While we continue to wait for the moment when we can get into Tokyo I thought I would take a bit of time to skip ahead and look at things that would in my mind take The Secret World from fantastic to out of this world. These are all things that would keep people playing or improve the quality of life and could possibly be implemented post Tokyo. So in no particular order here are seven things I’d like to see introduced to TSW.
1. Clothing Separates
So many of the most spectacular outfits in The Secret World are all one piece. This looks great if you have a complete look you want to go for but many people, myself included, enjoy being able to mix and match different parts to make something new. Making everything separate would allow people to have more unique looks and keep them eager to try out new combinations as well as buy each and ever new part as it gets released. Unfortunately I imagine that it would be quite a lot of work to go through and cut things in half so while it is something I would love to see there are more important things for the development team to be working on, like Tokyo.
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2. Aliens
In a world where everything is true that means crop circles really are alien landing pads. So I would love to see what kind of aliens Funcom would give us. They could come in peace or come hell bent on destroying the Earth. This could in turn unify the three factions temporarily as they fight a secret war against the aliens, who are of course lead by a brainwashed, possibly undead Elvis. And all of this can take place on the moon. The likelihood of any of that actually happening are slim to none. But if they do decide to run with the idea I hope I at least get something cool named after me.
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3. Player Housing
Part of what makes The Secret World so amazing is the modern, though scary setting. In the opening sequences after we swallow a bee we completely trash our apartment. Unfortunately we never see that apartment again. But it does put the desire for a home into you from the very start. Though it would be really cool to go back to that old apartment of yours at some point and see the mess you created, it is very much part of your past and really doesn’t belong to your new life as part of The Secret World. It would be great though if you could claim a small part of one of the main cities for yourself. Have a penthouse in New York or London or a hanok in Seoul. Of course putting in this kind of a system would be a massive undertaking. Not only would Funcom have to create new and interesting things to put in the homes they would have to create the systems the players would use. On the plus side for Funcom though it would mean that they could release items for the player houses in the store. So, yay! More money for them. Which in turn really means more stuff for us in the long run. Player housing could also be a great place to put mementos from your time exploring through TSW. This gives players a reason to go back and replay old content to unlock the new items that were added. Though I do worry what kinds of things people like Edgar would give you.
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4. A Mayan Zone
Really the above statement could be filled in with any ancient civilization, China would be fun! It would be great fun to not only explore ancient ruins and ancient civilizations but also have to deal with the terrible monsters from their mythology. In this way The Secret World would have a seemingly endless supply of places and times to expand to. Why did I pick Mayans? First they have really killer sports. Never say you’ll play a ballgame with a Mayan. Second, because they are all sorts of gruesome and horrifying by today’s standards. Who wouldn’t want to attend a ritual sacrifice?
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5. A New Chat System
Since the beginning of The Secret World the chat system has been…difficult. In fact in the first few weeks after launch it was basically impossible to hold a conversation with people. Sadly this pushed a lot of people away. But even after a ton of fixes the chat system has never really been user friendly. It isn’t a smooth, easy to use, intuitive system which is something that can very well be the breaking point for someone new and trying it out. A revamped chat system with easy to join groups and tabs which can be easily organized would be a huge improvement for the game. Unfortunately it really isn’t an easy task. Much like player housing it would have to be built from the ground up. So while it would be a nice quality of life thing I imagine it will never rate very high on Funcom’s list.
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6. Wardrobe Slots
Many people often have favorite outfits to wear at certain times. And though you can access your clothes anywhere in the world, if you do come up with an outfit you really enjoy you have to either remember what it was or write it down somewhere for future use. One small addition to the game would fix this; Wardrobe slots. Put in the ability to save certain clothing combinations which can be easily accessed with the press of a button or typing in a command. It is a small quality of life change but I think for people who are clothes horses like I am it is something that would make a huge difference in our lives.
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7. More Faction Specific Content
For the most part in PvE the faction you pick doesn’t really have a huge impact on your life. In fact it really is only a bit of flavor, spice on top of the experience. But if slowly over time a mission here or there was added that was faction specific I think it would really add to the richness of the MMO. Not to mention the fact that it would encourage people to create alts, play through all the content again, and ultimately keep players in the game longer. Which is really the ultimate goal for every development team, keep people playing.
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So there are seven things I would like to see come in the future. Some of them are certainly more easily obtained than others. Some of them I don’t imagine will ever happen. But then really, this was just a dream list. And if anyone at Funcom likes my ideas I would quite happily take a consulting position and give you all the ideas that fill my brain.
