A well thought out, well written world. One that makes some internal sense.
Unless you are positing that the players are amnesiac aliens dropped onto a blank canvas planet, the characters need to have some sort of grounding in knowledge of the world they inhabit.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
I check the gameplay first then if I like it I check out the story. If I like both the gameplay and story I check out the finer parts of what makes a good RPG to me.
A world of Victorian intrigue peopled by myriad dramatis personae, an ever-changing cast of characters, affluent and impoverished alike, each part of an evolving world. These individuals hold the keys to riches, secrets, plots, quests, and all manner of interesting devilry.
Let us create characters who fight over these people, whether through thievery, bullying, diplomacy, murder, or vile sorcery. Some might seek to kill the heiress and steal the family key that leads to a famous art collection within which rests the map to an ancient Dragon lair, while others might seek to protect this fair damsel and thus curry fair with her family. Who knows what could happen then?
Let the crimes leave traces, and inspire games of cat and mouse between rival seekers of fame or infamy. Let it be a game of games, where pvp is enacted only by those playing parts in the sub plots. And who knows if killing that rival player is the best bet if they might hold secrets valuable to you? Who knows where the quest ends? Is it in the attainment of a strange relic, or is that only the beginning?
This will all be very complicated. You will need to include an entire system of deep diplomacy and deception mechanics, as well as a cooperative/competitive quest evolution system that functions in a modular fashion within a larger, open world. No big deal.
Virtuous players might be consulting detectives or aspiring faerie lords, while the unscrupulous types could be evil masterminds or treacherous rogues. You get the picture.
Or, if none of that is realistic (and I cannot fathom why it would not be,) just make whatever and include boob sliders of every possible kind. Actually, include the boob sliders either way.
Assuming you are talking a MMORPG and not just a single player RPG. Avoid static spawns. If I walk into an area and then visit it again 6 months later I should see something different this time.
A lot of quests involving killing stuff...err uhh...enemies. I don't like errand quests like talk to *insert NPC name here* and deliver this to *insert NPC name here* in *insert Village/Town name here* ...
Comments
A well thought out, well written world. One that makes some internal sense.
Unless you are positing that the players are amnesiac aliens dropped onto a blank canvas planet, the characters need to have some sort of grounding in knowledge of the world they inhabit.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
A world of Victorian intrigue peopled by myriad dramatis personae, an ever-changing cast of characters, affluent and impoverished alike, each part of an evolving world. These individuals hold the keys to riches, secrets, plots, quests, and all manner of interesting devilry.
Let us create characters who fight over these people, whether through thievery, bullying, diplomacy, murder, or vile sorcery. Some might seek to kill the heiress and steal the family key that leads to a famous art collection within which rests the map to an ancient Dragon lair, while others might seek to protect this fair damsel and thus curry fair with her family. Who knows what could happen then?
Let the crimes leave traces, and inspire games of cat and mouse between rival seekers of fame or infamy. Let it be a game of games, where pvp is enacted only by those playing parts in the sub plots. And who knows if killing that rival player is the best bet if they might hold secrets valuable to you? Who knows where the quest ends? Is it in the attainment of a strange relic, or is that only the beginning?
This will all be very complicated. You will need to include an entire system of deep diplomacy and deception mechanics, as well as a cooperative/competitive quest evolution system that functions in a modular fashion within a larger, open world. No big deal.
Virtuous players might be consulting detectives or aspiring faerie lords, while the unscrupulous types could be evil masterminds or treacherous rogues. You get the picture.
Or, if none of that is realistic (and I cannot fathom why it would not be,) just make whatever and include boob sliders of every possible kind. Actually, include the boob sliders either way.
:P
http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/PerfArt
Assuming you are talking a MMORPG and not just a single player RPG. Avoid static spawns. If I walk into an area and then visit it again 6 months later I should see something different this time.