[Discussion] What fantasy franchise should be an MMO?

Dana · May 2005

In one of the new polls that rotates around the main page, I asked "What fantasy franchise should be made into an MMO?" (http://www.mmorpg.com/features.cfm/view/polls)

The overwhelming answer was "Other". This begs the obvious question: what is other?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

terstax · May 2005

Heavy Metal Online? To be more specific, Heavy Metal as in the cult classic animated movie. There would only be one problem. It would be rated M and thus not likely to be made. I wouldn't want to play it if it was any less.

Falconoffury · May 2005

How about the Sword of Truth book series by Terry Goodkind.

Harelin · May 2005

The fantasy MMO market is painfully overinflated, so my suggestion isn't to say we actually NEED another fantasy MMO...

But I'd love to see Dragonlance. It could come in many forms, and if given some thought might translate over nicely.

Dana · May 2005

Originally posted by Falconoffury
How about the Sword of Truth book series by Terry Goodkind.

That was one of the few I managed to get into the poll

thoruen · May 2005

I'm thinking that the Shadowrun pen & paper game would make a great MMORPG.

With its mixture of sci-fi and swords and sorcery it would be unique.

Microsoft owns the rights to the game, I would hope that they would let or partner with BioWare for this game.

Razorback · May 2005

Heavy Metal is a great Idea !

I have some others, some would be hard to get off the ground through political correctness issues but they are worth mentioning at least.

Vietnam - a WW2 online style situation with a "campaign map". Basically your chance to re-write history like it is in WW2 online. Play for any of the several forces involved, US, Australia, VC, NVA whatever. Victory point locations, a timeline based around the events of the war. Character generation and advancement based on both kills and mission success as well as survival and longivety, medals, promotions. From chopper pilot, boat gunner, to VC guerilla all options could be explored here. You get the idea. I would LOVE to see this done well!

Wild West - This one has been a LONG time coming and its ripe for the picking! Think a very spaghetti western style, which imho were the best westerns anyway. Skills based on survival, riding, rifles, revolvers, quick drawing etc etc. Bank Robberies, Train Robberies, rustling, bounty hunting. Play for either USA, Mexicans, Indians, Law or Outlaw. You could even set it around the civil war and throw in all that stuff too. You could include gold prospecting, wagon trains to settle farms that could be run by NPC's and generate wealth, get a bounty on your head... the list goes on. This game well done is long overdue.

Prohibition Era - Another one long overdue. Anyone who played Mafia couldnt help thinking what a damn cool MMO it could make. Picture a city or cities, where gangsters do their thing. Control businesses, stand overs, bank heists, illegal gambling, booze running, I dont need to spell it out. Play as either a mobster or the law. Advance by completing your objectives of breaking the law or upholding it. Another one that done well would be awesome.

Age of Discovery - I have a plan on my PC I have been working on for years for an MMO set in the time of the discovery of the "new world" so like Columbus type times. Muzzle loading muskets and swords, big sailing ships and far off lands. Start out as either the "discoverers" or the "new world" so your either a Spanish, English, French, Byzantine whatever with all the technology of the day - or - and here is the twist. You can play the "natives" of the land that will be discovered. As a balancer the "natives" get a form of magic that is not so much "magic" as spiritual awareness of things that allows them to control beasts, do scary stuff with fires and all that stuff we would call "superstition" that had genuine power to native peoples, and give it power in the game. So when Muskets meet wooden clubs there is a balancer that as we all know was not there in RL.

As the discoverers your objective is to get on a ship, sail into the sunset and establish settlements in the new world. As the natives you have to decide whether to burn or trade with the settlements as you see fit. The game would allow individualism (Daniel Boone types) as well as group coopoeration. In other words no one person will establish a settlement because all the trees wil have to be chopped to build etc etc, but scouts will be needed to work out the local threats. NOC you bring along could do the wood chopping but you would have to guard them from native players for long enough for the fort to get built. As a scout type for the natives you would have to do likewise and inform your war parties of the level of opposition before they rush in and get slaughtered

This one has amazing potential. I have written pages and pages on character types, play styles, all the usual stuff. I dont mind letting it out because I doubt I will ever get it to a stage where it could be marketed. With any luck someone will take the idea and do a good job of it.

I really like the idea of the "musket era" your skills at reloading, aiming etc would determine your success with these weapons because generally they were one shot then your enemy was on you, so most fighter types would need a balance of sword and shooting skills.

As time went by there would be scope for an exchange of technology between the two sides. For example if the natives do a particularly devastating attack on a well established settlement they could gain enough muskets, powder and shot to have access to learn the technology on a player by player basis. So eventually the more experienced and long lived native fighters would be seen with muskets. On the other side the fighters of the "discoverers" could learn some of the natives fighting styles, you get the idea.

With a real scale map of the main areas of the new world, this one could be MASSIVE, in terms of both scope and play options. Like switching sides by spending enough time with the natives or vice versa to learn the languages. Become a turncoat scout or spy. Its as big as the imagination.

I would love to see something like this done well.... *dream dream dream*

Well thats my ideas

oooh one more I forgot... Samurai Era Japan.... however with a twist... you include all the mythical stuff, kind of like the Monkey TV show .... could rock if it was done right

_myko · May 2005

none. Franchises do not a good game make. You need decent game ideas for that, not Yoda or Gandalf on the box....

terstax · May 2005

I also would not mind seeing an MMO modeled after the game Space 1889. It had a heavy Victorian influence. It had the dream like qualities the people of the time lusted after, such as dirigibles going to the moon and such.

Noubourne · May 2005

I agree. I voted other and it meant none of the above. Make up your own story. Make it match your mechanics. Take aspects of other stories you like and weave them into the game. Don't constrain your game with preconceived notions about what the story is going to be like, or how it will turn out.

That just spells disappointment to me, since well-known stories, while already having a large audience, also already have a lot of expectations out there.

tallsmartman · May 2005

For "Other" I would vote for G.P. Taylor's fantasy books "Shadowmancer" and "Wormwood". That would defanately be sweet, of course I think Narnia would be cool too, but Wormwood especially had a lot more combat, so it would fit as MMORPG quite well. Of course now that I think of it, Shadowmancer and Wormwood are set in different areas with different characters... he hasn't really created a single MMORPG world, so, if he ever did, I would chose him...

-MW

Thorongil · May 2005

None.

Games that try to be based on some external fiction or franchise seem to end up being more constrained and thus less open to player impact.

It's my opinion that one major key for the future of the genre is that games have to allow the players to impact their worlds/universes more than ever before. To do that, you cannot be strapped in to a story (like SWG or LOTR) where the ending is already pre-determined.

So hire a good writer and create a good backdrop but then let the players live in it, mold it, fight over it, and shape it as they will.

Effect · May 2005

Honestly I've felt over the last few years that the Harry Potter franchise would make a decent MMORPG but it would have to go through a lot of changes I feel.

For one it would take place mainly in the wizard world, no real life areas. You'd have every player going through the school to train to be a wizard. This could be for the first 10 or so levels. You could make the character grow to keep in line with the books and once they reach a certain level(and age and the player's characater will reflect this) they are able to go out into the world. That's where you start expanding the Harry Potter world, add different factions, different points once peopel start going off in different paths. Maybe create a whole new world once you leave the wizard academy as to really branch off but keep some of the characters and elements from the film just to make the connection. Just a thought.

Or an idea like this minus the Harry Potter references but the name alone could bring in a lot of people that weren't gamers before hand I feel.

killerTwinkie · May 2005

Originally posted by Harelin
The fantasy MMO market is painfully overinflated, so my suggestion isn't to say we actually NEED another fantasy MMO... :)But I'd love to see Dragonlance. It could come in many forms, and if given some thought might translate over nicely.

I agree completely. The books have a large array of already stable factions, gods and the like. Online events could be placed to stop certain factions from getting a "Dragon Orb" and other tales.

Pretty neat thought harelin, it would be interesting to see it play out correctly. Though, at one point in the series to start the book at.

Kytrarewn · May 2005

Phase/Proton from the Piers Anthony Apprentice Adept novels. You get to choose between a normal human (non-adept), werewolf, centaur, vampire, etc, with specific characteristics, and compete in the Tournament on Proton and fight against the Evil Adepts on Phase for character advancement (xp). Only thing worrisome is that serfs on Proton go around in the nude, but I think there could be some poetic license there.