I definitely like inns and taverns, but (and I may be in the minority here) I don't feel they need to have any special mechanic associated with them. I always enjoyed just walking into a tavern and feeling the ambiance, even if no players were around. That said, I'm ok with some small mechanic or activity being available at taverns, just as long as it doesn't put the game on rails and make the player feel like he/she needs to frequent them in order to play the game effectively.
Yes, I like tarverns in MMORPGs. I imagine a tavern implemented for one purpose with up to three functions.
The Purpose:
The functions:
Alternatively:
A wealthy or large tavern provide all of this while a 'hole in the wall' or poor tavern might provide less. Taverns don't need to be cookie cutter. Some people may prefer a dark, small and quiet building and others a large, well lit, noisy establishment.
Two final thoughts:
Too many taverns in a city may divide players and work against the given Purpose of a tavern.
The size and layout of a tavern should be only large enough to fit its inteded functions and that designing taverns larger than necessary will not better them.
Another tavern thread right after one was created? I had better post fast before Kilsin shuts it down. Wait - this one is *from* Kilsin - never mind.
No I don't much care for taverns in MMOs - maybe because I was never much of a drinker in real life. Or maybe because a lot of roleplayers like to sit in taverns and trade emotes for hours which I consider hideously boring - I would rather roleplay by talking not emoting. Ideally while doing something useful at the same time like crafting or killing.
In addition to being hubs for relieving fatigue, something you accumulate after being online for 24 hours, taverns could provide a place for people to stay a while and listen for perception triggers to get the ball rolling whenever they are in a new zone. Harpies terrorizing livestock to the west of inn, manticores roaming the hills to the northeast, bugbears in the south harassing travelers etc.
Kilsin said:Hot Topic - Do you like taverns in MMORPGs and if so, how do you imagine them being implemented? #MMORPG #communitymatters
I like the idea of Taverns in MMORPGs but I have yet to see a worthwhile implementation.
I think a worthwhile implementation would require things that brought players in. Repeatedly, not just one or two quest. Many have mentioned mini games, yes good idea. I think the games would need something more than a,time sink (could Gambling be a skill like fishing or Alcohol Tolerance?)
I have suggested before in the Auction House as a portable(for a price) daily edition news paper. And yet for those unwilling or unable to pay the price, they could have free access to the current edition of the local news paper at a table in the taverns.like
If implemented well a Tavern could be a good thing, if it's just going to be another empty room on a deserted street with an NPC with a blank stare on their face selling beverages, then I really don't see the point.
Kilsin said:Hot Topic - Do you like taverns in MMORPGs and if so, how do you imagine them being implemented? #MMORPG #communitymatters
I visit them in the hopes that you can buy better food/drink than what you get from other vendors. Other than that I could not care less if they exist or not.
I like the idea of all sort of mini games to pass the time in a tavern. Maybe make it more of a casino/gambling den. Make the prizes interesting if you do well or invent enough time. Cosmetic items for characters, mounts, houses ( if they are implemented ). And of course gold or plat.
dorotea said:Another tavern thread right after one was created? I had better post fast before Kilsin shuts it down. Wait - this one is *from* Kilsin - never mind.
No I don't much care for taverns in MMOs - maybe because I was never much of a drinker in real life. Or maybe because a lot of roleplayers like to sit in taverns and trade emotes for hours which I consider hideously boring - I would rather roleplay by talking not emoting. Ideally while doing something useful at the same time like crafting or killing.
what overlord kilsin posts is overlord kilsins. what everyone post is also overlord kilsins. fools.
Static dialog will drive people out of the taverns - keep it fresh.
There should be some trading taking place in a Tavern. It is meeting place so there should be some linkage to the reginal trading of goods.
Games - give use a couple games - chess cards, etc.
Real rumors - there should be real "local" rumors that change over time.
NPC chatter
Some terminus based gaming /gambling soley to pass the time but not crucial enough to have people just playing it for hours.
limited stat provisions, like being able to buy 1 drink and one food that has a small one stat boost: out of range for newbies, pricey for mid levels, a nice afterthought for more experienced players, something or the road for well traveled adventurers.
player bulletin board: limited messages that erase after so much time has passed. messages limited to game related stuff like "3 headed to caves east, looking for more to head further" or "smith needed in amberfaet" to fade in 5 RL days. whereas "soandso laughs at rocks" will be erased almost immediately- this will mean a mod or somehting will need to be looking at all bulletin boards. 5 messages to a board.
alternate perception source for those that choose not to pursue perception skill ups.
I like them, but just because it's something that most associate with the genre. I don't think it's necessary to go to much trouble beyond having a vendor or two for food/drink, maybe tradeskill items. It would be nice for the NPCs to be a little dynamic, i.e. someone not quite kos walks in and the NPCs keep their distance or maybe throw out an apprehensive comment, or have the tavern bouncer come hang around that player. Don't think I'd like to see them turn into quest hubs. A stage of sorts for bards would be fun, with appropriate reactions from PCs and NPCs alike.
Always thought it would be cool to run a tavern. So if you have the cooking profession you could set up shop with your own food and drinks, hand made backpacks, lockpicks...etc... and do something like that. Other than that I don't really care for taverns since I don't see a need of going into them unless I have to sell or buy food or if I am bored.
Zorkon said:Kilsin said:Hot Topic - Do you like taverns in MMORPGs and if so, how do you imagine them being implemented? #MMORPG #communitymatters
I like the idea of Taverns in MMORPGs but I have yet to see a worthwhile implementation.
I think a worthwhile implementation would require things that brought players in. Repeatedly, not just one or two quest. Many have mentioned mini games, yes good idea. I think the games would need something more than a,time sink (could Gambling be a skill like fishing or Alcohol Tolerance?)
I have suggested before in the Auction House as a portable(for a price) daily edition news paper. And yet for those unwilling or unable to pay the price, they could have free access to the current edition of the local news paper at a table in the taverns.like
If implemented well a Tavern could be a good thing, if it's just going to be another empty room on a deserted street with an NPC with a blank stare on their face selling beverages, then I really don't see the point.
Reading this topic I knew what I was going to say... then you said it. +1 to this.
So, yes to taverns.
The tavern should be a social gathering hub for players and NPCs in its respective town/city.
- The tavern should 'serve' an NPC population. Meaning that NPCs should meet up at the tavern and talk. This can be a great way to get background lore information into the game, as one NPC says to another "Hey, did you hear about the Queen's cousin? He's been missing for weeks now."
- The tavern should have space for PCs. Free tables and chairs, a corner or a stage area that's clear for performances, that sort of thing. The tavern needs to be a venue that PCs can leverage for their own socializing and roleplaying as well, at least to an extent.
- For quests, NPCs that players need to talk to should sometimes be found *in* the tavern as well, if it's thematically appropriate. This isn't to say every quest starter should be in the tavern, but if you're looking for information on the Queen's missing Cousin, and his steward is at the tavern looking for the bottom of a mug of ale, it makes sense you could ask the steward about what happened - at the tavern.
The tavern should offer 'hooks' to help players get started on adventures or just find somethiing to do.
- If there is a dynamic content generation system in place (let's call them "tasks") as I suggested in a different thread, then taverns are a logical place for players to hear rumors that guide them to those tasks.
- If there is (NPC) work to be found for crafters and gatherers, as I suggested in a different thread, then taverns are a logical place for that.
- If there are bounties placed on villainous NPCs or marauding monsters in the nearby area, it stands to reason that those things would be posted in taverns for all to see.
- What tavern is complete without a dartboard or a card table for people to enjoy a friendly game while they wait?
Every city or town should have at least one tavern, but sometimes there can be just an Inn in the Wilderness too.
- As we get out away from the cities, we should see NPC traffic along the roads from time to time. Guards patrolling, merchants traveling from place to place, and so on. The tavern provides a nice stopover point for those NPCs and helps lend legitimacy to their travels.
- In zones without a town or city, the standalone inn/tavern can serve as a minor adventuring hub or the heart of an outpost.
When housing is added to the game, players should be able to create taverns of their own in housing areas, to help expand the world.
One of the things I remember from playing UO, was sitting in a tavern making poision then drinking and healing myself. By ther end of the night we had 20 players there drinking poision, gettinging healed some dying and having a lot of fun. It only happened once that I know of but it stuck with me. So I say yes to Taverns you never know what will happen inside.