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Traps in MMO's (How do you do them right?)

hraethhraeth Member UncommonPosts: 34
in Neverwinter

Yay, opinion forum, everyone's favorite right?

Seriously though, another thread I was reading about Neverwinter and the use of traps in that game got me thinking.  Traps in MMO's have in my (limited) experience been done pretty poorly.

In thinking about traps in instances a few things occur to me:

1.  Must have a rogue or we can't do X content... is not fun.  It's ok if the content is "optional."  Like an optional boss or treasure chest but if not having a rogue is a major block to play that is a recipe for frustration rather than fun.  This is not the kind of inconvenience that makes good gameplay. 

2.  Trap goes off = party dies every time... is also not fun.

3.  Just wait there for a couple of minutes while I, the rogue, check the area ahead for traps... is also not fun.  This kind of everyone wait while I do X mechanic isn't fun with any class.  It isn't fun when it's, "hey give us a minute to CC these mobs," it isn't fun when it's "everyone just sit there for a minute and wait for me to get good agro," and it isn't fun when it's, "everyone hold very still while I search for traps to disarm."

But, there may be a solution.  Traps with effects that happen over time.  Here are a couple examples:

You're fighting a pack of baddies when the healer accidentally triggers a trap and walls on each side start to lift releasing monsters.  The walls lift slowly and at first only small mobs (a couple of small spiders) can get out and join the fray... if the trap continues to go off then soon a few goblins will be able to get out and finally a couple of hard hitting. regenerating trolls would join the fight.  Nice slow release where the trap gets progressively meaner the longer it is allowed to go on.  Then the trap dynamic would be that a rogue would be able to find the trap mechanism and stop it.  In this case your rogue would have to make the choice between peeling off the pack of baddies you're killing to shut down the trap or try and kill the pack you're on first before making a dash for the trap before the trolls escaped.

You could use the same basic idea with other classes too... magic traps that only wizards could disable once the cascade had started, divine ones for clerics, etc.  This way the flow of gameplay, rather than being interuppted by, incorporates the trap mechanic.

You could also add traps that add mechanics to the fight like raining fire that you have to move out of, pulses of frost that breifly freeze you in place, etc.

These are some of my thoughts.  What do you think?  How would you like to see traps (and other class specific content) implemented in the games of the future?

Comments

  • itgrowlsitgrowls Member Posts: 2,951

    That's not a good idea. I think they should keep the traps random and they should be instakill traps or traps that severely weaken the players requiring a healer to remove the weakness or a healer to bring back a downed player (completely downed that is). or a rogue to remove the traps beforehand. 

    I'm usually against extreme rpgs but traps are a different matter. Cryptic does need to make them deadly but who knows the ones later on prolly are, we've only seen the beginning of the game not the end.

  • hraethhraeth Member UncommonPosts: 34

    Lol oops I didn't mean to post this in the Neverwinter channel.  Thought I was in general.

    Nevertheless, why do you think it's a bad idea specifically?  I'm generally opposed to the idea of insta-kill traps because it just doesn't seem fun and the point of any game, I think, is enjoyment.  I'm open to the idea that other people find their fun in different ways than I do.  Do you find being instantly vaporized fun?  What am I missing in your opinion?

  • AerowynAerowyn Member Posts: 7,928
    Originally posted by itgrowls

    That's not a good idea. I think they should keep the traps random and they should be instakill traps or traps that severely weaken the players requiring a healer to remove the weakness or a healer to bring back a downed player (completely downed that is). or a rogue to remove the traps beforehand. 

    I'm usually against extreme rpgs but traps are a different matter. Cryptic does need to make them deadly but who knows the ones later on prolly are, we've only seen the beginning of the game not the end.

    i dunno the ones in gw2 can insta kill you and seem to piss a lot of people off :P

    I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg

  • cybertruckercybertrucker Member UncommonPosts: 1,117
    Look to DDO, GW2 and  EQ1 for examples of good traps in MMOs. 
  • itgrowlsitgrowls Member Posts: 2,951
    Originally posted by Aerowyn
    Originally posted by itgrowls

    That's not a good idea. I think they should keep the traps random and they should be instakill traps or traps that severely weaken the players requiring a healer to remove the weakness or a healer to bring back a downed player (completely downed that is). or a rogue to remove the traps beforehand. 

    I'm usually against extreme rpgs but traps are a different matter. Cryptic does need to make them deadly but who knows the ones later on prolly are, we've only seen the beginning of the game not the end.

    i dunno the ones in gw2 can insta kill you and seem to piss a lot of people off :P

    Where i think they need traps is an obstacle to keep people from loot in chests like those that rogues find, GW2 has traps to prevent progress to a boss it's all in the placement.

    I think that if GW2 didn't also have a loot issue they wouldn't get as flamed as they do about their traps.

  • AerowynAerowyn Member Posts: 7,928
    Originally posted by itgrowls
    Originally posted by Aerowyn
    Originally posted by itgrowls

    That's not a good idea. I think they should keep the traps random and they should be instakill traps or traps that severely weaken the players requiring a healer to remove the weakness or a healer to bring back a downed player (completely downed that is). or a rogue to remove the traps beforehand. 

    I'm usually against extreme rpgs but traps are a different matter. Cryptic does need to make them deadly but who knows the ones later on prolly are, we've only seen the beginning of the game not the end.

    i dunno the ones in gw2 can insta kill you and seem to piss a lot of people off :P

    Where i think they need traps is an obstacle to keep people from loot in chests like those that rogues find, GW2 has traps to prevent progress to a boss it's all in the placement.

    I think that if GW2 didn't also have a loot issue they wouldn't get as flamed as they do about their traps.

    funny i have yet to see a single person in game complain about any loot issue.. anyways.. most i see complain because traps are hard to avoid if you don't know how to get around them and they pretty much are one shot kills.. but adds some variety to thing so i like um.. 

    I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg

  • Joseph_KerrJoseph_Kerr Member RarePosts: 1,113
    I like the idea of deadly traps, thats how pnp D&D was, unless you played my little pony D&D. It requires you to look where youre going and pay attention to you surroundings which was also a must in pnp D&D. So for Neverwinter yes-deadly traps, for games like WoW, SWTOR, Tera and such, I dont really see a point. I like the idea of the slow releasing traps mentioned too though, honestly the more traps the better in my opinion.
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