MMPO RPG/Adventure [ Don't shake your head just yet! ]

First off, let me introduce myself(and apologize for the length of this). My name is Ted, and I live about an hour out of Boston. I am well rounded in the computer field, whether its programming, design or networking- windows or linux- 3dsmax or VC++.NET- I tend to dabble in everything. Whats that mean to me? Just that I can be realistic about what (I) can or can't be done. I have a little money to toss around to try to put together a videogame(for equipment, licenses, etc).

Video games have become much like a reinvention of the novel. The writer(s) can immerse a person in their world, and leave it to them to have fun with it. Multiplayer has only enhanced it with realism and surprise. D&D and Vampire/WW are very early and primitive examples of this.

I have been a patron and addict of massively multiplayer games for as long as I remember owning a computer and the internet. I played MUDs far into the late hours of the night, day after day- until out came Sierra's The Realm, which completely redefined gaming for myself. All a sudden other games did not seem to measure up like they did before. Later I got into the Everquest beta, a game which I didn't leave until about a half year ago. In the meantime I also beta'd and played DAoC, and tried out Shadowbane.

Needless to say, I'm a MMPOG addict. In all games alike though, what kept me coming back again and again is PvP. I can't grasp how people could of played without it.

Keeping in mind my love for MMO-PvP, you're probably wondering why I'm writing this and not playing Shadowbane or Planetside. You're going to be surprised to as what my favorite MMPOG is/was. Not Shadowbane, not Ultima, not DAoC, but Everquest. Yes, Everquest. Im sure plenty didnt even realize Everquest had PvP. There were a small handful, of about a quarter dozen PvP servers in EQ. I played on Vallon-Zek(PvP-Teams) and Sullon-Zek(Diety Alliance).

Now now, what in the hell am I thinking? See, DAoC and SB and whatever are all designed with PvP in mind, but the PvP those games offer is very teamwork and largescale combat based. Good luck trying to go PvPing with just you and your buddy down the street, or without scoping out a kill for over a half hour solo. Especially if it would be an even REMOTELY fair fight, reguardless of just how good you are..

It shouldnt be like that. You shouldn't need a full support group to go out and participate in some clean, fun PvP. You shouldn't need to chase a herd around for hours to pick a few kills off: this is a game.

I dont imagine anyone else gets my drift without also of having experienced EQ PvP. Us PvPers("Reds"), we learned the ins and out of the software. I played a rogue, whom until recently honestly just plain got shafted throughout EQ's lifetime. We developed strategies, and learned what was most effective day by day. An awesome example is what we Reds called 'Jousting.' Instead of sitting in front of our opponent(or in a close radius) and going at them with melee combat, and occasionally trying to duck behind them for a backstab, we would take out our highest damage weapons(reguardless of the speed), hit, run away until our weapons were refreshed, come back in and hit again, and so on and so on until they died. Add in some hiding and bandaging to make up for hitpoint differences. That way we were giving our maximum damage, and not sacrificing (nearly as many) hit points in the meanwhile. Heck, some of us rogues got so good we could BACKstab you from what seemed to be the FRONT. I can't tell you how many people claimed we were hackers.

So, in essence what I'm trying to say is what MMPORPGs lack now in PvP is player-skill. Does it create an imbalancing scenario among players though when you have player-skill as a factor?? Not more than someone getting good at Quake. Actually a whole lot less, because Ill tell you now, the people who got insanely good at EQ PvP definately werent the people going out smashing Mobiles for awesome armor constantly. We were piss-poor(pardon). It makes it so those whom are uber-geared level fiends are not quite so tough, because they never took the time go have fun and play around with other players, and learn how to battle. I could rant and rant about how big of a role 'player-skill' should be and such, but I'd only make myself out to be a babbling fool. Besides, I think I got a rough represenation of what I was thinking across. Just think, standard RPG combat meets a bit of (but not totally) twitch combat.

Heres my idea. A fantasy MMO Adventure/RPG based around a leveless(so, skill-based) sub/multi-classing system centered on PvP and aquiring items to make you more powerful. The skill system will be there, but not of VERY significant importance. It will just back up your character development(the skill system has nothing to do with the tradeskill system, mind you, that will be rich and profitable). There will be a hint of capture the flag. Lore wise you'll see alot of cool stuff that hasnt been done yet(or not well, at least), ex.: alot of concepts from fairy tales ;). The mood will be alot like that of the "happy" fantasy mood of EQ/DAoC, verse the dark moods of UO and SB. Its more fun that way. But it'll have its own blend of cool, teehee.

Yes, there will be a PvE aspect to the game, but not nearly the pain in the butt that it is in games now. I hate the feeling like PvE is a unneccesary evil, and thats the feeling other mmpogs have given me to this point. PvE will stand as a way to make cash, quest, and aquire magical items. As far as I am concerned I dont care if players never hit a mobile in their whole time playing the game, hitting other players will provide the same benefits, minus the special loot(which you could trade for).

In order to make a game like this interesting, it will be story rich(manipulated behind the scenes by gamemasters), to remove mindless zombie killing syndrome.

I have also devised unique magic systems, combat systems and balancing systems. Im in the process of putting my sloppy notebook full into a clean design document.

Why the generic fantasy MMPOG? Well, this is not at all generic, I'll tell you that. As for the fantasy aspect, if I wanted to play a large scale shooter battle Id hop online with Tribes II or some of the awesome shooters there already are. The only other thing which i think really *perfectly* fits the MMPOG scene right now is Whitewolf's Pen and Pencil vampire games, but I cannot even come close to affording licensing like that. A game on reality and crime would come with too much shock value and controversy. So on, and so on.

I realize what it takes to put a MMPOG together, and especially what it takes to actually make it run after creation. So dont go trying to crush my ambition that way :)

I can go over the designs I have in detail later and privately. I am looking for people who would be interested in something like this. Anyone who wants to play contributing roles at all. Upon writing this I am pretty much alone in this project(and welcoming people with arms awide!). I would prefer people in the Boston area, but if you are comfortable working over the internet that is completely fine. We will be working in Torque. As for pay, there is none- if and until the game gets off the ground, then everything goes through in relative to the work you did/contributed. I have good feelings about it.

The development process would go sort of like this I was thinking:
A) Build the groundwork, make the engine enhancements, give ourselves a skeleton
B) Make a mini-game on top of that to accomidate ourselves with what we're doing[I have a cool as heck idea for an ancient ninja warfare mini-game]
C) .. The actual game, hehe.

I am really open to ideas, and if there is ANYTHING that ANYONE is curious about feel free to ask on this thread and I will answer with the very best of my abilities. PLEASE contact me if you are interested in working with me on this.


Please note negativity is not always constructive criticism though :)


-Ted.
AIM: tedkardosx
etrigan@softhome.net
PS: Sorry for the INSANE length of this.