06-02-2009, 07:11 PM
bonestomper Wrote:actually tho, i would be more interested on what you think the end game will look like more than anything else.
In the end this game makes PC's the surfers and the NPC factions the wave instead of the other way around in games like WoW, WAR and EQ.
This is what I would see:
I see a world of fluxuating NPC factions rising to power and waning. You would see great NPC Lords rise to power and sweep their armies across other parts of the world creating large battles to be fought all over the map. The larger they grow the harder it is to maintain until finally the great Empires fall and splinter. NPC factions struggle for power and it goes back and forth all over the known world with PC influence.
PC's influence the events but they do not neccessarily control the events. NPC's factions move on their own and eventually may fall on their own. The PC's gain benefits by helping participate in these Factions or by helping destroy these factions.
Instead of waiting hundreds of years to see this kind of history the players would see it happen in a matter of months.
For the Guild PVP player he is hording and monopolizing goods, he is out helping the factions he supports by keeping PC's from helping support rival factions. Players are fighting over resourses, they are paid to kill other players, their are bounties to collect and rival quest to accomplish. Guilds will eventually come into conflict over resourses or by their factions clashing. Their are also NPC factions hiring PC's as mercenaries to fight on their behalf for the larger battles. One guild may face off against each other in one major battle but then fight on the same side on the next. As factions are destroyed Guilds need to move on to help new factions rise to power. If you jump on the band wagon of a large faction to late the benefits of any given faction may not be worth the trouble.
Eventually guilds will clash regularly and rivals should be born which should heat up the guild vs guild portion.
For the Single PVP player we will have avenues available from NPC guilds that represent a Morrowwind style of living. We will have Assassin NPC guilds, Thieve NPC guilds or Merchant NPC guilds that seperate from the normal factions. These factions never die and weave some power through out the entire world that allow for PVP assassinations, caravan attacks, raids, theivery etc. The main factions not only hire these NPC guilds to help bring power to their cities but the NPC's also use these guilds to gain access to PC's to do their dirty work for them.
For the PVE player their will be not only large and small NPC battles to take sides in but by building personal influence (faction rating) you gain access to dungeons or access to killing foes that drop gear, open up new skills or bring in cash.
For example if the faction your guild supports controls the zone that contains Onyxia's Lair then only your guild or anyone who has the faction has access the dungeon Onyxia's Lair.
The PVE player can build his own trade market. If a player remains neutral enough even with other PC's players could play the economy against other players.
Instead of a static world that we dump the players in to fight over and reset it when they accomplish their goals we make the world evolve so the goals evolve based on the faction or factions they are supporting at any given time. This way the single player gets the same enjoyment as the large guild does.
Vllad