I like mounts too. And i like the system in The elder scrolls online. You can buy a basic version of a mount and then slowly upgrade it. You can upgrade the run speed or buy more bags or upgrade stamina. Stamina allows you to sprint and more stamina = longer sprints.
Flying mounts are bad IMHO. I know them from World of Warcraft and with flying mounts the world simply dies. Because flying is so comfortable (you can skip all enemies etc.) that nobody uses other ways to travel. I hope the Pantheon devs will implement them very carefully. But i like the flight master system from vanilla WoW. You can not steer the flight mounts but you can buy a flight to a certain position. It is much slower than teleporting from A to B but much faster than running.
Greetings
Mounts need to be kept to a minimum in terms of their overall useage and their actual power/abilities. One example of what I would like to see goes something like this; Your in the main city area trading goods when you decide to meet up with a group somewhere out in the world. So, you go visit a stable where you have left your mount, hop on and make the ride down to where your friends are camped. You hop off the mount and thats it, the mount runs back to the city stable and in order to use said mount again you must go back to the city. Maybe going a little further with it to where the player is able to tie the mount up for a period of time to then allow the player to hop back on and travel somewhere else, but I still think the time should be limited like 5minutes or 30 minutes, so if u are just exploring you can hop off look around and hop back on to travel elsewhere. I feel like once your in the thick of things batteling at a camp and moving your way deeper into the camp that after 2hours for example, to then just summon a mount thats makes for easy travel to the next camp, is absoluely rediculous. If you tie your mount up and work your way into a camp are you then going to run back the way you came and risk respawns etc. just to grab your mount? Especially if the mount isnt much better then SoW lets say. What im getting at i think is making sure there are no easy modes, like lets just eliminate even the idea of flying mounts all together, please! All I know is some of the most memorable times I have in EQoA are runninng around with my slow running, none mounted shadowknight looking for new camps that most players never went too, the risk and the reward. If there were mounts most of the camps I found would never have been rare or rewarding, it would have been the same old thing everyone else is doing.
I want to see mounts in the game, but I'd like them to be a well developed component, not just something you hop on to shorten travel time:
- Travel: As many people have already stated, travel shouldn't be trivialized. It just makes the world seem small and it removes the sense of danger from travel. Also, it steals from the utility of classes that have teleportation abilities. Mounts should have two run speeds. Just like players can walk and run, mounts should trot and canter. You could trot for longer distances without wearing out your mount, but you may not be going fast enough to evade agro on all the mobs in the area. You could canter to outrun mobs, and possibly evade combat, but do so at the risk of wearing your mount out and having a train of mobs gain ground on you. Mounts could have a set endurance bar that wears down, and when it does you're forced to stop and provide them with food and water. This way, players who are familiar with the environment will no when to procede through territory at a leisurely pace, when to bolt to avoid a fight, and when it's best to just dismount and deal with the threat in front of you. It would add an additional layer of depth to the game that would allow those who are attentive to their surrounding to shine, and make it increasingly dangerous for those who are careless.
- Combat: In Everquest, the only classes that had an advantage in combat from riding a mount were the casters who were able to recoup mana as if they were medding. I think special abilities during combat should be introduced to all the classes. Casters might have the ability to med while riding, like in EQ. Or maybe spells that normally could only be cast while standing still would be castable while moving if on a mount. Warriors and knights could have the ability to equip a lance, and if not functioning as tanks, could have the opportunity to do more dps than usual by jousting the enemy. This could be further developed into raid scenarios where they could run in and lance a mob and then ride out of danger to avoid severe AE effects. Melee dps classes might have special attacks they can use while on horseback as well.
- Pack Animals: If traveling long distances you could attach a cart to your mount to carry extra gear. If you're travelling from forest, to desert, to tundra, you may have environment specific gear you need to take with you along the journey. This would enable gear to be carried along on adventures and allow it to retain realistic weights unlike in EQ where eventually everything was magical and weighed 0.2 lbs and could all be crammed into a backpack.
- Agro mechanics: Agro could act differently while on horseback. Animals might be affraid of people on horseback because they appear larger and more of a threat. They may have a reduced agro range, or even flee if they see riders approach. Whereas bandits or packs of orcs might see people on horseback as a potential heist and their agro range might actually be increased, especially if the horses were dragging carts--potential treasure troves.
- A developed riding skill: All of the benefits to riding should be implemented in a 'riding-skill system.' As characters gain experience riding in and out of combat they should be able to ride for longer durations and perform better while fighting.
tldr: Mounts should be in the game, but introduced in a fashion that adds realism and depth and does not trivialize travel.
Elrandir said:I want to see mounts in the game, but I'd like them to be a well developed component, not just something you hop on to shorten travel time:
- Travel: As many people have already stated, travel shouldn't be trivialized. It just makes the world seem small and it removes the sense of danger from travel. Also, it steals from the utility of classes that have teleportation abilities. Mounts should have two run speeds. Just like players can walk and run, mounts should trot and canter. You could trot for longer distances without wearing out your mount, but you may not be going fast enough to evade agro on all the mobs in the area. You could canter to outrun mobs, and possibly evade combat, but do so at the risk of wearing your mount out and having a train of mobs gain ground on you. Mounts could have a set endurance bar that wears down, and when it does you're forced to stop and provide them with food and water. This way, players who are familiar with the environment will no when to procede through territory at a leisurely pace, when to bolt to avoid a fight, and when it's best to just dismount and deal with the threat in front of you. It would add an additional layer of depth to the game that would allow those who are attentive to their surrounding to shine, and make it increasingly dangerous for those who are careless.
- Combat: In Everquest, the only classes that had an advantage in combat from riding a mount were the casters who were able to recoup mana as if they were medding. I think special abilities during combat should be introduced to all the classes. Casters might have the ability to med while riding, like in EQ. Or maybe spells that normally could only be cast while standing still would be castable while moving if on a mount. Warriors and knights could have the ability to equip a lance, and if not functioning as tanks, could have the opportunity to do more dps than usual by jousting the enemy. This could be further developed into raid scenarios where they could run in and lance a mob and then ride out of danger to avoid severe AE effects. Melee dps classes might have special attacks they can use while on horseback as well.
- Pack Animals: If traveling long distances you could attach a cart to your mount to carry extra gear. If you're travelling from forest, to desert, to tundra, you may have environment specific gear you need to take with you along the journey. This would enable gear to be carried along on adventures and allow it to retain realistic weights unlike in EQ where eventually everything was magical and weighed 0.2 lbs and could all be crammed into a backpack.
- Agro mechanics: Agro could act differently while on horseback. Animals might be affraid of people on horseback because they appear larger and more of a threat. They may have a reduced agro range, or even flee if they see riders approach. Whereas bandits or packs of orcs might see people on horseback as a potential heist and their agro range might actually be increased, especially if the horses were dragging carts--potential treasure troves.
- A developed riding skill: All of the benefits to riding should be implemented in a 'riding-skill system.' As characters gain experience riding in and out of combat they should be able to ride for longer durations and perform better while fighting.
tldr: Mounts should be in the game, but introduced in a fashion that adds realism and depth and does not trivialize travel.
I like all of this, EXCEPT the combat part. There isn't a game yet that has made combat on mounts not cringeworthy to me. I mean, if we want realism, the first thing a mob would do is shoot/stab/kill our little pony.
-Tralyan
I know that I am probably in the minority when it comes to mounts. I don't much care for them as they tend to shrink the world and intrude upon interdependent class roles. As an example, will gamers want buffs such as Spirit of the Wolf if they have access to a mount? Likely not.
I get the coolness factor of running around on a mount, but as far as game health, I am not convinced it will improve this game.
I like mounts. Its good to even have special ones via quests, raid kills, and epic.
I wouldnt be so upset if VR had mounts not available in the game purchased via website. It will help fund expacs etc...
It is not PTW, if just a graphic and only 100% of the in game mount speed to the lowest speed possible. No bonus effects just graphics.
Zahlhedren said:The Vanguard Griffon Quest was probably one of the best times iv'e had in an MMO, then the quest to upgrade it was just as fun.
I totally agree. I would even put my Nether drake in Wow there too. Let’s hope they can put something like this into the game with an actual growth aspect to it. I always disliked the aspect of put your pet in a backpack gig. It was a very unrealistic piece to owning a pet or a mount. hop off your dragon and stuff him/her into a sack or backpack. Serious immersion killer. Have your mount go graze or kill something to feed.
The other issues I am sure the Devs are having is to have mounts at all in the game due to scale. I am torn on this but from the videos I have seen mounts may be a problem. I don’t want VR to appease us and break the game immersion wise. Yet, on the other hand pets and mounts would be awesome. So what does one do here?
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Tralyan said:I like all of this, EXCEPT the combat part. There isn't a game yet that has made combat on mounts not cringeworthy to me. I mean, if we want realism, the first thing a mob would do is shoot/stab/kill our little pony.
-Tralyan
I agree completely. I was just trying to come up with a few potential examples. The more I think about it, the more I'd like to see mounts introduced as a comprehensive system of advancement. Possibly a form of horizontal progression in a future expansion. The possibilities are endless, but combat I think should be a part of that progression.
Just as mounts shouldn't trivialize travel, I think they shouldn't trivialize combat either. There should be situations where mounted combat is advantageous and situations where it's an unnecessary risk. It should be up to the players to figure out when and how they work best, and an in depth system could open the doors to new forms of emergent gameplay.
A comprehensive mount system could incorporate tradeskillers to help outfit them. Like armored destriers for tanks. Or light saddles for agile mounts used by scouts and pullers.
An array of rider-related skills could be introduced to augment speed, combat abilities and protect against dangerous outcomes like getting dismounted during combat--something that should be potentially catastrophic if using a mount while fighting.
Anyways, I think if done properly the addition of mounts could make the game more fun and complex without just making Terminus an easier place to traverse.
One of the main things that bugs me about mounts in MMORPGS is the silly look of some of them. Others may like them and think that they are "cool", but for me personally I prefer to see my char as I run around exploring/fighting etc. so I do hope there is a Hide Mount option atleast. Dont get me wrong theres always a few that I end up liking, but ultimately I just get sick of seeing them (dont even get me started on flying mounts lol). Anything that is basically cosmetic like mounts or certain pets, as in they have some benefit like speed buff, I feel should have a Hide option.
Also, I like the ideas I'm seeing about having to actually maintain your mount, there for adding an element of realism. What also happens though is now there is time involved in having a mount and using it, you cant just click an item in your backback, summon a mount and do it whenever and how ever many times you wish. Using my previous idea of having mounts stabled in citys and main areas, to add to that then for example; you go to the stable talk to the stable boy to go bring out your mount to you, but before you can even think about taking off you must do certain things like give food and drink to your mount until the mount is full up, because if you dont your mount will quickly run out of stamina and become very slow and maybe even stop altogther. There are 2 things that helps make this system work, one is making sure that the mounts run speed buff is not far superior to SoW etc. this way it would often just make more sense to grab SoW and head out to adventure. Secondly, you can only have your mount at one location, almost like a bind mount (again adding realism and limiting use). What this all does is makes it so mounts arent always going to be used, if you are already out in the middle of a zone and need to travel you will have to run it out, maybe somone with SoW runs by and helps you out. Or, what if you are in the starting city but you still have to buy mount food/drink and give it to your mount, which may take 5 -10mins for example, it might just be quicker to grab a SoW and head out to find your group. To put it simply, mounts would be situational.
If mounts were implemented the most fundamental issue for me would be to have them in the game at all times, they should not just appear out of thin air. It should be possible for them to be attacked and be killed if not protected.
Mounts should not be able to enter dungeons, due to size constraints (maybe magic could get around this problem), if left outside the dungeon it should be possible for someone to steal them. Mounts could also be used to carry equipment and loot.
Satine said:I'm late to the party, but wanted to add my quick 2 cents.
I hope that mounts are really really hard to get. Either they cost a fortune or a great deal of time spent either questing or factioning in order to get. I would go so far to say that I hope they are not introduced right away. Let us have some time dealing with what we can do on our own two feet first.....make us seek out a druid for a sow etc. When I get a mount I want to REALLY appreciate it, have it be a real prestige item, and hard won. If you have a cash shop and offer mounts, I will buy one because I am weak and have more money than brains so please save me from myself and don't doooooo eeeeet! ;)
I agree, mounts should be rare as all hell and not available on a cash shop.
If they are not going to be rare, then I think they should have limits, like an endurance bar and feeding/watering requirements. I also like the ideas I read here, like saddle bags and stable requirements. I would make them vulnerable to damage, with health bars just like any other npc. Fear of death for not just you but your mount as well would be interesting..
As long as you are dismounted when you encounter a monster, then fine. If they can be used to ignore/trivialise content then no.
If they are not ridiculous, then fine. Please no giant robot chickens or pink unicorns or sea slugs.
I would prefer, if there are long sections of uninteresting land to be found that there were horse 'routes' like LotRo. Fast travel you can use (for a price) once destinations are discovered.
Would very much like to see a solid mount system in the game. Like some have said, not just a tool to shorten travel times. Mounts could become a part of your character. Have light, medium and heavy mounts.
Being a Crusader I would bery much like to have a Heavy Warhorse which I could actually deck out with barding, and progress that barding from light armour to heavier plate styles with obvious benefits and hindrances. Heavier barding = slower overall speed but less chance of being dismounted etc. Imagine being called by your friends to help but you have to ride through a bunch of angry hyperactive Bugbears, so you choose to take your plate barded warhorse and have a great chance of making it through. This would then lead to the idea of mounted combat which I would guess would not be a launch option.
Other ideas would be in regards to mounts that allow for increased carrying capactiy. So you're trading and need to take X items to the next trading outpost. You get your Horse and deck it out with saddle bags etc to increase carrying capacity. Perhaps even having the option of buying a cart to be pulled by a horse for trading or taking resources to a location to help with the 'war effort'.
Even if mounted combat never eventuates I would still like to be able to visually modify a warhorse with different armour for the immersion.
Oh, and some races probably should be able to ride a horse or other similar mount due to their size, Orge. I think for the Ogre class they could perhaps have an innate striding/running ability which allows them to match the speed of some mounts.
I like mounts, personal mounts. If mounts are only busses that you get on at point A and off at point B, I would rather run and experience the world on two feet. But the idea of mounting up and setting out on an adventure on your trusted mount - well I just like it!
What I don't like though, is when the designe does not manage to place the character correctly on the mount. It annoys me tremendously when the character is just dumped on the rump of a horse. It's like they never bothered to look how a person rides on a horse. Now I do not know how you sit on an octopus or a snake mount, but if the mounts in Pantheon are going to be horses (or wolfs et al.), pretty please with sugar on top make the character sit correctly. I would be ever so grateful <3
-sorte.
Depends how big the zones are. If they're as big as FFXI then flat out yes please I want my mount. At a certain level and earned.
I like mounts. Not a million varieties and don't need them to fly, but at least some earned method for getting around a little faster. I don't see any compelling reason why we should always spend half an hour walking to a camp (memories of FFXI, spending literally half an hour getting from San D'Oria to Selbina - group twiddling their thumbs waiting; dying to one of those damn goblins in the Dunes and thus adding another 15 mins for respawn and re-run; only to end up getting kicked because they can't wait any more). Especially after we've already invested the time running around. When I had to travel from SD to areas past Selbina (involving waiting for the boat and airship as well) sometimes my entire available gaming session was getting from A to B. That is not my idea of a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Fewer Monty Python Yorkshire men please, and one mount each! I want a chocobo please :)
Any old school EQ player should remember the shock and awe of seeing someone on horseback. Having even one mount was rare. They were ridiculously expensive and probably not even worth it - they were barely faster than running. Although they did make medding a little bit easier. Regardless, the point is: mounts are an awesome way to show off prestige. People would spend thousands of plat on them just to be able to stand out in town and look cool. Whether or not you inherently like mounts for other reasons, as long as they're hard to acquire, if you saw a Paladin in shining full plate sitting atop a war horse, you'd immediately know that guy is badass. For that reason alone, I think mounts fit in Pantheon, because that is the type of accomplishments they are trying to promote. I don't think they should be "collectibles." You should be lucky to have just one. I'm very much in favor of mounts. For me, it would just be an awesome goal to work toward. It should not be difficult to "balance" them so that they don't trivialize content or any of the other stuff people are concerned about.
Bazgrim said:Whether or not you inherently like mounts for other reasons, as long as they're hard to acquire, if you saw a Paladin in shining full plate sitting atop a war horse, you'd immediately know that guy is badass. For that reason alone, I think mounts fit in Pantheon, because that is the type of accomplishments they are trying to promote. I don't think they should be "collectibles." You should be lucky to have just one. I'm very much in favor of mounts. For me, it would just be an awesome goal to work toward. It should not be difficult to "balance" them so that they don't trivialize content or any of the other stuff people are concerned about.
I agree. They should be very expensive (a great way to have a high value plat sink for the economy) and any future "exotic" mounts should not be drops (seriously, who kills a dragon and finds a live wolf mount inside?) but rather purchases from some mysterious secret merchant that is randomly in the depths of various top end dungeons. Or maybe you have to sacrifice x rare drops to summon him before you can purchase anything. Either way, make mounts rare and expensive...and let them be buffed by movement speed buffs so as to not devalue the classes that cast movespeed buffs later in the games life when mounts are less rare and just semi-uncommon.
Iksar said:Bazgrim said:Whether or not you inherently like mounts for other reasons, as long as they're hard to acquire, if you saw a Paladin in shining full plate sitting atop a war horse, you'd immediately know that guy is badass. For that reason alone, I think mounts fit in Pantheon, because that is the type of accomplishments they are trying to promote. I don't think they should be "collectibles." You should be lucky to have just one. I'm very much in favor of mounts. For me, it would just be an awesome goal to work toward. It should not be difficult to "balance" them so that they don't trivialize content or any of the other stuff people are concerned about.
I agree. They should be very expensive (a great way to have a high value plat sink for the economy) and any future "exotic" mounts should not be drops (seriously, who kills a dragon and finds a live wolf mount inside?) but rather purchases from some mysterious secret merchant that is randomly in the depths of various top end dungeons. Or maybe you have to sacrifice x rare drops to summon him before you can purchase anything. Either way, make mounts rare and expensive...and let them be buffed by movement speed buffs so as to not devalue the classes that cast movespeed buffs later in the games life when mounts are less rare and just semi-uncommon.
True, if a mount drops as loot, it should make sense.
Also, it's good to look at it as a sort of plat sink. I guarantee that there will be plenty of people that would buy one just as a very visible way to show off their wealth. Even if it was not fast, didn't help with medding, etc. People love to show off their wealth. It's the same reason rich people spent $600 on a plain t-shirt that's no better than a $5 dollar t-shirt, except the $600 one has a fancy logo on it that's associated with really expensive clothing. The same idea applies to mounts. As long as there's no way to easily get a mount, they can be nothing more than a very in-your-face way of silently saying "HEY! I'm rich." (And then the snarky side of me would be like "Hi, Rich. I'm Bazgrim." lol) Anyway, I'm not saying mounts should be otherwise useless either. I'm just saying people don't necessarilyneed a practical reason to spend a lot of money. Sometimes prestige alone is sufficient.
