Alright, if you''re looking to powermax or don''t like the way I''ve been talking about games, I pretty much already know what you''re going to say. Don''t bother posting unless you think you can suprise me. What would happen if you did many of the things we''ve mentioned here, like make death signifigant, and then did an application only MMORPG. -The software would be free, and all costs would be by subscription. -Characters would undergo a trial period where they played a stock "ghost" character. All subscribed players would know who this was, so they can answer OOC questions for the newbie. The Ghost can niether attck nor be wounded... Maybe they''ll be like "Ye Village idiot" or something. -After the newbie has gotten a good idea of the kinds of character he might want, he types up a description and sends it into the admin. The admin then works with the player to work the character into the existing world. This system would prevent hostile players that no one would like... and combined with a legal statement could allow for effective Game Mastering, allowing you to threaten or even boot hostile players. Also, there is potential to create a town where the characters are all made, and if you see one you like in the ghost session, you can apply for that role. You would then recieve a digest of everything that has happened to that character. That way there is continuity. Keep in mind, this would work best in tandem with the other systems I have discussed in the past, not a leveling system. Also, I''m aiming more at MAKING A BETTER GAME, not making more money. I know it will alientate power gamers. So effing what... So, what do you guys think. Problems? Benefits? Would you play it? Thanks. "The unexamined life is not worth living." -Socrates

Very good ideas, Landfish.

quote:
This system would prevent hostile players that no one would like... and combined with a legal statement could allow for effective Game Mastering, allowing you to threaten or even boot hostile players.

Just a note: I think booting should be a last resort more for players that are just being annoying and rude. If a person's character would be mean or vicious, I think they should be allowed to be mean and vicious. It's probably pretty obvious what characters are being foolish, and which one's are RPing. Also, with permanent death being implemented, an annoying player or even one that is playing a criminal and seriously RPing would soon find that there are consequences for breaking the law. Their character could be killed for good. Basically, I would like to see the system itself weed out the bad players rather than the intervention of the admins except in extreme circumstances. That way, it's a lot more immersive. Like, if a group of players want to get together and take over a city, the game mechanics should be able to handle it. The players against that would protect the city, and so on...rather than the admins butting in.

I would definitely play it; however, I think the only people that would play it are the people here at GDnet...just kidding



Edited by - Nazrix on June 27, 2000 8:39:33 PM

Edited by - Nazrix on June 27, 2000 8:45:09 PM

I know I would play it...and pay it.

This could also somewhat maintain a realistic society (with a normal amount of thugs and criminals).

I''m really starting to think that a LOT of players out there are ready for something new, something that would not be considered ''great'' in a commercial sense, but that would quickly gain so many followers that all of a sudden it DOES become a bestseller.

Because it''s the players that make a game. If you can create a world that gives players a real sense of being there, you''ll have a winner. You probably don''t need to give the players 100% hack''n''slash anymore these days (because...some of us are tired of it). Just give ''m something to start with, make sure there is a good system in place to keep everything going, and just sit back and watch the world evolve...

Easier said than done though

And I''ll play that Village Idiot with flair!

Silvermyst

you could probably arrange it like most fps''s where people just set up servers, and you could give them part of the world to host. this seems to work for games like quake3 and you then the company doesn''t have to continue paying for servers, thus no monthly fees

If all these errors are so fatal, why am I still alive?

(sigh of relief)

It''s not an *impossible* dream then?

I like the pay by subscription thing because it derives money to MAINTAIN whatever servers we set up. Because the game would probably be downloaded entirely, we would need a subscription system to keep track of registered users anyway, so why not use it for payment too?

It also contributes to filtering. Only frequent players will pay monthly or bi-monthly rates to keep coming back. This will build a stronger community and more recognizable identities. Keep in mind, death in this game would be EXTREMELY RARE, since you would develop a major attachment to your character. Not for squishy reasons like people''s feelings, but death will simply not be worthwhile. You lose your character and that''s it. Plus, it''s so easy to die if constantly pick fights. Chances are, a bear will maul even an experienced warrior if that warrior has only a sword.

Thank you for contributing to my delusions. It''s only a matter of time before Kylotan shows up to ruin my party, but if he doesn''t, my party will never happen... so where is he?

"The unexamined life is not worth living."
-Socrates

Well, the big RPGs have like 10 or more servers, each supporting over 1000 players. That's quite a lot. I doubt battle.net has that many servers supporting that many people. Then again, being that this would probably not be on the scale of EQ or UO, I doubt the necessities would be that high. Hopefully, that many people would want to play it though.

One note...if there's a way, I think that an alternative to only using a credit card to pay should be implemented. There are plenty of potential players that don't have a check card or credit card.

Edited by - Nazrix on June 28, 2000 4:05:29 AM