DoomThrone: hypothetical design doc
ANNOUNCER VOICE: In a world...SOUND F/X: (sustained electric guitar note)
[three neon-green puddles of goo rise and form man-shaped blobs, which stride toward camera left]
ANNOUNCER: being choked by an alien fungus run riot...
[a fade-out eclipsing the sun becames a fade-in on the upper legs / lower torso of a person holding a guitar]
ANNOUNCER: the only way to keep from being silenced...
[cut to close-up of a microphone. A different person grabs the mic and steps close to it]
ANNOUNCER: ...is to scream.
SOUND F/X: (scream, backed by distorted guitar chord)
[the sound bursts from stage speakers in visible waves, blowing apart the green blob-men]
FADE OUT
GRAPHIC: DOOMTHRONE
You know you wanted it: a heavy metal MMORPG!
I want to talk about high-level implementation of role-playing, community, and dynamism in an MMORPG whose central gameplay mechanic is creating collaborative music online.
RIP ChronicNecrosis
Can there be a roady class? I'd like that.
PAR
LinkedIN profile
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For all who live in such times, it is not for them to decide. All we get to decide is what to do with the time given to us
I guess you could have just said so, but I like this way better.
The democratization of the web ... has installed an illusion of a digital first amendment that protects speech no matter how poorly spelled or stupid. - Elysium
Wordsmythe is my hero. - rabbit
XBL: E Munnie
A collaborative MMO is really playing against type. Yes many allow you to team up and build guilds and what not but collaboration has primarily been the forte of FPS multi-player type games. Of course those could be said to be team oriented and not collaborative.
The reason I differentiate the two is because in team oriented tends to focus on specific roles and collaboration is in my mind more free form. Perhaps its a finer line then I give it credit for?
My main thought though is that this sort of MMO would definitely lend itself to integration with real life tools, i.e. a user could download the created music as an MP3 for instance...
There are two kinds of men in the world, those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.
The first creative collaboration MMORPG to actually work will also allow me to physically drag other players away from their machines by their ankles and kick them in the crotch repeatedly.
Ah, but:
I'll leave permutations of that c-word out of the thread to avoid confusion.
For shizzy. That's a cool idea.
Danjo had some cool character creation ideas in this thread:
Some cool ideas here that I've never seen implemented. I wonder if a system like this could totally replace the numerical attribute list; it'd scare the min/maxers away for damn sure. Perhaps selecting descriptive traits would be a bit of a counterbalance (my skinny character could still be "strong").
More character creation ideas, anyone? Appearance customization is always a Good Thing; in addition to gross body attributes, we have hair/facial hair style and color, tattoos/piercings and other "accessories," and clothing.
RIP ChronicNecrosis
Tutorial
I'm throwing this in before finishing character creation because I think I just had a good idea: run the player through the tutorial before creating a character.
Why? To give the player a better idea about the kinds of gameplay, appearance choices, and names in DoomThrone. With what could be a lengthy character creation process, the player might have a better idea of how to create their first character so it isn't a throwaway "mistake".
You start as an androgenous glowy form and are put in the play environment (though invisible to other players). You are shown how to do tasks typical of the four "classes": Roadie (thanks par!), Rocker, Promoter, and Bouncer. You're tested to show you can handle moving, combat, and basic communication.
Upon "graduating" from the tutorial, you're given a wad of discretionary character-development currency and in-game items, including a guitar pick. The pick will be important later, to encourage interaction between newbies and veteran players...
RIP ChronicNecrosis
What about Agent, Bartender, and Back-up Singer?
Well, Cooking Mama didn't help me become a better cook, and Trauma Center certainly didn't help me become a better surgeon. I have the proof of both sitting in my freezer. -- imbiginjapan
Yes, yes, and the Groupie and the Dancer, too. Okay, let's just say the tutorial runs you through a few skillsets, and you can go with a broad "package" (no jokes) of skills during character creation.
The tutorial is optional, but running it again gives all but the XP-type bonuses for successive characters. Your "main" is the one that gets the advancement bonus. And here's the thing: if you delete that character and create a new "main," that one gets the bonus, plus a bonus that's a fraction of the experience you racked up on your main. Okay, there are futzy little rules that'd go around that, but not a bad idea, eh?
RIP ChronicNecrosis
Just so long as the "ding" is in time with the beat.
The democratization of the web ... has installed an illusion of a digital first amendment that protects speech no matter how poorly spelled or stupid. - Elysium
Wordsmythe is my hero. - rabbit
XBL: E Munnie
Brilliant! I'm playing the Hotel Manager that has to deal with the damage after the rock group leaves =)
Well, Cooking Mama didn't help me become a better cook, and Trauma Center certainly didn't help me become a better surgeon. I have the proof of both sitting in my freezer. -- imbiginjapan
What about the escort services that "entertains" the rock bands when they are on tour?
PAR
LinkedIN profile
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For all who live in such times, it is not for them to decide. All we get to decide is what to do with the time given to us
Brown M&M filterer?
The democratization of the web ... has installed an illusion of a digital first amendment that protects speech no matter how poorly spelled or stupid. - Elysium
Wordsmythe is my hero. - rabbit
XBL: E Munnie