2 replies to this topic

[Wolf]

time for me to bounce ideas off of your unsuspecting heads!

ok, so for my Anime-inspired MMO [which, I may have found a good free server engine for, fingers crossed] I wanted to have players become attached to their characters, outside of picking what they look like from a preset roster of features. But while trying to keep the simplicity and originality of older RPGs, I found the easiest option was to come up with a new spin on an old system.

So, my idea is, Traits. Chosen at character creation, and unable to be changed [I may make it changable, but it wont be easy] these traits are what separate you from someone who has could have the same skills as you. At character creation, you will be able to pick from a large list of traits, each assigned a numerical value 0-7. You can pick as many traits as you want, as long as the sum of the values does not exceed 7, allowing me to weight and balance these traits easily, while making them also able to be incomparable.

These skills fall into 3 categories, Skill traits, Passive traits, and Aesthetic traits.

Skill traits grant the player a special skill. These skills can range from regenerating health over time, to a specialized melee or magic attack. Skills granted from traits are at Skill level 5, and cannot be trained. Skill traits weigh the most, weighing at least 4 points, meaning a player cannot have more than 1 Skill trait, making them a rare but powerful tool, especially for new players.

Passive traits are the most common. These traits grant the player passive abilities of all types. From STR and DEX buffs that increase with level, to a higher max HP/MP/SP. Passive traits help players define their character's roles. Passive traits costs are varied, with some costing as much as 7, and some as little as 1 or 0 points.

Aesthetic traits are what they sound like. These are Aesthetic changes to your character, with a possible small change in stats. These will let you give your character a unique look, if you desire, at the cost of possible strength from passive and skill traits. i am hoping for this list to include everything, like cat ears, dog tails, demonic scars, unique eye/hair colors and types, and much more. These will usually cost very little points, and will be the last chosen traits.

A player can mix and match the types as they choose, allowing you to create a character unique to the way you play. With my idea of not having a player pick from a list of classes, this could replace that phase of character creation.


Thoughts? Ideas?

[steampunkgrrrl]

So it's kind of like Marvel's RP system? Correct me if I'm wrong, please. But yes, I agree, when people think about the powers/traits/skills they want instead of just leveling them willy nilly (think of MMOs where you just level and level and level and don't really get to pick what you want), then they tend to care more about the characters they create and want to get to that next level to get a new power, etc.

What kind of MMO? Text based?

[Wolf]

So it's kind of like Marvel's RP system? Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

Never heard of it, but it is a common mechanic for board based RPGs and the likes

What kind of MMO? Text based?

My highest hopes are for third person, as for a working prototype, that may be 2D top-down for me to see the various social and core mechanics at work