Alright! Nice arguments. Let us see...
Originally posted by Taldor
I agree with you golbez about all 10 points exept 2: The RP-language and the hiding of stats (probabely for him the most impotant).
RP-language (III):
a. If you should do that, things couldn\'t be clear anymore for player who can\'t speak english very well: i.e. what is the diffrence between good, strong and well-smithed?? But everyone understands +2 is better then +1.
b. I think if it was implemented in the game, it should be possible to disable it. And i don\'t believe it can work, but that doen\'t matter since i just want to disable it.
I do not agree with \"things wouldn\'t be clear anymore\". Perhaps the game will not have that structured mathematical feel to it. Which is fine by me, by the way. Not that I have a dislike towards math, quite the contrary, actually!
But remember, we also possess visual aids in this game. If done correctly, a better weapon not only would be described with a \"stronger\" adjective, but it would also -look- more powerful.
There could also be a certain \"Weapon Lore\" skill, or trait, which allows the character to effectively compare two weapons in his possession. A wiser, more experienced warrior could be able to decide if this bronze longsword or this steel claymore is more suitable for his needs, as well as a mage would be able to discern whether that tome he found in the body of an evil orc shaman allows him to cast more powerful spells than the one he received at the Wizard Academy, or so on!
And for the record, English is not my native language. But you would not believe how online RolePlaying benefited my grasp on the language. I still bump against the occasional cultural barrier, but it does not feel nearly as insurmountable as before.
Plus, dictionary.com worked wonders
English students should also think of this as a possibility. Learn new expressions as you play a game you enjoy! It is a \"no lose\" situation, no?
As long as you do not get helplessly addicted and never neglect your study books, it will be productive, I reckon.
Originally posted by Taldor
Hiding of stats (V):
I dont like this idea either but only because I think it is impossible to control. If everyone does this automaticly, it\'s perfect.
Originally posted by Winterheaven
5) Hide Stats
Uhm.. i think, players really need something to compare. That is the same as in RL. The human being grows with their comparison to other humans. Else you are soon playing on a plain social server... But, what is needed, are skills, which really make sense. And an engine, which gives you _enough_ possibilities. Remember a Planeshift, where it is possible, that a weak but clever dressmaker can defeat the tumb warrior throug tactical and strategical ideas. Or - and that is the question - there are no engine fight, and all fights are on an emotional base, e.g. \"pricks with the dagger fast in the direction of your heart\", \"the steel can not pierce the thick armor\"...
Precisely. If hidden stats are implemented, there should be no way for the player to circle around the system and find out what skill level his character possesses.
Of course, this is not to say that in character creation, you would not be able to decide the relative strength, intelligence, will, charisma, and other similar traits. If they are described with a word that escalates progressively as the trait is increased, then it would add a lot to the atmosphere, in my opinion.
Granted, the human being can be excessively competitive and eager to compare himself with others of his kind. But what prevents your character from joining a tournament of sorts, or pick a fight in the arena? I think you would be more than able to make a comparison if you take advantage of the limited PvP system.
Originally posted by Winterheaven
You should come in, where you left the game last time, you should only have information, what you see in your view (except you have magical power). Else it should not possible to know, which player acts in which region of the game. Or i am wrong? Would like to discuss this.
I have been startled to see how many similar suggestions have been put forward. It is an ever increasing tendency to wish for the game to give the player the limited information that would be available to the character.
Are you meaning that the game should only tell you which players are online in your region? And what about those in other regions? I would like to be able to communicate with them as well.
I think this is not an effective approach. We all know how easy it is for players to apply OOC knowledge in IC ways, even if it is evident that the character would not be aware of such information.
The easiest and most blatant example is character A approaching character B, both having never met or heard of each other. But still character A would call out to B, and mention his name, \"Hello, Bill!\"
However, I doubt that reducing the amount of information displayed to the player will solve this. Players should, in fact, know more about the world and happenings than the character! The player should be as learned in the ways of the virtual world as possible, so that the RolePlaying can be more coherent, more enjoyable.
You cannot prevent players from not forming a tight and closed clique, causing them to disconnect ten seconds after logging on and realising none of his friends is online. It is natural! Everyone seeks to get together with those he or she feels confortable with, and I mean this from a player\'s point of view.
I still make the effort, in many games, to stay online and wander about, meeting new people, when none of the characters my persona knows is online. But many choose otherwise, and it is fine! I sometimes tend to invite other characters through an OOC invitation, \"I will be heading to Kada-El\'s tavern. If you want to RolePlay a scene, maybe have our characters meet, then you are welcome to come!\".
It encourages some players to play with you, sometimes. If you do not make the effort to invite other players to interact with you (using the method you want), you cannot really blame them for not doing so, can you?
Originally posted by Winterheaven
1) Character Names
@Golbez: You spoke about LOTR-Char-Names... No doubt, these are apposite names. But remember that Tolkien was a \"professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University\" - not everybody can have the feeling for the _right_ name. At least names are hollow words. Of course they can improve and affect roleplay, but should not do it in a big way.
I do not expect a world with the depth of Tolkien\'s to be designed by the settings team. Tolkien had a particular fanatism for details and conceived the idea of a world that was practically perfectly described. One would be able to see, using the limitless power of imagination, what life in Middle Earth was like.
It is a dreadfully wearisome effort to think of all those details. A particular sound names for the names of each race is a fine example of this. But does it not add a certain depth to the world, by being shown that specias are not only physically different, but also present cultural inequalities?
Originally posted by Winterheaven
4) only few NPC
Only some words: You can not play all roles by players. Nobody is ever on. Nobody has all authority. Not all children, church priests, farmers and dracos could be played by humans. (the \"normal\" dragon sits for years in its cave... a really enjoyable role for a player.)
Of course! Player times and the restricted playing hours play a vital role in an online game where people from all over the world log on.
I already expressed my opinion about the downside of the presence of children, albeit it detracts from the believability of the world (Although some games implemented children, and they can be seen playing in the streets at 4 am in the morning
), there are certain issues with their participation in a game where so much combat and death is palpable.
Who is to say, that a church priest cannot leave the church? Particularly in fantastic worlds, where clerics and priests have a place in strategical combat. Perhaps the priest would hold a session every particular day at a particular hour, or leave the care of the church to one of his underlings.
Dragons? They are not a playable race, you do not have to worry about that!
With a bit of effort, though, a player can turn a seemingly boring profession into a fun to play character. Or at least, fun to play from a personal perspective
Originally posted by Winterheaven
I did not like the idea of (too many) channels. To many channels can ruin the game.
As I said, if the amount of channels is cumbersome to you, you can always toggle a few of them off. And the suggested system would allow you to invite friends and guildmates to a channel created by you!
Certainly, players must try not to get carried away by the chatting, and RolePlay!
Originally posted by Winterheaven
6) A strong and alive background
The choice for describing the details that cannot be shown by the player\'s skin would be welcome. What should be written here, you say? Well, I would list a few that I think would be a must.
The apparent age is a definite one, although it should not be accepted to have a century old character appearing to be a teenager
Scars, marks, tattoos that may be visible or not, etcetera. If the character has an accent when he speaks, or a particular expression that usually adorns his face.
The entire background of the character is unnecessary, because that should be discovered by RolePlaying with him, interacting, asking, talking, gossiping about him, among other things. Still, it would be helpful for the player to include which in game relatives his character has, a very concise description of the public thoughts on the individual: Is he well liked by the general population? Perhaps despised? His scars tend to cause people to withdraw? He appears to be shy, introvert, arrogant?
Players should feel free to write whatever they want, being careful enough not to use an impressive amount of words or describe their characters with one meager sentence.
That is all for now! Until next time, keep the ideas coming!
Oh, and I wonder who would read a book on online RPGs and PvP...
- Golbez
