So with some careful thought on my last post from a while back regarding the MMORPS I think its time for a little revamp. As MVBDX from www.videogames.com put it so simply its a revolution not an evolution.With so many of the proposed standards in the MMORPS in directopposition to the current MMORPG genre. One could invariably take overthe other. Although I will never claim that the MMORPS will be thevictor I would at least be able to build its own niche in vastly openmarket of online gaming. Focus on detail is primary! Something I havebeen knocking about is the idea of persistent single player and groupadventures in an online game. Similar to NWN's online capabilities witha Balder's gate feel. Taking the player back to the comfortable days ofsingle player games with depth. This system would permit the player toselect the length and difficulty of an adventure possibly the locationor region that you want the adventure to take place. From that pointforward the system generates a huge quest system for the player builtupon story blocks. The quests that come out of this system will lastfor as short as an hour or as long as weeks with the player beingrewarded all the way towards the final goal. The point is to wrap theplayer in an intricate web of plot bringing a reality and history thatis different for each and every player.

Next issues is downtime.From the LARP standpoint downtime activities are any GM authorizedactivities done when a player is not involved in an actual game session.To the MMO downtime is usually sequenced trips to the WC and snackruns. The best way to eliminate downtime is to give playersentertainment that they can carry with them. A very fine example is ifthe game requires long travel times from mission source to destinationthis would be considered a downtime even if the player or group huntedon the way to the objective. A down time activity for this situationcould be as simple as card games or puzzles. Even something as mundaneas sudoku could be utilized as a way for a player to break the boredomon a long trek. In a group players could gamble or play more intricate2 player RL or fantasy world specific games. For the most part unless aplayer or group is constantly going to be challenged to and from a questthere should be little or no need to make the player waste their timewith auto run. If a mission is built right the challenges should leadinto each other. Where a travel solution would be chasing andattacking a group of bandits across town towards the next objective.Nothing is more pointless then grabbing a mission the running in onedirection for five minutes then promptly returning to the quest giverjust to have to do it all over again. The staples of single playergames are the pretty obvious linear gameplay one receives for examplein an FPS. MMO's are supposed to be non-linear and free form butquesting and developing plot in the current way just creates a staccatoversion of linear gameplay. I am sorry, allowing players free formexploring is not providing them non-linear gameplay. Its a downtimeactivity its linear gameplay to perform with the other linear gameplaygets too dry.

A player should never be uninvolved in a quest orplot. In fact the best part of the madlib style quest generation is thelikely hood of you as player running into other players involved in thesame plots at the same time exponentially increases. Since many ofthe quest segments should be instanced anyways a player will not needto compete with other players for kills and rewards but since they willbe in the same locations they may opt to join forces to ease thedifficulty of an objective. Of course some quest segments should bepublic but they will have to be carefully balanced for playerpopulation. A quick fix is to put a pop cap per leg instance so therecan only ever be so many people in each instance at any one time. Oncethe pop cap is reached a new instance forms to accept the next group.Player groups are not subject to pop cap and most of the time will havetheir own instance generated for them.

Next time Community and more Downtime

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