BabyHeadCrab
The Freeman
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 602
I've got an idea /Games and Gaming/, I'll riff a little bit on a game that I'd like to see - and you posters add to the game in ways you see fit.
Overview
I imagine an MMORPG set in a faraway Solar System, in which two species are fighting for dominance over the 3/4 planets which remain habitable. One species is human-like, with a bloated set of rules left over from forgotten democracies and ancient accords. The other species resembling a more insect type structure (drawing influence from Ender books / Starcraft, Starship Troopers, Dune etc). These beings multiply at an extremely fast rate, and only the strongest of Xenoforms are playable.
The insect-style race relies on human hosts to multiply. In other words the conflict will go on until the human-like race completely defeats the parasitic insects.
Gameplay
Only the strongest (mentally and physically) of the insect-style race will be playable. Though the species do act with a somewhat hive-like mentality, they still have independent free-thinking minds. The way they communicate is FAR different than us, they don't express themselves in any ways human kind can understand.
For gameplay purposes those on the insect-like side will communicate in text and gestures, but in the storyline they are using methods unexplainable that rely on sensory abilities human-kind simply doesn't have.
Gameplay Continued
The major breakthrough here is that the teams will be intentionally VERY unbalanced. In terms of sheer number of people online, things will be pretty even. But the abilities of units and methods of success in PVP and PVE are radically different. In other words learning how to be successful as the insect-like species will grant you no knowledge whatsoever on how to be successful as the human-like species. The one way to gain knowledge about the opposing faction is through close-encounters with the enemy. It will be the objective of players to both defend themselves against the other species, while at the same time gaining knowledge of their past.
Variety within each species
Both the insect-like species and the human-like species have subsets of their own kind who think radically different. Rumors exist that on far away planets within the galaxy the two work together, perhaps this is just whispers in the space-time fabric, perhaps a desired, projected reality. The individuals who believe in this sort of things, however, while considered radicals (the option to play as these types exist) vow to only use violence in defense - and instead dedicate efforts to understanding instead of eradication.
The "fun" and some ranting
The game will feature two primary modes of play for each species - one a more combat oriented action RPG, the other an exploration, puzzle based, cooperative thinking game (combat coming secondary). At the same time the art direction / game play style and routes to victory will be radically different for both sides, adding a great element of replay-abiltiy. Of course the people who desire to play the diplomatic peace-keepers will still come into contact with the militaristic folks, but rarely will the peacekeepers aid in major military operations unless they are desperate to seek certain inside information. Combat will be face paced and interesting (think more along the lines of FPS/aRPG games than MMORPGs here).
As I write a debate in my mind exists - do I make the peacekeeper a selectable class with RADICALLY different gameplay, or simply leave it as an option after the game has already introduced you into the world. I think it would be interesting to start everyone off on more or less the same level and have them dynamically decide what side they want to take in the conflict (and how they want to contribute to their society). The problem here is that the game begins to get entirely too complex - combining elements from games like Mass Effect or Kotor with mmorpg aspects from a game like say.. Tabula Rasa or World of Warcraft and throwing in action elements is a daunting task to say the least - but hell if done right, I'd never leave my computer chair.
I think intentional imbalance is avoided far too often. If you look at games that employ this type of imbalance - and show competition between teams that rely on entirely different methods; Natural-Selection mod, AVP2 (multiplay) you get this beautiful bleeding of play styles that bring forward an emotional response. Facing an enemy alien controlled by another human brings forward a very emotional response, suddenly you're battling a xenoform that is perhaps as intelligent and free-thinking as you are, yet you don't know exactly how it's going to act/run or behave. It's not rock-paper-scissors it's rock-paper-scissors-hydrochloricacid-neutronbomb-razorblade-infestation.
The insect-like species would evolve through game updates to the persistent world, and the human-like species would develop new technologies. It's an endless space epic, a battle with no end in site.
The physical manifestation of our current medicine progression vs. virus conflict. (replace medicine with weaponry and virus with unexplainable xenomorphic lifeforms.
Overview
I imagine an MMORPG set in a faraway Solar System, in which two species are fighting for dominance over the 3/4 planets which remain habitable. One species is human-like, with a bloated set of rules left over from forgotten democracies and ancient accords. The other species resembling a more insect type structure (drawing influence from Ender books / Starcraft, Starship Troopers, Dune etc). These beings multiply at an extremely fast rate, and only the strongest of Xenoforms are playable.
The insect-style race relies on human hosts to multiply. In other words the conflict will go on until the human-like race completely defeats the parasitic insects.
Gameplay
Only the strongest (mentally and physically) of the insect-style race will be playable. Though the species do act with a somewhat hive-like mentality, they still have independent free-thinking minds. The way they communicate is FAR different than us, they don't express themselves in any ways human kind can understand.
For gameplay purposes those on the insect-like side will communicate in text and gestures, but in the storyline they are using methods unexplainable that rely on sensory abilities human-kind simply doesn't have.
Gameplay Continued
The major breakthrough here is that the teams will be intentionally VERY unbalanced. In terms of sheer number of people online, things will be pretty even. But the abilities of units and methods of success in PVP and PVE are radically different. In other words learning how to be successful as the insect-like species will grant you no knowledge whatsoever on how to be successful as the human-like species. The one way to gain knowledge about the opposing faction is through close-encounters with the enemy. It will be the objective of players to both defend themselves against the other species, while at the same time gaining knowledge of their past.
Variety within each species
Both the insect-like species and the human-like species have subsets of their own kind who think radically different. Rumors exist that on far away planets within the galaxy the two work together, perhaps this is just whispers in the space-time fabric, perhaps a desired, projected reality. The individuals who believe in this sort of things, however, while considered radicals (the option to play as these types exist) vow to only use violence in defense - and instead dedicate efforts to understanding instead of eradication.
The "fun" and some ranting
The game will feature two primary modes of play for each species - one a more combat oriented action RPG, the other an exploration, puzzle based, cooperative thinking game (combat coming secondary). At the same time the art direction / game play style and routes to victory will be radically different for both sides, adding a great element of replay-abiltiy. Of course the people who desire to play the diplomatic peace-keepers will still come into contact with the militaristic folks, but rarely will the peacekeepers aid in major military operations unless they are desperate to seek certain inside information. Combat will be face paced and interesting (think more along the lines of FPS/aRPG games than MMORPGs here).
As I write a debate in my mind exists - do I make the peacekeeper a selectable class with RADICALLY different gameplay, or simply leave it as an option after the game has already introduced you into the world. I think it would be interesting to start everyone off on more or less the same level and have them dynamically decide what side they want to take in the conflict (and how they want to contribute to their society). The problem here is that the game begins to get entirely too complex - combining elements from games like Mass Effect or Kotor with mmorpg aspects from a game like say.. Tabula Rasa or World of Warcraft and throwing in action elements is a daunting task to say the least - but hell if done right, I'd never leave my computer chair.
I think intentional imbalance is avoided far too often. If you look at games that employ this type of imbalance - and show competition between teams that rely on entirely different methods; Natural-Selection mod, AVP2 (multiplay) you get this beautiful bleeding of play styles that bring forward an emotional response. Facing an enemy alien controlled by another human brings forward a very emotional response, suddenly you're battling a xenoform that is perhaps as intelligent and free-thinking as you are, yet you don't know exactly how it's going to act/run or behave. It's not rock-paper-scissors it's rock-paper-scissors-hydrochloricacid-neutronbomb-razorblade-infestation.
The insect-like species would evolve through game updates to the persistent world, and the human-like species would develop new technologies. It's an endless space epic, a battle with no end in site.
The physical manifestation of our current medicine progression vs. virus conflict. (replace medicine with weaponry and virus with unexplainable xenomorphic lifeforms.
