After plaing at stress test with few friends I collect such feedback and some proposals.
Out party was six 30-40 years old guys who 10-15 years ago have a lot of fun at Ultima Online. And also we pleyed a lot at Life is Feudal so we decide to chek this game that is 50% UO and 50% LiF as we see it at promo )
So there is some problems and solutions samples that we found
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Problem 1: the game world is dead and empty
Solution: creating scripted random events, reviving points of interest, creating local mini-quests
Implementation sample:
1) Find a point of interest. For example, a small lake with a bridge for fishing, located between Tindrem and Pig Farm.
2) Put an NPC on the bridge and script it when a player appears next to it - activating text replicas. You can copy this piece of the script from the bandits, nothing needs to be invented
3) In the text, the fisherman complains that he lost a valuable thing in the lake, which he asks the player to return.
4) The desired object will spawn at the bottom of the lake, which can be obtained and either transferred to the NPC by trade or not. This can be implemented with a simple time counter - if the found object is not sold within 5 minutes, then the quest is considered failed.
5) After finding the object, the fisherman disappears and appears at any other random point near the water in the world. One player cannot repeat the quest.
The main idea here is that to script such a quest is a couple of hours of time for one specialist. But this is already creating some kind of dynamics in the world. And having done 100-200 such quests, traveling the world will become much more interesting.
----
Problem 2: The world is completely passive and non-interactive. All NPCs are just blanks and they do not affect the game in any way
Solution: Creation of the mechanics of development or degradation of the "bandit threat" by region
Implementation example:
1) Around each bandit camp, a zone is determined on which it affects several km2
2) The threat level is assigned to the bandit camp. 1 to 5, for example.
3) 1 level of threat is the current one. the bandits are in their camp, there are several of them and they do not go beyond
4) IF the bandits are not killed within a certain period of time (f.e. 2-4 IRL hours), the 2nd level of threat comes. The number of bandits in the camp becomes 2 times more, plus they begin to appear one by one throughout the entire territory from paragraph 2)
5) IF the bandits in the camp have not been killed for some time, level 3 bandits are already spawning in groups throughout the territory of influence and actively interfere with the players.
6) Level 4 - the bandits begin to attack the city guards and little by little kill the guards, removing the security zone outside the gate and spawning right outside the gate, attacking everyone passing by.
What it gives: The world becomes interactive, there is a mechanic for clearing and downgrading bandit camps or, on the contrary, their development by protecting the bandit camp from hunters. Higher threat levels also mean higher rewards and better loot from clearing camps, which means it becomes very profitable to travel the world to remote bandit camps.
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Problem 3: crafting mechanics are very complicated and information about them cannot be obtained using in-game methods. Thus, 70% of the crafter's gameplay consists of Google, which destroys immersion.
Solution: Integrate existing calculators and databases into the game (for example, with an in-game browser), but making them available just through quests and in-game activities. For example, more information and better calculators are available as you improve your skills.
--------------------
Problem 4: Game speed. At the moment (at rates x100), playing MO2 is generally convenient if you have a couple of hours a day. But if the current x100 rates are cut to x1, the game will turn into an ordinary grind-mill and will lose interest among the adult audience that values their time.
Solution: to reduce the rates after the release not to x1, but at least to x10 or x30. I personally won't play the game if it takes me a few weeks to learn one skill.
---------------
Problem 5: Artificial complication of the skill tree: at the moment there are about 400 skills in the game, of which 380 are not needed at all and in fact duplicate each other and the higher ones. Their existence does not make sense and the game mechanic "score points to get more points" is more suitable for mobile games.
Solution: Remove unnecessary skills by collecting them in groups. If you are already copying the mechanics of Ultima Online, then copy it in full)
A good example of a completely similar mechanic is "Life is Feudal" with a very similar but more balanced skill system.
-------------
Problem 6: Useless cities:
There are cities in the game that are necessary and interesting, and cities that are not clear why they exist at all.
Needed cities at my point of viewe:
Fabernum (only there are many Calx, there are many interesting PVE sites and high PVP combat activity nearby)
Meduli (Sabura's fields and the fastest horses in MO1)
Tindrem (the most beautiful and epic city for events)
Kranesh (a city of PC and eternal pvp with shops for players with red nicknames in MO1)
Why do we need other cities? Why will the players travel between them, what's the point? A one-time trip for the right book is not a reason to spend hundreds of working hours on decorating the city.
Solution: You can divide cities by type of craft. For example, in one city all created weapons are added + 10% damage, in another similar bonuses to armor, in the third alchemy and magic, and so on.
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Problem 7: World population. At the moment, the world of MO2 is dead and empty. Its only inhabitants are the players, and if their concentration falls, then it becomes simply uninteresting for those who remain to play.
Solution: Limit the game world by removing all dead cities in which there is no player activity. And add them as online grows.
---------
Problem 8: Guild Mechanics. There is not enough opportunity to create in-game lists of enemies and guild friends so that in a massive battle or even an open field. But I think its will be implemented at future
Solution^ Create receipt for craft a cloack with any color that you wish. In that case- you can wear your team at same uniform.
----
Problem 9: Global Events. Players love scale, especially in a low online game.
It is very easy to make such events. Solution example:
1) Inside the game it is announced that * the name of the city * was attacked by a terrible dragon and must be defeated
2) In the specified city, the guard is turned off
3) GM turns into a dragon and is placed in a city, where his task is to kill everything he sees.
4) In all cities, portals are opened to * the name of the city *
Further, the players who arrived in the city will either try to kill the dragon, or try to kill each other, or run around and freak out from what is happening. Either way, it will create a lot of fun and marketing by youtube videos.
Such events can be done weekly or even daily, since their preparation takes only a couple of hours, but it creates the feeling that something is constantly happening in the world and allows players to become a part of it.
In addition to the banal attack of a super monster, these can be group events like an announcement about an important caravan that must be protected (or attack and plunder at the discretion of the players), about the capture of a certain city by bandids (which are played by GMs and players), about a certain terrible spell cast by evil magicians and they must be stopped otherwise all pigs in the world will disappear for 3 days, etc.
Events are not necessarily combat events - they can be weddings, coronations, festivals. Technically, for this you only need to be able to make a temporary reskin and rename of the game character, plus the ability to edit its parameters.
---
Problem 10: group login
MO2 is a game played by teams. Therefore, it makes sense to offer special conditions for players who are ready to enter the game in groups of several people at once (Guilds from other projects). Making discounts on the cost of the game in such a case. This will allow you to lure groups of players at once, which are more likely to raise online in the game.
Out party was six 30-40 years old guys who 10-15 years ago have a lot of fun at Ultima Online. And also we pleyed a lot at Life is Feudal so we decide to chek this game that is 50% UO and 50% LiF as we see it at promo )
So there is some problems and solutions samples that we found
----------
Problem 1: the game world is dead and empty
Solution: creating scripted random events, reviving points of interest, creating local mini-quests
Implementation sample:
1) Find a point of interest. For example, a small lake with a bridge for fishing, located between Tindrem and Pig Farm.
2) Put an NPC on the bridge and script it when a player appears next to it - activating text replicas. You can copy this piece of the script from the bandits, nothing needs to be invented
3) In the text, the fisherman complains that he lost a valuable thing in the lake, which he asks the player to return.
4) The desired object will spawn at the bottom of the lake, which can be obtained and either transferred to the NPC by trade or not. This can be implemented with a simple time counter - if the found object is not sold within 5 minutes, then the quest is considered failed.
5) After finding the object, the fisherman disappears and appears at any other random point near the water in the world. One player cannot repeat the quest.
The main idea here is that to script such a quest is a couple of hours of time for one specialist. But this is already creating some kind of dynamics in the world. And having done 100-200 such quests, traveling the world will become much more interesting.
----
Problem 2: The world is completely passive and non-interactive. All NPCs are just blanks and they do not affect the game in any way
Solution: Creation of the mechanics of development or degradation of the "bandit threat" by region
Implementation example:
1) Around each bandit camp, a zone is determined on which it affects several km2
2) The threat level is assigned to the bandit camp. 1 to 5, for example.
3) 1 level of threat is the current one. the bandits are in their camp, there are several of them and they do not go beyond
4) IF the bandits are not killed within a certain period of time (f.e. 2-4 IRL hours), the 2nd level of threat comes. The number of bandits in the camp becomes 2 times more, plus they begin to appear one by one throughout the entire territory from paragraph 2)
5) IF the bandits in the camp have not been killed for some time, level 3 bandits are already spawning in groups throughout the territory of influence and actively interfere with the players.
6) Level 4 - the bandits begin to attack the city guards and little by little kill the guards, removing the security zone outside the gate and spawning right outside the gate, attacking everyone passing by.
What it gives: The world becomes interactive, there is a mechanic for clearing and downgrading bandit camps or, on the contrary, their development by protecting the bandit camp from hunters. Higher threat levels also mean higher rewards and better loot from clearing camps, which means it becomes very profitable to travel the world to remote bandit camps.
----------------
Problem 3: crafting mechanics are very complicated and information about them cannot be obtained using in-game methods. Thus, 70% of the crafter's gameplay consists of Google, which destroys immersion.
Solution: Integrate existing calculators and databases into the game (for example, with an in-game browser), but making them available just through quests and in-game activities. For example, more information and better calculators are available as you improve your skills.
--------------------
Problem 4: Game speed. At the moment (at rates x100), playing MO2 is generally convenient if you have a couple of hours a day. But if the current x100 rates are cut to x1, the game will turn into an ordinary grind-mill and will lose interest among the adult audience that values their time.
Solution: to reduce the rates after the release not to x1, but at least to x10 or x30. I personally won't play the game if it takes me a few weeks to learn one skill.
---------------
Problem 5: Artificial complication of the skill tree: at the moment there are about 400 skills in the game, of which 380 are not needed at all and in fact duplicate each other and the higher ones. Their existence does not make sense and the game mechanic "score points to get more points" is more suitable for mobile games.
Solution: Remove unnecessary skills by collecting them in groups. If you are already copying the mechanics of Ultima Online, then copy it in full)
A good example of a completely similar mechanic is "Life is Feudal" with a very similar but more balanced skill system.
-------------
Problem 6: Useless cities:
There are cities in the game that are necessary and interesting, and cities that are not clear why they exist at all.
Needed cities at my point of viewe:
Fabernum (only there are many Calx, there are many interesting PVE sites and high PVP combat activity nearby)
Meduli (Sabura's fields and the fastest horses in MO1)
Tindrem (the most beautiful and epic city for events)
Kranesh (a city of PC and eternal pvp with shops for players with red nicknames in MO1)
Why do we need other cities? Why will the players travel between them, what's the point? A one-time trip for the right book is not a reason to spend hundreds of working hours on decorating the city.
Solution: You can divide cities by type of craft. For example, in one city all created weapons are added + 10% damage, in another similar bonuses to armor, in the third alchemy and magic, and so on.
------
Problem 7: World population. At the moment, the world of MO2 is dead and empty. Its only inhabitants are the players, and if their concentration falls, then it becomes simply uninteresting for those who remain to play.
Solution: Limit the game world by removing all dead cities in which there is no player activity. And add them as online grows.
---------
Problem 8: Guild Mechanics. There is not enough opportunity to create in-game lists of enemies and guild friends so that in a massive battle or even an open field. But I think its will be implemented at future
Solution^ Create receipt for craft a cloack with any color that you wish. In that case- you can wear your team at same uniform.
----
Problem 9: Global Events. Players love scale, especially in a low online game.
It is very easy to make such events. Solution example:
1) Inside the game it is announced that * the name of the city * was attacked by a terrible dragon and must be defeated
2) In the specified city, the guard is turned off
3) GM turns into a dragon and is placed in a city, where his task is to kill everything he sees.
4) In all cities, portals are opened to * the name of the city *
Further, the players who arrived in the city will either try to kill the dragon, or try to kill each other, or run around and freak out from what is happening. Either way, it will create a lot of fun and marketing by youtube videos.
Such events can be done weekly or even daily, since their preparation takes only a couple of hours, but it creates the feeling that something is constantly happening in the world and allows players to become a part of it.
In addition to the banal attack of a super monster, these can be group events like an announcement about an important caravan that must be protected (or attack and plunder at the discretion of the players), about the capture of a certain city by bandids (which are played by GMs and players), about a certain terrible spell cast by evil magicians and they must be stopped otherwise all pigs in the world will disappear for 3 days, etc.
Events are not necessarily combat events - they can be weddings, coronations, festivals. Technically, for this you only need to be able to make a temporary reskin and rename of the game character, plus the ability to edit its parameters.
---
Problem 10: group login
MO2 is a game played by teams. Therefore, it makes sense to offer special conditions for players who are ready to enter the game in groups of several people at once (Guilds from other projects). Making discounts on the cost of the game in such a case. This will allow you to lure groups of players at once, which are more likely to raise online in the game.
