Original post by d000hg It does sound fun. Realistically you're not going to get to a point where you can do a large part of the coding for some years; BUT if you fully flesh out a proper design document then you may be able to get a team of people who can code well. They won't come unless you look very professional though and allow them creative input. Being able to do some other things like build a decent website and doing 2/3D art will make it more likely too.
But for now just polish and refine that design. Discuss it on these forums but don't try and make it until the design is good and professional and something you'd show a proper business.
Thanks for the reply. I want to do a full design document but im not sure how. What all do I need to include in my design doc? How should it be arranged? could anyone point me to a complete design doc for another game so I can know what mine should look like?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci
I like your ideas on pking and cooperation. These are issues that need to be addressed innovatively, and you seem to be doing just that.
But I'm worried that your PK penalty system would take away some of the majesty and distinction of a beefed-up character. It seems to me that a noob could cause all kinds of grief for a high-level player, and then hide behind the petticoats of the Law. A level 80 character, tough as nails, could find himself surrounded by inept pickpockets and loot-stealing parasites, trying to yoink his cash/gear/dignity, and be unable to give them a thrashing for fear of the huge PK penalty for such an act.
Maybe it would be better if (and I'm assuming that your game will have "zones" where monsters/challenges are appropriate to a given level) you only get the PK Points if you gank a newbie in a "newbie area". So, if you're off trying to hit level 67 by slashing up some dark orcs, and a noob comes by and steals your item drops and tells you to STFU, you slit his nooby little throat. But you can't go to the Meadow of Slow Rats and start incinerating every little guy you see, or else you get busted.
My brilliant idea for a PK system would be to calculate the amount of XP you win based on relative levels. You get more XP for higher levels, and less XP for lower levels, and if you gank a guy more than five levels below you, you actually lose XP. That's got plenty of flaws and loopholes, too, but that's why I don't design MMO games. I drink beer instead.
Original post by Iron Chef Carnage I like your ideas on pking and cooperation. These are issues that need to be addressed innovatively, and you seem to be doing just that.
But I'm worried that your PK penalty system would take away some of the majesty and distinction of a beefed-up character. It seems to me that a noob could cause all kinds of grief for a high-level player, and then hide behind the petticoats of the Law. A level 80 character, tough as nails, could find himself surrounded by inept pickpockets and loot-stealing parasites, trying to yoink his cash/gear/dignity, and be unable to give them a thrashing for fear of the huge PK penalty for such an act.
Maybe it would be better if (and I'm assuming that your game will have "zones" where monsters/challenges are appropriate to a given level) you only get the PK Points if you gank a newbie in a "newbie area". So, if you're off trying to hit level 67 by slashing up some dark orcs, and a noob comes by and steals your item drops and tells you to STFU, you slit his nooby little throat. But you can't go to the Meadow of Slow Rats and start incinerating every little guy you see, or else you get busted.
My brilliant idea for a PK system would be to calculate the amount of XP you win based on relative levels. You get more XP for higher levels, and less XP for lower levels, and if you gank a guy more than five levels below you, you actually lose XP. That's got plenty of flaws and loopholes, too, but that's why I don't design MMO games. I drink beer instead.
Well I may just make it so you can only pick up items droped by monsters you killed, so noobs wont be able to take you gear. But in the case of a noob blatently disrespecting you, that would be quite an annoyance. I dont think I can do the Zone thing because I dont want to discourage exploring. Say a noob ventures out of his level range, he shouldnt be hunted down for that. Mabey I can advise the high level to take a screen shot of what the noob is saying and send it to a GM. Then that GM can issue him a pardon after he kills the noob.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci
A simple solution would be to have monsters attack things that are, say, 5 levels lower than them alot more than those that are their level or higher. This would mean that any noobs going near the dark orcs would be attacked before the higher level guys. Then again, depending on the design, you might end up with two pals getting together and just sacrificing repeatedly one characters life to act as a fool-proof decoy. Thats just one option.
Good to see that someone is really thinking out an MMO design thats more than "It'll be like X but cooler and free!!".
Yes it does sound an alright concept. I would say that the slaugtering newbs giving you punishment is a bad idea.
Gun games, are much more rapid based games. If you want realistic battles thatare fun they must be rapid and heated. This would mean someone may kill a noob accidently. Perhaps a system such a world of warcraft where slaughtering noobs offer no reward.
Original post by OdHero Yes it does sound an alright concept. I would say that the slaugtering newbs giving you punishment is a bad idea.
Gun games, are much more rapid based games. If you want realistic battles thatare fun they must be rapid and heated. This would mean someone may kill a noob accidently. Perhaps a system such a world of warcraft where slaughtering noobs offer no reward.
hmmm... mabey I will scrap the pk punishment and replace it with a good mentor system to keep the game newb friendly.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci
You could record newbie-killing and make it viewable by anyone. This way the PKers might become exiled from the other players/good guilds. This won't get rid of PKing, but will stop alot of it. You shouldn't have any more punishment other than that.
Just an interesting idea. It makes the players do the punishment, not the game. Once you get enough players, they *will* care about this. Newbie-slaying is a Bad Thing to do in games. Enough people will exclude from groups/guilds those with high newbie-killing ratings.
Original post by Ezbez You could record newbie-killing and make it viewable by anyone. This way the PKers might become exiled from the other players/good guilds. This won't get rid of PKing, but will stop alot of it. You shouldn't have any more punishment other than that.
Just an interesting idea. It makes the players do the punishment, not the game. Once you get enough players, they *will* care about this. Newbie-slaying is a Bad Thing to do in games. Enough people will exclude from groups/guilds those with high newbie-killing ratings.
Well isnt it possible that a noob killer guild will form where they rank themselves by their noob killing ratings. You know there should be a seperate thread on the best way to handle pking in MMOs.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci
