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A better Sci-Fi MMO

Anarchy Online, Neocron (1&2), Eve Online, and several others have tried, but why isn't there a top-tier Science Fiction MMO out there right now? I'll tell you what I think...

Author: BigDaddyTee

My ideal Sci-Fi MMO Part 2

Posted by BigDaddyTee Friday January 25 2008 at 2:46PM
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I mentioned in my last blog that I would be more specific about my desires in the future.  So here we go...

First, I think that character creation is the crux upon which the rest of the game rests.  So, to that end, I think we have to start by looking at an in-depth character creation system.  I like the old, Ultima-style of asking questions to help you find the type of character most suited to your playing style.  I also think that alot of people know what they want and just want to get down to it. 

CHARACTER CREATION

  • Physical - The physical strength of the PC.
  • Agility - The character's ability to dodge and perform melee-based actions
  • Constitution - The character's ability to withstand damage and gain health
  • Intelligence - The ability of the character to understand complex technical issues and gain skill points
  • Wisdom - The character's ability to retain knowledge
  • Charisma - The character's ability to interact with NPC's
  • Humanity - A measure of how human the character feels.  Limits the cybernetic upgrades allowed

Characters would be based around a few standard templates or they could make their own.  The basic templates allow you to choose a general direction at the begining of the game but doesn't restrict your ability to head elsewhere later in the game.

Soldier Template

  • PHY - HIGH
  • AGI - MED
  • CON - HIGH
  • INT - MED
  • WIS - LOW
  • CHA - LOW
  • HUM - HIGH

Soldiers begin the game with all basic weapon and armor proficiencies.  The core ability of soldiers is that their initiative meter refills faster than other templates.  This allows them to inflict more damage in combat and to make attacks more often. 

Hacker Template

  • PHY - LOW
  • AGI - MED
  • CON - LOW
  • INT - HIGH
  • WIS - HIGH
  • CHA - MED
  • HUM - HIGH

Hackers begin the game with only pistol weapon proficiencies and no armor proficiencies.  The core ability of Hackers is the Menu ability which allows them to process the net better and gives them more options when in the net.  While this is not nearly so important in a fire-fight, they can still be useful as healers using the medic trait and applying stimpacks and bandages to frontline fighters.

Cop Template

  • PHY - MED
  • AGI - MED
  • CON - HIGH
  • INT - MED
  • WIS - LOW
  • CHA - MED
  • HUM - HIGH

Cops begin the game with pistol, rifle, and shotgun weapon proficiencies as well light and medium armor proficiencies.  Their core ability is Authority or the ability to gain access to secure areas and to detain NPCs.  Cops are good at combat and are second only to Soldiers at dusting up the opposition.

Well, that's it for today... I've got that whole "WORK" thing to attend to.  Note, that alot of this is based off the idea of a Cyberpunk-type setting and none of this is realistically going to happen.  Just me shinin' off some time at work...

A better Sci-Fi MMO

Posted by BigDaddyTee Thursday January 3 2008 at 3:16PM
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You know, I've been playing around with computers and gaming since I was like, what, 5 or 6?  I've tried every console that's been released in the states and even a few that weren't.  I've been dingin' around on PC's for as long as I can remember.  Why, then, can I still not find a decent Sci-Fi MMO?

I actually liked Anarchy Online a lot when it first launched.  I spent a ton of time playing it.  I thought that Eve Online was cool, although it wasn't really what I was looking for.  Star Wars Galaxy, when it launched, was not so bad as many have said.  Hell, I recently found Neocron 2 and it has come the closest to being what I was hoping for in a Sci-Fi MMO but even it left me feeling a little let down.

I think the biggest problem is that we've been teased with what a sci-fi universe could be by the great movies that we've grown up watching.  We've also been teased by great fantasy MMO's like WoW, EQ2, and a few others.  Having grown up playing pen and paper games like Cyberpunk and Shadowrun, a good portion of us have been teased by those fantasies, as well.

What are we looking for in a Sci-Fi MMO?  I can't guess what you're looking for.  But i can tell you what I want.  I want a game that allows me to create a character, a class-less character, who can interact with the world in a way that I want to.  I want a game that includes things, in balance, that make science fiction science fiction.  Plausible, but not silly.

I want a working society.  Not just a company head that sits all NPCish in an office in a tower all day, every day. I want him to work a schedule.  I want him to walk out of that board room, up the stairs and get on his private helicopter when the day is over and leave.  I want that helicopter being there to be a sign of whether or not daddy is home to the PC's in my world.

And while we're talking about my PC's, I want them to be able to form gangs, groups, guilds or even corporations to tackle other, existing, NPC organizations as well as other PC organizations.  I want a butt-load of customization.  In this day and age, I want to be able to have a robust character creation system that is more than just 3 settings on a line.  One of the best character creation systems I can recall was in Star Wars Galaxies.  Bar none, this system was limitless in what you could do with the face.  Now, I want that same idea wrapped up with the entire body.

Is it going to eat some systems for breakfast? You're damn right it will.  It's Sci-Fi, after all, and that's what you want.  I want an AI controlling the individual building security systems.  Instanced or otherwise.  I want player housing.  I want PVP when I want and RVR when it's appropriate.  I want my toiling away in this cyber landscape to have a definitive effect on it and I want to know what I'm working towards.

Now, are we ever going to play this game?  I don't know.  There are a few out there that have tried.  But with the Fantasy climate as hot as it is right now, I'm sure anyone can step up and publish a game like this even if it was in development.  It's a risk.  There are so many great MMO's in the pipeline right now, it's going to be  a tough market to enter.  Even if you're sporting something different, it's all still a fee-based computer application that requires an in-flux of capital to maintain and keep operational.

So who's going to make this game?  Are you?  Am I?  Who knows.  But somebody had better step up soon. 

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