Kyrottimus
08-06-2009, 02:41 PM
I'd like to get a "list" compiled from the players that might help spark ideas/concepts, however small, for the coming new game engine.
They can be fixes for well-known bugs, balance issues, whatever. I'll start:
X. REMOVE ALL NON-FUN/ANNOYING/FRUSTRATING/BORING ASPECTS TO THE GAME. This isn't rocket science, if you make the game more fun by removing the non-fun aspects of it, you'll get more players (especially long-term players) thus more potential premium purchasers. Let me slap some logic on y'all.
a: F2P MMO Players play games which they find are the most fun
b: F2P MMO's with non-fun elements within get played less when compared to others with more fun elements.
Therefore,
c: F2P MMO Players will play the F2P MMO's with the most amount of fun more than those which may have more tedious, boring and otherwise non-fun elements to them.
So, NGD: More players + more premium content + better game mechanics and balance - boring and annoying stuff = more PROFIT
The following actual list is comprised of a basic overlying concept: remove non-fun/boring aspects of the game and add more fun/interesting/diverse and "dynamic" (sorry for the cliche`) aspects to the game.
1. Completely new network code -- No more huge spikes of packet-loss and missed log entries regarding your attacks on enemies or enemy attacks on you. Positioning should be truly fixed AND consistent, not just "slightly better than before".
2. Melee classes are made fun to play again. New spells, skills, abilities and passives to make them more versatile and enjoyable in any warzone situation. Also, have their "attack-zone" increased in both range and degree of arc. Barbs need movement speed back and evades/protection from ranged/magic classes (to a certain extent) and knights need GOOD armor and a more consistent blocking method vs. projectiles.
Basically, make warriors more useful, more fun and less frustrating to play in war. Make them less cumbersome with less need for constant buffing and make them more quickly and fluidly transition from "no enemies near" to "ACA!!!" without stopping and buffing for 10-15 seconds before hand.
3. Weapon and armor durability vastly increased and/or cost to repair said items vastly reduced. Personally I'd like to see "indestructible" weapons/armor, or perhaps make a rare gem that can be embedded in a weapon that makes it indestructible. In fact, an aspect of "removing all non-fun" elements of the game, I would suggest removing all weapon/armor durability completely and making all your gear indestructible. Repair hammers would go away, true, but I'm sure NGD would come up with several other premium items/options to offset that income source. See below items in the list for premium item suggestions.
Also, with archers and their arrows, make them far less expensive and come in much larger batches (instead of 50, how about 500 per batch?). And why not have the price, when compounded, be true math, i.e. if a batch of arrows are 56gp and you stack two of them, have them be 112gp and not some inflated 244gp (or whatever) as is often the case.
4. Better means to attract players for Realm Balance. 10% XP bonus really isn't enough to attract and retain long-term players into an under-populated. realm. Add "benchmark" bonuses to players who stay for 30 days or who get their characters to level 30 by giving them incentives such as a lucky box, armor paints/dyes or small amount of xim or whatever. Or, at the very least, have like "Free Premium Mounts" for those who stick to the realm for 30 days and/or get to level 30. Or make it RP-based, get 1000rp and win a free premium mount or armor paints/dyes....whatever. 10% XP bonus is nice but in the end it's not enough for character retention as generally the realm which usually has this is in a constant state of underpopulation.
5. Remove ridiculous and extremely cheap player abilities: Completely get rid of Low Profile. Completely revamp Staff Mastery tree so it is more balanced with the other classes' ability to do damage over time. Don't necessarily "nerf" it, but combine the buffs in such a way that "machine-gun mages" (aka "UZI Mages") can't solo a fort (which I've seen done).
6. Make Grinding/Leveling more fun by reducing the time-spent doing it for leveling and increasing the number of quests. More quests (and more fun quests) such as open-ended or "warzone mission" quests with exp and/or quest items is a definite must. Reduce mob resists/evades and their constant knockdown/stun/immob "spells" to be far less frequent. This game should have more war and fun war-based quest/missions and less requirement for mind-numbing, spirit-crushing grinding.
7. Realm Item Balance. Keep the variety in each realm item (quest rings/amulets and boss-mob drops) but keep them in balance so one is not more powerful than the other. Make items such as Satarco's Sword available for each realm, but for Alsius have it as a 2h Mace and Ignis a 2h Spear all with same speed and overall damage and stat-bonuses but with different types of damage bonuses (one slash, one blunt, one pierce or one fire/ice/lightning, etc.). Have all rings and amulets in the game currently available to ALL realms but with different names and damage types.
8. Premium suggestions:
Weapon and armor customizers. The Paints/Dyes are fine as is (need more colors) but more customization premium items would be nice. Allow users to add runes, etchings, engravings, gold-leafing, feathers, chains, etc. to their weapon blades as custom weapon art...or actually change the shape of their weapon's blade to a more customized, personalized fashion. Same for shields, and let mages add their own symbols, patches, etc. to their robes. I understand implementation might be a challenge but it is doable.
Character tattoos and scars. Yes, Moloks already have facial tattoos but make it more customizable for all races and with the option to add scars, eyepatches, etc.
More hairstyles and colors to choose from.
Clan-leaders/clans should have clan standards/flags/guide-ons with customizable backgrounds and symbols. Allow premium content for clanleaders/members to purchase or donate toward more customizable flags/capes/surcoats, etc..
More mounts to choose from, and reduce the cost of the realm-unique mounts as most currently do not use them as they cost too much xim.
Drop-rate scrolls. Like EXP boosters, have a drop-rate scrolls for grinders to get +X% chance for a special/magic/epic drop or just more drops in general.
Clan-houses and banks. Have an empty house in each realm's capital be the universal clan-house for all clans but with "separate" rooms. This means that while there is only one building for this, when any member of the same clan "enters" via NPC teleporter, they go to a room where only their clan-members can go. So if two players seperate clans entered at same time they'd be in 2 separate rooms. The room would have clan-specific banking NPC's for storing clan items, gold, donating XIM toward clan flags/banners etc.
Fort additions for clans: Active clans can add their own "Clan Logo encrusted shields/flags/standards" to the exterior of a realm fort. This would be shown on any fort their realm currently occupies. If the fort is lost to an enemy, their own Fort Additions would show up until the fort is retaken, and then the original clan fort additions would return.
Clan-sponsored events. Allow clans to spend XIM on hosting or sponsoring quests/missions or events such as invasions, scavenger hunts, bounties on specific enemy characters, etc.
Premium armor. Same specs as same-level regular armor but with much stylized and unique appearance.
I'm sure many more can come up with a myriad of more premium items and overall ideas for our collective wish-list.
9. Make use of RP. Instead of simply stats and bragging rights, have RP accrued available to be used to pay for fort-upgrades, exchange for gold, access to a limited palette of armor/clothing paints/dyes, etc.
Also, if not use RP for this, add a new type of points called "Fame Points" (FP) which can be used for exchanging for the aforementioned concepts and keeping RP as strictly "bragging" or "time-spent-in-wz" points. e.g. if you got 12 regnum points from a kill you'd also get 12 fame points.
10. Double or triple the available selection of weapons and armor per class per level. Also, add Realm Armor/Shields as a "graduation quest" for hitting 50. Make Realm Armor (as used/seen on fort guards) similar to Alasthor/Tenax/Vesper armor in that it's Normal vs all physical damage types but has no Magical bonuses.
11. Add "Hero of the Day" per realm, if a character does exceptionally well in a day in batle, I.E. RP earned or support given, have like an "Most Valuable Player" award every 24 hours per realm, with some kind of bonus for outstanding playing (cooperation, support, and overall heroics in battle).
12. In addition to the Colored Unchallenging, Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Challenging, Hard, Very Hard, Impossible, target "considerations", add in parenthesis the level of the mob/targeted-player. Example:
Kyrottimus
Normal (Level 50)
13. New Animations! I'm tired of seeing the same "barbarian flipping attack" for every non-normal spell. Put some variety in spell-character animations as well as a few more normal attack animations.
14. Have more sound effects (as an option) for more powerful computers. Shields blocking attacks and mage-normals should have their own sound effects as well as other blows landing.
15. Put clan-mate's positions (in warzone only) on the map. This way the constant "wau?" prompts in clan-chat would be a thing of the past. Also, hunters in clan can simply spout "3a 200m NE" and anyone in the clan nearby could react simply by looking at the map.
16. Double the spell bar (as an option) or even triple it. If people have the screen-space and want more spells on-screen to use, allow them to choose. Give ALT or SHIFT modifiers to those below the standard 1-0 number keys.
Example:
http://i31.tinypic.com/35ch93n.jpg
This would make combat for ALL classes far faster and more fluid for the players. Also, allow the user to "lock" the spell configurations in place so they don't accidentally "right-click" a spell, thus removing it in the midst of battle.
I'm sure there are many, many more ideas...some good, some bad, but they are just IDEAS, implementation, functionability and what not might vary.
They can be fixes for well-known bugs, balance issues, whatever. I'll start:
X. REMOVE ALL NON-FUN/ANNOYING/FRUSTRATING/BORING ASPECTS TO THE GAME. This isn't rocket science, if you make the game more fun by removing the non-fun aspects of it, you'll get more players (especially long-term players) thus more potential premium purchasers. Let me slap some logic on y'all.
a: F2P MMO Players play games which they find are the most fun
b: F2P MMO's with non-fun elements within get played less when compared to others with more fun elements.
Therefore,
c: F2P MMO Players will play the F2P MMO's with the most amount of fun more than those which may have more tedious, boring and otherwise non-fun elements to them.
So, NGD: More players + more premium content + better game mechanics and balance - boring and annoying stuff = more PROFIT
The following actual list is comprised of a basic overlying concept: remove non-fun/boring aspects of the game and add more fun/interesting/diverse and "dynamic" (sorry for the cliche`) aspects to the game.
1. Completely new network code -- No more huge spikes of packet-loss and missed log entries regarding your attacks on enemies or enemy attacks on you. Positioning should be truly fixed AND consistent, not just "slightly better than before".
2. Melee classes are made fun to play again. New spells, skills, abilities and passives to make them more versatile and enjoyable in any warzone situation. Also, have their "attack-zone" increased in both range and degree of arc. Barbs need movement speed back and evades/protection from ranged/magic classes (to a certain extent) and knights need GOOD armor and a more consistent blocking method vs. projectiles.
Basically, make warriors more useful, more fun and less frustrating to play in war. Make them less cumbersome with less need for constant buffing and make them more quickly and fluidly transition from "no enemies near" to "ACA!!!" without stopping and buffing for 10-15 seconds before hand.
3. Weapon and armor durability vastly increased and/or cost to repair said items vastly reduced. Personally I'd like to see "indestructible" weapons/armor, or perhaps make a rare gem that can be embedded in a weapon that makes it indestructible. In fact, an aspect of "removing all non-fun" elements of the game, I would suggest removing all weapon/armor durability completely and making all your gear indestructible. Repair hammers would go away, true, but I'm sure NGD would come up with several other premium items/options to offset that income source. See below items in the list for premium item suggestions.
Also, with archers and their arrows, make them far less expensive and come in much larger batches (instead of 50, how about 500 per batch?). And why not have the price, when compounded, be true math, i.e. if a batch of arrows are 56gp and you stack two of them, have them be 112gp and not some inflated 244gp (or whatever) as is often the case.
4. Better means to attract players for Realm Balance. 10% XP bonus really isn't enough to attract and retain long-term players into an under-populated. realm. Add "benchmark" bonuses to players who stay for 30 days or who get their characters to level 30 by giving them incentives such as a lucky box, armor paints/dyes or small amount of xim or whatever. Or, at the very least, have like "Free Premium Mounts" for those who stick to the realm for 30 days and/or get to level 30. Or make it RP-based, get 1000rp and win a free premium mount or armor paints/dyes....whatever. 10% XP bonus is nice but in the end it's not enough for character retention as generally the realm which usually has this is in a constant state of underpopulation.
5. Remove ridiculous and extremely cheap player abilities: Completely get rid of Low Profile. Completely revamp Staff Mastery tree so it is more balanced with the other classes' ability to do damage over time. Don't necessarily "nerf" it, but combine the buffs in such a way that "machine-gun mages" (aka "UZI Mages") can't solo a fort (which I've seen done).
6. Make Grinding/Leveling more fun by reducing the time-spent doing it for leveling and increasing the number of quests. More quests (and more fun quests) such as open-ended or "warzone mission" quests with exp and/or quest items is a definite must. Reduce mob resists/evades and their constant knockdown/stun/immob "spells" to be far less frequent. This game should have more war and fun war-based quest/missions and less requirement for mind-numbing, spirit-crushing grinding.
7. Realm Item Balance. Keep the variety in each realm item (quest rings/amulets and boss-mob drops) but keep them in balance so one is not more powerful than the other. Make items such as Satarco's Sword available for each realm, but for Alsius have it as a 2h Mace and Ignis a 2h Spear all with same speed and overall damage and stat-bonuses but with different types of damage bonuses (one slash, one blunt, one pierce or one fire/ice/lightning, etc.). Have all rings and amulets in the game currently available to ALL realms but with different names and damage types.
8. Premium suggestions:
Weapon and armor customizers. The Paints/Dyes are fine as is (need more colors) but more customization premium items would be nice. Allow users to add runes, etchings, engravings, gold-leafing, feathers, chains, etc. to their weapon blades as custom weapon art...or actually change the shape of their weapon's blade to a more customized, personalized fashion. Same for shields, and let mages add their own symbols, patches, etc. to their robes. I understand implementation might be a challenge but it is doable.
Character tattoos and scars. Yes, Moloks already have facial tattoos but make it more customizable for all races and with the option to add scars, eyepatches, etc.
More hairstyles and colors to choose from.
Clan-leaders/clans should have clan standards/flags/guide-ons with customizable backgrounds and symbols. Allow premium content for clanleaders/members to purchase or donate toward more customizable flags/capes/surcoats, etc..
More mounts to choose from, and reduce the cost of the realm-unique mounts as most currently do not use them as they cost too much xim.
Drop-rate scrolls. Like EXP boosters, have a drop-rate scrolls for grinders to get +X% chance for a special/magic/epic drop or just more drops in general.
Clan-houses and banks. Have an empty house in each realm's capital be the universal clan-house for all clans but with "separate" rooms. This means that while there is only one building for this, when any member of the same clan "enters" via NPC teleporter, they go to a room where only their clan-members can go. So if two players seperate clans entered at same time they'd be in 2 separate rooms. The room would have clan-specific banking NPC's for storing clan items, gold, donating XIM toward clan flags/banners etc.
Fort additions for clans: Active clans can add their own "Clan Logo encrusted shields/flags/standards" to the exterior of a realm fort. This would be shown on any fort their realm currently occupies. If the fort is lost to an enemy, their own Fort Additions would show up until the fort is retaken, and then the original clan fort additions would return.
Clan-sponsored events. Allow clans to spend XIM on hosting or sponsoring quests/missions or events such as invasions, scavenger hunts, bounties on specific enemy characters, etc.
Premium armor. Same specs as same-level regular armor but with much stylized and unique appearance.
I'm sure many more can come up with a myriad of more premium items and overall ideas for our collective wish-list.
9. Make use of RP. Instead of simply stats and bragging rights, have RP accrued available to be used to pay for fort-upgrades, exchange for gold, access to a limited palette of armor/clothing paints/dyes, etc.
Also, if not use RP for this, add a new type of points called "Fame Points" (FP) which can be used for exchanging for the aforementioned concepts and keeping RP as strictly "bragging" or "time-spent-in-wz" points. e.g. if you got 12 regnum points from a kill you'd also get 12 fame points.
10. Double or triple the available selection of weapons and armor per class per level. Also, add Realm Armor/Shields as a "graduation quest" for hitting 50. Make Realm Armor (as used/seen on fort guards) similar to Alasthor/Tenax/Vesper armor in that it's Normal vs all physical damage types but has no Magical bonuses.
11. Add "Hero of the Day" per realm, if a character does exceptionally well in a day in batle, I.E. RP earned or support given, have like an "Most Valuable Player" award every 24 hours per realm, with some kind of bonus for outstanding playing (cooperation, support, and overall heroics in battle).
12. In addition to the Colored Unchallenging, Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Challenging, Hard, Very Hard, Impossible, target "considerations", add in parenthesis the level of the mob/targeted-player. Example:
Kyrottimus
Normal (Level 50)
13. New Animations! I'm tired of seeing the same "barbarian flipping attack" for every non-normal spell. Put some variety in spell-character animations as well as a few more normal attack animations.
14. Have more sound effects (as an option) for more powerful computers. Shields blocking attacks and mage-normals should have their own sound effects as well as other blows landing.
15. Put clan-mate's positions (in warzone only) on the map. This way the constant "wau?" prompts in clan-chat would be a thing of the past. Also, hunters in clan can simply spout "3a 200m NE" and anyone in the clan nearby could react simply by looking at the map.
16. Double the spell bar (as an option) or even triple it. If people have the screen-space and want more spells on-screen to use, allow them to choose. Give ALT or SHIFT modifiers to those below the standard 1-0 number keys.
Example:
http://i31.tinypic.com/35ch93n.jpg
This would make combat for ALL classes far faster and more fluid for the players. Also, allow the user to "lock" the spell configurations in place so they don't accidentally "right-click" a spell, thus removing it in the midst of battle.
I'm sure there are many, many more ideas...some good, some bad, but they are just IDEAS, implementation, functionability and what not might vary.