One way to make players feel important/like they are actually doing something.

Player freedom seems to be what this game is about.

No theme park do what you want.

How do you make a player feel free/like they are actually doing something worth doing and are not just another "chosen one" like every other mmo. Easy

1. Make sure there is a large variety in the looks and styles of clothing especially earlier on. There is nearly nothing worse in an mmo than walking around and seeing 100 more players that look exactly the same as you. It takes you out of the whole game instantly. Takes you from "whoa look at this huge world I could do anything!" to "wow I am really just another gear in the system, nothing special, everyone who picked my race/class is exactly the same."

2. There should be variance in skills. I realize that people of different races but the same class will differ on some abilities but it should be deeper. For example 2 human wizards should be able to be different, maybe you can between a fireball, a freeze ability or a magic shield as your 1st ability. Maybe summoners could chose between summoning a fox or a grass beetle first level.

There is nothing worse then feeling the same and kind of pointless and that is exactly what having linear skill builds and all the some clothes does to a player. It does not make them feel free, it does the opposite, makes them feel confined and like nothing they do matters because they are the same as everyone else who picked their class.

Comments

  • Yes, I think too variance would be important, but I don't know up to which point you can really be sure that there are no 2 players equal, expecially at late game. After a certain time peoriod of time and sufficient theorycrafting players usually know how to min/max their character and then you start to see a lot of "clones" areound :D

    I think that one thing that would help would be to not disclosure to many details on equipment, loot etc. Personally, one of the things that really kills the experience for me in other mmorpg (like Wow) is that you have entire website with the game database exposed, and at that point you start the game ALREADY KNOWING which will be the best equipment available at each level etc.

    I don't really know what is the point on this matter from the developer (and I think it's also a bit too early to discuss about it, with core mechanincs still in development), but it will surely be a pivotal point in latter discussions.
  • Yeah, I think it is less important late game. There are less people max everything so that help with it a bit as well.

    I agree 100% with that. I really hope there is some kind of more random element to finding great loot. Rather than X weapon can be dropped from X boss a certain % of the time.

    Going into a crazy fight and finding some super awesome piece of gear not knowing what you were going to get is way more exciting than hey lets go kill this thing so I can get X drop.

    It works especially well with the node system. With all possibilities of random bosses coming into the game world (like the dragon from the mountain they mentioned in one of the videos) getting an awesome piece of random gear after defeating it makes a way better story.

    Whereas if X boss can drop X loot, players will prioritize the node that boss spawns with and all the servers will have the same nodes active.
  • Vertical progression.
    People wear what gives them the best stats ..fotm
    People use skills that give them the best stats ..fotm
    People use the class thats most imbalanced and has the bost overall stats ..fotm

    With Horizontal progressions there is no 'best'...there is only choices.
    There is only personal preference instead of a compulsory build.

    With vertical progression...unless you adopt one of the limited optimal builds (ie best)...your existance is simply pointless.

    Their idea of progression was a permanent addition and ever increasing mountain of power.
    To fix the broken mess they then use soft caps to try and reign it all in and fail.
    It just nullifies the variety in attempt to kill the power gap.
    Because that systems variety was generated via the power gap

    If they used horizontal progression then they wouuld add permanent subtractions to go with the additions.
    Then any strengths are balnced by weaknesses.
    There is no longer a relative power gap.
    So no need for soft caps.
    Thus infinite variety and endless progress through duality.

    Greed, selfishness and a craving for power is what has led the MMO community and development to where we are.
    The genre was too focused on what was good for them, instead of what was good for all.
  • And please no hidden stats. Over on the BDO forums one of the biggest complaints/discussions is on hidden stats. I just started playing LOTRO again, and its refreshing to see stats like evade etc, there in your character screen, so you can really see what difference a new piece of "fat loot" makes.
  • [quote quote=15536]And please no hidden stats. Over on the BDO forums one of the biggest complaints/discussions is on hidden stats. I just started playing LOTRO again, and its refreshing to see stats like evade etc, there in your character screen, so you can really see what difference a new piece of “fat loot” makes.

    [/quote]

    omg i frikk'n hate hidden stats it makes no sence! pls for the love of Sandels NO hidden stats!
  • @minirlz
    Definitely agree with your first comment.
    minirlz said:
    " 2.  ... There should be variance in skills. I realize that people of different races but the same class will differ on some abilities but it should be deeper. For example 2 human wizards should be able to be different, maybe you can between a fireball, a freeze ability or a magic shield as your 1st ability. Maybe summoners could chose between summoning a fox or a grass beetle first level.

    There is nothing worse then feeling the same and kind of pointless and that is exactly what having linear skill builds and all the some clothes does to a player. It does not make them feel free, it does the opposite, makes them feel confined and like nothing they do matters because they are the same as everyone else who picked their class. ... '
    The part that i bolded ... I was actually going to make a New-Thread about that. Its been on my mind after i made this Thread:

    https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/33995/how-do-you-imagine-the-summoner#latest

    More Should definitely read that 1st Comment   :)  

    And hope Intrepid Devs take notice of it too  o:)
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