MMORGs and role playing discussion.

So, now that everyone's said what they already play, what would people like to see in a brand new game?I've got an idea for an MMORG that I'd love to see get developed, preferrably after I do enough early work to sell it myself and get some sort of nice buyout or royalties, and I'm sure others on here have come up with ideas. Any one want to share them?

Here goes...I started rpg's with Final Fantasy VII. Loved it to bits. Then I switched over to Diablo 2. Loved it even more. Then I tried my first MMO, WoW, and am still playing it now. It might be a little simplistic when compared to other rpg's out there, but I enjoy it very much.

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I hunt for the truth

I'd love to see one based on Warhammer 40K. Love the lore behind that one. For the Emperor!

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I hunt for the truth

Its not 40k but there is:Warhammer Online Sunset

I know. Played that for a while as well, but meh. I prefer the Space Marines!

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I hunt for the truth

Everyone I ask who's played that game has that same reply...

Well, Champions is giving me some of the things I've really wanted: a good non-basic-fantasy themed MMO, action-based gameplay instead of chain-clicking abilities (Conan tried this, Champions does it better), no defined roles like "tank" vs. "healer," freedom to choose from basically all abilities to create really unique builds instead of basic "Destruction Warlock" or "Protection Paladin" templates, etc.I would totally play a WH40k MMO. Warhammer Online tried to out-WoW WoW, and that just doesn't work.A space-based MMO with more customization, more action, and in general better combat than EVE would be cool. EVE is just too...generic feeling - you can't even change the paint pattern of your ships, and there's not that many to choose from in the first place, so it's like everybody in the game is driving a Toyota of one model or another, and they're all painted blue. Kinda lame. The combat system is a bit sterile to my tastes as well.

The idea I have, and have slowly started to flesh out a story for, is basically a time travel one. It would incorporate three distinct time periods:1) A Mystical "past", where sword and sorcery type action happens.2) a Political "present", where modern warfare action takes place.3) a scientific "future", where space based action takes place.The basic premise is that there are three factions on a planet, a "good" side, a "bad" side, and an independent, mercenary, rebel, type group. The major cities would have "time capsules" that let people transfer between times. The character's clothes and carried objects would change to match the current time frame, but a very good weapon in one time might not change into an equally good one in a different time, and an inconspicuous item in one time frame may become something incredibly powerful in another time.There would also be "anachronoistic areas" where PvP combat would take place. These would be the moon and an alternate plane, acessible only in the future and past respectively, but both would exist in all tree times (you can't leave the moon in the past, you'd have to transfer to the future to get back down).Skills, experience and levels would not transfer, the only thing that would remain constant is your loyalty to one of the three factions vying for control over all three time periods. So you could max out a character in one time frame, but be completely weak in the other two, or any other combination.Like I said, I'm only slowly fleshing this out, but I was wondering if anyone else thinks this could be fun, or would it just be too much, either alienating people who prefer one type of role playing and not another, or do you think it would necessarily lack development of each time frame due to size and speed limitations?I'm not a programmer, and while I think the premise sounds cool, I have little to go on as far as practicalities.

I've been roleplaying for years, mostly AD&D and Shadowrun. I've also played a whole bunch of other stuff, Rolemaster/Middle Earth, Rifts, horror games like Call of Cthulhu.Last night I ran a side game for one of the players in my regular AD&D group (2nd ed. Yes, I am a Luddite!), which is set in a home brew world. I try to maintain a fantasy setting with a touch of cyberpunk ethos, ie. the PCs are often manipulated, don't know who to trust and constantly clash against powerful vested interests. Last night's session was an old Greyhawk mini-module where the PCs are expected to show up and rescue a sage who's had his pet vegepygmys turn on him. Being a chaotic neutral thief, the character was able to show up, save the day, kill the baddies and rob the place. Result! If he keeps it up, he might even repay the thieves guilds before they break his legs. I'm not so much a fan of computer games. The Baldur's Gate series for the PC was fun though. Champions online looks intriguing.Perdition's time travelling idea sounds really good. I think its main difficulty is that it's always very difficult to integrate time travel into a non-linear game.Mutate and Survive

Baldur's Gate II and its sequel were some of the best games ever made, period. I still load them up from time to time.

I believe that another BG game is coming out at some point, but I have no idea what the engine is going to be like.The most satisfying ending to Throne of Bhaal? (SPOILER BELOW) Mutate and Survive

Larni responds to me:

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I really see your point about D&D 4th ed being perfect for video game conversion but I would point out that all the iterations of D&D fit into that category.

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Indeed, there have been video games made of previous editions of D&D, but they reduced the scope of a live gaming session in order to run it on a computer. The creative ways you can chain together powers is more extensive in real life than you can get in a programmed game. F'rinstance, create water combined with a fireball to generate fog. And, of course, the ability to use illusions any way you can think of. Players will always come up with possibilities that a computer programmer hasn't considered yet. With 4e, that restriction of powers has been pushed down onto the paper/pencil version.It's still an interesting game. It's just a very different approach.

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I really like your Traveller story and will shamelessly plagiarise the first opportunity I get.

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It's a lot of fun. It encourages bold, direct action but not dice encounters since the goal is to get to the end in one session. And the sillier you can make it, the better. With no time to develop backstories or detailed equipment lists, you wind up with a lot of Princess Bride scenarios: "If I had a wheelbarrow, that would be something." "Where did we put that wheelbarrow the albino had?" "Over the albino." "Great, now if only I had a Holocaust Cloak." (*flourish*) "Where did you get that?" "Miracle Max. It fit so well, he said I could keep it." Obviously, you don't get to go too far, but a good group of players will know where the line is. You do need a DM who can come up with a strong plot structure that will get filled in as you go along and is able to wing it well.

I'd love to see a 40K one, too.I'd have it so that you were Rogue Traders or Inquisitors(a bit like in X or Elite) and you have to build up and empire while dealing with Heretics and foul Xeno's.

FTW.I'm still slogging through Trone of Bhall to find out what actually happens!

I always try to encourage this in my players, I love to do it myself as a player and I really think that kind of improv is essential to get a good shred world feeling.Long lost evil twins, ahoy!