I also had the idea of bars, and taverns, but never though of mini games. You could have bear drinking ones, like tapping a button then move to next drink, but also people could sit around telling stories, about their real life experiences etc, if the bars and taverns are to busy, they may go into a private room. The problem is encouraging the player to do so, I would feel I'm wasting my time I should be training. Well maybe there could some sort of fun system, perhaps you earn experience faster when you fun is higher. Or perhaps as your fun goes up you can get rewards, fun, unquie things, perhaps funny looking clothes, novatly weapons like a flower that squirts water. Other possiblilties is as you compete in these competitions, not story telling, you can earn social status, but as a fun person, this could be used for NPC's who my respect you as a guy/girl who enjoys life, and may let you into small secret areas or the chance to get extra items. This has really got me thinking more of the tavern idea, I was surprised when someone mentioned it.

Communication needs to improve for this kind of thing, good headsets perhaps, maybe a sound control so you can make it realistic by being able to here people far from you, or make it so only a few can hear and you can hear. Typing isn't good for story telling.


On the fact many of you wanted smaller MMORPG's, the fact is like someone said they are ORPG's, so it would be a totally different game. However games are incorparting smaller player group ideas, like random dungeons for 10 or so players. It could be an MMORPG can still be an MMO but incorpare more feautures from smaller groupd online rpgs.

An Idea that just poped in mind. Maybe it would add a bit to the gameplay if quest are generaly too hard for one person to handel, so that players have to build parties to survive quest.

There are many quests nowadays that practicclly have to be done in parties. On WoW and apparently GW, I wouldn't know. But you have to do on FF XI an many more.

BTW what do people think of real time battles in MMORPG game, which consist of mainly sowrds?

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Original post by nefthy An Idea that just poped in mind. Maybe it would add a bit to the gameplay if quest are generaly too hard for one person to handel, so that players have to build parties to survive quest.

These are exactly the kind of quests I love to do on my own ;D

I thought WoW had a lot of group quests? I never played it past beta, got a bit bored.

If MMO people want to see improvements in their gameplay and such, they should take a look back at the games that spawned them: MUDs. Most MMOs just about cover the feature list of some of the stock MUDs out there. I _know_ there are differences between a lot of things on how they are run, but there are a LOT of cool ideas in MUDs that could be turned into awesome ideas for MMOs.. just my 2 cents, well.. 2 pence, I live in England.

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Original post by Kylotan Actually, in the sense of an online game, it makes an incredible amount of sense. Hint 1 - people like RPGs for a reason, whether you find them boring or 'ridiculous' or not. Hint 2 - when you have a recurring revenue business model you want players to be rewarded for time put in, not prior skill.

People like RPGs, yes, but I would think after so many clones of Everquest and the D&D ruleset, people want something different. Plus, I find MMORPGs boring mainly because I'm used to FPS play. From a business point of view, have you any idea how untapped a resource the FPS gaming community is for your "recurring revenue business model"?

Furthermore, I don't believe how much money someone puts into the game should give even the slightest indication of how strong they are in the game. Players should be rewarded over time by learning new tactics and strengths, and I don't mean adding +1 to a "tactics" skill for their character. I'm talking about skills that a player learns and uses through the playing experience. Look at any FPS game with multiplayer capabilities: every player has the exact same set of rules, all the same strength modifiers and such, and yet certain players come out on top of others. It has nothing to do with these laughable dice rolls and "Dexterity" skill points, but in a player's own abilities.

And it's not prior skill, but learned skill, that makes the difference. No matter what games you've played before, there should still be an element of learning in each new game one plays. Having prior knowledge of a similar game only hastens the learning process.

Another point on the recurring revenue business model: I've always seen a subscription to an MMO game as a way to access the riches of the game environment, not have a direct influence on one's abilities within the environment. Like a subscription to a magazine: having one hundred previous issues of the same magazine does not necessarily make you any smarter than a person who has but one issue. It may give you a better insight into the goings on within the magazine, but a newcomer may be just as knowledgable and should be respected as an equal. It plays no favorites.

Many players seek other rewards from different things. Many do look for fame, via the hi-scores of course,or get very good at combat stats wise, while others like to make lots of money, others prefer to tone their skills, maybe become a master craftsman. At the momnent players who seek fame, combat stats, and money are getting what they want, but people who seek enjoyment from other skills arn't. New ideas for people to devote to need to be made, and made diversly.

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Original post by NecroSen Players should be rewarded over time by learning new tactics and strengths, and I don't mean adding +1 to a "tactics" skill for their character. I'm talking about skills that a player learns and uses through the playing experience.

Note a player can in such case skip this 'time necessary to learn new tactics' altogether by spending an hour to read couple of gameplay guides on the 'net. This can be undesirable if you were planning for that time to be a (partial) source of your revenue.

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Look at any FPS game with multiplayer capabilities: every player has the exact same set of rules, all the same strength modifiers and such, and yet certain players come out on top of others. It has nothing to do with these laughable dice rolls and "Dexterity" skill points, but in a player's own abilities.

Sounds kind of like Planetside.

If you're going to bring FPS games as example though, don't forget to mention widespread cheats and hacks, which are frequently as detrimental to newcomer's enjoyment as is getting one-hit killed by lvl.Infinity character in 'regular' MMO. (part of price for giving the game client more control, in order for it to be 'snappy' enough for FPS-like gameplay) Plus, if you're planning the game to rely on player's skill alone, the lag-caused issues become much more crucial... and MMOs with their large amounts of players tend to have notorious lag problems.

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Original post by NecroSen Plus, I find MMORPGs boring mainly because I'm used to FPS play.

How is that a convincing argument on any level? I find FPS games boring because I like RPGs, but it's hardly a useful point to make is it?

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From a business point of view, have you any idea how untapped a resource the FPS gaming community is for your "recurring revenue business model"?

I think it's untapped for a reason. People don't like paying repeatedly to get beaten repeatedly.

And have you never wondered why there are so many older players, and female players, in MMORPGs? They don't play FPS games in anything like the same quantity. If any game is tapping previously unused resources, it's MMORPGs.

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Furthermore, I don't believe how much money someone puts into the game should give even the slightest indication of how strong they are in the game.

No, the amount of time they put into the game is the important input resource.

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Players should be rewarded over time by learning new tactics and strengths, and I don't mean adding +1 to a "tactics" skill for their character. I'm talking about skills that a player learns and uses through the playing experience.

Not all players are capable of learning in that way. Some don't have the mindset for it. Others won't have the reflexes, or the social group to share the hints with.

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Look at any FPS game with multiplayer capabilities: every player has the exact same set of rules, all the same strength modifiers and such, and yet certain players come out on top of others.

And this is exactly why they won't catch on as an alternative to MMORPGs. In RPG style games, everyone can do well eventually. It's a positive experience. In FPS games many people are just screwed from the start.

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It has nothing to do with these laughable dice rolls and "Dexterity" skill points, but in a player's own abilities.

Get over yourself... just because you don't like something doesn't make it laughable. It's a different gameplay mechanism, that's all. You totally discredit the points you try to make by acting as if your preferred type of game is the only one worth bothering with, especially in the face of millions of people who disagree.

Its all very good to have a game where people learning is merited and paying doesn’t give you any noticeable improvement, but surly that may make a better game, but how could whoever made it support themselves and not end up paying for people to play out of their own pockets? Most reasons why these good ideas don’t come into force is just practicality, I would love to reward people for good game play in my game, but how can it be measured in a way which prevents people from cheating?

One possible idea to improve RPGs or MMOs is for the players to make the content, but this has probably been discussed before. If it has or not its an idea, if players made the content then you, as other players could choose any number of things to do, and chances are the things will be enjoyable as they have been made by players of the game. It would make massive choice and you can immerse yourself in a world that is constantly changing, like the real world.