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atruefanofnothingreally · 5 years ago

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What my fantasy video game would be like. (With references of popular modern games)

I am a huge fan of cinema. Cinematics are probably my favorite part of a videogame. The feeling of being a part of a grander reality really comes to fruition when you see the cut-scene.

Much like the intro to Warcraft 3. This scene begins after Warcraft 2 where you build yourself as Arthas the pure Prince of Lorderon. The now corrupt Prince Arthas, tainted by demonic energy from his sword Shadowmourne walks dramatically up to his father the king, and beheads him. Signifying the beginning of the Lich Kings Reign.

My dream video game will be spawn of a long lore before it. I think that's perhaps where many MMORPGs failed when compared to World of Warcraft.

In World of Warcraft you enter into a world of hero's. Entire cities like in Stormwind decorated with giant statues of Hero’s that come before you. In any other MMORPG you are the decisive hero. No predecessor before you made enough of an impact that it called for much adoration of the player base. Kings are as important as pawns in this sense.

My dream videogame is an MMORPG. This is because, I find great joy in the responsibility over a unique personalized character. I want the player to feel a connection to their creation and the world it exists in.

Naturally that world is a mystery and the beginning, but it should be smooth and interactive. I think the newer RPG Outward executed this perfectly.

However I think there is a design point to be made in the scaling of the world, and how the players camera is positioned.

I grew up playing pretty much all the MMORPGs. Started with Runescape in 5th grade. This game is still one of the most popular online games. I am a fan of how they executed the player view points. In Runescape you look over your character and the world like and angel sitting upon a throne. Every command you enter your character, interface, and environment responds.

Another game that accomplishes this “angelic” distance is Grand Theft Auto. In Grand Theft Auto you play a semi street thug, vigilante type character. The entire time you play, the camera has a tendency to draw back and show you more of the world as it reacts to you. For example car chases in GTA. After you are running for a few minutes the world send more units to capture you, but it also pans the Camera out giving you more perspective on how to escape.

In Runescape you are in a world that actually dangerous, with goblins, giants, dragons, and barbarians so the camera is fixed on this widened lens capacity. But In Grand Theft Auto you are in a civilized modern world and the players lens only widens as danger draws nearer.

I feel the need to specify further what this distance is by using a counter example. Lets take the game Elder Scrolls Online. In ESO the camera is sort of like the player is sitting on an Invisible horse a few steps behind the in game character. This to me takes away an element of Alertness that I desire in my game.

In Runescape you can see a dangerous enemy from 30 or 40 paces away.

In GTA you can calculate with your expanded mini map how to escape the police.

In these games this element of alertness and your capacity to respond to new information determines your success.

If as a player you can only view and respond to a distance of 10 to 20 paces all around you, the amount of plays you can make is halved and the amount of unprecedented threats is expounded.

The scaling of the world plays a huge part of this. You must consider that when you position the camera just so, the played character will only take up just so much space on the screen. . . God bless the capacity to zoom in and out and also cinematic view mode so you can screen shot your newest armor set.

Earlier I talked about the world being interactive. I mentioned the new game Outward. Well honestly, I think its pretty close to perfect. In any adventure fantasy - regardless of story, you need a crafting system. I want to give people a real reason to explore the world. Crafting that levels up and requires investment in time and money and energy to master.

Don't get me wrong, I think the world itself should have a bountiful reward following successful exploration and domination.

For instance an extremely rare item that can be found on any monster any where in the world. Or a frequent rare item that can be found from only a specific enemy character. Or a guaranteed reward for a truly heroic deed or role in an event. These are all for sure necessary in my fantasy game.

However, I want to instill a crafting system that is challenging and rewarding. The challenge should lie where the materials and recipes are unlocked. Recipes as reward to key questlines, materials only found in dangerous terrain. The reward should be a blend of dynamic and static improvements. Like an endgame set that has similar stats but a unique appearance. Or a midgame set that has fantastic stat bonuses, helping you level up to towards the late game. Or items that can be used to enhance something you already have, giving you the just that much more edge on the competition.

The materials should be reasonable and challenging. Recipes should call for an amount of the materials just so that you would go broke buying all of them. Yet, useful enough to be worth spending some time on the grind. I believe that most powerful items should come from defeating end game enemies, finishing key quest lines, and players crafting equipment.

There should be a separation in the players at some point. Players must choose at a certain point where they stand in the politics in the game. I want players to commit to their stance, feel pride in their selection, and passion towards that factions agenda.

The idea of “Us. vs Them” is the driving force in games. Games is but a competition in this way. From Mario jumping over barrels to save Princess Peach from Donkey Kong - to saving the mothership from the invading aliens in Halo. Games put you the adventurer apposed to the threat defeat of failure.

In my game the “US” you get to decide.

The typical method is factions. Like in World of Warcraft two apposed factions the Horde and the Alliance war over the majority domination over the world. The horde practice slavery and the alliance practice pollution. One simply selects the lesser of two evils.

In Runescape they use the factions to symbolize three gods and the players then war over one centralized holy site in the castle wars battle ground.

My philosophy in player stance competition is inspired by Civilization VI. This game automatically separates players because it acts as a sort of free for all. However in playing the game the play has a responsibility to co-operate with the enemy before all out war ensues.

In my game I want there to be a variety of ways for players to compete.

There should be a free for all arena area or territory. There should be a games area for teams or individuals to compete over and objective. And there should be a territory designed for large group battles.

The separation of players will come towards the late middle of the story and the factions can be based off of positive yet perhaps opposed ideals or maybe even opposing heroic story characters.

Economy is an aspect of MMORPGs that needs perfecting. In all the later games, the economy is propelled by a robotic auction house. How the program is set up varies on the tittle.

When I first started playing in 2005, on Runescape. Players would sit at a high density area and manually advertise in the chat, their products they either pillaged or created.

I thought this was the closest a game could get to a realistic economy in a fantasy world.

Later they put in the robotic auction house called the Grand Exchange which purchases and sells items at a standardized price based off supply and demand. Yea you can buy a stack of iron ore at 25gp per but it might take an hour because of the player supply chain. Unlike, reality it is difficult to track and manage supply chains in game. Making this a less realistic version of a functioning economic process.

My game will include in game player forums that will help players advertise merchandise and find items they need to be effective in the world. It might take more time for trades to take place, but as a player meets more clients and generates leads on sources it will become more smooth out for them.

Even though my dream video game is life like, it is not realistic. It is very fantasy based, with magic, and hyper futuristic technology, and ancient rituals traditions and cultures. I want to utilized the long list of documented mythological ideas such as potions that can heal your wounds instantly or a specially charged item needed to unlock the door that the final boss hides behind.

I believe that videogames are meant to be real enough to keep you distracted from what’s really real.

“My mom has cancer, I’m 13. There's nothing I can do.”

Well here is something for you to believe in, because sometimes real life leaves you without a significant and effective option. . .

Thank you.

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