Several Questions on the Prefrences of People in MMORPGs

[EMidget]

Ok, I'm going to ask a bunch of questions about what you prefer on things to be done in a MMORPG. I'm typing these questions as they come to my head, so please forgive the order. You do not have to answer every question, I would much rather you answer just a few than not answer at all. Thanks for any help you are able to give!


The setting for the game is in a typical fantasy setting, using normal fantasy races, I do have a few extra races which add some "flavor" instead of seeing orcs, trolls, humans, elves, and dwarves roam the world, and this "flavor" isn't just an addition of Undead or Gnomes. Just thought I'd list the setting to give you a better idea on where the questions are coming from.

Please realize these questions are not asking you to design a game for me. I already have a small portion of the game concepts totaling in 9 pages and many extra features in my head just waiting to be typed. I am only asking for feedback. I use this feedback to get a more general idea on the way people view MMORPGs instead of just my thoughts. Very rarely will I use a whole idea from someone in the game. Your feedback will be used as a component, which is fused with other people's feedback, and then is molded into a final idea using my design ideas. Your feedback is a firestarter, not the whole fire. Usually by asking for feedback, I will either come up with brand new features maybe not even related to the subject or I will implent them to go along with my own ideas to make an even better features. Please do not complain about me just asking you to design a game for me, I've posted this same post, without this paragraph on a few forums, and I've received that response many times.


Ok here we go!


How would you prefer an interface to be laid out in an MMORPG, What games did you like the interface in (Post screenshots of it please), is there certain things you'd like on an interface or certain things you think are not needed? Please be extremely specific on this, if you'd like, attach a microsoft paint of the layout you would want. Put little rows where you'd like the quickspell toolbar, menu, chat, etc.

How should the interface for the inventory and eqiupment screen be carried out? Should there be a picture of a person, and each article with a box holding the item in that area, or should it just have a list or some other way? How would you prefer this done?

How many different attributes would you prefer a character to have? What would these attributes be and what do they affect? There is mounts and mounted combat if you wish include this in an attribute, but it is not required as we can just set a mounts exp individual.

How would you want spells to be done? They could be bought from a trainer or every level you could obtain a certain amount of points and they could be done in tree form, or it could be a combination of both, if it's done in both, tell me how'd you'd do it.

How would you do crafting? If there are multiple types, how many types should be allowed to be specialized on each character, or should you be able to master them all? What are some crafting professions you'd like to see (Please list uses of profession) How would you like crafting training to be done? By a trainer? Should you require certain items to perform your profession such as a hammer for smithing? How should crafting experience in your profession be gained?

Should monsters drop items more for crafting, or drop actual equipment, or a mix of both? If it's a mix, should it be 50/50 or more crafting items than equipment dropped, or vice-versa?

Should items have durability, or should they never have to be repaired?

What is your thoughts on a well-made death penalty? How would you like death to be carried out? What do you think are good penalties for death? Loss of Gold, loss of experience? Do you think a player-resurection spell should be possible? If there is no one to resurrect you, how do you get your corpse back?

What articles of eqiupment do you think your character should have? Should he be able to have rings or amulets? Any special articles he may wear to gain power? Do you think shoulderpads should be able to be worn? Bracers? Or should there just be a normal Head, Chest, Hands, Boots, Belt, Weapon, and shield?

Depending on the theme you choose, what races would you like to see in-game? What special attributes or racial traits would you want this race to have? Are you going to make up your own races, or use normal races along with that theme?

What classes would you prefer in a MMORPG? (Answering typical warrior, archer, priest, mage etc. is OK) Post any innovative class ideas, along with what type of character they are, what kind of skills they use, type of eqiupment they should wear, role in game, what races can and can't be that class, a name for the class (Strangely enough, this is always the hardest things for me in games, 'Names for something') and other things you think are necessary to include. What extra things would you like too see in the normal classes most MMORPG's that you've yet to see or things you really liked in other MMORPGs with that class?

What areas do you think should be instanced? On a personal note, I believe that the whole land should not be instances, but for main raid caves or areas, it should be instanced. What is your thought on this? Should there be instanced towns or villages?

Player or Guild housing. Should there even be player housing? (You won't get me to change my mind that I want guild halls!) What should be the purpose of player or guild housing? Should housing be instanced, or do you have a good idea on how it should be implented into the world? Should you have to buy or pay rent for player hosuing? Or for Guild housing should you automatcially recieve a guild house when creating a guild or should you have to buy it, and after buying it should you have to continue paying rent, or should it be yours forever? If you had to buy your guild house, and you abandon your guild, should you get money back from the house purchase? Should you be able to upgrade the size of your house, or what kind of objects should you be able to buy to improve your house?

How should guild creation be handled? Should there be a required amount of initial members to create a guild? If so, How many? Should it cost money to create a guild? Should guild's have a tabard? If so, where should the tabard be located? Should the tabard cost money to purchase? What are some suggestions you have to make guilds and guild implentation better?

Factions? Should it be Group of Races vs. Group of Races, Made up Faction vs. Made up Faction, a 3 faction war, Free for all with each race against each other? What are your thoughts on this? If you do think there should be factions, please list the groups you think should be in each faction in correspondence with your races and refer to the next question.

Should there be faction vs. faction combat? How should Town captures, Town sieges, or Castle sieges be handled? Should there be siege weapons? If so, how will these be added to combat? Will the battles be server-wide affecting? What if a certain quest a player needs is now in enemy hands, how will this be done? What will the player gain from helping capture a town or castle? What things do you have in mind on how towns or castles will affect the server or what bonuses a faction will gain?

How would you want a World Map laid out? Would you want each Faction on a different Island, or do you want a giant continent shared between all races? If you want, include a Microsoft Paint file showing how you would want it.

Traveling. What types of fast, long-distance travel will be avaiable? Bird Rides, Boat Rides, a type of train? Please give examples of this to go along with the theme you are using in your races and setting.

Mounts and Long Walks. Should mounts be used for walking long distances between quests or areas where transportation is avaiable? Should mounts have a required level? Should a mount have to be bought? Should there be race-specific mounts? How will mounts be called in-game? If your stable is back in town, do you have to go all the way back to town, get your mount, then ride to the area you were intended to go in the first place. Once dismounting, where will your mount go? Does he go back to a stable? Should there even be mounts or a stable? Should Mounts be killable if their is mounted combat? What suggestions do you have regarding mounts and mount implentation?

Armor and Weapon Counter Types. Do you think there should be counters for each weapon and armor? For example, if a person is wearing Plate Armor, a piercing weapon such as a sword or arrow would be much less ineffective than a bashing weapon such as a maul. What do you think could be some of these possible counters? Include Armor and Weapon Type.

How would you want the interface for player interaction to be done? When you Click a player, how do you invite him to a party, or initiate trade?

How do you want combat to be done? Should it be done in a semi turn-based perspective where once engaging in combat you just keep attacking your enemy with weapon until he's dead or until you cast a spell, or should it have some type of combat where you have to rapidly or hold down the attack button to attack the enemy? Any suggestions or ideas you have on making combat exciting but easy are much appreciated.


Finally, what extra things or features do you want that aren't in other MMORPGs or things you really liked in another game? Maybe just from your own thoughts as a gamer, things you would love to see implented in a game.

Also, more questions may be on the way as I come up with them!

Thanks!

[Harkoliar]

welcome to IW Emidget! [img]smile.gif[/img]

first of all, why do you want to know our preference is like in the first place? your questions are really long and very detailed. Not much people play MMORPG in this forum. Around a dozen at most I reckon. If you want answers to these then try a MMORPG forum like everquest, and WOW. You can also check out the complaints of other people which can give you a user's opinion on what and what they do not like in this game.

That is my 2c. Frankly I am pretty happy with eq2 interface and such. But that is just me.

[Lucern]

I'll bite on a couple of these, and though I am not a consumer of MMORPGs as they are now, I've played some. I thought Everquest was dull and disrespectful of your time and intellect, and that's because the combat was very boring IMO. It's also because all there was to do (aside from make friends) seemed to be gaining of level and treasure, which would lead to more dull combat.

I'll give you general preferences rather than specific answers. Choose complexity and maximalism over simplification so that there's plenty to see and do and choose to be. Choose "realism" over easy solutions. For example, don't make a mount just disappear because it's not in use. Make the player put in in a stable or something. Little things make the world seem more believable.

As for the combat, I'd suggest that you try to implement character attributes AND a more action oriented system than I usually see. Instead of pushing an attack button and sitting there timing secondary attacks, you should be choosing kinds of attacks, side-stepping, parrying, and going for weak parts of your opponent. The success of any of these will be dependent upon character stats. If you can do that without being clunky, which not necessarily easy, you'll have a much more interesting combat system than I've seen in an MMORPG.

There are a lot of questions here, so I agree with Harkoliar that you should check out the forums (and sales) of various MMORPGS and read their reviews to see what worked and what didn't.