Instead of tackling vehicle use in an MMO for genre that one would expect vehicles, what are some creative reasons for not be able to enter and use them? For example, say your MMO world is a modern day city with traffic. Besides the technical limitations, there are tons of gameplay ones to letting people operate vehicles regardless of how fun that would be. So what are some creative solutions that might make sense in the context of that gameworld? City of Heroes has cars but I guess you might not expect someone that could fly would have a need for a car. One solution might allow players to drive between cities but not actually in them. This way you know everyone is in a car so you don't get people running each other over like crazy. Even that solution might not be technically feasible. Does anyone know if Matrix Online allows vehicles?

Require them to have a liscence to be able to drive. Make the DMV realist and require hours of waiting. The steps for getting a liscence would be:

1. Permit Test
2. X hours of driving time with qualified driver who has x hour of driving with a liscence within so much time
3. Driving test.

Now as long as nobody actuly has a licence no one can get their nessery driving time in with a qualified driver.

Second everyone locks their car so you can't steal them.

Quote:

his way you know everyone is in a car so you don't get people running each other over like crazy.

Vehicles should be allowed to move in the city and run over people and make money. But the amount of money is lower campared to value of car itself.

On the other hand Vehicles will be expensive and the one who destroys it will get money. So skilled walking units can hunt down a vehicle and get enough money to buy a vehicle for himself.

DAOC has horses, in the sense that they're really just a form of public transportation; take me from point A to point B.

You could institute vehicles in that sense; you "rent" a car to travel from one city to another city. Traffic would have real players in the cars but you can't interact with them. A player in a vehicle can choose to exit the vehicle at any point along the route, but the car continues on its own to the destination.

But then...why would you? It would mean you'd have to build needless open highways and landscape between cities when, using COH's example, you can use the "subway" example to cross zones.

If you let players drive freely, well...that's a different can of worms. How do you actually give them the ability to drive where they want, but at the same time limit them to where you want them to drive?

Of course it also depends on your specific game elements; driving might be a necessity, whereas in the current crop a form of public/automatic transport is more feasible.

Anarchy Online has "Yalmaha's" which are plane like single person vehicles.

Their limitations are a skill Vehichle Air (and a few other for other vehicles).

Because being the future and all, and a flying vehicle.. I suppose they are more difficult to use than your typical car. So of course it would require some skill to use.

I've always felt that vehicles were merely a sign of wealth. Granted, they can have added benefits, like ...a faster means of transport? But beyond that I've always felt that they were simple "OMG OMG look @ me! I have a car and u dont lol lol!!"

Then again, if we're talking an modern-times action MMO instead of an MORPG, then armed vehicles are a definite added bonus. Because then it moves beyond just a decorative toy that makes you run faster, but it helps you kill faster and live longer. "OMG OMG! I hav a 1334 tank and u hav nothing! lol lol!!1"

Yeah, I'd buy that.