MMO without NPCs
In my opinion, npc's exist only to do jobs that players can't/don't want to do. So yes you can make a game where the only merchants are players (and I do love a free market economy), but then you are limited in ways of regulating it. EVE Online, and others, have shown us the these do work well.
In the MMO I am conceptually designing, as a thought process mostly, I would make nearly everything run by players. Npc's are only there for things that no one wants to do, like sit around and hand out missions all day. Npc's would still be in cities, but in limited numbers. Say a city has anywhere between 300 and 600 people walking around in it depending on the time of day. So when no players are on, these are all npc's, just so the one player wandering around doesn't get lonely. But then when 200 players are on, the city still has around the same population, just 1/3 are player instead of being 100% npc. So I use them as graphic cannon-fodder in this instance.
You can have players come up with missions, or some kind of automated system that you say isn't a npc. You would have to have a very well thought out system that allowed players to do their jobs while offline so the rest of the economy could function. But then what would be the point of playing the game if it didn't require your input?
In the MMO I am conceptually designing, as a thought process mostly, I would make nearly everything run by players. Npc's are only there for things that no one wants to do, like sit around and hand out missions all day. Npc's would still be in cities, but in limited numbers. Say a city has anywhere between 300 and 600 people walking around in it depending on the time of day. So when no players are on, these are all npc's, just so the one player wandering around doesn't get lonely. But then when 200 players are on, the city still has around the same population, just 1/3 are player instead of being 100% npc. So I use them as graphic cannon-fodder in this instance.
You can have players come up with missions, or some kind of automated system that you say isn't a npc. You would have to have a very well thought out system that allowed players to do their jobs while offline so the rest of the economy could function. But then what would be the point of playing the game if it didn't require your input?
Another example of this system is Face of Mankind. It has NPCs, but they're just for looks; they don't do anything. The exception to this are police drones that were put in half way through beta. They are stationary cannons that kill anyone that fires a weapon within view of them. These were kind of a bummer, but they are destroyable and are only placeable by the police faction. Most player enforcement happens via the police faction, which can arrest people that commit murder and are reported.
I know I'm going to cover something I've covered in MANY occasions in these boards, but... heck with it...
As you all mentionned, NPCs cover four different functions.
1) They are vendors/buyers
2) They are quest givers
3) They are crafters
4) They are general background (and act as food provider, and easebucket emptiers in inns...)
The way I see it, none of the above-mentionned are all that exciting for the average thrill-seeking MMORPG-player. Noone of them would like to sit in a store for hours on end, while other people roam dungeons. No one would appreciate to farm, and get no chance to whack those pesky goblins and wolves. No one would accept to train Horses, or graze cattle. No one would accept to play a silly mini-game in order to craft a sword, a piece of armor, or even tailor a shirt. No one is interested in becoming the most successful salesman in an MMORPG.
Only...
Only some people are not only happy with these activities, but actually DO play them on Online games. They are not MMORPGs, but are called (maybe it's a new concept to some of you... I still doubt it, though...) MMOGs. I have PERSONALLY played a farmer on one of those games for more than two years. I then left because, as most games out there, it was still a grind, but something should be done to happily exploit all those players, and give them an experience they haven't had yet.
Yes. My advice is: remove NPCs in MMORPGs and replace them by PCs in MMOGs.
That is, of course, if you could create a database which would be shared by more than two games existing at once on the same server. This could give rise to some nice and exciting experiences for everyone around... Haggling, bartering, and for the most industrious MMOG players, the chance to develop a REAL commerce, with people going to find them EXCLUSIVELY. (yes, some people are prepared to go the extra fifty miles to find a particular tailor, restaurant, or craftsman. Don't ask me why...)
Anyway, I still recommand to explore this way of thinking, and try to combine more than one type of game around a single database. What if the adventurers had to go and try to sell their goods to vendor-buyer types who know perfectly well that what they are presented with is crap? How much would that improve your gaming experience in MMORPGs? What if, as in real life, adventurers actually had to buy their food, and seek shelter from other players? What if adventurers had to take their "missions" from farmers pissed off with said pesky goblins regularly raiding their fields?
And yet a scarier thought:
"What if players enjoying building armies and puting them up against other players, created armies of monsters (Goblins? Orcs? Trolls? whatever...) and moved them across a map which was that of your basic MMORPG? What if the monsters as a group were given orders?" Everybody would compete and give rise to some nice interactions. Adventurers would strain to find mobs, while MMOG players would do their best to protect their population and possibly raid some nearby town in order to retrieve some useables...
So what do you say? Would that be interesting?
As you all mentionned, NPCs cover four different functions.
1) They are vendors/buyers
2) They are quest givers
3) They are crafters
4) They are general background (and act as food provider, and easebucket emptiers in inns...)
The way I see it, none of the above-mentionned are all that exciting for the average thrill-seeking MMORPG-player. Noone of them would like to sit in a store for hours on end, while other people roam dungeons. No one would appreciate to farm, and get no chance to whack those pesky goblins and wolves. No one would accept to train Horses, or graze cattle. No one would accept to play a silly mini-game in order to craft a sword, a piece of armor, or even tailor a shirt. No one is interested in becoming the most successful salesman in an MMORPG.
Only...
Only some people are not only happy with these activities, but actually DO play them on Online games. They are not MMORPGs, but are called (maybe it's a new concept to some of you... I still doubt it, though...) MMOGs. I have PERSONALLY played a farmer on one of those games for more than two years. I then left because, as most games out there, it was still a grind, but something should be done to happily exploit all those players, and give them an experience they haven't had yet.
Yes. My advice is: remove NPCs in MMORPGs and replace them by PCs in MMOGs.
That is, of course, if you could create a database which would be shared by more than two games existing at once on the same server. This could give rise to some nice and exciting experiences for everyone around... Haggling, bartering, and for the most industrious MMOG players, the chance to develop a REAL commerce, with people going to find them EXCLUSIVELY. (yes, some people are prepared to go the extra fifty miles to find a particular tailor, restaurant, or craftsman. Don't ask me why...)
Anyway, I still recommand to explore this way of thinking, and try to combine more than one type of game around a single database. What if the adventurers had to go and try to sell their goods to vendor-buyer types who know perfectly well that what they are presented with is crap? How much would that improve your gaming experience in MMORPGs? What if, as in real life, adventurers actually had to buy their food, and seek shelter from other players? What if adventurers had to take their "missions" from farmers pissed off with said pesky goblins regularly raiding their fields?
And yet a scarier thought:
"What if players enjoying building armies and puting them up against other players, created armies of monsters (Goblins? Orcs? Trolls? whatever...) and moved them across a map which was that of your basic MMORPG? What if the monsters as a group were given orders?" Everybody would compete and give rise to some nice interactions. Adventurers would strain to find mobs, while MMOG players would do their best to protect their population and possibly raid some nearby town in order to retrieve some useables...
So what do you say? Would that be interesting?
mmorpgs, can defiantly do without npc's and most established mmorpgs, could prob afford to loose them, but at the start, when there is not enough people to keep the world occupied, then it can get boring
and hey ive sat in one place selling things to players, not all of us needed to be grinding away on monsters or traveling ^.^
Although i dont mind the alternative, everyone is a npc and they can choose to login and directly control, or leave the npc with some orders and do stuff in rl
and hey ive sat in one place selling things to players, not all of us needed to be grinding away on monsters or traveling ^.^
Although i dont mind the alternative, everyone is a npc and they can choose to login and directly control, or leave the npc with some orders and do stuff in rl
Author
Thanks for feedback, everyone. I will think about this idea further...
You could still post thoughts, maybe something interesting will come up.
You could still post thoughts, maybe something interesting will come up.
Fournicolas, I have thought about system like this too. I called them Multi Layers Games. They would be a single database (or related databases with other software changeing each depending on the state of the others - but a single DB would be easier to code).
My first attempt at this kind of design was a Space Combat game, where players would control massive starship in combat, but they could also take on a FPS game and be troops sent to defend their ship (or another) or assult another ship (or ground instalation). Damage done to the ships would effect the FPS maps (eg if a section of the ship got destroyed, then the people in the FPS would see that section destroyed too).
Another attempt was a game that had a RTS game where players could not only fight on a map, but would also be able to add those won territories to their domain. The second layer was a God type game where you could grant miracles and such and gain power from your followers (your power and miracles cast would change what would happen in the RTS games and the outcome of the RTS games could effect the number of followers you have). In the God game you could have followers in multiple RTS players maps.
In an MMORPG game you could have players be able to hire NPC to take over the mundane tasks, but this would cost resources (gold, food, whatever...). this would allow players to do these tasks (and be able to adapt quicker to the situations, like under selling a competitor) or hire an NPC at a slight cost, but it would allow you to do other things (or be offline) at the same time.
This would not be much more intesive (player or proccessor) then curently done for MMOGs as they already have NPC in these roles (and PCs interact with them) and all they have to do is be able to have values (prices, quantity, etc) set by the player.
My first attempt at this kind of design was a Space Combat game, where players would control massive starship in combat, but they could also take on a FPS game and be troops sent to defend their ship (or another) or assult another ship (or ground instalation). Damage done to the ships would effect the FPS maps (eg if a section of the ship got destroyed, then the people in the FPS would see that section destroyed too).
Another attempt was a game that had a RTS game where players could not only fight on a map, but would also be able to add those won territories to their domain. The second layer was a God type game where you could grant miracles and such and gain power from your followers (your power and miracles cast would change what would happen in the RTS games and the outcome of the RTS games could effect the number of followers you have). In the God game you could have followers in multiple RTS players maps.
In an MMORPG game you could have players be able to hire NPC to take over the mundane tasks, but this would cost resources (gold, food, whatever...). this would allow players to do these tasks (and be able to adapt quicker to the situations, like under selling a competitor) or hire an NPC at a slight cost, but it would allow you to do other things (or be offline) at the same time.
This would not be much more intesive (player or proccessor) then curently done for MMOGs as they already have NPC in these roles (and PCs interact with them) and all they have to do is be able to have values (prices, quantity, etc) set by the player.
Just wanted to say, if you want to remove npc's, you have to go about it right. Don't say, how do I remove npc's from mmorpg, instead reimagine the whole mmorpg without ever using npcs. Will this work? I don't know, but I think its worth a try. If you don't 'patch up' the npc's places good enough, players will think, why the heck didn't they put npcs in. If you imagine the whole game from the ground up without a place for npc's, and make sure you don't need them, you will probably be better off.
The "standing around selling stuff to people" problem could be solved by having merchants not be simple shop owners, but rather traveling traders. Certain resources or items may be common in one place, but rare in another. A trader can buy stuff where it's cheap and transport it to somewhere where it will fetch a high price. Whenever a trader (or anyone else)enters a city and wants to sell something, he goes to a designated market area and starts advertising. Traders are now also adventurers as they must face the dangers of the road, but they're trying to make a profit rather than complete quests. They may band with other traders and fighters to form caravans for protection. They may work alone or for a company. They may buy wagons or boats to carry more. If done right this could enhance gameplay. It would be best in a game where travel takes a while (and no instant travel of course) and where the world is dynamic so the journey between two cities isn't always exactly the same.
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
