MMOs

So as some people may know I've always had the dream of making my "perfect" MMO (Massively Multi player Online Game). The more I think about it the more I think it would be great, or at least a step in a better direction. Then I see that Tim Bucky of Control+Alt+Delete comics has posted his ideas on the same thing (http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/#1378), and that makes me think that hell I should write up all my ideas too. Everyone I've talked to about them thinks they are great, so hey, why not throw them out there for everyone to see and comment on?

So here goes.

NPCs that Remember:
Most Games have a faction system for large groups. A similar faction system should exist for each NPC a player interacts with. The merchant you sell and buy from all the time, he likes you. Your a good customer, he greets you differently when you come in, he has some special deals that are only for "his best customers". Heck he even trusts you enough now to run some special "errands" he needs. Sure your a Citizen of the city, and they can be at least trusted to not rob him a knife point, but YOU, your his firend. Heck you may even help him put some other merchants out of biz ("if you know what I mean", wink wink, nudge nudge).

The NPCs of the world should have players build trust with them. They should also loose that trust over time, or if a PC fails them or causes harm to there bis in some way. Players should be responsible for there own actions. If you get a quest from the thieves guild to steal from the shopkeeper you visit often, and he finds out, that dude should be pissed. All that faction work out the window.

The current crop of games go to almost insane heights to make the game "fair". Sure I can see that you don't want a user making an uninformed action and screwing themselves over. The fix for that is NOT to make it so that any one action means nothing. The fix is to inform them BEFORE they make the action of what consequences it may have ( assuming it will have some decremental effect on the character ). A dialog ("by completing this mission, you will anger the merchants guild, this will have an effect on your dealings with them"). A faction tracker system should point out not only your current standings with people and groups, but also how your current quests and actions are affecting those. If the guy wants to betray his current loyalties, let him do it, but at least inform them as such ( for that guy, hey positive feedback ). Players that have large scale factions swings should also have a harder time getting faction back once they've lost it. I mean Merchant Bob is just never going to trust you the same, since you killed his dog, even if you have said your sorry.

Dynamic NPCs:
By "dynamic" I don't mean grass and trees blowing in the wind, I mean worlds with dynamic inhabitants. The thing that bugs me the most about the current cookie cutter MMO game is how one goes about getting and completing questing. It's all so very formulaic. Go to spot A, find NPC B, Talk to said NPC, Kill Mobs C thru K, return to spot A to find NPC B STILL STANDING THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, and be rewarded. This can make questing as simple as running down a checklist from a website, and to me that takes all the fun out of a game.

If the NPCs are supposed to be representations of the townsfolk and inhabitants of the world, then they should really inhabit the world. Move them around, give them lives. If it's night time, make them sleep. Turn them into believable real people. Hell the sims and Oblivion can do it, then why can't a MMO. It makes sense that some NPCs would hold regular office hours ( like government offices, or shops ). Players should have to deal with these people as if they were just that, people. Just as players may not be on or awake, NPCs may not be awake. That doesn't mean all quests should happen in the daylight hours. If your supposed to catch and turn in an escaped criminal then the jail will have a guard on 24/7 for sure, it just may not be Bob The Guard that your used to. This can go along with the faction system, it may benefit you to wait until a favored NPC comes along for the final "turn in".

Better Quests:
Quests should be tracked as tasks, not per player items in a list. When a quest is turned in, it's turned in by the group. The rewards for the individual members of said groups should be based on the personal faction between each user and the NPC giving out the rewards, "Hey you guys found my watch.. that's great of you, you've all been great friends, here, have something for your trouble.. well except maybe that dark elf, I don't know him.. he can have a cookie.. don't let him steal anything, ok". This prevents the pain of "do you have the quest", and the stupidity of "sharing quests" by just transferring the item to a list.
More on quests later....

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