Saving some comments I wrote on a thread on F13 about the settings that would fit best for a mmorpg. Plus another couple that were triggered but didn’t belong there.

Of course my comments are about Elric/Stormbringer, around which I shape my dream mmorpg from a couple of years. Nothing new that I haven’t written already in the various entries but I always like to summarize and consolidate some basic points so that I don’t lose track of what drives my ideas.

Btw, I forgot to say that beside the steampunk and dark fantasy setting I would also love to do a mmorpg inspired by Macross (with those frigging huge battles around the mothership). That’s another one that would totally rock if done properly.

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Nausicaa would be fucking great (airships! steampunk!).

But then I wish I had the founding and a huge group of talented people to do Elric/Stormbringer (Michael Moorcock, which is rather dark fantasy). That’s my dream.

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The game is pretty much complete in my head since it’s a couple of years that I shape my ideas around that setting.

I consider this a very powerful licence, not only because it’s truly evocative and already rather “graphical” in the books (the descriptions are absolutely awesome and Melnibone would be worth the price alone) but also because it’s still available (Moorcock wouldn’t be against the idea and some exposition) and because of the potential of the Multiverse.

I’ve done a whole lot of work but some of the traits are:
– Some raw game mechanics taken directly from “Elric” the pen&paper ruleset made by Chaosium and completely skill based and realism based (no infinite hit points, no levels crap, no infinite treadmills).
– A game world separated in two. Shards (the implementation of the basic world in the books) with factional PvP where the guilds conquer and control the land and spawn NPCs themselves (no passive NPC lore, it’s all in the hands of the players) and portals that link these shards together (realm-crossing) and open access to planes (static, not instanced). Then from these planes (working like hubs similar to Guild Wars) the access to other PvE dimensions, worlds and adventures. These completely instanced for full control and authorship in the stories.
– The implementation of powerful artifacts that transform the player into a demi-god (hello unbalance). Think of Strormbringer (the sword). These can be taken/summoned from the PvE instances accessible through the planes (exactly as Elric got Stormbringer) and then brought back to the PvP shards. These artifacts grants insane powers and change the whole aspect of a character (more fearsome, huger etc..) but they are also lootable in PvP. To remain in the game world they have a maintenance cost that can be paid only by killing people in PvP. So no hiding. The opposite faction can also use divination to track the current location of the artifact, so you are always hunted and cannot hide.

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Well, my implementation is pretty loose. It borrows many elements that I find functional and inspiring but then I ditch everything that doesn’t fit in the model.

As I said the world is split in two. The PvP/conquest world has no directed story and is enrooted with three static factions (Law/Balance(crafters-traders)/Chaos), plus the possibility for the players to form “fallen houses” that will work like independent factions. The players start here, the PvP is the first and main purpose.

(This PvP world is cloned on different servers like it happens in every other game. The difference is that the players can open portals to the planes and then, from the planes, travel to a different shard. But then you can own landmass only on one shard set as “home” and if you set a new one you lose what you previously got.)

Then there are the planes and the access to the multiverse (which can shift from horror to fantasy but wouldn’t go past the setting boundaries) where there’s space for directed lore and stories to follow, like pieces of “dreams” that you gather progressively (discovering the story). Like a web with many ramifications.

I used the setting for inspiration, then the actual rules depend on the game needs only.

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– While the respawning of mobs still exist in my game, forget the lame pulling tactics. The rule is that if you can see a mob, the mob can probably see you (you know, innovation). So you can try to “pull” a scout near an orc camp by attracting its attention with some noise, and maybe he will only call one other orc to explore the area. But if you shamelessly start a fight, the whole orc camp will run at you to hand your ass back to you. At least if they consider you enough a menace to move their lazy asses all at once. Realism.

– The portals are one of the part more defined and that I like more. It’s rather complex and articulated behind the scenes but rather simple for the player. There are two types of portals, one “in”, and one “out”, sending players to the planes. Basically you press “M” on your keyboard and you bring up a fullscreen map of the world, pretty much like it happens in WoW. This map shows the location of each portal with a symbol next to it (stop lights):
* Red means that the portal is sealed and cannot be opened in any way (at least for the next few hours).
* Yellow means that the portal is inactive but could be opened if set conditions are met.
* Green means that the portal is currently active and available.

These portals are faction based so each faction will have a different copy. Plus there can be clones at various locations so that the players can access them without crossing the whole map. From “yellow” to “green” the portals open as result of PvP goals. Think to Darkness Falls in DAoC.

Enemy faction players cannot conquer the portals themselves but could conquer the region where they are and send NPC guards to camp them so that the access won’t be too easy. (NPCs respawn but on very long timers and only at their origin, so if you send them somewhere else they cannot return to that place till you send a new batch).

– On, and then there are the ideas about naval combat (with realistic boarding and ramming), dragon flight and the collision system. It’s a dream, right? So let me dream. Lets assume this game has the founding of WoW. Well with all those subscriptions and money you get, what will you do? In WoW they’ll rise the level cap to 70 and then create more 5-man up to 40-man instances and loot. Then rise the cap to 80 and create more instances and loot. Then rise the cap to 90 and create more instances and loot. Well, I find this a total waste of precious money that isn’t used to accomplish something worthwhile. If you don’t have new ideas you can as well go back to sleep and goodbye. Instead I have those ideas and with the money I would do what it isn’t possible right now: naval combat, dragon flight and the collision system.