So. I made a strange diagram showing how the whole world is built. More than the real server structure it shows the interaction between the instances from the design/player point of view.

As you can see there are three rows:
1- Worlds or shards
2- Planes
3- Adventures

The first row is about various “cloned” shards. A common concept for mmorpgs. This is where the main action will take place. Both PvP and basic PvE happen here. Each shard will be exactly identical but you still have to remember that the world is built to be dynamical and under the control of PvP. So cities will be conquered by factions and there will be a concrete conquest system with land management and ownerships.

Under specific situations and requirements, the players will be able to open portals. These portals allow the players of a shard to move to a “plane”. In this case each plane is unique (not cloned or instanced). Each will have a specific “mood” and a name. Planes are conceived as large zones but still way smaller than a world/shard. They are major hubs where particular activities can be done. The permanence on one of the planes affects the character permanently, developing abilities and weaknesses. When a portal is open it works in both directions. This means that from a world you can transit to a plane and from a plane you can go back. This isn’t all. In fact the main innovation is that from a plane you can go back to a shard/world different from yours. This means that your character is able to travel between the shards thanks to portals and planes. There are many rules about portals, travel, permanence and so on, I’ll explain the specifics elsewhere.

From a plane, then, you can also choose to start an “adventure” (instanced PvE). Each plane gives access to its specific adventures. Each adventure is an instanced session right at the beginning and can involve from one player (single-player type game) to 50+ large raids. Even here the adventures can be accessed by opening portals under specific rules. If you die or fail during an adventure there could be a “cool off” timer that could go from a few hours to a few weeks. So you can only try once and you could need to wait the timer to go before you are able to try again.

—

This is basically how all the game is built. All the content works inside that structure. Obviously the creativity is in how the content itself is built. For example the adventures will be different from how they are being used till now. Offering varied and fun gameplay.

Just two ideas I had are about time-related intances:
– The first type is tailored for a small group (even single player or duo). You have a dungeon and a time limit to respect. You need to reach the end before the time is over and it’s basically a race. The dungeon will be structured with “rooms” that will allow you to move to another section only after you have killed the monsters.
– The second type is an arena. You are in and your goal is to survive as much as possible. Just that.

These two examples are about a form of “trials” which must be passed to achieve various goals in the game. The idea is also to build a “ladder” of players with the most awsome performances.
(I loved the training session in the first X-Wing and the trials are a similar idea. With an extremely fun and tense gameplay. Even in this case some time will pass before you can try again a “failed” trial).