[PVP] The future will make or break this genre.

[GOCOLTS]

I realize that a lot of people say that this game is fine following the current MMO recipe, and that if you don't like the way the game is, you're either a wow fanboy or have just grown tired of the genre.

 

I disagree.

 

The reason MMO's are the way they are is because it's easy to use other peoples ideas, and just give them a new look. I.e raiding for purples, pvping in battlegrounds for credits to buy more gear, crafting gear and weapons and potions... The game design is fundamentally sound, but why not branch out from that and actually add something different and fresh?

 

I'm not game designer. I took a couple 3dsmax classes and 3d animation classes but I'm a gamer, not a programmer. That being said, given 20 minutes, I can come up with 20 ideas for the future of MMO's, that would make current MMO's a leading indicator towards what the genre is going to be and not a lagging indicator of stale games born late in a dying genre from the past.

 

Why doesn't anyone want to be the ones that produce next groundbreaking (i'd say gamechanging but that's a bit too cliche even for me) product that forever changes the way games are played? All it takes is a bit of imagination.

 

My suggestions are:

 

Space pvp:

--free flying ships (ability buttons m1,m2,space (radar jam 5s 1min cd makes missiles not able to target you, or gets rid of missiles that are already fired)1,2 and that's it. You wouldnt need 50 different abilities. Keep it simple, but give more control over the spacecraft.

 

--Space pvp could be either instanced zones of space where you just fly around and blow up other ships (like a land pvp game, just in the air) or complete objectives like escort or zone capture or whatever, or it could be the solar system idea that I outline below, and since the current space stuff is kinda fun, you could leave it, and just add more missions. That would give 3 different options for people to be able to enjoy space. As it stands, it's rather boring, and really really simple.

 

--The instanced space PVP (space only, no ground interaction) could be focused towards a goal as well. If you own certain sectors of space your resupply ships can get back and forth faster, which could in turn lead to your companions being able to complete missions faster.

 

PVP Solar Systems:

--PVP solar systems that have 5 planets. Each planet is a level range and only available to players in that level bracket (it would make people of all levels actually able to help in the "cause" and make it useful for all levels to pvp). Open land maps where you would fight over towers or buildings. Once your team holds all towers you control the planet for an hour. When you control the planet, your faction gets the ability to send companions on special gathering quests for uber materials that you can use to make uber pvp gear, or ships, or walkers (I'll get to them) but my point is that you get a bonus that actually makes it worth the time and effort in taking the planet. If your faction controls all the planets at once, they align and you get uber UBER quests for super duper uber mats that are used for even better stuff. Each level planet would give rewards that are equivalent to the level required.

 

This is where the fun begins. The planets are open worlds. Big open worlds. You could put in walkers, speeders, and even have the people in spaceships (in the air above you) able to kill the walkers since they'd squish you. AA guns... The possibilities are endless. literally. One of the most fun times I've ever had gaming was in UO. Being in a group of people that roam around looking for enemies, and once you found some, the battles were huge. The most fun part (for me) of Warhammer was roving the countryside with a group of dudes and taking castles and killing massive amounts of people. The problem Warhammer ran into was that the rewards weren't great.

 

Put limits on the zones so that all positions are useful. If you have something you built/bought like a speeder/walker/spaceship/mobile AA/jeeps whatever and that position wasnt full, you could "commit" your vehicle to the battle, and it acts like a consumable and is removed from your inventory. Then you enter the zone in your vehicle and go fight. If your vehicle is destroyed you lose it. If it isn't, it reappears in your inventory upon leaving the planet. But holding the zones gives you the opportunity to get materials (or even just parts) for the ships so you could replace your vehicle if it's destroyed. I think this would be a blast.

 

Crafting:

--special missions for your companion that you take part in would be cool. Like an instance for you and your companion. It would give you better loot, but would still be based around your gathering, so it could have chests or something that you have to open in order and at the end you get mats, or something.

 

--pod racers: I mean really... The races on Tatooine have to be implemented. Honestly, I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but that race scene was awesome, and I think it would be a really fun, and different addition to an MMO. So with the system I talked about above and the rewards you could get from holding planets and entire systems, you could implement "mechanic" or "fabricator" crafting systems. Mechanics make vehicle upgrades, and fabricators make the vehicle itself. New gathering for the vehicles could be stripping or even just use slicing and salvaging.

Edited January 31, 2012 by GOCOLTS

[GOCOLTS]

Also, If racing pod builders were given some choice how to "set up" or tune the pods they make (I.e points they can spend in a talent tree per se that gives the pod special bonuses, or through making pods they can unlock bonuses to the pods abilities (speed, handling, weapons, armor etc) that make their pods look different and perform differently than everyone elses pods)) it would make crafting fun again.

 

If you're a pod builder and you unlock some cool skin for your boosters, your pod would look different and people who know when someone is racing with your pod. You could do different paint schemes, different configurations... I personally would love to be able to supply racers with customized pods and that would give me a sense of "people like my pod design over someone elses" which would really add to the satisfaction of the game.

[GOCOLTS]

bump for feedback

[Tetrablade]

Yes and no. I like the space pvp and a way to make all the ships have the same toughness though a bolster system would work fine. Just give them the added stuff you get for doing the solo space missions. I.E. faster rate of fire, faster shield regen, more missles, ect.

 

Land based, even objective based or especially so, will suffer the same problems that currently plague Illum. In short, way more sith then empire players. That would have to be fixed before any more objective based pvp planets can be introduced. Good idea, but not anytime in the next couple months if ever.

 

Pod racing would be good, and as long as each crafting branch is somehow implemented. I would suggest instead of new crafting trees, just have the chassis for sale and so many improvements can be added. Things like a faster acceleration from a cybertech engine. Better response through a Biochem interface. I would suggest weaponry be introduced too, but armstech could be represented through a grapple gun to take advantage of some alternate routes or maybe try to pull stuff onto the track. I'm sure upgrades could be made for every crafting tree and as long as you don't get all on one racer it could lead to some interesting strategy and forethought.

[Kingopersia]

you have some really good ideas. I like the pod racing and the PVP battles with Walkers and stuff. It would be cool to not only shoot walkers with turrets or w/e but do what Luke did in Episode 5 and grappel up to the bottom of it, cut a hole in it and throw a grenade in it!