05-28-2009, 07:44 PM
Jake,
You solve the runaway effect by keeping the world evolving. You don't break the game up into teams. You break it up into factions.
For example. Guild Purge is the Purge faction. Our allied guilds are part of the Purge faction by being allied with us.
When we interact with the world it is every changing and it interacts with Purge.
Think of Shadowbane but with a completely evolving world around all of the players. Their are no winners like in POBS, the war goes on just as the world does.
For example lets say I only have a guild of 10 players called GuildX. Instead of trying to compete by building castles and attacking others players resourses with the larger guilds I use the world to help balance the playing field.
GuildX works on faction with some NPC Grand Knight in order to try and become vassals of said Grand Night. If they build up enough faction and resourses with the said Grand Knight they can convince him to send his armies to attack the Purge castle. In order for Purge to retaliate they have to deal with the castle of the Grand Knight. If Purge defeats the Grand Knight, GuildX can just move on to another NPC and find a home.
If the Grand Knight sacks the Purge castle then Purge has to leave the land and set up camp somewhere else. GuildX is given some spoils and the Grand Knight promotes them and will help in future campaigns.
The battle is only between GuildX and the Purge and if one loses they use the interactive world to start over again. As long the world is big enough you could rinse and repeat this multiple times.
For individuals that are not guilded they can try to interweave themselves with in the enviorment as well. If you run across PlayerX (who is unguilded) and he is a long time member of the NPC Oggok Thieves guild and you kill him in PVP the Oggok Thieves guild will put a price on your head. This can be collected by other players or NPC's.
If you are looking to do some questing, just head to the Oggok Thieves guild and find out who has prices on their heads. Take the quest and go search out those players. If you pay some money to the NPC Barkeep you get a heads up on if they are logged in and what country you were last seen in by some NPC's that didn't like you.
If the price on you head is high enough the Oggok Thieves guild may send their higher level NPC's to kill you directly. Horizons did this by making NPC's that can spawn on you while just running up the road based upon your faction standing.
Maybe the quest just isn't to go kill PlayerX, maybe the quest is to kill any Purge you find.
My point is if you make the world interactive enough with shit loads of factions their may be won or lost battles but their is never a winner or a loser. It doesn't matter if it is 1 person, 10 or 50 with an interactive world you can pvp and attain victories with out creating appathy.
Vllad
You solve the runaway effect by keeping the world evolving. You don't break the game up into teams. You break it up into factions.
For example. Guild Purge is the Purge faction. Our allied guilds are part of the Purge faction by being allied with us.
When we interact with the world it is every changing and it interacts with Purge.
Think of Shadowbane but with a completely evolving world around all of the players. Their are no winners like in POBS, the war goes on just as the world does.
For example lets say I only have a guild of 10 players called GuildX. Instead of trying to compete by building castles and attacking others players resourses with the larger guilds I use the world to help balance the playing field.
GuildX works on faction with some NPC Grand Knight in order to try and become vassals of said Grand Night. If they build up enough faction and resourses with the said Grand Knight they can convince him to send his armies to attack the Purge castle. In order for Purge to retaliate they have to deal with the castle of the Grand Knight. If Purge defeats the Grand Knight, GuildX can just move on to another NPC and find a home.
If the Grand Knight sacks the Purge castle then Purge has to leave the land and set up camp somewhere else. GuildX is given some spoils and the Grand Knight promotes them and will help in future campaigns.
The battle is only between GuildX and the Purge and if one loses they use the interactive world to start over again. As long the world is big enough you could rinse and repeat this multiple times.
For individuals that are not guilded they can try to interweave themselves with in the enviorment as well. If you run across PlayerX (who is unguilded) and he is a long time member of the NPC Oggok Thieves guild and you kill him in PVP the Oggok Thieves guild will put a price on your head. This can be collected by other players or NPC's.
If you are looking to do some questing, just head to the Oggok Thieves guild and find out who has prices on their heads. Take the quest and go search out those players. If you pay some money to the NPC Barkeep you get a heads up on if they are logged in and what country you were last seen in by some NPC's that didn't like you.
If the price on you head is high enough the Oggok Thieves guild may send their higher level NPC's to kill you directly. Horizons did this by making NPC's that can spawn on you while just running up the road based upon your faction standing.
Maybe the quest just isn't to go kill PlayerX, maybe the quest is to kill any Purge you find.
My point is if you make the world interactive enough with shit loads of factions their may be won or lost battles but their is never a winner or a loser. It doesn't matter if it is 1 person, 10 or 50 with an interactive world you can pvp and attain victories with out creating appathy.
Vllad