Completing events in the 1900 server would alter the world of the 2001 server and you can travel to the different times to warn people about what changes you've made and how it might effect a different time. All events would essentially be player activated by people on other servers.
Maybe the years would be years with signifigant human events like 1969 moon landing or cold war period or 1939-1945 World War 2 in order to make things interesting.
Immediate problem - Time periods for each server would be a monumental task.
Edit: Remember that the tardis can camoflauge itself in order to blend in with it's time period, well that's the way it's supposed to work.
Play for fun. Play to win. Play for perfection. Play with friends. Play in another world. Why do you play?
If you want my opinion,it would be a complete flop,nobody would play it or buy it.
The term AAA right now is relegated to VERY few developers and to get them to commit to such a title would be futile,it would not happen.The best the top developers would do is make a browser version and very low end ,more like a single A game than triple A.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
The good news is that the new season starts September 1st on BBC America, and we finally get it in HD. And I happen to like the new Doctor, thank you very much! Although Tennant was great as well... I love how they get actors to capture this almost aloof goofiness.
As an MMO... can't see it working. It's just not built that way.
Oderint, dum metuant.
That sounds like the most likely scenario. And you would grind metalmens until you go green.