RP Feature Suggestions

[HJ-Pinnelipe]

They already have voice chat entirely integrated into their system.

Whether or not they would perhaps think to turn this option "off" on the rp realm is still left to question.

 

[Hunl]

They already have voice chat entirely integrated into their system.

Whether or not they would perhaps think to turn this option "off" on the rp realm is still left to question.

Oh....I never knew that. ^^

 

[Valendros]

Their voice chat will have modifiers that will allow you to tailor your voice to sound like your character

 

[HJ-Pinnelipe]

No modifier is perfect quite yet. Plus, I'm normally watching kids while I play. I missed a lot of instructions just because kids were too loud while playing DDO.

 

[Aelwulfe]

Wow... That's a really really good idea. It would be very difficult to do in this game since you have wyr that basically does the exact same thing but with legends of the past. - You can keep your sword from day 1 to level 100 if you want to. - It would be easier to implement (or at least see in general) in a MUD, but with a /tell system it's not so great of a system...

With GS if I was looking for somebody I could cast locate looking for them and if they weren't in a certain radius it wouldn't work. But it would give me a general idea of around where they were... So if the locate says they're around Ta'Vaalor, I'd go there (no easy feat - takes about an hour to get there), re-locate, find their location, go there - they could be gone... It is very very difficult to actually FIND somebody, let alone talk to them (the area-wide chat -thoughtnet- would only turn on if you rubbed your amulet, and would turn off after a certain time). After you tracked them down, then they could sit down with you and discuss their deeds.

With a typical MMO it's...
/tell Aelwulfe "hey dude, I just bought your sword."
/tell randomnoob "cool, I had a lot of fond memories of that sword"
/tell Aelwulfe "cool... later"
/tell randomnoob "later"



Here would be a nice thing:

Bards & Loresinging
Bards loresing to an item to find out its magical properties. Since the powers of the item can be largely null until you equip it with wyr...

You have used a sword for many months/years/decades, and decide it's time for a change. So you take your "Valendros's strong sword of firey arcane truth" and unslot your wyr from it - it becomes "Valendros's sword". This sword has many options pinned to it - it can have +5 perception, +10 lockpicking, +2 fire damage, +8 ice damage... Each of these is gained by certain actions you've done over the months you've had it... You vanquished 9500 ice foes so it gives the native ice damage... You've disarmed 900 traps so it's perception can be upped.


So you take your sword and do one of two things: A) drop it in front of a kobold, the kobold snatches it up... OR B) just drop it somewhere, and the trash system notices it's a vaulable item and assigns a proper leveled mob - one that is currently being hunted by somebody...

Either way the person defeats their foe, and finds "a sword". Just a normal everyday sword with 2 slots for wyr... but swords like this never drop from this kind of mob... They take it back with them to town and bring this rather strange sword to a bard. The bard sings to it and it lists the accomplishments you have access to, The bard tells of your many deeds and what the sword has been through.

The sword is still "a Sword" but there's an extra slot that wasn't there before and a wyr already slotted in it. The Wyr provides the abilities the bard told of. Slotted, it becomes "Valendros's icicle". Remove the wyr and the sword is just "a sword" again.

They can slot it in a spell to grant other powers... Say they slot it in their fire wall spell - when they cast the spell it says "soandso casts Valendros's Bane" instead of "fire wall" - the wall of fire also deals dart damage in addition to its fire damage because one time you faced down a fleet of dart-blowing natives and lived to tell the tale.



That's a way they can do it in this current system methinks. Either way, I wish there was a way to do the game without a /tell system. "Hey dude, I just got your wyr" "Cool man"

The Hero's Hall website has alot of info I wasn't aware of until after I posted my feature wish. After reading about the Wyr I can see that the GM's will likely oneday be able to create customized Wyr, much like the GM's could engrave or modifiy items in Gemstone III (I assume they still do in Gemstone IV, but I don't know this for a fact). If customization is possible than this would go a long way toward fulfilling my wish.

(Ha! I feel special!)=D=

I saw where characters will have a certain number of Wyr slots (six I think was what I saw), but I haven't noticed where items will have slots too. But there is alot of new info for me to absorb, which is always nice.

Either way I applaud the developers on an innovative idea!

And I had competely forgotten about Bard loresinging. I like the idea of a bard being able to sing to an item and get some of its post creation history, not just the generic tag it might have recieved originally.

Now I'm off to find the Halls of Knowledge, before I accidentally sow confusion and discord! Wait...maybe some lunch instead.

Aelwulfe

 

[Azdel]

The Hero's Hall website has alot of info I wasn't aware of until after I posted my feature wish. After reading about the Wyr I can see that the GM's will likely oneday be able to create customized Wyr, much like the GM's could engrave or modifiy items in Gemstone III (I assume they still do in Gemstone IV, but I don't know this for a fact). If customization is possible than this would go a long way toward fulfilling my wish.

(Ha! I feel special!)=D=

I saw where characters will have a certain number of Wyr slots (six I think was what I saw), but I haven't noticed where items will have slots too. But there is alot of new info for me to absorb, which is always nice.

Either way I applaud the developers on an innovative idea!

And I had competely forgotten about Bard loresinging. I like the idea of a bard being able to sing to an item and get some of its post creation history, not just the generic tag it might have recieved originally.

Now I'm off to find the Halls of Knowledge, before I accidentally sow confusion and discord! Wait...maybe some lunch instead.

Aelwulfe

Ah yes, the Sow of Confusion and Discord, mightiest of all the Over-Hogs! Truly, she was a force to be feared! Her final battle with Alvidion, Hand of the Divine Farm, is still the subject of many-a-song.

 

[Aelwulfe]

2 things..
One, I thought HJ was already toying with positional voice chat as a primary form of communication in HJ?
Two, I thought we'd build up weapons and armor as a form of crafting and indeed could hand it down or sell it to folks after we've advanced it enough or got tired of it?
Interesting points. I'm anti OOC tho', more so if we're going to have to listen to people. Even with filters, some fat guy in Ohio playing a hottie elf cleric / bard.. Just isn't very RP to me.

Voice chat in this instance in just disturbing, on a soul grinding level. I mean, come on, an elf talking in bass!? :O

I'd like to clairfy that I am truly anti OOC chat. Its just been so long since I've been able to avoid it in an MMO that I found myself defending the practice, practically. I remember getting along just fine in Gemstone without it, and then talking via chat room or Instant message with my friends as we would log out for the night.

Aelwulfe

 

[Valendros]

SEE! Other GS players know what I'm talking about. YOU -- DONT -- NEED -- OOC -- CHAT.

There is no reason for it other than to appease the 13 year olds that THINK they need it. If I had a WISH it would be that every server is an 'RP' server, and there are special 'NON-RP' servers for these young kids... Even 'the fallen' servers so these people can do whatever they want with little-to-no GM interaction.

But I don't see that happening. I would like to request simu provide at least a few RP servers, and that those servers have absolutely no /ooc chat option at all. Also that GMs police these servers RP atmosphere with as much verosity as they do in Gemstone.


Example: In FFXI I found it disturbing I couldn't curse. I turned off my cursing chat filter as soon as I could, and I would use it - quite often.

But in GS I don't WANT to curse. I have no need for it. It's a completely different atmosphere. If I'm going to tell somebody off, I do it IC, I do it calmly, and I'm not taking something personally. I view everything as my character doing something, somebody insulting my character and HIM reacting.



I'd probably still be playing Gemstone IV if it weren't for the inconsistancies. I've been away for 3 years. Quick example of what I mean: They said they were going to be implementing 3 new classes. First they didn't say when they would be done, but hinted at the end of the summer... Then they said Paladin would be done at the end of the summer, and the others would be completed soon after.... long after summer was over they released Paladin... 2.5 years later, where are Monk and Savant? What happened to them? They just vanished. Went into the pile of 'things we'll get done sooner or later'. I don't appreciate being led along like that. I don't want to know your plans until they're being implemented - surprise me. Don't disappoint me.

I just hope HJ doesn't fall into the same trap.

 

[HJ-Pinnelipe]

They sort of already have a little, Val. Every company does this, however. Every game has this happen becaue thy truly did think it was coming. Suwari are on hold. Other things might be placed on hold as well.

 

[Kuzzle]

All items should have complete graphical representations, with the ability to interact with them in some way. That is, if you can hold it in your inventory, you can hold it in your hand.

Customizable underwear. Sounds weird, I know, but think about it: Why do all characters wear the same underwear? It's just weird! I mean, I doubt a Cleric/Healer and a Rogue/Necromancer would wear the same thing under their armor.

Non-standard weaponry. I'd like to see something other than the standard sword, axe, spear, bow, staff, and whatnot.

 

[Farahl]

Voice chat in MMO's is eternally weird to me. I didn't even like it from a coordination standpoint for raids in WoW. It would make RP especially strange....

 

[Luciro]

This has been said before but I'd like to say it again.

More aware NPCs help me RP oddly in MMO worlds. My villain Stogie Sam would always have to /elaugh whenever he over heard a passer by whispering about his misdeeds. LoL

Love that stuff.

 

[Ainilome]

Voice chat ... *shudder*

I loathe voice chat I will never use it in an RPG, even from an RP standpoint. I don't even like chatting on the phone with people I -do- know. I have a hard enough time ignore idiots by not looking at their text on screen, if I have to hear their voice I will go insane.

Perhaps it's an oddity of mine, voice chat is just far far too real for my fantasy games thank you. I don't really want any reminder that there's a human being on the other end of the keyboard when I'm trying to roleplay, nothing could possibly be more immersion breaking than hearing the female elven wizards mother yelling at him to come to dinner in the background. *shudder*

Voice changers and the like... feh, maybe. Put good grief, it's hard enough finding good RPers in text. Anyone who's played PnP games very much knows how hard it is to find good live action roleplayers. Not everyone is a good actor.

I am decidedly anti-voice chat and have often passed up guilds in other games because they required it even for raids and the like.

My wants:

To many to name really. Active and real NPCs, with schedules that move about. (Oblivion, omg yes please.) NPCs that don't feel like NPCs. But like people, people that talk to each other, people that have homes that they sleep in at night, favorite places to take their lunch and complex realationships both with other NPCs and with PCs.

Lots of items to interact with, placed in your home (SWG). Books... lots and LOTS of freaking books with the ability to write in them. I love keeping an in game journal. One of my favorite mods for Morrowind gave me the ability to write in my quest journal and even to take screenshots and add them into the pages. SO fun.

 

[Duraenos]

Being able to moderate animations belongs more in a sandbox game like Second Life really. But in the same note, I agree for having good RP features such as a wide variety of emotes and gestures. Things like housing and gathering places such as pubs, gardens and arenas can also be good RP tools. collectible decorating items like furntiure and hunting trophies also make good RP features and miscellaneous items like things that can be held like mugs, glasses, flowers, instruments, etc., could all be used to facilitate RP.

 

[Thaos Nightwind]

All items should have complete graphical representations, with the ability to interact with them in some way. That is, if you can hold it in your inventory, you can hold it in your hand.

I really like the sound of that.

 

[Vahsyl]

]

I really like the sound of that.

Agreed.

Nothing was worse than Vanguard. Videos and developers saying "If you can put it in your inventory, you can place it in your house!"

Awesome, right?

Yeah, everything was represented as a teacup in your house if it didn't have an actual graphic... which was... pretty much everything.

 

[Luciro]

There was a RPG on the PC I played some time ago, I remember that it was 3D and that's pretty much it. Regardless you had a home you could place just about any item you find in the game just out and about. What was really cool tho' all of the items also had a weapon-like ability. Loafs of bread could be used a 1h blunt items. Vase's could be thrown. It was pretty cool. I'd like to see that in a game, cuz I'd throw rusty weapons and what not. LoL

 

[Kuzzle]

About voice: It should be in, and the player base shouldn't ignore it. I hate how in PSU, there's voice chat, but only about 1/5 of the people use it. I mean, your XBOX 360 comes with a headset, people! OMG, die. :-L

If you want to ignore the feature, have there be a server for people that hate their voice. I, however, love mine. Or, well, I don't hate it enough to say "Please don't know what I sound like... :_|".

 

[HJ-Pinnelipe]

I don't think it's a matter of others hating their own voices, it's having to listen to other people who can't speak clearly enough to understand over a mic.

There's also the fact that it makes a lot of the game sounds need to be turned off just to listen to all the voice work, especially if there are children screaming in the same room as you..

Plus, you can't reread directions if you didn't catch it the first time. Bad hearing then comes into play.

Then, there's people like me who can't keep a headset's mic working for more than a few months of use.

Not to mention the problems of "immersion breaking". You can no longer just have that other character's voice just in your head, the person behind the character, or the software that edits the person's voice behind the character, breaks it. Yes, I consider speech bubbles more helpful for rp game play. Mostly the reasons I see for no voice are the one's before this one, though.

 

[Kuzzle]

I don't think it's a matter of others hating their own voices, it's having to listen to other people who can't speak clearly enough to understand over a mic.

There's also the fact that it makes a lot of the game sounds need to be turned off just to listen to all the voice work, especially if there are children screaming in the same room as you..

Plus, you can't reread directions if you didn't catch it the first time. Bad hearing then comes into play.

Then, there's people like me who can't keep a headset's mic working for more than a few months of use.

Not to mention the problems of "immersion breaking". You can no longer just have that other character's voice just in your head, the person behind the character, or the software that edits the person's voice behind the character, breaks it. Yes, I consider speech bubbles more helpful for rp game play. Mostly the reasons I see for no voice are the one's before this one, though.

You've given some valid reasons, but some of them apply to relatively few people. For instance, I rarely have trouble understanding people, unless of course they have either a lisp or a strong accent.

I don't understand why you'd need to turn off the game sounds, though. That would ruin it for me. I remember I had a class in 7th grade,(I don't remember what it was) where in one of the exercises, you had a person sitting on both sides of you, each telling a story. When the teacher called time, you had to recite both stories. I kicked ass at that.

I remember speech a lot better than text, but you do have a point there. Mostly just for "Left, right, center, down, right, up, left, squiggles" directions, though. "Turn left at the old oak tree and go until you reach the coast, then turn right and follow the coast until you reach the town"-type directions, though, shouldn't be much of a problem.

I can't hear a character's voice in my head. I hear my own, regardless of who's supposed to be speaking, unless I've heard that person speaking before. I say it helps RP, because it gives the characters recognizable voices. Say you wake up in a cave, and you hear someone speaking. In text, if you can't tell unless they tell you or you can see them. In voice, you have a chance of recognizing them. It just seems... better for me.

I can understand, however, that it just wouldn't work for some people. If the servers are divided up like I think they might be, there should be a "No Voice|PK" server, a "No Voice|RP" server, and a "No Voice|Not RP" server.