Ever since the announcement of instancing...... I can't help but think Guildwars 1
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EQ1 and the expansion LDoN is generally considered to be the first game that added instancing.
Now I could - with justification - point out that an individual server is simply an instance of the exact same world after all but that could take this thread into deep - or should that be even deeper? - waters.
EQ1 had instances and so will Pantheon. Many modern MMOs still use this tool today. Also Pantheon has never been a remake of EQ1 or Vanguard. The Devs are taking the things that made old school MMOs great and incorporating them with modern gaming systems. We will see once again classes that are designed for rolls.
Because of this we will have interclass dependence. Gamers will need to work together. We will need to look at what's needed end Game and see how we fit into end game. Unlike today where most people play DSP and little though to what the person beside you is playing. You will know each class in the game and what they can do and every team will change your play style to fit the teams dynamics.
Also no in game maps. Exploring will be the real deal. Get lost and find new lands and dungeons. Show these hidden treasures to your friends and guildies. Loot will be iconic. People will know your story by what you are wearing.
That being said, this will be a modern MMO. With all the game features that make up modern MMOs and some new stuff as well. But not modern quality of life tools that conflict with the old school principles of teaming and classes matter. If you picture EQ1 with a new skin, you have the wrong game. Pantheon will be it own game.
EQ1 had instances and so will Pantheon. Many modern MMOs still use this tool today. Also Pantheon has never been a remake of EQ1 or Vanguard. The Devs are taking the things that made old school MMOs great and incorporating them with modern gaming systems. We will see once again classes that are designed for rolls.
Because of this we will have interclass dependence. Gamers will need to work together. We will need to look at what's needed end Game and see how we fit into end game. Unlike today where most people play DSP and little though to what the person beside you is playing. You will know each class in the game and what they can do and every team will change your play style to fit the teams dynamics.
Also no in game maps. Exploring will be the real deal. Get lost and find new lands and dungeons. Show these hidden treasures to your friends and guildies. Loot will be iconic. People will know your story by what you are wearing.
That being said, this will be a modern MMO. With all the game features that make up modern MMOs and some new stuff as well. But not modern quality of life tools that conflict with the old school principles of teaming and classes matter. If you picture EQ1 with a new skin, you have the wrong game. Pantheon will be it own game.
Very inspirational
I like what you say about "not modern quality of life tools".
It's kind of like a punch in the face back two hundred years ago would hurt as much as 2019.... Maybe worst back then, people had Grit not gym mussels.
It's kind of like a punch in the face back two hundred years ago would hurt as much as 2019.... Maybe worst back then, people had Grit not gym mussels.
I would invite you to adopt a New Year's resolution, where you resolve never to attempt to make an analogy again.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
It's kind of like a punch in the face back two hundred years ago would hurt as much as 2019.... Maybe worst back then, people had Grit not gym mussels.
I would invite you to adopt a New Year's resolution, where you resolve never to attempt to make an analogy again.
I'm trying to be nice.... I think the punch in the face analogy is fitting.
I hope they can produce non-instancing answers to the problems which initially caused instancing to be popular. Problems like content competition, too many players in one area, and nuisance players--disrupting the enjoyment of others--are easily solved with instancing. But something tells me I won't like the answers. Fundamentally, I think I believe in accepting most of the problem of a non-instanced world, as opposed to trying to fix them. Whereas most players have no desire to accept them, so the inclination will be that if anything is non-instanced it may as well be instancing because its effects will be just as widespread.
I think I believe in reducing competition and annoying players in a non-instanced world, or the likeliehood of too many players being in one spot, but never completely--and only ever in a hands off sort of way. I don't believe in heavy handed approaches. I guess I see much more value in a non-instanced world, and any probems associated with it are more than outweighed by the benefits.
So tasked with the problem I might do things like this:
1) Produce more content than is needed for the population--computer generate some of it to reduce development time and costs (sort of like how the towns and dungeons in Daggerfall were pregenerated)
1a) Increase the strength of monsters when there'e lots of players nearby, ensuring they're less likely to seek out other leveling areas
2) Use mark/recall teleportation or similar fast travel so content competition doesn't slow travel to a crawl
3) Use graphical LOD and server LOD when players are in large numbers in one area
4) Active GM community for nuisnace players
5) For quests involving quest mobs or quest npc's that might not be available because of the actions of other players in the world, this is where the real changes start. here I am going to do some big dynamic, scary things. the whole idea of questing will change from a static one to something always in transition. you'll be rewarded for every phase of the quest you complete, even if you don't complete everything. more of the quests will be community-based. most quests will be temporary. they'll be generated by teh server. i would probably look to RimWorld or other games--like Dwarf Fortress--for inspiration. I might also look at Guild Wars 2 or any MMO with community quests. make no mistake however, this won't be a story-based game anymore. it'll appeal to sandbox players. many players will look for something else. this mmorpg would primarily be about combat, survival, guild hierarchy and sandbox motivations.
Something like that. There're still some MMORPGs with limited to zero instancing, so it's not an unknown field of endeavour.
There will be no instancing in Pantheon except when necessary for story or quest content.
Again, Visionary Realms does not plan to utilize instancing as it is currently being implemented to overcome population issues or to circumvent the competitive aspects of a virtual world.
Comments
Now I could - with justification - point out that an individual server is simply an instance of the exact same world after all but that could take this thread into deep - or should that be even deeper? - waters.
Because of this we will have interclass dependence. Gamers will need to work together. We will need to look at what's needed end Game and see how we fit into end game. Unlike today where most people play DSP and little though to what the person beside you is playing. You will know each class in the game and what they can do and every team will change your play style to fit the teams dynamics.
Also no in game maps. Exploring will be the real deal. Get lost and find new lands and dungeons. Show these hidden treasures to your friends and guildies. Loot will be iconic. People will know your story by what you are wearing.
That being said, this will be a modern MMO. With all the game features that make up modern MMOs and some new stuff as well. But not modern quality of life tools that conflict with the old school principles of teaming and classes matter. If you picture EQ1 with a new skin, you have the wrong game. Pantheon will be it own game.
I like what you say about "not modern quality of life tools".
It's kind of like a punch in the face back two hundred years ago would hurt as much as 2019.... Maybe worst back then, people had Grit not gym mussels.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Mary Christmas
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Again, Visionary Realms does not plan to utilize instancing as it is currently being implemented to overcome population issues or to circumvent the competitive aspects of a virtual world.