Awakened
03-18-2007, 01:41 PM
Since these forums are pretty much unrestricted in theory, I'll post what I think of when I imagine my "perfect" game.
1. Battle records. Like how you can turn on the History channel and watch a battle from years ago, it would be great if you could watch in-game battles from the past. I realize in a PvP game there would be far too many battles for all of them to be recorded, it would cost a fortune just in storage space after a while. But what if banes, battles consisting of 20 or more people from two different guilds, and mine fights for mines of rank 5 or higher were recorded. Then you're cutting the number of recorded battles down to a 20th or less, which I believe would be an achievable goal. Then add tools so people could narrate the events, maybe even create their own little presentations on an empire by highlighting its most important banes and battles. You could turn it into an in-game profession even, be the first MMORPG that supports Historians. The record feature in SB is cool, but it has a lot of limits.
2. Custom architecture. I believe UO achieved the most in the area. Of course it's a 2d game, and custom buildings take a lot less resources to load and store without modern graphic expectations, but anything to add personality to architecture is plus. Custom flags waiving on the walls and buildings is better than nothing. The ability to manipulate buildings' shapes and size is the next turn. Finally, the ability to add custom art and decoration would allow true uniqueness. I can't imagine all the obstacles that would have be overcome. Porn filters, loading issues, etc... I'm not a programmer, but this feature alone could keep my occupied for a while as an architect.
3. Strategic battle commanding. When I first learned of formations in SB, my initial reaction was excitement. I started planning out all sorts of tactics that used different formations to gain an edge on the field. Eventually I realized they had little use in combat; stacking quickly became the tactics of choice and formations really didn't add any kind of advantage that you couldn't get simply by grouping everyone together in a ball and rushing in. I'd like see a battle commander have the ability to set way points for groups under him to follow whether preset or improvised, give live in-game commands to troops to ensure everyone understands what the current objective is, and make formations mean something. Hold Fast was a good idea, too buggy to work in SB, but in a new game I like the idea of every class or profession having a special ability that can be used in battle aside from just killing things.
4. Careers. Along with a career as a specialized fighter, I like the idea specialized roles off the battle field. There's really no end to what can be added, what in-game tools could be created to enforce such jobs. Diplomats, politicians, tax collectors, messengers, religious representatives, generals, admirals, blacksmiths, miners, carpenters, lumberjacks, bowyers, tailors, enchanters, trainers, mercenaries, engineers, historians, architects, musicians, beggars, fishermen, cooks, scouts, assassins, hunters, pathfinders, flag bearers, animal tamers, law enforcers, judges, etc. There's just so much that could be done - so many careers people could follow that provide a way to make a living and help provide for a kingdom without the mindless mob farming; this really should be more of an emphasis in MMORPG concepts.
5. Conquering. This is will be my last rant for now. I like the idea of taking over enemies more-so than destroying them. I think in a siege game, destroying a nation should happen in phases. First there's the option for nations to declare themselves a sub. If they refuse to kneel peacefully, you can siege them, and upon victory, forcefully declare them a sub. Then, after that, you can essentially launch a second siege should they not abide by the rules, and destroy them completely. Likewise, they can rebel (with time constraints between rebellions) to regain their freedom, or simply buy their freedom if the controlling nation allows it. It adds more dynamics to game play and guild relations, allows a second chance for guilds that might have had half its members on vacation or something when their city was besieged, and give professions more roles to fill (which I obviously like).
Like everyone else and their grandma, I have a lot of ideas, but I would say these are my five favorite. I would also love to see a character development system that's superior to the obsolete level grinding game, but unfortunately most companies don't seem interested in exploring innovations in that field.
1. Battle records. Like how you can turn on the History channel and watch a battle from years ago, it would be great if you could watch in-game battles from the past. I realize in a PvP game there would be far too many battles for all of them to be recorded, it would cost a fortune just in storage space after a while. But what if banes, battles consisting of 20 or more people from two different guilds, and mine fights for mines of rank 5 or higher were recorded. Then you're cutting the number of recorded battles down to a 20th or less, which I believe would be an achievable goal. Then add tools so people could narrate the events, maybe even create their own little presentations on an empire by highlighting its most important banes and battles. You could turn it into an in-game profession even, be the first MMORPG that supports Historians. The record feature in SB is cool, but it has a lot of limits.
2. Custom architecture. I believe UO achieved the most in the area. Of course it's a 2d game, and custom buildings take a lot less resources to load and store without modern graphic expectations, but anything to add personality to architecture is plus. Custom flags waiving on the walls and buildings is better than nothing. The ability to manipulate buildings' shapes and size is the next turn. Finally, the ability to add custom art and decoration would allow true uniqueness. I can't imagine all the obstacles that would have be overcome. Porn filters, loading issues, etc... I'm not a programmer, but this feature alone could keep my occupied for a while as an architect.
3. Strategic battle commanding. When I first learned of formations in SB, my initial reaction was excitement. I started planning out all sorts of tactics that used different formations to gain an edge on the field. Eventually I realized they had little use in combat; stacking quickly became the tactics of choice and formations really didn't add any kind of advantage that you couldn't get simply by grouping everyone together in a ball and rushing in. I'd like see a battle commander have the ability to set way points for groups under him to follow whether preset or improvised, give live in-game commands to troops to ensure everyone understands what the current objective is, and make formations mean something. Hold Fast was a good idea, too buggy to work in SB, but in a new game I like the idea of every class or profession having a special ability that can be used in battle aside from just killing things.
4. Careers. Along with a career as a specialized fighter, I like the idea specialized roles off the battle field. There's really no end to what can be added, what in-game tools could be created to enforce such jobs. Diplomats, politicians, tax collectors, messengers, religious representatives, generals, admirals, blacksmiths, miners, carpenters, lumberjacks, bowyers, tailors, enchanters, trainers, mercenaries, engineers, historians, architects, musicians, beggars, fishermen, cooks, scouts, assassins, hunters, pathfinders, flag bearers, animal tamers, law enforcers, judges, etc. There's just so much that could be done - so many careers people could follow that provide a way to make a living and help provide for a kingdom without the mindless mob farming; this really should be more of an emphasis in MMORPG concepts.
5. Conquering. This is will be my last rant for now. I like the idea of taking over enemies more-so than destroying them. I think in a siege game, destroying a nation should happen in phases. First there's the option for nations to declare themselves a sub. If they refuse to kneel peacefully, you can siege them, and upon victory, forcefully declare them a sub. Then, after that, you can essentially launch a second siege should they not abide by the rules, and destroy them completely. Likewise, they can rebel (with time constraints between rebellions) to regain their freedom, or simply buy their freedom if the controlling nation allows it. It adds more dynamics to game play and guild relations, allows a second chance for guilds that might have had half its members on vacation or something when their city was besieged, and give professions more roles to fill (which I obviously like).
Like everyone else and their grandma, I have a lot of ideas, but I would say these are my five favorite. I would also love to see a character development system that's superior to the obsolete level grinding game, but unfortunately most companies don't seem interested in exploring innovations in that field.