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Your MMO wishlist, I'd like to know
pandarusps
Member Posts: 3
Firstly, I apologize if this is in the wrong forum, I am, as you can probably see, a new user. Been lurking around for awhile, just haven't had a need to post until today.
Now,
I am currently a game development student at Carleton University and my piers and I are looking to create some sort of MMO.
Now, remember when you guys got bored of most MMOs out there? Well, this is where I'd like to hear your input on what people would like to see in an online game. Doesn't have to be an MMORPG, just an online game in general.
My personal thoughts are that I want to somehow rid myself of that dreaded hotbar(i personally hate the things), and make things alot more timing based and alot less cooldown/mana based, while still maintaining some level of difficulty.
I'm not looking for team members, or help, just ideas. Please humor me, I've got experience, Im just looking to embark on a bigger project.
Also, if you could leave a brief explanation(if you have time, one sentence answers are fine too) explaining why you think this would make games better, or what could be possible with your system/feature/etc it would be appreciated =D.
I'm just saddened at the current state of MMOs and would love to see what other people feel before I embark on this project.
Thanks,
PandarusPS
Comments
I think you are going to get a very varied selection from people of what they want in an mmo, people seem to operate at extremes on this website.
But as to what I'd like to see, a 3rd person shooter adventure style game, with ranged combat something like that you'll see in uncharted or Mass Effect, with melee combat similar to that seen in Dynasty warriors and some action MMOs like Tera online, and Continent of the 9th.
Binding spells and abilities to mouse buttons and some numbers as seen in diablo and torchlight would be good for streamlining gameplay, using the mouswheel to scroll between spells or abilities. Unfortunately, I don't know how you are going to get around a cooldown/resource system, but good luck to you.
Also, I'd like to see heavy story in the beginning of the game, not as a learning tool, but as an introduction and interactive design of your characters background and place in the game world, but then have the game open into a sandbox kind of world, where player interaction with groups controlling settlements or mines or farms etc. But also give the player the opportunity to continue the story through sections of the world.
Making assets important and creating a need for player trade is also a huge plus. EVE does it really well, but developing a system that allows players to retain their assets even after destruction, perhaps a huge cost to repair it, but not to have to rebuild or rebuy the vehicle/ship and loadout.
In case you can't tail, I want a sci-fi game, but not deep sci-fi space travel, more just advanced culture that allows the player to have a lot of freedom, but also provide a world rich in lore. You asked for a dream, I'll give it to you.
Good luck with your project.
MMOs played: Horizons, Auto Assault, Ryzom, EVE, WAR, WoW, EQ2, LotRO, GW, DAoC, Aion, Requiem, Atlantica, DDO, Allods, Earth Eternal, Fallen Earth, Rift
Willing to try anything new
I can tell you what the perfect MMO would be in my opinion:
Take the PvE aspects of WoW and mix it with the RvR (and 44 classes) of DAoC's three faction warfare.
All of that on AoC's & LOTRO's graphics/environment with a seamless map and engine. (DirectX 11)
Wallah....perfection! Win!
Throw in FFXI's story/mission mechanics and job system and I'd agree with this. Let's not forget crafting either.
Mix of Vanguard questing to level crafting with say SWG's crafting style.
Throw in FFXI's story/mission mechanics and job system and I'd agree with this. Let's not forget crafting either.
Mix of Vanguard questing to level crafting with say SWG's crafting style.
Indeed sir, I never really have the time (or patience, I admit) to do much crafting. I never played FFXI or SWG so cannot comment on them, but Vanguard had an interesting crafting system when I tried it in beta.
PS- That sig is hilarious!
I'm not sure exactly what you have in mind but if you're not thinking of an overtly twitchy style of combat I have some thoughts.
Ok, how about a combat system with moves and counter moves the combatants play off of each other and each person has just a second or two to pick a move in response to the move his opponent is useing. So not exactly twitchy but it would require quick thinking.
Example:
Player 1 chooses to attack with an overhead swing with his sword.
Player 2 (or mob AI) gets a message indicating the attack move his opponent is about to execute and has 1 second to choose his own move in response. He can try to block in different ways like knocking it left or right or a direct block and maybe some fancier moves. Or he can ignore the attack and do his own offensive attack.
After he makes his choice the two moves "fire" simultaneously. The way it plays out may set one of the players up in a vulnerable position for some other type of combat move which his opponent might or might not choose for the next flurry of combat.
A lot of intricacy could be put into this if a person were creative/intelligent enough. It could make combat sort of like a cross between chess and poker.
You would probably also want some auto-attacking to happen between the significant moves just to keep it feeling lively.
Anyway, there's my basic suggestion.
A large amount of races, classes and talent customization to ensure varied characters. In depth character creation coupled with that.
Random instance generators.
Potential for multiple character progressions, npcs reacting to you based on who you are, and what you've represented in the game.
Random (and not too often) conversation generators if your grouped that require you to choose from different responses a la dragon age.
Great responses so far!
If anyone has any suggestions on getting rid of a hotbar/heavy skill based combat system throw them my way. Any suggestions are welcome.
I'm going to be writing down most of these into my big design book for future reference, and probably poll you guys on design choices I'm making.
Also, I'm interested in your take on 2D vs 3D, I personally much prefer 2D games over 3D ones at this point and would love to hear your ideas on how we could make a fun, non-grind fest 2D MMO(*cough*maplestory) lol
OK here is my 2 cents;
As far as combat goes, I don't have a problem with twitchy as long as i can keep my toon on target. As far as the hotbar stuff goes, i can't think of a better way to do it. I mean one set of keys strokes versus another, seems to balance out there. What i would like to see is a game with no linear way of leveling, I mean once you start as a noob, you can go this way to get to a higher level/more experience/more uber than you were or you can go another or another. All this start at level 0 do only these missions because there isn't anything else to get to another level, I am really tired of lack of content. Especially after a game goes live and it takes less than a week to max out your toons level, but there isn't anything at the top to do, no content. Also I would love a game that does not rely on grinding to get you to that next level. Gamers pay good money and Speaking for myself, all grinding does is remind me of work, not fun, not to mention that a game that relies on grinding also is a game with no imagination in it.
Player/guild services. MMO's are supposed to be about communities. But I can't remember any game that allows guilds to do anything other than collect money from it's players. It would be nice to see a game where guilds have more impact, where players can have thier own house/ship/place to call their own?
1. Graphics and artwork that depict a credible world, where the player feels like they have entered that world.
2. A compelling story that engages the player and holds their interest, and in which they play some part.
3. Creatures and foes that have a reason for being in that world, not simply as loot pinatas.
4. Every level should be fun, not simply something to be rushed past on the way to an end game.
5. As much customization as possible, both in terms of how a character looks and plays.
6. Much, much less filler content. If it's in the game, it should be cool. If it's not cool, it shouldn't be there. So fewer quests overall, but the ones that are there should take time to complete and be worthwhile.
7. A large world worth exploration.
8. The servers should be smaller and more intimate to promote players getting to know one another.
9. Fear. Bring it back. And I don't mean some FFA PvP gankfest. I mean the world should present real theats with consequences for being defeated by those threats.
10. When you enter an area you should not be able to stroll through it like visiting the county fair. Back in the day, just getting across a zone was scary. I miss that.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Wallah, hahahaha
"It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer."
-- Albert Einstein
here´s my two cents also,
id like to see a fantasy/action game, but like real action/reaction type of combat with a real huge vas world to explore.
i also dont want to be led around by quests all the time.
and we all know gear is important, but i would rather see skill shine than gear in games for a change now...
basically what i want to see in an mmo: (ill describe like in a narrative way)
i enter a type of dungeon/castle, its freaking damp and dark, (this could work solo or with a group) we climb some stairs, with traps and stuffs (DDO type of thing) and then i see a freaking troll or whatever giant popping onto me, of course we have to fight or run, we choose fight, i pull out my sword and board cos thats all i have and know to handle, ehs going to attack me, but HEY! i can dodge or block, or if im not fast enough take the skullcrushing mace into my head and recieve some massive damage. after a real fight pulling all my skills to win i see the troll going down, i dont see a golden chest filled with phat awesome lewt! what im going to loot is the thing that i just killed in a real way, like ummm let see he had this massive hammer, sexy magical plate troll size gauntlets (off course we could modify this with a blacksmith skill), and he had a pouch with some copper or silver coins, that should be enough to rest in a inn after the adventure. and pay for some repairs, of course he wasnt in the stronghold by himself doing nothing, he was there robbing a magician that owned a very hawt scroll that would develop a large chain of events, in which the characters involved would play a major part!
i want freedom with decent graphics, real pvp, high end magic stuffs, squirrel type to titanical proportion encounters.
crafting is a must, good crafting not necessary driven by grinding the heck of the world resources for 3 weeks to make a pair of boots...
pvp is important but it has to be taken to a whole new lvl, no more faction we hate each other pvp. more like player hatred honor duels, city raids and kingdom overtaking!
Throw in FFXI's story/mission mechanics and job system and I'd agree with this. Let's not forget crafting either.
Mix of Vanguard questing to level crafting with say SWG's crafting style.
Old WoW PVE that was tough as nails. ALthough I couldn't stand wow, looking back at it's first release I've grown to appreciate some of the aspects of it.
Although I would love combat to more like Global Agenda's. I think that would be a nice twist to the fantasy genre. The setting of realm abilities like GA's equipment choices would be interesting as well.
Alright just a brief summary of what ive read so far (with a few exceptions due mainly to my lack of memory), I seem to get the concensus that overall MMOs should be:
1) More difficult. Be it raid or just plain exploring, it should be dangerous to venture out without being ready. Deaths should mean something again.
2) Things should start making sense. Wolves dont drop boots, and a giant boss's gauntlets shouldnt fit on your tiny character. There shouldn't be dragons for the sake of dragons. Which bring me to
3) A story. No explanation needed here
4) Skill > Items
5) Less to no grind
I know there's more but im distracted, keep em coming!
Throw in FFXI's story/mission mechanics and job system and I'd agree with this. Let's not forget crafting either.
Mix of Vanguard questing to level crafting with say SWG's crafting style.
I think i jizzed my pants thinking bout what an MMORPG like that would be like.
I'd be happy for years if they would just make a new MMO with old EQ mechanics. Same spell system, combat system, crafting system, but new content and so forth. I'm stuck waiting for EQClassic to release which I'm slowly getting less optimistic about.
I want challenge, I want static pulling with a need for crowd control, I want to break spawns, I want hard death penalties, I want pointless spells such as start/stop rain. I want to actual doors on buildings, and where all buildings are able to be entered, instead of this current fad of scenery buildings with doors that dont open. I want no questing for exp, but instead make quests meaningful and for worthy items. Make them longer and harder, no more of the kill 10 rabbit quests. Multiple races with an EQ like faction system, where you are hated some places and killed. Cities far enough away from each other where you are surprised to see certain races. I want adventure. I want exploration. I want the way MMOs used to be.
More voice overs like Dragon Age Origins and Fallout 3.
I'm tired of reading quests.
Less lag.
That is all.
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren
An epic Western MMO.
No skills, levels or classes.
Combat system as in Mount&Blade.
You either begin in the east and stay there or go west. If you choose native, you can begin in multiple locations.
Very simple sandbox gamepley. Many minigames for example surgery for doctors, pokergame for gamblers, carpentry for carpenters and so on.
Natives vould have the ability to "see" resourses in nature as freshwater, crops, herbs and minerals. But the more they take, the less they see.
Building settlements are very important for the pilgrims, they will slowly die if they dont have protections.
Just some quick ideas.
Battletech / Mechwarrior
Only the Dead See the End of War
Check out my thread about Future of MMO's - 5 Things you would like to see... Lots of ppls posting there.
IMO
Sandbox REAL world - REAL Physics etc - In most games with a poor spawn engine you get daft things like creatures being spawned in player cities as no one remember to reset a flag once the land was classed as city....
NPC Hunters - If you are so fricking awesome and killing all the bad guys why hasn't someone put a contract out on you.
Pain - You can't just be a key hitter and hope to walk away - If you shoot one person in a crowd then that crowd should turn against you or hide or come and find you - Again points to a good AI Logic engine - Also if you get killed then there should be some cost to you for being stupid....
Crafting - Let people develop their own weapons / items etc - Just give 'em the raw tools - One of the best things about SWG was I could spend a whole night just searching for the right materials to make something and then the quality of those materials affected the dps / regen or whatever of what I made
Local markets - SWG had no fixers - you bought something from another player and used it til it broke and then bought another one.
Factions - People want to belong and think their gaming is doing something creative. This also means that while you can have No-Mans Lands these can be used to fight over to get resources / benefits etc - If I was in Faction A and I came accross some of Faction B's miners / food / whatever then I am going to try to rob / break them.
There used to be a really good online game called Star Trek Fleet Commander III - Some guy set up a server where we would play Fed / Klingon / Rom and fight for space until one faction had a certain percentage of the "board" / map - When we were loosing people were emailing / IMing / phoning people in their faction to get online and claw back some "terrority".
Player cities / Housing - People want houses again....
Don't bow to the whinners - Have faith in what you make - Everyone wants to make a WoW clone - It ain't gonna happen again - If you had 2 Mil subs that wanted a certain type of game then make it for them and keep them happy rather than tinker with it to get another few subs.
Sooooooooooooooooooo many things I could say......
Everquest 2 or LOTRO has a far better PVE game then WoW does. Granted the RVR/PVP model of DAOC is still the best out there, they need to revert back to the original layout and difficulty. DAOC in its time was a game of greatness. Now its watered down so much that other then general combat mechanics which are also superior to anything on the market it just doesn't have the same feel because they made it per say easy mode.
A game with the old school structure and community that made DAOC what it once was with a modern day updated DX-11 graphics engine would be a big hit. Levels in DAOC once were a great accomplishment. It must be a game that requires work and weeds out the casual players. Their are enough casual player games out there to last a lifetime. The MMO world needs a game that actually takes some dedication. I'm a veteran hardcore PVP players i have to have the challenge and time sink to greatness.