As I sit on these forums i got to thinking about what I loved about the mmos i played long before this and what made these games stand out for me. Like many of you I'm sure, I played WoW back in the day when it first got released and it seemed like a big magical world which many a hidden gem to find but what made it like that to me?
As an mmo player I love things like lore and exploring the world around me, it has always been my major draw to games and WoW did something I've not seen in many games and that was in game content teasing. now these things could be easily explained away as " they didn't have enough time" or "they had too big an idea at the start" but in vanilla wow there were many blocked off areas in the game. these included raid dungeon entrances in other instances (molten core, naxx to name a few) or whole areas (dire maul or Uldum). these areas were nothing more then npcs telling you what was behind said wall or door, or the idea that something cool may be waiting behind there.
Now for whatever reason this was in the game I adored it, to know that something interesting will be coming one day and it made me want to stay in the game for a long time (I mean who didn't look at the dark portal in vanilla wow and think god I want to go through there already!)
My question is do other people in the community enjoy this sort of thing they would want in pantheon to give the game a bit of mystery, or would you rather this not be done to save the heart ache if the content is never used by the devs?
This is an interesting question and a good one, we had teasers like this in VG too as a lot of this community will remember and it was pretty awesome and mysterious to try and find ways to get into sealed crypts and blocked dungeon entrances that had giant boulders in front of them, I quite liked that in VG :)
Me too, Kittik - Vanguard's world was incredible.
A great thing to bring up, Akailo. FFXI also had some mysterious/really awesome areas that were locked behind doors, and in a number of cases, were only accessed after the completion of difficult content. Bring on the mysterious and hard to get to areas!
Good question Akailo - and I aree with you 100% - loved these little teasers in various mmo's and would love to see them in Pantheon!
It makes sense that expansions revealing more of the world map (or a different world etc), but it is also nice to see additions to a pre-existing area.
Eriugena - I absolutely love those memorable serverwide events like awakening the sleeper / opening the gates of Ahn'Qiraj etc.
However - given how it is implemented, this can result in old content being replaced with new content (or no longer being available) - and I think it's sad that the replaced content, which was also made with passion, is no longer accessible.
Great topic Akailo :) I love when areas are hinted at like that and really enjoyed this in vanilla wow. To me these areas don't always have to open up either, they can stay a mystery thats only mentioned by npc's and touch on in the lore. I like when the game sometimes allows you to just imagine whats behind those doors :)
It is nice to have a little tidbit of what may come. Lore is fascinating andfun to read and "live". I also like the drama of wanting to know who and what waits for me in "there". What is not fun is waiting for something that will never happen.. If there are no plans to actually put it in game maybe it never should be hinted at or mentioned. If it simply does not get into the game because of time or expense restaints then it is something we will all have to get over. And still wonder "what is in there"
I am really glad to hear that i am not the only one who loved standing at locked doors wracking my brain as to what could be behind them. Even if they never open that feeling that the world is bigger then first shown is one thing that makes mmos worth playing for me.
I think that this kind of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people see the end of a path overgrown by trees and shrubs -- or gated with a Do Not Enter sign -- and dream what is on the other side. Others will see the same thing, say, "Huh, dead end," and go on their merry way. Both are perfectly acceptable reactions, one based on imagination and the other based on logic.
For someone like me, who left to my own devices in an MMO, I'll start making up stories about the NPCs and their surroundings in my head, and it's my own little subset to the greater story. It's my way of enjoying the game while waiting for my friends to log on. To that end, any part of the scenery can become a chance to wonder what's beyond.
Whether a dead-end turns into a new zone or not, it's always there to be pondered or ignored. It goes with my theory that immersion is only as good as your imagination.
I do like the idea of game areas that are intriguing and not obvious as to what is happening and dont appear to do anything much, but might just turn into something interesting sometime...
I also like the idea that some of those areas don’t end up doing something too. This would keep player guessing as to what sections are red herrings or not. It will also have that "I wonder if they will ever expand area X" feeling too, just as long as some or even most of these areas do turn into something new.
I think this kind of mechanic should be used to lead in to updates and expansions too. A existing area could suddenly have a npc with some cryptic message that changes over time as the update date closes in. Maybe even giving a quest that sets up the scene for the new content. You could even have a group of NPCs building a wall, cutting off a section of the world over time, making everyone wonder why as they watch the wall grow, and maybe see the foundation of a building being laid. You could even get players involved with creating the wall for some kind of reward or payment. It would be funny if their help actually came to bite them in the butt in some manner too. Or you could give helpers a ticket to enter the walled off area once it was complete where as those that didnt, would have to get faction or complete a quest line to find out what was going on in there. Oh the possibilities are endless.
I also think there are lots of ways to entice players with an upcoming release in this manner too. By making use of current zone or existing NPCs, it would make expansions feel more natural in nature, rather than just plonked in. Slow involved introductions using existing assets. Anything to keep the game providing mystery and mystique. Anything to make the game feel organic and changing and different over time.
I would love to be in a group in a couple of years time and reminisce about a time where I was involved with the making of something and discussing how it went on to change the area. I remember helping with making Griffon towers way back when. That was fun to help as I did other questing things in the area. Oh, there I go, reminiscing, lol.