I still have high confidence in BioWare's writing. So if it will be single player, I leave it in BW's hands. My only suggestion is to tune down the scale of the conflict. One galactic armageddon is all I can handle from one franchise. I've always found the personal stories of different characters to be the jewels of BW
games.
I am reluctant to endorse any kind of persistent MMO world as the current MMO technology has stagnated at the combat stage. Everything else--crafting, mercantilism (except maybe EVE), exploration--are all more or less tack-ons. Many MMORPG are themselves tack-ons to single player content. In contrast, I found ME3's multiplayer surprisingly well conceived. If you want to make some kind of persistent MMO, try to keep that as separate from the single player experience as possible, unless you really are making a world where every aspect is multiplayer (but that's a huge challenge that no one has done successfully).
Ha, I actually have ideas
for a
game now.
Single player (one time purchases but you can sell as many chunks in whatever
format as you feel is fair):
1. Overarching open ended world (Mass Effect Universe), which is the given.
2. A
gameplay mechanic that's not ME Trilogy-like combat oriented. I have heard support
for stealth-based
gameplay. I myself am also a fan of stealth-utilizing spy/assassin type
games. Nothing wrong with ME trilogy combat; just a new flavor.
3. A plot that's motivated by a broader theme but propagated with independent but related events/missions. ME2 is a great example; I am a huge fan of ME2's storytelling. This setup will make the
game feel more open-ended. It will also let players move in-n-out of multiplayer without excessively breaking single player immersion.
4. I recommend starting off with a non-race-specific plot so players can pick the race they want. I want to play race-specific stories too, but those can come later. Spectre agent,
for instance, would work well. It will be even better, and especially
for multiplayer, if the player can align with different factions/interests.
5. I liked ME's classes, but I want to see a more open-ended skill progression in the
next game: limited by available training points but I can train in whatever combination of skills I want. I have more detailed
suggestions for a skill system, but let's keep it short
for now.
6. The feeling that I want to have as I play single player and after I finish all the content is a character/story of my own making, but not one that's advertised to the world. I know I made a difference but when I join a multiplayer
game, I still feel perfectly normal serving as an average member of a team. I am not THE man; there are other agents/soldiers/players.
7. A persistent player base (analogous to Normandy if you will) will be very desirable to store my memories both in SP and MP. I want it
for free in SP because not everyone will care to make his base accessible to other, and any MP items should be included in the cost of accessing that MP feature. Anyone who
wants a player housing accessible to others is another matter.
Multiplayer (Can be a combination of one-time purchases and subscriptions
for whatever different MP modes you want to add)
1. Very much like ME3 in principle. Single player experience does not in any way unbalance multiplayer, except maybe in a very limited fashion. This is practical since although I don't care if someone hacks or mods their single player mode, I very much care if they bring any advantage into multiplayer. MMOs often get around it by
forcing single player content onto central servers, but I want none of that single player subscription nonsense. Multiplayer rewards can be carried into single player as long as the single player is designed without MP in mind, so those that shun MP aren't
forced, or strongly encouraged as in the ME3 case, to play MP to reach a certain ending in SP.
2. MP content can be anything from small 4-person survival mode to high population persistent PvP to group based missions to player trade/auction house to whatever other multiplayer activity you can think of. They can be price separately or in bundles. The more choices the better. MP can transfer a variety of rewards, both vain and practical, to single player. Although playing any MP mode can be reasonably charged, the system to transfer anything from MP rewards to SP should be free.
3. I want the overall MP feel to be an extension of my single player experience. It may even grow to be larger than my single player experience, as long as it's consistent with (which ME3 isn't, but that is appropriate given the Shepard storyline) yet distinct from SP.
That pretty much sums up my general desires
for a perfect
game. I'll keep working on my ideas and see if anything new comes up as more discussion around the
next game occurs.
Modifié par Unfallen_Satan, 12 novembre 2012 - 07:35 .
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