The recent ideas about the “dream mmorpg” (here below) were, as I wrote, mostly a provocation. I know that a game like that wouldn’t be possible right now for technical issues, but I wasn’t trying to portray something doable. I was instead pointing out an “aspiration”. I portrayed a destination, an ideal.

Those ideas came from a thread on FoH’s forums where again the issue of UI-intensive gameplay was brought up. It ties back with what I said about the healer problem and the valuable effort to move “past the interface”. Which is also what Tobold wrote in that article I linked.

I was trying to imagine and portray combat mechanics that could look realistic and feel more immersive. Evocate a particular “feel”. To do this the interface needs to go and the next step is about the “heresy” of removing healing classes. No health bars, so no possibility to toy with those bar, watching them jumping up and down. Aspiring to create classes that are all directly involved in the fight, in a realistic war. Not a puzzle game with different shapes and colors.

This is also what Raph’s laments suggest me (not only of course). Not completely different games, but the rediscovery of THIS genre and what it COULD suggest and evocate. The recovery of that immersiveness that seems completely lost and forgotten. Because there’s still endless potential in THIS genre without the need to invent dancing games and other batshit crazy social simulations. That’s not what I would like to see. That’s not where I expect and would like to see the innovation.

I don’t want the innovation “elsewhere”. I want it here. In the things I already love.

The point was:
– Is the interface needed as an aid for the players or to comply to some technical limitations?

As an answer to that question I tried to imagine a scenario free from those technical limitations. The fact that those ideas weren’t much practical and realistic doesn’t mean that there isn’t the possibility to already start to move in that direction. There are many possible ways to “translate” the majority of those rules into something realistically possible with the current technology and then move from there. What is important is to set a goal, to which we can aspire. An ideal to follow and to strive for. That was the purpose. That’s why I called it a “destination”. We aren’t there yet. Far from it. But that’s the direction where we should start moving to.

That said, Darniaq is ranting on his site about another recurring topic of this genre that again represents a barrier to the immersion and realism. It’s part of those consolidated stereotypes that seem impossible to eradicate: the respawns.

These are my ideas on the “respawns” and their implications. Ideas that in this case ARE possible with the technology currently available. Trying to demonstrating that we don’t need brand new *genres* to innovate, there’s still plenty to do here. These worlds have still a huge potential that the current, superficial implementations are making us forget.

“Design” here doesn’t mean anymore the “invention” of something brand new, never seen before (and it rarely means this, almost never). Design here becomes just a rediscovery of what is already there. Trying to scratch beyond the superficial level to have a glimpse of the abyss below.

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Advanced “aggro” routines

I believe that with an intelligent use of scripting and a regulation of the spawn points the great majority of the issues could easily go. So I don’t find this a limit of the technology.

Think for example about the skeletons. It wouldn’t be so hard to make them “emerge” from the ground realistically.

But I believe you are only looking at the lesser problem and not at the whole picture: aggro routines. Think for example to the example above. Yes, it would be cool to see those skeletons rising realistically from the terrain, with one hand coming out all at the sudden, then the arm, the shoulders and all the rest. But think if the hand comes out all at the sudden and GRABS YOUR FOOT.

What hasn’t been done and that would be TRULY immersive is a realistic behaviour of the aggro routines. We are used to see monster just standing still or waiting to be “pulled”. We are worried for the immersion if they “respawn”, but the immersion pretends a lot more than that.

My idea is not about the players ambushing the monster. My idea is about the monsters ambushing the players. The rule is: if you can see them, they can see you. How’s that? And not only. Some of my ideas are about the mobs noticing the players and start reacting BEFORE the players are aware of them, like the case of the skeleton grabbing all at the sudden your foot, or creatures lurking in the dark and preparing their attack before you are even aware of their presence.

Think about “Aliens”, if you are going to fight in their hive you aren’t going to have the headstart.

Realistic behaviors. It would mean a COMPLETELY different way to play. If you go fight near an orc camp and aren’t working actively to lurk away them one by one, they can call for help and bring on you the whole camp. If you fight on sight, they see you and charge. You would REALLY have to sneak around the place and be on your toes.

In general, I’d like to see a game where the players become preys and not exclusively hunters. And where the exploration and the adventure is enriched by a different approach that puts a value where now there’s just nothing.