There's been alot of discussion about the action side of Pantheon, which sounds like its shaping up to be alot like EQ and VG which I think is fantastic. But what I haven't heard much about are the activities that will be available for more non combat oriented players. (crafters and traders for example, or something like diplomats from VG)
I know this game has more of a focus on the adventuring aspect, but in order to make a game really feel like a virtual world rather than just a video game I think having an abundance of activities that don't involve killing things(crafting,farming,trading,fishing, etc etc) would both add some fun stuff to do between the action and also draw in the more RP oriented or casual players who prefer to spend most of their time on these things rather than the action side.
I personally think it would be awesome to be traveling around and see players working on their crafts and what not, it would really add to the immersion for me. I think having every player being the same armor clad adventurer makes the experience kinda 1 dimensional, it would be nice to see people who aren't just worried about being the first to down whatever boss or reach whatever level, but people who are just enjoying spending time in the game world socializing and improving their avatars in other ways.
How much thought has been put into this side of the game? And players, how many of you would like to see these kinds of things?
Crafting is my go-to activity in every game whenever I need to let the blood dry on my sword for a bit.
I like games with crafting stations so the act of crafting feels immersive. Crafting stations in towns are kind of a given, but I especially like to wander along a stream in the forest and come across a trapper's hut with a leatherworker's bench protected from the rain in a small shed outside or find a usable goblin forge deep in a dungeon. If players will have the ability to craft away from workstations, like the portable spits in EQ for example, then it should be part of some process where you make camp, have a fire, etc... It should be more than just another inventory bag with a "Combine" button.
Diplomacy in VG was a good idea, but I felt it was more of a mini-game and broke immersion. It didn't feel organic and seemed as out of place as Gems in EQ. If something like diplomacy appears in Pantheon, I'll definitely take a shot at mastering it - provided it feels like part of the core game.
LoTRO had an in-game music system where you could purchase/equip different instruments and players could make music together in a social, coordinated way. You could download .ABC music files from the web, drop them in a folder and then use the CLI to play songs in game with the instrument you had equipped. Many times you'd pass through Bree and find one or more people putting on some fairly impressive concerts, telling tales and chatting up their fellow travelers.
Player housing has always been a favourite of mine. Games where everyone shares the same door and the "house" is nothing more than an instanced apartment are NOT what I like to see. I want buildings that I can walk up to and see the creativity of other players. I want to be able to see people when they're at home and visit with the guy who's working on his roof. VG had one of the best player housing systems that I've seen to date. Horizons might have had the best from legacy games, but it was horribly buggy (like the rest of the game). Landmark certainly gets top marks in this regard, but I don't really consider it a game. It will be interesting to see how much of that gets translated into EQN.
I've been addicted to fishing in almost every game that let me dip a pole in the water. I hate fishing IRL but given the chance to catch rusty knives and old boots, I'm all over that. The problem with fishing IRL is all you catch is fish. LOL.
I crave a game that makes me level up core skills like sense heading or swimming. I always took great pride in keeping all my skills topped off at each level and would make a point of manually pulling out the old compass regularly as I travelled until I mastered it's use. I'd take a refreshing dip in any pool or stream that would let me stretch out for a morning swim. It's important for adventurers to stay in shape.
Smoking isn't something that I enjoy or partake of IRL, but then I don't cast spells or chop the heads off orcs IRL either. I'd like to see some nice pipes and some decent smoke animations for when I'm visiting friends at the local pub or simply stopping to ponder which fork in the road to take.
Role playing during down-time is something I've enjoyed in the past, but I'm horribly out of practice with. Good role players don't need any tools, but if the game has a good selection of emotes and associated animations, it does help sell the tale.
Those are all some pretty awesome suggestions! I hope to see alot of things like those to really flesh out the world. While I do like smashing some heads in I also like to just wander around and mess around with whatever non-combat features there are to play with, I think if they have an abundance of those and also make them feel like they "fit" in the game it'll make for a pretty immersive experience.
Celandor said:
Going to have crafting on Terminus. Shhh!!!
http://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=1638
Haha!
Or you may have less to talk about, who knows, we will just have to wait and see lol ;)
Celandor said:
Going to have crafting on Terminus. Shhh!!!
http://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=1638
Looking forward to it :) *wink*
As far as non combat activities I'd say get the basic crafting system in for launch and worry about other systems post launch.
Someday day guild halls or some form of diplomacy could be added but I mostly just want big play areas full of interesting content.
We don't need big cities to sit lifeless and go unused or some endless crafting grind. Just lots of great areas to explore and get really dug into.
Thanks in advance,
Kiz~
There needs to be a crafting system that wont put you to sleep. Also, quests that include all manners of play:
1) Fighting
2) Camping items (can be from simply fighting a mob, to foraging or waiting for an NPC to spawn)
3) Crafting, of course
-If they are truly letting the player determine how to auction, there's always bartering with other people to get the item you want/make profit
One thing I liked about EQ2 was all the books you could read. So much untold story/lore in the books made finding them/reading them a thrill. This is, of course, if you are into the story.
Maybe add an in game card game or something where people can play against each other. This can also create an economy for items needed for said activity.
Last, but not least, socializing. Probably the most important part of any MMO.