Beta Feedback - New Haven and More

[Acebane]

Dear Starvault,

I'd like to provide you some feedback/Suggestions from going through the new player experience and my general thoughts of the current state of the beta. I'll add that I did play Mortal Online 1 for a time and I do enjoy the game very much and I am excited for Mortal Online 2's launch. As you know, what a "Perfect" game is is very much subjective to all developers/players but I feel the game is still a net positive for the MMORPG genre. I encourage and support Starvault for investing all the resources/money into making this world (both MO1 and MO2) a reality that we can all purchase and play (I invested into too many Sandbox kickstarters that fail to ever produce a product - Embers of Caerus, Chronicles of Elyria, etc.)

I'll preface that all of the points below are my opinion and I'm not looking to argue with other players in the community about differing viewpoints. I'll also add that I may not have read the current video tutorials very well because I'm lazy and a MO1 vet, so somethings may have been shown to the new players that I missed. I'll be referencing New Haven tutorials and I'll also dabble into Myrland a bit with suggestions/ideas.


1. Tutorial Closing Button - I felt the tutorial videos were a good addition however, it was very much IN YOUR FACE. That and another gripe was it would change the input key to get it OUT of your face to the key press it was teaching you about. Sometimes R would close it, sometimes right click would close it etc. I'd say the point of the tutorial is to read and see the video tutorial, making us press the corresponding key for an action to close the tutorial is excessive. I'd argue to close tutorials, it should be the same keys that we will use to close our inventories/paperdoll menu.

2. New Haven Needs Horse Tutorial - The traversing the huge game world is something that the new players need to be prepared for. That means, undoubtedly, to get a horse! That's something New Haven is missing as far as tutorials. The general upkeep of getting a horse, building loyalty, feeding it, keeping it out of danger, the controls of it, horse bags/armor etc. There's a lot to it and sending New Players to Myrland without the basics of that system will definitely lead to frustration and possibly them quitting (Thank goodness for help chat though). I can understand we don't want to overwhelm New Players but I believe there needs to be a cheap crappy donkey that is purchasable from a Stable vendor or something there. Players can farm say 1G and buy the donkey (and add donkeys to tame so they can do it that way too). That way they get the basics of managing it and get to traverse a little bit quicker around New Haven. Maybe in the tutorial video, you add that you cannot take the donkey with you when you leave New Haven! Adding a tutorial that mentions the methods of getting the horse in Myrland should be in order too.

3. Get Rid of World Highlights - I didn't like the "highlighted" world where the quest objectives are. I think they're ugly first off, but also it's misleading to the new player. New player thinks oh, things get highlighted like a quest where I need to go. Then they do what they're naturally trained to do from all the other MMORPGs. Follow this, go there, do that. (AFAIK, nothing highlighted like that in Myrland currently then again I haven't played A LOT of MO2). They stop seeing the world and getting used to looking for herbs with their own eyes scanning the environment. I do think the icon on compass is a good idea still as it teaches the player that they have a compass. That and the compass is a compromise to guide new players still, despite that not being the usual in Myrland.

4. Zombie Swing Animations - I felt a lot of new players didn't notice the zombies actually doing directional swings. Maybe a quick video tutorial that shows the difference between the swing animations and how they should block them would be beneficial. I know there's a video tutorial with the strawmen portion of the tutorial but since the zombies (presumeably their first hostile foe) don't attack like say a bandit would, it could reduce confusion and frustration when new players can't understand why they're not blocking correctly.

5. Add Paper Maps - The map for New Haven is great little treat for new players. But I think it could be again misleading them to think they will have a paper map in Myrland. I'd actually love to get maps made of all the starter towns that can at least show where all the profession tables/bank/broker etc are.Maybe only give the map to the first starter city the player goes to. I think there was a mention of cartography but I feel like it's a complex system that a new player will not really care enough to go seek out player made maps. Instead they'll just throw a tantrum that they can't find anything and quit. See #15.

6. Limit Starter Towns - Starter towns should be limited to a few. Hyllsepia (pardon spelling) as a starter zone was... Brutal. I went there first because I just wanted to see the new city and it was nice. But all the mountains surrounding it and the no-horse thing made it dreadful. I know it's still getting fleshed out and spawns are being added but I didn't see anything there as far as mobs or any meaningful areas to go (except down the mountain in that zig-zag death trap road lol). I think that the starter towns should be a little more limited. I haven't really spent time at other towns so which ones it should be limited to is a good question. But being able to spawn at any one of your choosing is questionable considering the new player experience could be drastically affected (positively/negatively) based on where they choose. Oh and it may also help to add a little background to it when you're selecting one such as what Biome, what faction is there, etc.

7. No Click and Learn instantly Skills - Talking to tutorial NPCs in the beginning and them "teaching" you is again, misleading in my opinion. Players will have to go to a Librarian to buy and learn new skills/lores. Having them one-click to learn cooking, a weapon skill, crafting, etc is giving them convenience that they would not be afforded in Myrland. Now, being a MO1 player, I greatly appreciated NOT having to go to a Librarian and spending silver on the books but I want New Players to understand how it goes normally. I'd suggest maybe have a Librarian RIGHT next to the NPCs (in the vicinity) and give them FREE MONEYS to buy the skills/books they want.

8. Crosshair/UI Customization - Crosshair removal and/or the ability to change type/size of crosshair and color. It's one of those quality of life things. I'd personally want to remove it unless I'm in combat (with a bow especially) and change the color to better contrast against the world (beige mixes in with the world's colors). I think this will let players tailor their UI to fit their personal needs (roleplaying, pvp, or a mix of both).

9. Lighting - I know this has been brought up several times, but the brightness/contrast as it pertains to lighting. When the sun shines, it makes the beiges/greys/white become almost unbearably bright. I did mess with my computer gamma settings to try to turn it down but it still was a pain. I'd imagine we wouldn't want to encourage out of game gamma adjusting among new players (as players do for seeing at night). This also makes it hard to see crosshair sometimes when aiming bow, see #8.

10. Ranger Vendor, Take Money - Ranger in the butchering tutorial only takes animal parts as currency for the bow/arrows. Small little thing, but when I went to buy more arrows, I was annoyed I had to go kill a pig and butcher it to buy them. Let him also accept silver/gold for the bow/arrows so we can use the money we earned from butchery to buy more arrows from the "first vendor" who sells arrows to us.

11. Stat'ing up Attributes - Being a MO1 Vet, I assumed I knew everything but I found myself actually confused as to how to level each attribute stat. I was used to block spamming and swinging spamming on a dummy to level things but that didn't work for me for strength/constitution (at least in a fast way). I wanted to suggest that maybe there could be a mini tutorial that explains how to stat up certain attributes. Maybe a list of activities that would stat up each attribute which doesn't have to be exhaustive but just point in the right direction. Ex, Consitution (Cutting wood, jumping, Riding a horse which I thought was odd, etc) Perhaps have it display that mini list when you hover over the attribute to find out what it provides.

12. Notifying About Increased Spawn Rates - I observed a new player get killed in Bandit fort due to respawning bandits behind him that he was not expecting. Maybe as players enter into the fort, a little pop up that says "Be warned, spawn rates are increased and the ones you kill, will respawn faster than usual". I add that because losing your only gearset at the bottom of the Fort due to not expecting the bandits you killed to appear behind you is a sucky feeling.



I will continue to add suggestions/feedback in new replies if I get any more ideas.

Thank you.

P.S. Starvault, I consider myself an "idea" guy and I'd love to brain storm ideas with your dev team if you'd have me. I have no interest in any Monetary concerns, I just want to see MO2 succeed.

 

[Acebane]

Continuation because I reached character limit in first post.

13. Ask Players For Help -I know there is a tutorial that explains the mechanics behind death when you die. Maybe add a little line in there to encourage players to ask other players for help if they die. In #12 example, that new player was naked running back to get his gear and I thought, He's going to get slaughtered again and again and give up because he can't get his gearset. So I helped him out, cleared out bandits for him etc. But if I wasn't there to help him, I just thought I hope he knows he could've asked someone to help him.

14. Add Catacombs - Just a small little addition that I think would make the graveyard a little fancier: Make it like the old Tindrem GY in MO1 that had a little catacomb and a "boss zombie" at the end. I think it'd be a nice addition to challenge the new players with a "boss" and add another section for them to explore. It'd introduce the player to a "dungeon" that would be small and simple so they don't get lost (Bandit Fort was a little confusing at first lol). I was sad when I ran in the graveyard to see I could not enter the big building there.

15. Ask A Guard Escort - I know New Haven has the map but this is a feature I think (I know it's more work, sorry devs) could add some roleplayability and functionality to the world without depending on maps. The "Ask a guard" to escort you to a profession table or a vendor of your choice. I know having to figure out navigation meshes and all that is a pain but just an idea. This does apply to both Myrland and New Haven but New Haven can have a mini tutorial explaining that feature. Plenty of times I ran around in these new and improved cities of Myrland and thought "DUDE WHERE IS THE BUTCHER TABLE AGHHHH". Even if guards are a little tedious to follow as they slow walk to the location, it would've saved me 10 minutes of running in circles. I'll also add that this feature would be the most intuitive way that feels natural (I work as Security Officer and ask a guard is a common way to find places for customers).

16. General Directions of Spawns- I know I'm cheating a little bit because this does not apply to New Haven as much but I think adding a town npc you can ask to suggest some nearby spawns of certain creatures that is closest to the town is a good idea. I spawned in Meduli and with everything being new I thought, "ok this map is huge (The run from Hyllsepia to Meduli nearly made me delete char), I don't want to spend all day running to a big empty valley, where are the spawns?". Now I'm not suggesting to lay it out clear as day where all the spawns are. But just the easy-noob friendly spawns that is closest to the town. That way new players can figure out where they can start their killing/farming loops. I'm thinking like, "To the east of Meduli are pigs. To the Northeast is a Bandit camp. To the southeast by a mountain valley are razor backs and cougars". Then on New Haven add a mini tutorial that explains "Every town has this special npc and he can tell you about dangerous/not so dangerous nearby creatures".

17 - Mic Testing and VOIP - Add a mini tutorial that explains that VOIP is in the game and is usable by every player. Add that there is a mute all function in the settings. Then also add a Mic test function in the settings that will play back what other players will hear from you. I'd also suggest improving the VOIP system to be more fleshed out such as hearing distance/mic volume normalization/ as well as directional sound (works decent but not while moving or spinning around currently).

18. How to Leave Haven - I for some reason had a heck of a time finding the portal stone. Probably because I'm blind. But it wouldn't hurt to have a mini "quest" tutorial that makes you run there and explains instances of Haven and Leaving to Myrland. I'd imagine there is a tutorial on it but again, maybe something that makes you run to it.

 

[ArcaneConsular]

I agree with most of these except for highlighting and the instant skills. Can agree that spawning in Hyllspelia ruined the game for someone I was trying to get into it. I think there should be a library tutorial if there isn't one, but keep the tutors. Highlighting is ugly but should be improved not removed. And I think players should be able to get a free horse when leaving haven for the first time. Even going as far to add horse vendors in game for crappy mounts. They won't be nearly as good as tamed ones, but not having a horse is literally game ruining in this game. And finding out how to get one for yourself took me a long time at first

 

[Acebane]

These are just odd-ball ideas I had to spice up the game a little bit. I will admit that these ideas are not fleshed out and it's just spitballing.

19. Taverns - I may be missing some future plans for them (I know there are Tavern mini games planned), but I feel there needs to be a reason to go Taverns. I think they should be the natural meeting place of every city/town that has one and when players loiter, it should be there. Maybe add some temporary buff to entice players to rest in this area and meet others in the city who are also there for the same reason. Obviously there is a lot of balancing to figure into something like this but I'm just generally saying that Taverns should be activated and used daily. This also would allow for player-made taverns in the wild that could again, encourage players to meet there (whether it be under friendly or hostile terms). As far as what the buff is, maybe it does what MO1 campfires did and it makes your health/stamina reserves deplete slower for a short time? (Say 5 mins of sitting in tavern gives you 15 minutes of slower reserves depletion. 10 mins tavern - 30 mins buff, 15 mins - 45 minutes and 20 mins - 60 minute buff). Makes sense if you spend time in a tavern that you might get fat easier and be "well-rested" ? Maybe it could even give you a 10% skill gain speed (For later down the road when new players join the game and are trying to catch up to skilled-up players) and it'd function the same way with the more time spend in tavern, the longer the buff works?? Also, make seats able to sat in!

20. Animal AI and Hunting - The thrill of the hunt is actually enjoyable (at least for me). I don't know what else to say except adding more depth to hunting system would be awesome. Admittedly, I go onto mortal online map and look up where the animal spawns and go there to hunt BUTTTT, it's still fun to walk in the forest, stalking around and stumble upon a pack of wolves you weren't expecting. You put in a feature where the animal bleeds and you can follow the blood (at least in tutorial you showed it to us). I figured why not add a little more variety to the animal AI packages as far as how they react/act. Ex. Maybe a bear shouldn't see you and attack immediately every time because it's a bear. Maybe wolves can track your scent better and they see you from a greater distance due to that and they actually start sneakily following you when you're on foot . Maybe a small pack of wolves won't attack on their own or when one of them gets injured the small pack flees to recruit more wolves to help. I acknowledge this is a taxing on system resources but it's a suggestion is all.

21. Environmental Story Telling - Just for a flavor addition, there could be little touches on the world where people had been before. Kind of like environmental story telling such as you see a decaying body near a dungeon entrance. Or you see Thursar heads on pikes near an abandoned fort. Or you find a frozen corpse on a mountain in the North. I say things like this just because I know the players are the ones who are supposed to populate the world but in a sense, you won't ever see signs of a player really aside from their loot bag (if you happen to get there before it despawns).

22. NPCs - So I understand the aim is so the world is pretty much filled with real players and not NPCs running around. But I'd argue there is bandits who aim to kill you (Their AI logic could use some work, 1 bandit vs a group of 10 players just seems odd that they'd charge you) in the world. Why not add some "random" NPCs that travel and it gives the bad-naughty RPK players another outlet than just killing noobs. Ex. In MO1, I remember killing NPCs in Tindrem for the "assassin" vendor who collected heads and would sell you the backstab book. The heads were an illegal item and you always were sweating because those guards would kick your ass. That was AWESOME. So how about there's some NPC Librarian who hired some NPC guards to escort him from X to Z? Maybe he'll drop some gold and a rare book? MAYBE that NPC Librarian escort should be a task that a player can agree to fulfill (Gold reward based off distance and danger level?) and he'll have player guards?! Ok I'm digressing way too much, but in other words, adding some NPCs to the world I don't think would hurt the game play loops or detract from a players-only world.

23. Melee Combat - A common complaint is combat feels clunky. I feel the reason is because of the time it takes to "charge" a full swing. I also feel how slow it is to change weapons and unholster/holster it. I imagine you spend enough time playing, it'll become normal to you. But coming from some other games, the delay between your button press and the animation playing is a bit long. I'm suggesting both reduce charge up swing time and reduce time it takes to unholster/holster your weapon so it makes gameplay more snappy without too dramatically affecting the Networking side of the game. It may be the game was slower for balancing or network reasons, but either way I thought I should mention this.

24. Spinny Spin Swing - I felt that the way a player, in order to trick another player with a block, would spin very fast away and towards people kind of broke the spirit of the game in a way. I would suggest that when you "commit to a swing" the speed in which your mouse can move is now slower. Now I understand there are limitations in everything and taking out the ability to spin fast would have it's own consequences (Maybe make 1v1's even longer which is a problem already from what I read on these forums. Maybe make the character control feel even MORE clunky). But it just felt like it was out of place on the trailer to see the guy at the end do a 720 degree spin while jumping lol.

25. Grouping - I know this game is expressed as Hardcore and UI elements such as "grouping" isn't needed but I think it just adds a cohesion that can't be replicated. There's something about joining up with the random guy you met at the bandit spawn in a group and fighting the bandits vs randomly standing next to each other and coordinating. I'm not suggesting it turns off friendly fire or anything but just seeing another players health bar on your UI just.. feels right. I know it sounds ridiculous... Maybe that's my 10 years of MMORPGs bias showing.

26. Basic Speed Increase - Another complaint often shared around is how slow movement speed is. I'd suggest just a blanket increase to all foot speeds by 1-10% (depending on what feels right and doesn't break balancing too hard). This would not touch mount speeds as that's a separate problem to address in relation to world size.

27. Tree/Bushes - Maybe to just add more ambiance, add a little swaying to the nearest trees/bushes to the player (client side). Maybe add "falling leaf" graphics occasionally. It's definitely LAST on a todo list but just a nice touch to increase immersion and enjoyment of the environment.

28. Gatherable Herbs/Flowers - Generally speaking, if you see a rock or a tree, you can gather it! One thing I found myself kicking myself for was checking what kind of flower it was on the ground or if it a bush was gatherable. I'd say they should be a resource to be gathered. I know there's the concern of factoring in it's use into the world (Alchemy, cooking, etc) and the other concern about adding another resource node to take up even more computer resources. There are a lot of "foilage" bushes or flowers that look nice but you can't loot them and it felt like it broke the rule as far as rocks/trees.

29. Crime and Punishments - I feel there needs to be a stiffer price to pay for murdering other players. I'm not sure what could be the price and I will admit I haven't really tested out MO2's murder system currently. But the fact that players willy-nilly start killing other players, then walk back into the city 5 minutes later just feels wrong to me. I know MO1's murder system just for the record and I'm assuming MO2's is similar to that. I'd argue 1 murder is enough to keep guards on your arse at least for 1 in game day. Again, I'm not sure what a good system would be but it needs to slap those "hardcore players" with the "hardcore penalties" as well. That way there's less just grief-killing and more of selective killing. "Should I kill that noob? nah, not worth the penalty. I should kill THIS guy though because he has horse bags and just left the spider queen cave!". I will add maybe the penalty will be stiffer closer to towns so that way open world PVP can still happen without making players disincentivized to kill each other at a cave etc. Maybe the RP reason is no witnesses in the Jungle to report it whereas right outside of Meduli? IDK.

 

[Acebane]

Sorry, I'm writing novels over here and my last post is too long now so....

30. Camps and Campfires - I know there's a thread on the suggestions from another user about campfires. I think campfires should be limited (not like MO1 spamming them everywhere) as far as how often it can be placed, but it'd be a good way encourage a "resting" spot while clearing dungeons or taking a breather from PVP. Perhaps let the campfire provide 25% buff of the value that a tavern would add (see #19). Another idea I was thinking of was setting up tents for maybe 50% buff of the value of taverns. Players can either scrounge up materials and build a make-shift tent or they can bring the supplies needed with them to do so. Think of it as using the current housing system BUT this tent will despawn after 4 hours of non-use. I was thinking they could also play a part in sieges, as you know how in the movies they set up a huge tent-city outside of a castle's gate? Well in a siege concept, the attacking force would probably want to set up the minimum amount of tents to give their players a refuge/buffs. This would also direct the defending force where to "sabotage" their siege camps. I think it'd also be cool to see signs of a player who was camped outside of the Sator Dungeon and now you ask "Are they still in there? How long ago was this?" . Now the balancing around buffs and all that, I'll leave to Starvault. (Maybe make built houses provide 75% of buff, Castles provide 100% of buff? player-made Houses without a door is considered a Tavern with 100% buff, eeek too much thinking and complexity.)

31. Tasks for Criminals/Reds - I liked the killing of NPCs in MO1 for back stab book. I liked Dark Brotherhood Quest lines in Skyrim. All that being said, I think there should be tasks (quests) for red / grey players too. I understand a lot of Red Players are the coolest PVPers and want nothing more than to PVP and crush nubz. BUT, I was thinking of the "casual" player who wants to be a "Bad guy" but either plays off of peak times or doesn't necessarily enjoy killing everyone they see. Enter the Task system for criminals that would be based out of unguarded towns. This would be a way for players to become a criminal/red by assisting criminal organizations (future faction to get rep with or against??? Add bad-guy NPC envoys that good players can bounty-hunt??)) with killing and delivering illegal goods. Perhaps they would go from unguarded town to unguarded town. I think it's content that could be added that would spice up the times when there is "nothing to do" for those Red players and give them an option to make some coin. Encouraging players out of their city/fort adds more possibilities for interaction, hence more game play.

32.Horse Fall Damage - The current fall damage is a bit extreme for when on a horse and falling a short distance. I’d suggest reducing the damage but scaling it with your character weight (W armor and weapons) and inventory weight. I’d also scale it with what is in the horses bags. The current falling 5 feet and taking 36+ points of damage seems right to me if you had maxed out your horse bags and your own gear. But something I think would add a layer to the gameplay is falling higher distances would result in a chance of you falling off your horse and possibly taking some minor fall damage (depending on height of fall as well). That way mounted players have something to think about when hopping down a rock and they will have to scramble to remount if they fell. Maybe make the Balance Skill have another use that would mitigate the chance of falling (makes sense Right? Good balance means you don’t fall often).

33. Tavern Games - I know there's a plan for this (I haven't read it thoroughly) but I just wanted to add that this system should have some depth to it. Such as Poker or Blackjack (Or whatever MO2 specific board games). Allow players to play with other players, of course. But Also add NPCs that will play against you in the absence of players (I can see the feature dying out because players don't want to wager or hang out in taverns). That way if someone wants to become a famous poker player and that's their fancy with making large wagers, they have that outlet. Balance is key of course because making a fortune off of NPCs could be problematic (Maybe a cooldown period where the NPCs lose X amount of money and are not interested in playing anymore for the day).

34. Titles - Add more titles for a variety of activities. I know it's a small thing and I know it's in Beta so more will come. But I just wanted to again create options for the player base to feel accomplished about their desired-most-frequent activity of choice. Whether that be taming squirrels, killing Players, dungeon-diving or building houses/forts up. Roleplaying games need to allow a way for players to identify how they want others to perceive them and titles do just that. Ps. Headcollector was too easy to attain, that seems like something a red player would get after 50 blue kills.

35. Example Builds -"Example" builds during character creation that they can have as templates (This race with high strength, or this race with high dex etc) or just some general guidance on combinations that support an intended player role (Foot warrior builds, mage build, archer build, mounted combat). If not templates then just info dumps such as what stats are important for what kind of role the player wants to play and what race may be better suited to what role. I find this strategy better than just saying "Go look at the forums or some website" We want to keep the player tabbed into Mortal if we can help it and I'd argue the character creation is VERY important in MO2. Most games it's just aesthetics but this game it's damn near game-altering to choose a "bad race" and stat combo for the intended role the player wants.

36. Crafting Minigames - So I appreciate the crafting system developed by Starvault. But if crafting is truly going to be something players can enjoy, I think there needs to be an element of "skill" to it. I mean, having 100 skill in lores/armor book and plugging inthe metal/fur to make an armor set loses it's luster quickly. Plug and create perfect armor (or impeccable quality) every time because you have a pulse? Instead there should be mini games associated with every crafting profession. Heck EVEN butchery where you need to cut correctly(Some kind of trace minigame along animal pelt? Hope you don't hit those intestines!) or else it could reduce your yield. Make it something besides clicking "craft" button (which I think is bad design because games are meant to entertain not become mundane clicking like you do at work). Now what the mini games should be for each profession (I'd say they'd have to make sense immersion wise), I have some ideas but adding something that would add disparity between crafters skill would be a good idea. Maybe one day you screwed up on the mini game and you have a subpar armor set (despite it being of good materials, it'd have less stats). But then there was another time were you nailed it and the stats reflected that (even if it's 1-5 more of a stat). I feel something like this would add another dimension to crafting that would really intrigue players and encourage them to be the best crafter in Nave (currently it's just everyone can be a "Master Armorsmith" because they hit craft with the right materials). Engaging players in mini games that require concentration/attention would be a good addition.

37. Crouch/Prone - I know there's talks about Crouch getting added to the game but just not allowed in combat. Well, being a little Dex Elf, parkour running is a specialty (not saying I'm good at it) of my character. Being sneaky and avoiding trouble is the name of the game for me, especially being a solo player currently. I think it should be usable in combat because sometimes we want to take cover from arrows behind that tiny rock! I'd argue one way to mitigate it's value in combat scenario is to add a 1 second transition time to switch stances. You can even make it a hotbar skill (so you don't have to add another sensible keybind for it like in other action games). Imagine in a siege scenario, you're standing on the wall, shooting down at enemies and they're shooting arrows back up at you. You realize you're low on health but you're tall ass can't take cover behind these half walls!? Rats. Another thing is just plain hiding from other players. Ducking down in a bush or going prone as you crest a hill to minimize your silhouette. Maybe you're sneaking up on another group and you want to minimize your foot step/armor rattling sound, you also want to stay a bit lower to reduce the chance they see you sneaking up on their farming spot (opposed to standing up like steel wearing dildo waddling stiffly through the brush). I personally think it'll add some more depth and options to players (balancing and exploit concerns could arise). Oh also, combat would be disabled while in crouch/prone to avoid random exploitation/bugs ("This guy is prone in bush somewhere shooting me with thunderlashes!")


38. Points of Interest - Add some interesting locations out in the world kind of scattered around (especially in large empty areas). Maybe a abandoned hut. Maybe a ditch that was dug out that some criminal used to hide a dead body. Maybe a small abandoned lumber yard. Just things that exploring players can stumble upon and be interested by (calling back to environmental story telling). Not to mention, it might be nice additions for PVP encounters to be centered around and/or give options for environmental fighting (small elf jumps on top of hut to avoid mounted combat etc).

 

[Acebane]

I've been a busy-bee, adding on to my list with edits and I've finally hit the 1000's char limit on my last post.

39. Add Diverse "Bandit" NPCs/Groups - Currently it's like all bandits are the same type of bandits. Maybe add some "faction" bandits. Such as CRAZED BESERKERS that live in the mountains that run around in furs and wield axes. Then add some strange Sheevra death-cult bandits that live in an abandoned fort that has a ritual stone and they wear hooded robes. Just a suggestion to liven up the bandit camps throughout the world a bit. Tying it into MO2 lore would be a good idea to add more character to the game.

40. Magic Projectiles - I know MO1 had some stuff like this at the end. But I think Mortal's current "targeting" system for magic is a bit clunky and strange. I'd suggest high damage spells should be projectile based (imagine an arrow trajectory with a higher hit box). Maybe you can keep "easier" spells as is. Just a suggestion. I'd probably prefer all magic be projectile based but I suppose balancing and all that would play a part (Make magic too difficult to land, no one would want to do it). Oh, but if it's projectile based, you'll have to get rid of some casting times but then add cool downs. IDK, there's a lot to figure with this idea.

41. More Diversity for Locations - I saw a topic on the forums that asked for more dark grim atmosphere (which I love gritty atmospheres). I would agree but I feel there should be diversity (that way there's differences between towns and people can choose to settle what suits their tastes). Such as, there should be a section of map that adds a "dead forest" that's creepy and dark with some kind of scary creature/animal there. We already have happy go-lucky fields with flowers. The jungle is well done but it feels like there's too much of the same copy and paste foliage. Maybe one side of the jungle has more of this foliage and the other side has this foliage. Just suggesting to break up the map a little bit with diverse locations to visit (I can't help but think of World of Warcraft zones such as Duskwood, Elwynn forest, Stranglethorn vale, Westfall - All had their own little "theme"). With the map being expanded, when traveling, it feels kind of bland once you seen the biome once because it's just the same thing through and through the entire biome. I'm cheesey for this one: But maybe add some color filters at certain locations to help present a certain mood. Gaul-Kor should be the grittiest as they come.