Quick one.

[Wasp]

If you walk around, do you leave footprints? If so, for how long do the remain (will probably depends on the loads the computer/server/ack/yeah/etc. etc. can take). I just get a little sick of those games where you feel like you are just one of those marbles in the wooden maze. No matter where you go, you leave no impact on your enviroment.

[Thirty]

I could live without footprints, but I sure would like what no other MMORPG has, the ability to effect the world in some ways, permanently or at least fairly long duration. I guess UO has some, with some problems and along with a rather dated system, but at least there is some. The other worlds (AC & EQ) have basically no way to effect much, kill something and it comes right back, forget building anything but a few small items and your caracter.

Someday...it may be possible to allow players to do some of the building and designing. That would certainly add a lot of veriety and take a load off the Devs. However, it would have to be done with tools that stopped cheating, like making expoits of some kind (hack proof). It migth be possible to do a limited amount of that now, that is, a player might be able to designe their own house/castle, put all the expoits you want in it cuz their aint nuthin in it to expoit but you (you would hafa import your own monsters and treasure, so you could steal yer own treasure and kill monsters you just spent hours capturing alive).

It might be possible to have players do a bit of city designing, large cities being rather time consuming and all. It might also be possible for players to use some kind of limited tool to scetch out the layout and particulars of dungeons, monster lairs, quests, that sort of thing. Not actually build them, just give the idea, the Devs could then build the ones they like. Basically, players would just come up with the ideas, with some tools to allow that idea to be seen graphically (description being limited in describing say a complex quest or lair). That way you cant have players making expoits, but you could get fairly detailed ideas from them.

Meanwhile, for more basic stuff, it will be nice to at least have a building of some sort built, even if all you do is pay for it, and kill monsters in an area and not have them spawn right back in their old spots like nothing happened. Just so you can look and see that you changed something, at least a little bit, kinda makes you feel a sense of accomplishment. Of course, what I really want is my own feif, where all the buildings are sorta my buildings, (even if owned by another, they'de be in my town), and the land is my land (so long as I keep clearing out the monsters that wander in from outside, and watch that neighbor).

Way I see it is, you find a good site, you and your buds clear it out, then lead a caravan in to bring building suppies to build the first fort, use that to keep clearing the area and clear out a safe road, then invite in new townspeaole when they see its safe enough. Of course, the best sites (good farmland, water transport, mines, wood, etc) might already be owned by the horrible monsters, sometimes whole gangs of intelligent ones who want it for the same reasons, and then theres rival gangs of players. Still, with all that work, it would be nice to eventually see your own town with your own name and possibly flag. That would sure be a lot more than a few items crafted and only your caracter built up that you get in other games.

[Kintoun]

Nope no footprints yet. Comp limitation were discussed however... so we're not sure if there ever will be for Arcanity.

I agree with Thirty tho. One thing that I really wanted was the ability to permanently change the landscape. Like blow up trees or raze a building. Of course there is the same problem here as footsteps.... it would cause too much server lag... which is the worst kind of lag. Woe is us!

[Indigo]

It would be crazy to burn down a forest or distroy a town.. fun but crazy. A lot of grief players would take enjoyment in distruction for sure. Not saying that either of you are grief players of course. I think it would be nicer to have an impact on history and culture if you were strong enough and could pull enough people around to your way of thinking. If you could make it into the history books so to speak it would be more fun.

[Jeff Walters]

I like the idea of footprints....would make tracking players with a bounty on their head all the more interesting :)

I definitely think they should fade in a few minutes though and be scalable if implemented so that it never puts a burden on server or computer.

I think it's also be something that shouldn't happen in towns or other areas where people might congregate.

[BelDragos]

Have the duration that you can see the footprints based on your skill in Tracking. Otherwise you can't see footprints.

[Kintoun]

Thats a good one Bel, heh but that would mean ppl with the slower connections would have to avoid training that skill. Heh and that wouldn't be too fair.

However I'll stick to my original idea. Footprints only show up in muddy areas, or in snow, or during rain (causes mud). This way not too many ppl's computers will need to load foot steps. Not TOO stressful on the servers, and it just might work.