Idyllic villages, bandit-raids and twisted politics - Caellach's MMORPG.

Introduction

Wherever there is action, you'll find me. Since I am a die-hard fan of classic fantasy, my ideal MMORPG would be found within this genre. Swords and daggers, gigantic libraries, long lost treasures in hidden caves and calm, quiet towns. I want a MMORPG that is not necessarily a sandbox, but offers as many options as possible. A MMORPG where role-playing is enforced and non-RPers are banned quickly. Where the graphics are a blessing to the eye and each player can do everything from maintaining a farm to exploring unknown lands.

Work in progress.

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Graphics and World features:

The visual part is the main feature that makes RPing in MMORPGs unique. Imagination is good, but we also want to see what's going on with our very eyes, don't we? And so, when I run around saving peasant women from bloodthirsty beasts, I want to be able to fight a beast and not a floating 3D cube.

Graphics:

Optimized. It should be possible to see the reflection of your character in the water, the pattern on a bug's back, the freckles on your friend's cheeks - without suffering the torment of lag. Just like when you play a good single-player on your PS3 and enjoy breath-taking graphics.

I'm not too fond of overly realistic character design, such as what you can find in Oblivion. No, give me Korean designers for the visuals. If these guys can do something, it's creating the most awesome character and environment designs which are in the borderline between realistic and cartoonish style.

Wonder what I'm talking about?

See this: http://www.play-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/shaiya-light-and-darkness.jpg

General features & The World:

Ah, the world... I'm all for multicultural environments. The classic medieval European city. The nomad steppes. The desert, the deep forests, the ports, the snowy mountains. Small villages scattered on endless, green plains and undiscovered tropic isles...

Role-play tutorial:

All players must go through a small role-play tutorial and pass a test before they can access the realms.

Levels: Yes, sorry. More convenient that way.

Players & NPCs:

I'd limit the number of NCPs as much as possible and allow the players to take all important social positions. Of course, becoming the ruler of a country isn't done over a week. To access social positions, the players have to meet the level and reputation requirements. There will however be some NPCs serving as bots. (e.g. A servant bringing your character food, a guard... )

Many high social positions will be available. Each player with a superior social position will serve as the head of the institution he/she represents. (Bishop, king/queen, chieftain of a tribe... ) Once the player gives up his position for whatever reason, a new player will be able to succeed him/her. The successor will be chosen by a small council. (GMs) If necessary, a council member can claim the social position until a proper successor is found. This council will also serve as the judicial branch in the society.

Even though only a very limited number of players will have a superior position in society, there will be a large number of other social positions to aim for. Scholars, traders, beggars, lords and ladies, you name it.

Housing:

Yes. There would be a system (similar to what can be found in Guild Wars) which allows players to purchase a home. Everything from tents to mansions would be available. Long for the sea? Purchase a ship instead.

Events: Now and then, GMs will be creative and make sure to bring in some action. Hurricanes, earthquakes, powerful, dark wizards or goblin invasions - whatever it is, safety is never guaranteed.
(There will be zones that are more safe than others though.)

Character deaths: The player can choose to delete the character (permanent death) or resurrect. Resurrection will be a part of the lore and thus possible, but the rules for resurrection are strict.

If the character is killed by another character:

- Character won't be able to access realm for minimum two weeks.

- A resurrection ritual is necessary. After two weeks, the character can enter the realm in ghost-form and ask someone to resurrect him. Communicating in ghost form is hard and only possible during a certain time of the day.

- The resurrection ritual requires three other characters and between and 10-30 minutes. At least one of the characters must be a healer.

- The higher position/level you have, the longer is the resurrection process. For characters with superior positions, expensive items may be needed as well.

If the character is killed during a quest/instance run/by a computer-controlled being:

- Can be resurrected by a healer.


Criminals:

Those are fun, aren't they? Outlaws are outlaws, and would in a way have more freedom than honest citizens. The game would not provide any set social positions for these, and criminals would have to operate through their own guilds and organizations. That means if a criminal leader gives up his/her position, the council won't interfere. If there is no one to take over, the guild/organization may have to disband.

Also, if the character breaks the law, he/she loses certain rights.

For example: If a citizen is found murdered and the court can prove he/she was a criminal, the council and the soldiers won't take action.

However, there is always a way back as well. If you are dead tired of letting your character live on the edge all the time, change your ways and atone for your crimes, and you'll eventually be able to start over again. But everything has a price...

Economy:

Player-controlled, but moderated by GMs if necessary. A few NPCs may sell the most general goods and purchase player-made items at a very low price.

Environment:

Since I love the Middle Ages, I'd have a typical European city as the "heart" of the community. With your average castle, your average tavern, cathedral and market. Buy a farm outside of the city walls, sell your wares at the local market and visit the tavern for a chat in the afternoon.

The busy port towns will be a paradise for merchants. Here, citizens from every nation will meet, sell, buy and trade. Here, you can also find the largest auction houses. Of course, once in a while, pirates may pay the towns an unpleasant visit...

Different types of nomad tribes will exist everywhere. Deserts, plains, fields of snow... if the areas are more or less safe, someone will live there. Each tribe, small or large, will have one or several chieftains who can decide where and when the entire tribe has to move. (The chieftain sends out a message to all members of his tribe to see if they accept his decision. (Yes/No) If the majority accepts, all tents and property of the tribe will be moved after 24 hours.)

It will also be possible to leave tribes and have a character which doesn't belong anywhere.

There will be other major cities as well. Some cities will be cultural treasures with large libraries and schools, some will be tranquil and almost empty. Between these, there will be large areas filled with beasts and unknown dangers. Forests, valleys and swamps - each area will be unique. There will also be some areas which only the most seasoned adventurers dare to enter...

Quests:

Both NPC and player-given. (As the player advances and meets new people, he/she will do less NPC-quests and more player-given quests.)

Instances:

That too. I -love- instances and group quests. There will be a lot of these for the adventurers, but each instance, whether it is a cave or an abadoned temple, will be entertaining and unique. Players will have to solve puzzles together, kill monsters and avoid traps. The boss fights will also vary greatly. Those who like repetitive hack & slash - this game is not for you.

The time, the time!

No quests and instances will take more than 2-3 hours to run through. Addiction is a fact when dealing with MMORPGs, and so the game will be customized so that even players with a hectic life will be able play the game without missing out too much. The game will also offer a schedule system for instances and long quests.

For example: The players can schedule an instance run for a specific date. (Or two, or three, depending on how much time they have. The players can also set up a run as their number one choice, then join number two if number one is cancelled and so on.)

But, once the scheduled runs are done, the player will be unable to run through more instances that day. If the player wants to continue playing, he/she can do solo quests, trade or visit a social meeting spot. This might ensure that players won't be "tempted" to play more than they should (to a certain degree). Once the exciting fun is over, it's over.

The game will have a Time Control feature and players who have problems with controlling their gaming time will be encouraged to use it. The timer will have a "delayer" which can prolong the game for 15-30 minutes after timeout, but after that, the player will automatically be disconnected from server.

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