MMORPG Design
Author
I know this post will mostly likely get flamed but i am hoping i will get some good idea before it is closed. I am the Head of Designer for Eternal Productions and i am going to start to design a MMORPG. I am wanting to get some idea from people who play MMORPG. I will like some feature you would like to see that have have or have not been in MMORPG before. Thank for you time.
Try doing research with all the other MMORPG's you know of - find out what people like and what they don't. Of course, there's the problem of people ending up not liking what they asked for, but you should be able to get some useful information. Go to the corresponding websites and the corresponding forums, and see if you can get a sampling of how people would like things to be different about it.
What I hated about EverQuest was the focus on needing to party at higher levels. There are so many power gamers at the higher levels it can get in the way of how a "casual" powergamer wants to play. If I powergame, I would like to do it alone and not have to depend on others to do so. If they are people I enjoy powergaming with, that's something different.
I also hated the spawn camping. At the lower levels (8-15), you had to camp areas that were very popular and people had to take turns. If they agreed, that's fine, but a lot of times there were so many groups waiting to take their turn, it wasn't worth it.
I also did not enjoy kill stealing, where other players run up and do more damage than you and get the XP for the kill, just to annoy whoever they can.
[edited by - Waverider on July 8, 2003 6:16:25 PM]
What I hated about EverQuest was the focus on needing to party at higher levels. There are so many power gamers at the higher levels it can get in the way of how a "casual" powergamer wants to play. If I powergame, I would like to do it alone and not have to depend on others to do so. If they are people I enjoy powergaming with, that's something different.
I also hated the spawn camping. At the lower levels (8-15), you had to camp areas that were very popular and people had to take turns. If they agreed, that's fine, but a lot of times there were so many groups waiting to take their turn, it wasn't worth it.
I also did not enjoy kill stealing, where other players run up and do more damage than you and get the XP for the kill, just to annoy whoever they can.
[edited by - Waverider on July 8, 2003 6:16:25 PM]
Interactive environment and tools. With pencil and paper RPG games you can do a lot with your inventory.
Examples-
- Rope: climbing (used with grappling hook), binding something shut, hoisting a package, snaring an animal
- Torch: light source, ignite flammable surfaces
- Oil: spread on ground to produce flammable surface, enemies slip and fall
- Iron spikes to wedge a door shut or open
How about cold and heat effects so that you don''t have Glamazon Bikini Huntresses running around in the arctic zone?
How about players can build walls, dig trenches, and other things to set up defenses in prep for war?
How about buildings can be destroyed with the right seige engines?
Examples-
- Rope: climbing (used with grappling hook), binding something shut, hoisting a package, snaring an animal
- Torch: light source, ignite flammable surfaces
- Oil: spread on ground to produce flammable surface, enemies slip and fall
- Iron spikes to wedge a door shut or open
How about cold and heat effects so that you don''t have Glamazon Bikini Huntresses running around in the arctic zone?
How about players can build walls, dig trenches, and other things to set up defenses in prep for war?
How about buildings can be destroyed with the right seige engines?
Kill stealing is annoying. Give XP based on damage done.
If you die, make it a minor setback. And try to get rid of spawn camping.
If you die, make it a minor setback. And try to get rid of spawn camping.
One game solved it by offering private dungeons, where the dungeon spawns for your party. If another party enters, they get their own. That way, no group interferes with another. I think the outdoor camps should still be available - some people like the crowds and the interaction.
That''s what a town is for, Waverider.
I have never and won''t ever wait for non-boss monsters to spawn just so I can level up. I paid the subscription to level up my character, not sit in a fucking line.
Killstealers need to be sodomized with a white-hot iron spike. Make the XP system such that only the first person gets all the XP, so long as they did at least 1/n of the damage done to the monster. Why should someone else level up while I burn potions or have to sit and regen?
My favorite feature in MMORPGs would defintely have to be support skills. Helpful skills that target other players and give them hit points, increase their speed or damage or the like. Yes, something like this is a basic feature, but it''s something you can''t be without. There HAS to be a support class, one that makes everyone else''s levelling easier and in turn gets to level up on the party''s shared XP.
I have never and won''t ever wait for non-boss monsters to spawn just so I can level up. I paid the subscription to level up my character, not sit in a fucking line.
Killstealers need to be sodomized with a white-hot iron spike. Make the XP system such that only the first person gets all the XP, so long as they did at least 1/n of the damage done to the monster. Why should someone else level up while I burn potions or have to sit and regen?
My favorite feature in MMORPGs would defintely have to be support skills. Helpful skills that target other players and give them hit points, increase their speed or damage or the like. Yes, something like this is a basic feature, but it''s something you can''t be without. There HAS to be a support class, one that makes everyone else''s levelling easier and in turn gets to level up on the party''s shared XP.
For me, designing within the MMORPG setting has been more than surprising! Fortunately for me, I began designing before MMO(RP)Gs were even commonplace, and as such, I wasn''t as influenced by their unfortunate side effects untill I actually got into UO myself, which just helped me realize just how good my design work was and helped me to refine it even more!
For me, the whole leveling thing in almost all MMORPGs needs a rehaul. It''s just not fun to just sit there and hammer away for endless hours just to get to make a decent item or engage with high level (and somewhat more mature) players - to have solid fun period! Yeah, all the factors that go into leveling sound interesting, but it''s IMHO just bragging rights (in fact, unless there''s a real solid difference between levels, it''s really not even noticed as much of an advantage (wow, I''m level 8 in smithing, I can only make a steel dagger, but I''ll need to go up 5 more levels just to make a sword?! And another 10 to work with Mithiril??!!)).
To me, it''s a cheesy marketing scheme (hehe, they''ll pump a whole year and a half of leveling and payments into this game before they can have any real fun!) that will die with those games.
On the side of skills. What is a skill anyways? It''s something that you can do to be productive right? Well, if I know how to hit metal with a hammer to make a dagger, why can''t I _attempt_ to make a sword? Why must it be, "I can''t make it ''cause I''m stupid?" To me, skill use must almost always be allowed, but proficiency using that skill should make the difference. And by difference, I mean an actuall learning experience, not just "Wow, I can suddenly make a shield now!" After all, it''s a _role_ your playing, not a robot that has suddenly downloaded a program!
Combat. Hit Points. Realism!!! Combat is usually way too lame to interest me any more than leveling up is. Yeah you''ve got the ranged and magic bolt attacks and such, but what''s the point if everything is just so bland you can''t have fun pickin'' a fight. Like others have mentioned, it''s usually the game of waiting at spawn points to hack enough level 8 zombies, taking say 5 hits each, to level up 5 times just to kill them in 4 hits! And that''s just to be ''safe'' enough to go after level 10 skeletons?! BO-RinG! Give me some damn action! Tactics! Even a little thrill?! Possibly reason?! Possibly a tiny influence of doing what your _role_ would want to do in a situation they may encounter?!
I know I''m rambling maddly, though I hope it actually helps you to think on the outside of the box about things.
"There''s times when you wish you could rewrite the history of certain things that have occured, MMORPG-ing is one of those."
- Christopher Dapo ~ Ronixus
For me, the whole leveling thing in almost all MMORPGs needs a rehaul. It''s just not fun to just sit there and hammer away for endless hours just to get to make a decent item or engage with high level (and somewhat more mature) players - to have solid fun period! Yeah, all the factors that go into leveling sound interesting, but it''s IMHO just bragging rights (in fact, unless there''s a real solid difference between levels, it''s really not even noticed as much of an advantage (wow, I''m level 8 in smithing, I can only make a steel dagger, but I''ll need to go up 5 more levels just to make a sword?! And another 10 to work with Mithiril??!!)).
To me, it''s a cheesy marketing scheme (hehe, they''ll pump a whole year and a half of leveling and payments into this game before they can have any real fun!) that will die with those games.
On the side of skills. What is a skill anyways? It''s something that you can do to be productive right? Well, if I know how to hit metal with a hammer to make a dagger, why can''t I _attempt_ to make a sword? Why must it be, "I can''t make it ''cause I''m stupid?" To me, skill use must almost always be allowed, but proficiency using that skill should make the difference. And by difference, I mean an actuall learning experience, not just "Wow, I can suddenly make a shield now!" After all, it''s a _role_ your playing, not a robot that has suddenly downloaded a program!
Combat. Hit Points. Realism!!! Combat is usually way too lame to interest me any more than leveling up is. Yeah you''ve got the ranged and magic bolt attacks and such, but what''s the point if everything is just so bland you can''t have fun pickin'' a fight. Like others have mentioned, it''s usually the game of waiting at spawn points to hack enough level 8 zombies, taking say 5 hits each, to level up 5 times just to kill them in 4 hits! And that''s just to be ''safe'' enough to go after level 10 skeletons?! BO-RinG! Give me some damn action! Tactics! Even a little thrill?! Possibly reason?! Possibly a tiny influence of doing what your _role_ would want to do in a situation they may encounter?!
I know I''m rambling maddly, though I hope it actually helps you to think on the outside of the box about things.
"There''s times when you wish you could rewrite the history of certain things that have occured, MMORPG-ing is one of those."
- Christopher Dapo ~ Ronixus
Author
Ronixus, Thanks that helps alot. I can still use more input from you MMORPG lovers.
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