Making socializing fun/purposeful. bars, dancing, parties, and more

ArchivedUser

I just wanted to put this out there as an actual big part of the game... being a sandbox game, it thrives on organically created Immersion. Whether you are a role player or not at all, there something magical in a game when you make your character that you identify with and that expresses you, and enter a realm where you can "hang out" and "mess around" with others during down time, like you can in real life, when you get tired of killing stuff. One of my fondest experiences in SWG was BARTENDING, I was gaining xp crafting drinks while I sold them to people. There were professions as a dancer and musician in the game and a chef, the bar scene on tatooine was CRAZY. Now you might be thinking that I'm some nutty roleplayer, but I'm not at all actually. People came to the bars to get healed. Also, just to shoot shit, talk at the end of the day after questing all day. like in real life, it actually felt good to participate with others in a cantina after a long day. When you wanted to relax and be social in game, SWG created a space for that.

I want to make a STRONG case for this kind of stuff in the game. I just saw one guys post on having weddings, which is a part of this. But let me start by addressing housing. This game revolves around different things, but housing appears to be at the center of much of it. Nodes effect housing  and having leveled up nodes and money gets you better housing. But at the end of the day what do we really GET from housing after buyinh all of our cool stuff and laying it out.. Wouldnt it be cool to throw a cool gathering/party in your house? Might sound lame to you, but wouldnt you like to show off your shit after you've worked so hard for it? ( this also brings me to how in SWG ppl created CRAZY stores in their houses displaying armor/ weapons/clothing/pets etc. I REALLY do hope this is a thing too )

I want to feel this magic, an mmo has the power to do that, swg was the last I played that did at all. I believe this is what most ppl seei to feel in a Sandbox MMO whether they realize it or not. It's the realistic immersion factor and community. I hope this game will add A LOT of this stuff, which will help to make the game even more inviting, and add a layer of relaxation and fun to an environment where everyone is trying to out class eachother and spend most of their time killing stuff. If I could physically dance with someone in this game, I'd do it, start a bar fight, yes, play some fantasy poker when I'm tired of grinding all day and win some gold from the rich pompous mayor I'm playing against, heck yes... 

What are your thoughts on it?

ArchivedUser

My fondest memory of the Bars on Tattooine was when my Brother (A Creature Handler) got his Pet Rancor out inside and all people could see were screens of green scales. Was the funniest experience i've ever had because my Bro has only ever played SWG and i'm trying to snag him with Animal Husbandry in Ashes (I'm waiting for more information or a video to come out on it so i can apply a little more solid pressure).

The good news is we have some SWG Developers working on Ashes and players can run their own taverns which will give bonuses while people are in the zone of influence. I enjoyed the wounds and the dancer/musician aspects in SWG but this function won't be replicated. Though we will have Bards but i'm not sure how in depth the musical iterations will be (Bards will buff through their abilities but i doubt they could sit still for hours just playing in a band like in SWG). There may also be dancing emotes but i doubt they will have functional applications.

There will be a very strong societal function in Ashes due to the open world PvP and the Economic systems. There will be citizens and votes to create mayors and Guild Castles. Everything will be societal so even a solo player will assist to advance nodes.

I don't want too many mini games or any at all. I think they detract from the activities at hand but i can understand others may enjoy card games or some form of games where you can bet. I think potential Races could be formed but i'm an RPer at heart and not all people like RP.

Edit: RP = Roleplay and Races = Competitive Sports.

ArchivedUser

Pretty sure Steven described it as a themebox mmo 'w'

Other than that I'm all for in-game socializing and other kind of immersive activities, it's almost like role playing without putting any effort into it

ArchivedUser

I say this in a lot of threads.. but the more RPG elements, the better. 

The more I can be invested in my character and the more I can do, the more time I'll spend in here. I want a ton of optional things to do and the tools to do them with. Themeparks fail to keep my attention most of the time because they are too linear and confining. 

ArchivedUser

Bring it all on!  The more niches there are to fill, the more enjoyable the game will be for actors and participants.

ArchivedUser

Just give me everything I can to roleplay

ArchivedUser

nagash said:

Just give me everything I can to roleplay

Death ? 

ArchivedUser

AutumnLeaf said:

nagash said:

Just give me everything I can to roleplay

Death ? 

even better

ArchivedUser

Drinking contest

ArchivedUser

Karthos said:

Drinking contest

That's pretty funny. But in a lovely bar, it would be halarious to see people doing this with others cheering, placing bets. Any other ideas post em up

ArchivedUser

Karthos said:

Drinking contest

The a black out and waking up with a hangover and no gear 'w'

ArchivedUser

Community events that don't focus on World or Node bosses would be nice. Especially if they were not RL-Holiday-centric. Maybe Mayors of nodes could decree special festivals that allow the players to engage in a variety of competitions.

I do hope that taverns become places filled with players sharing stories and engaging in light rivalries.

ArchivedUser

Azathoth said:

Community events that don't focus on World or Node bosses would be nice. Especially if they were not RL-Holiday-centric. Maybe Mayors of nodes could decree special festivals that allow the players to engage in a variety of competitions.

I do hope that taverns become places filled with players sharing stories and engaging in light rivalries.

The tavern should be the heart of the city ^^

ArchivedUser

I can't stand nonsense in games.
People who overly emote, or just do nothing dancing all day.
The game should have so much content that people don't have time to mess about.

ArchivedUser

it is in taverns where people will first come to be recognised. It will be difficult to be elected Mayor in a sandbox MMO if there is no recognition of people. The whole point is to promote yourself, your skills and anything you craft. There is an aim by the Devs to have more things than people can do with their time but at the same time players will also need a way to unwind after stressful events. Taverns are priceless for this. Better to congregate in a Tavern than outside in the street like on so many other MMOs.

ArchivedUser

I wouldnt mind going into a taveran and playing some kind of game i can place a wager in.... 

ArchivedUser

I don't see how players choosing to dance and drink in a tavern for a few hours as opposed to questing/crafting/battle somehow directly relates to lack of content.

ArchivedUser

Azathoth said:

I don't see how players choosing to dance and drink in a tavern for a few hours as opposed to questing/crafting/battle somehow directly relates to lack of content.

I always find people make their own fun given the chance 

ArchivedUser

Grimseethe said:

I can't stand nonsense in games.
People who overly emote, or just do nothing dancing all day.
The game should have so much content that people don't have time to mess about.

One could argue, then, given specific areas in which this behavior could be localized, it would make it easier for you to avoid it while you go about your own business.  Without some sort of venue, you run the risk of those individuals, or groups, who do enjoy this stuff to take over popular areas in which you WILL run into it.