* Variety - I think this is very important, because without it a game can get boring in the long run, and also there are many different types of players with many different tastes. Most MMORPGs are based purely on killing and levelling, and I\'m getting really bored with both, lol;
* a rewarding system of building/manufacture for those who want to be creative (most games seem to have manufacturing skills where experience/financial rewards are so small that it\'s just not worth the time);
* I\'d love some re-forestation quests, where the task is to find the right seeds to resurrect a dying forest, like my all-time ancient favourite PC adventure game Kyrandia;
* an area/aspect of the world that is close to nature (such as the wonderful Elven Land in Lineage);
* beautiful places to explore, both in nature and in architecture;
* spectacular spell effects, and an intelligent magical system;
* no un-consenting PvP or PK - I personally hate it, and would very simply not play a game where it happens;
* a reasonable balance between races and between professions - I think this is very important;
* a good storage system, where players don\'t run out of space. Of course being able to own one\'s own house would fix that up beautifully, however if only the high lvl \'landed gentry\' can afford such luxury (as in some games), there needs to be adequate storage space even for the world\'s \'have-nots\' - or \'have-lots-of-junk-but-not-enough-cash-for-a-house\' - this is done with a bank (EverQuest), storage dwarf (Lineage), having one\'s own house permanently from start up (Realm) - I found both the EverQuest bank and the Lineage storage dwarf quite inadequate space-wise;
* varied NPC quests (incl. puzzles and competitions as well as monster slaying) for all levels;
* a reasonably simple start-up, so that one does not have to research through the Internet for hours just to get started (I found that was a problem in EverQuest, where the information was not easy to find, as the manual was far from adequate and rather too long) - complexity could come in gradually, as one grows into the game. Maybe, as in Lineage, there could be a special island or valley for newbies where the rules are fairly simple and an NPC guide provides some basic information to get started;
* message boards in the town halls to contact other players;
* a safe trading system with other players, so as to avoid having scammers as in Realm (a really nasty side to that otherwise very well-thought out game) - trading windows are essential;
* interesting and varied monsters to hunt;
* a good group hunting system, where you can set up a \'follow\' option (as in Codemaster\'s Realm) and where treasure is automatically split equitably between the group (as in Everquest);
* and especially a decent chat system that allows people to make friends online and hunt together (like in Codemaster\'s Realm Online).
And here is a list with some additional brainstorm-type ideas - some might be a bit way out and hard to program!!!
* a market place, where players can hire stalls in which they sell their stuff to other players through special shopping windows that display items and prices (the player would chose the prices when he/she sets up the stall);
* some system of foraging/fishing/farming/herb collection (picking them rather than getting them off monsters);
* just a little thing: if players eat, make it that one can be a vegetarian - it\'s silly, but I find having to eat meat in a game is off-putting, lol;
* a creative alchemy system to brew potions, using burners, retorts, crucibles, etc;
* being able to add creativity/individuality to manufacturing, through decoration, gems, etc;
* some group building/questing activities as in A Tale in the Desert;
* an interesting and live religious system, with gods who appear occasionally and give guidance to their followers;
* a role-playing option;
* a few enclosed stadiums/arenas for those who are desperate to PvP;
* a few player-owned castles (like in Lineage) in one area of the world, for those who like to play politics and war, but without any feeling that one is missing out if one doesn\'t participate;
* player-created quests - though I\'m not sure how this would work.