Writting Music

[mbr]

Maybe making music like spells? With success rate tied to skill level and certain stats (e.g. agility, will and charisma)? Then music notes can be obtained through quests or some can be bought in forms of \"scores\".  And use of instruments may allow certain success or enhance the effects.

May be useful since we have creatures that do not respond well to magic, maybe they could be influenced by music instead.

Music can help out like certain spells, e.g.
-music can be uplifting and restore stamina
-chaotic mussic to cause confusion
-soothing music to cause sleepiness
etc

Edit: Read the search results for bard and music. Looks like rather similar for singing and music making.

Edit: Additional point.

In compromise, when a character is making music, when the music continues, he/she would not be able to attack, run away fast or to use items. (Can\'t reach for the apple when both hands are playing the lute...) Whether the music can be interrupted is another point of debate.

[zanzibar]

So you\'re saying that instead of playing music in game, it\'s basically a different class of spell casting.

[mbr]

Sort of.

1) Music can be played on self, other players and monsters. (Hope that they don\'t heal monsters, though.)

2) Music can be played anywhere, even in tavern. Thus if some evil bard plays soothing music to make all players asleep while another accomplice picks their pocket...

3) Music can be augmented with singing and dancing, if and when those are implemented.

4) Allow choice of skill in music rather than relying on magic.

5) Difference in the fact that music usually does not deal direct damage on target.

6) Sound made by casting magic could perhaps be adapted to music making, hence music while skill is used.

7) Instead of flashy magic effects, we could have musical notes flying around or something like that.

8 ) As I mentioned earlier, perhaps these could affect those resistant/immune to magic. (e.g. Kran?)

9) There could also be neutral music, but still require stamina to use. Since you get tired after blowing on the flute, etc.

10) These scores could be added on by programmers, with submission from the players.

11) Musical instruments-based music may be implemented, hence proper equips are necessary.

Just a few suggestions, not all are original since some had been suggested in the \"singing section\".

[Vaylos]

heh, a lot of that sounds a little like how DAoC handled Bards and their music abilities, cept they\'d have flutes/drums/lutes/ or whatever, and each one had a little 3 second musical sound effect when a skill was used.  I could see something like that being done here, and having the music act like a spell is very feasible. Such as bolstering your pary\'s defense by singing/playing a morale boosting tune in the heat of battle. Or  calming monsters with a soothing melody if someone pulls a group of aggros. I also remember in daoc, one tune would boost the party\'s traveling speed...a lot.  Anyways, I think something like that would work well. I don\'t know if it really fits in planeshift\'s world, but it\'s something to consider.

The only downside, is it\'s a little unoriginal, since it\'s used in other mmo\'s  Not a -lot- of mmo\'s, but I know DAoC uses bard tunes as spell effects.  I haven\'t really played many others, so I don\'t know for sure.

[mbr]

Ragnarok Online has Bard as a job too, but I don\'t think that using similar ideas would be unattractive. In fact, it would make Planeshift more \"complete\", as bards and musicians have been around for quite some time.

The addition of \"neutral\" songs and music should help out in providing atmosphere for RP. E.g. A song of victory after the battle.

There\'s the option of not having background music in taverns and such, as to encourage music making. Of course, a cacophony of musicians would be annoying