Ideas Wanted

[Lee]

Hello

I was wondering what ideas you have for the basic and specific plots we can use for the game. We need to come up with many ideas that are "low level" to help beginning characters as well as the medium range.

feel free to post any you can think of but keep game balance in mind.

__________________
Thank You

Lee

Arcanity Lead Designer

[Kintoun]

I think you mean small low level quests that are part of a larger more intricate whole? I'd suggest to work ackwards on that. Would work out much better. Like figure out what the end, main objective, boss, and whatnot then build from there, and back. I've found this to work especially well in consistency and plot twists of the story. Kinda like drawing a maze. Instead of drawing the whole from left to right, Just draw the solution path, then add everything else as the alternate "false" paths.

So howabout instead working on just beginning to end small quests which do not impact Novus as of yet?

Ooooor did I miss something here completely lol.

[Lee]

Right now I am looking for a way to tap the creative imaginations of the other posters out there. I was aiming for the small and medium quests so more people would benifit from them. The Novus Shaking Plots should be built into the structure of the game world. I agree with you in your assumption but I would be willing to listen to any ideas if the members are willing to post them. We do have a whole world to fill. That takes a lot of ideas.

This is your chance to get some of your ideas into the game.

[Krum]

Well you could have new players have a bunch of quests laid out for them at the beggining. And they could lead into harder quests. There could be evil, neutrial and good quests, and you could do them different ways.

For instance, you wander around the forest when you find a hut. When you enter the hut, there is a hermit, and he says to go away and he is generaly grumpy. So you come back at night and see he is a werewolf.

So now you have 2 choices
A) Kill him.
B) Talk to him and find a way to cure his disease.

If you choose A that would obviously affect your ailingment and make you evil BUT there could be a twist, he could be the leader of a wolf pack, and you would get more alignment.

Now if you choose B, he could acualy be suffering for many years and he would become happy and you would increse alignment.


Or a quest for a thief, you'd be walking around town when a merchant tells you that he knows your not a normal person. He tells you that a goblin burnt his shop and stole his smithing tools.

So you could go steal them from the goblins silently or kill them all.

The merchant might be telling the truth, or he just wants to get some free tools, or to see you die heh.

( Sorry I ran out of time and I came back to finish this)

[Lee]

Get what?

Hopefully you ran out of space in the post and plan on finishing it later.

[z_man93]

I really like the thief idea.

[Krum]

Or heres one for a herbilist or mage whatever...

A bar owner ran out of drinks because kobolds burnt down the brewery. but he doesn't ask you to help him. So there are a few ways of helping him. Get beer from another town, raid the kobolds or mix up your own potion using flowers.

But you wouldn't see theese choices right in front of you, you'd have to use your noggin'.

[BelDragos]

Have the small jobs you do for others be linked to some of the plots that are being developed.

When the players eventually get to the main plot, they will remember doing a small job where they saw what was needed to advance the plot further. Hopefully they will get back to where the first was before sombody else does.

[Mephista]

I think I understand what you were saying. You sounded like you were tired when you typed that post.

[Nakhn]

My suggestion is that quests not be quests... i dont like it when you go some where to get a quest or just get one... it should be a bit tougher, like hearing lore of old people, are they true? you dont know... maybe they are just insane ranting street people.

Other wise its too much like do a quest, go home, get new quest... too many games find that a good idea...

also, quests shouldnt be based on who you are, you could be a warlord and stumble apon a quest to search for a merchants vest... i mean you dont always need to take them... quests really are like mercanary jobs in a sence where you just have to let people know you are looking for a job and/or you go looking for something to do...

none of this "hey you, here is a quest" its not as much fun as you stumbling apon a letter to some one and having to decide where it is worth it to try to do this even tho it could be myth...

like books or lore, stories of past adventurers and you got to decide what is real and hope it hasnt already been done...

[PrincessPhoenix]

Well I hope that there will be co-operative quests as well as solo ones.... maybe this will improve co-operation between players instead of older ones getting bored and start pking :P. Hmm maybe having quests whereby it is necessary to bring along a much lower lvl player and ensuring him/her to survive till the end of the quest. Just my two cents worth :)

[UBIK]

That sounds good princess. Im not sure how quests in mmorpgs work, but there could be puzzle quests where you have to have multiple people standing on switches ect.

[Raithe]

you should make quest depending on the guild
Like If yuo were to be an assasin (my favorit)
You would to like kill someone certain what would really make the
Game populor would be to instead of just killing him like mabie it
the mission would to be seceret so they dont uncover you would to make like some way of poisening like poisen drink like if he was gonna drink that same drink yu o go over to where that person lives and act like a friend depending on yuor Int. stats
and exspecially charisma he would think yuor a good friend then
boom when yuo make the npc leave to like grapb somthing
make it so yuo have a poisen potion thing or something like that
and make an action to set poisen like set poisen in drink something like that it would make things so cool
this all came to me in a dream heh and years on games

And that would be a side quest then
you could have a great purpose to the whole game
like the big one (the major quest)




http://www.geocities.com/monkeysk8rs/temporarypreviewfile.html?1027259817840

[Mephista]

You should also be able to put yourself into a position where you can initiate some of the quests. This would be hard to program but it is possible through roleplaying.

[Razor487]

If your looking for things to help new players then you should have someone that will give you a particular item if you do something for them (i.e. getting an item, killing an enemy, or something stupid like delivering a message to husband so he doesnt forget to pick up some bread at the store...). Then, after your character progresses a little you return to the person and they offer to upgrade and/or give you a new (but not *always* better) item if you do another task and return the old item. This works out well, because you can learn the beginning of a story and have to do each quest to see how it ends. Also, it would make it so to achieve a truly powerful item you must first put in the time to get the crappy ones :)


[Edit] Sorry about going on and on, its late, im tired, and dont have much use for paragraphs or even correct sentences at the moment.

[Lee]

Thank you.

These are all very good ideas. Please keep them comming. The more I get the more you can play.

[Darkdove]

I am new to the boards, I grew tired of Dark Age of Camelot. But I do like some of its quest ideas. You could make quests where at certain levels you need to defeat a monster and bring back an item, or body part. Class specific tasks based on your level, to get an item that only your class can use. Make them so that you may need help from others to complete them. Simple kill tasks, to get rid of a monster, with an experience or money/item reward. Base each quest monster off of level of the quester. Another would be to head to several different people in order to find out info on an event that plagues the land, and how you can defeat it. getting items you need to do it on the way. Some of these quests can be epic quests, which may take quite some time to do, and be done in parts.

[Lee]

Some of those Epic Quests you were talking about were my favorite. Each is a little story in itself but all are somehow connected. It tells a story better than a narrator could.

Thanks for your input. I'll keep the ideas I have recieved and try to use as many as I can when we get to designing the "quests".

[Phoenix]

Hello! I would like to just say that all yall's ideas are really great and I think the majority of them will really help out the developement of this game. I would also like to apply a few of my own ideas into the mix.

First:
I think it would be really great if players could communicate using their microphones at home. They could speak into them, letting the nearest players hear their voice. It would add a lot personality to the game. For contacting players not close to you though, there could be an instant message like system set up to talk over long distances.

Second:
I have played a lot of online games and most of them limit the players to killing or talking to each other. I think it would be an excellent added bonus to actually have games for 2 or more player to play. A "Gaming House" could be set up where players can go in there and literally sit at gaming table to play different games. Of coarse, the house would have to be large and contain different wings per different game. There could be simple games like boardgames or card games, but I think it would be extra wonderful if you creators could come up with some completely different games all on your own. If these games can't be found anywhere else and they are highly addictive, people will come to you for access to these games. Also, outside of the "Gaming House" could be a race strip, where players race primitive cars through various tracks. There could even be a Trivia wing of the house where players go head to head for fabulous prizes. I am sure yall can think of more games though.

and finally...
Third:
There could be a simple system of gauges to tell the player what he/she needs (to the effect of The Sims). You could get dehydrated if you don't drink from a river/pond. You could explode if you don't use the bathroom. You could be eaten alive by your own stomach if you don't get food. These impending dooms wouldn't be hard to vanquish though, they would be very simple just to give the player a little extra to do, but make sure if yall do this that you don't make the player have to do it too often because they will get bored with the repeated trips to the bathroom or whatever. Yall could think of other things. It might add to the activness of the game. Anyway....

I hope some of these helped and can be used. If not, then possibly my ideas sparked someone else's ideas that are better. Well, for now, later! ;)

[Neville]

Lee....

Give me an email address to send you mail at?
I can rip you a nice long list of plot/quest/interaction threads
but doing it on a board is a bit of a spam and so on...

In order that you don't need to put YOUR email on the board
in general though, drop me a line at

Neville@global.co.za

and I'll reply with some ideas for you...
Also, let me know if you prefer plain-text, or if Word docs will
be okay to attach?

The Strategist.

[Lee]

If you want to send ideas to an e-mail address just click on my name to get to the profiles page. There should be a link to everyone's e-mail on their profile page.

Because of the various different OS out there any ideas submitted this way should use the most accessable form possible.

If you have it typed out, just copy/paste it onto the e-mail. That way it is guarenteed to be readable. Especially if everyone uses a spell check and their ideas are written clearly.

Thank you

[Defunc13]

not sure if I'm posting this right or not but....
how will inventory be handled....

quake style.... anything you can pick up you can carry.

weights... you can carry up to a certain weight irrelevant of size or shape.

shape... every item takes up a number of "cells" in an inventory grid. eg a sword takes up a 3*1 group of cells in a 5*5 inventory.
unless you can change the orientation of the item in your inventory you'd never be able to carry a full inventory of swords.
this is more akin to carrying a flatpack suitcase around than a flexible shoulder bag.

volume... like weight but with a value which represents the amount of space the item takes up and a value for the amount a character can carry. a bundle of rapiers takes the same amount of space as a big war-hammer and weights less

combined value... each item has a value which is calculated from shape,size and weight and each person has a max value.



Also
a system of encumberance.
either reduce speed when moving around overburdened or gradually drain stamina. With a maximum carry value (just cause your running around with full stamina doesn't mean you can lug a huge boulder)

[Lillith]

How about an area where you can only create characters that are female. Like a tribe of Amazons. I read there are not classes so you could not only allow warriors so it would have to be all characters starting there.

[Defunc13]

lot's of women in one place.... good place to pick up gossip

[Rend]

I like the idea of having people tell lore that may not be true. It can lead to many funny senarios. People would go on quests that lead nowere and looking for items that don't exist. It would add a lot of realism quite easily. A change from the old standard of talking to all the townsfolk for all the info, and then never check again.

[Mephista]

That is half the challenge. Discovering the true rumors from the score of false ones. I usually create some myself when I am on EQ.

[Kornflakee]

Rumors sounds good and all....But I think you got to focus on a big plot, above any crap about a little job. Jobs should not lock you in place. Quests should be like jobs, and I say you should make player assigned jobs possible from the start, making a system where no one can be cheated, because getting cheated always sucks. I think wars or some BIG conflict should be integral. I've been playing Suikoden III alot lately, and one thing really amazes me when I play it. When I'm in the middle of a war situation, and in a dark place, one of my soldiers fights like mad, not getting scratched and taking down a battalion on their lonesome. I think creating a legendary type of soldier like that would be great. Oh yeah, and make land ownable, so people can have armies and fight over land, sounds fun.

[BelDragos]

This posting relates to an Item I suggested in the other Thread.

There could be a quest where you have to fing a Morphic Weapon. You would have to learn how to cause it to change forms. There could be an area where you need such a weapon to open a series of doors. You would command it to shapeshift to fit into carvings in the doors.

[Defunc13]

I'm sure everybody agrees that shop-keepers go to sleep at night....

obviously if there night in the game & shop-keepers all go to sleep at night, then ur gonna have times of gameplay where all the shops are shut.... not fun, no buy, no sell, no money

but If u split the shop-keepers into 2 groups

those awake during the day... (usually the person who owns the shop seeing as they get to pick their shift times)

and those doing the night-shift... (assistant shop-keepers, or night clubs/taverns)

of course there could be a transistion time, where those going to bed shut up shop & those getting up can set up shop.

some shops with limited staff could be completely shut.
black-market sellers could sit in a bar all day & deny that they sell anything, but when night arrives they will agree to sell their stuff.

getting a job in a shop could allow u to work for money & get a staff discount

[Defunc13]

cannabalism as a skil, possibly relating to alchemy (which bits to eat are good/bad & how to eat them) could allow u to eat ur slain opponents & gains abilities/knowledge relating to them.

e.g
can't get past a combination-lock vault door (or fantasy equiv),
slay the bank clerk,
eat his brain (along with the bit that knows the password/code),
use gained knowledge to open the vault.

or

e.g
kill a turtle,
eat the shell,
gain a temporary bonus to ur armour (as u move more natrually with the weight)

some things could be temporary, other permanent.

e.g drinking dragon's blood might permanently enhance ur strength/resistances

[Kornflakee]

Hm, I don't like the fact that there would be NPCs selling things in your game (except, maybe, if a player hired them for his/her company. But I'm not going to beat my dead horse ideas anymore.

Cannibalism AS A SKILL!? I say that sorta thing is for crazies. You can eat your enemy, but no improvements, I say. Eating your enemy is too specialized a skill, I do say. Ever played AO? That's what happens when there is a skill for most everything (well, ALL THE WRONG THINGS).

[Defunc13]

we can't all prance around being holier-than-though nuts (whilst justifying the basic mugging/killing of creatures for sport/gain)

there should be a varied range of abilities to reflect the darker side to a character's nature.

why not allow people to play flesh eating nut-jobs, u could scavange the skulls/bones/organs to make armour/magic items.
add in a bit of ritual blood sacrifice or self-mutilation.

u could just link cannabalism to alchemy. as ur alchemy skill goes up u can gain benefits from chowing down.
but u could have the basic ability even if it doesn't do anything for those characters not focusing into alchemy.

:eek: :D :eek: :D chompaliscious

[Kornflakee]

As you follow your path, you should get skills. I dunno, maybe Cannibalism ain't for me. Maybe, if a certain deity gave you said powers, sure. That is ona the main points of this game.

[Defunc13]

"tastes like chicken"

most of this stuff would bear some relation to the darker end of the magic spectrum.

dark magic is well know for nasty stuff like this, but it is equally apparent in incan rites (or is it mayan, or aztec etc) to keep things like the sun going round.

most games which use skill-based advancement have some way of funneling ur skills towards a certain style of character, this would be just one of those styles.

[Nakhn]

I like the ritual idea... maybe sacraficing animals or eating people or whatever could help with some "Darker" magics...

or be a possibility or something...

techncially though sacrificing wouldnt be dark.. most religions did it at one time... for juadism and christianity to a lot of pagan religoins

[Smirk]

ok im new here but played few online games I like quests add something to the game other than just killing stuff.

also on the games things could do something like a casino type thing as in poker where you could play with other people at a table and you actually bet money? dont know if that is able to be done I dont know whole lot about making a game :P.

On the Vendor thing if you allow us to have housing (thought i read something on that) But what if you can only access there vendor if they are online? Would keep people on that otherwise like to set up vendors log off so they can make money.

I believe when I read on housing was worried about land that is if doing the house if not just ignore my rambling. Anyways Could make it where you buy a land size that is already mapped out for certian size home in that area or smaller than there land size. (if that makes sense) And just limit one house per account or something.

Anyways those few my idea

[Kornflakee]

Huh, dude, you're posting in the wrong thread for that. This is ideas for items, you just shot off a buncha ideas. Ideas wanted or Dream Game are the threads for that. Your ideas raise some questions though.

Here's an item idea to get this thread back on track. God containers. A certain mage-craftsman can make an item that is powerful enough to capture a weakened God. Course, this has gotta be a really good mage or really weak god to get weakened by attacks to the point of capture. Then, the bearer of the object could take the power of the God. And that would be nifty.

[Defunc13]

er kornflakee...
this is NOT the items ideas thread, this IS the ideas wanted thread.
but anyway nice box thingy... u could make it for divine beings... ie not just gods, but demons as well & then make em like "kinda(sp) surprise" eggs ( I hope america isn't missing out on those:P)

the casino idea's cool, u could have those grabby-arm things(or magical equivalent) as well so u could spend ur spare change on the strange type of stuff u usually find in them.

or the lucky "bag of holding" dip for a fun-fair version and of course the shell game for thief type characters (yes I do remeber this is a skill based game with no classes).

just a minor idea about questing....

to encourage players to explore u could have a postal office. at this building u can pick up packages(magically sealed) which u have to take to other towns, u get a little set of instructions on how to get to the other town so newbies don't get lost, or perhaps a magical compass attached to the parcel telling u where it wants to be. some of the harder quests could involve dangerous people chasing u for ur package. of course being a post office, u'd get a fee for the work & they'd be a lot of it going for all the players. It might get a little crowded and someone might then go "postal" :p

[Kornflakee]

Oops sorry about that. BUT don't capitalize things at me. I'm easily angered. Honest mistake on my part, sorry doodman. Heh, coulda swore this was items. Aw well.

Post Office is a good idea. Y'know me, always saying that players should have to build their own S***, and I think having a postman brave the wilderness to get packages delivered and get his money would be kool. It's kinda like that one movie with that one dude from waterworld and that other thing, but not crap! And then recieving an item through a deal far away like that would be cool, also, especially if the person you dealt with was across a very hostile area. Good ideas, that are wanted, yet not for items. Heh.

[Defunc13]

feel free to bunk this over to the "magic thread" thingy I indirectly started.

If I have a spell, it might have some words (ie speaking) at some point....

I assume theres a kinda method of just saying stuff outloud....
people might be listening...

person A says "abracadabra" to cast spell...
person B hears "abracadabra" & sees spell effect of spell...
if person B is clever they think "oooo, I'll try that, it should have that effect"...
person B goes "abracadabra" & follows the actions which they saw person A do....
person B casts spell...

if u make actually typing the spell's words into the game to cast them it allows other characters who can see u and are clever enough to work out whats going down, to put ur words & ur action into their spell-book(if such a thing exists).

thus we learn by others examples, if ur mate casts 100 fireballs right next to u, ur bound to pick something up.

having a macro to "type" the word for u would get round the actual time to type, or simply allowing the character to use the spell selected from a list of know spells

[Defunc13]

u said "s***", did u mean "stuf" :D

[Lôrd Ziôn]

thats just disgusting (no offence to any cannibals out there) i mean eating brains and stuff? i just think if you kill something you get a small bonus amount of thier highest skill.

[Lôrd Ziôn]

oops i think i got the wrong thread
:o