This idea is probably part of a larger crafting concept for my noir mmo.
I was thinking that the Merchant Class could have an option to be a crafting-only class.
So people who don't want to be involved in combat but enjoy making and selling stuff could be an integral part of the universe. The option to do missions that involve combat would be open but not required. I have no idea how difficult it would be to do this. Extremely difficult, I would guess.
Of course the Merchant who wants a little more excitement could ease into the dark side and participate in the Blackmarket. This would require combat of course...;)
Hey, those n00bz aren't gonna pwn themselves, as they say.
Showing posts with label elements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elements. Show all posts
7/11/08
Out of the Past
Ha! You thought I was going to talk about the cool Robert Mitchum film from 1947, didn't you? Well, actually I just have, so you'd be right I guess.
However, in my noir mmo (just like in this and numerous other cool-azz films) the past always catches up to you.
How would this work?
Here's what I'm thinking:
At some pre-determined level (say level 40/80), a person from your past suddenly shows up and of course has something on you. Depending on how you've played the game so far (on a scale of coldblooded vs. sweetheart) determines how the next series of missions is constructed. For instance, you've chosen to play a Mob character and your mother shows up @ lvl 40 and you've been a sweetheart. She may be like Tony Soprano's mother and demand you to kill everyone at X location. Say you've been a coldblooded murdering fiend, when your mother shows up she only wants 1 guy roughed up a little, and you can't kill anyone at X location.
Who shows up could also be a random roll. As a Mob character there would be 3 possible persons from Out of the Past; your Ex-girlfriend Janice, your mother Eunice, or Tommy 2-Tone, an ex-business partner.
If you were playing a different race, it would be 3 other possible folks from your emerging back story.
All of this hinges on the 1 absolute fact about Los Angeles: Nobody is born here.
So everyone starts the game by getting off the bus in L.A. (or whatever the city name will be). But there is no better name for Los Angeles than Los Angeles.
However, in my noir mmo (just like in this and numerous other cool-azz films) the past always catches up to you.
How would this work?
Here's what I'm thinking:
At some pre-determined level (say level 40/80), a person from your past suddenly shows up and of course has something on you. Depending on how you've played the game so far (on a scale of coldblooded vs. sweetheart) determines how the next series of missions is constructed. For instance, you've chosen to play a Mob character and your mother shows up @ lvl 40 and you've been a sweetheart. She may be like Tony Soprano's mother and demand you to kill everyone at X location. Say you've been a coldblooded murdering fiend, when your mother shows up she only wants 1 guy roughed up a little, and you can't kill anyone at X location.
Who shows up could also be a random roll. As a Mob character there would be 3 possible persons from Out of the Past; your Ex-girlfriend Janice, your mother Eunice, or Tommy 2-Tone, an ex-business partner.
If you were playing a different race, it would be 3 other possible folks from your emerging back story.
All of this hinges on the 1 absolute fact about Los Angeles: Nobody is born here.
So everyone starts the game by getting off the bus in L.A. (or whatever the city name will be). But there is no better name for Los Angeles than Los Angeles.
5/27/08
The Diplomatic Route
Granted this blog is a real scatter-shot way to design a game, but really it's for me to look back and see what i was thinking. I'm saying that basically I'm not doing this for you. lol? ok, whatever.
But one thing I really liked about the now NMMO (not massive multi-player online) game Vanguard, was the Diplomacy mini game. Granted it was done with cards (kinda lame) but the concept of including the tactical art of diplomacy is a good idea. And I think it should be in my noir mmo.
You could try to convince me otherwise, but you would need +5 speechcraft.
But one thing I really liked about the now NMMO (not massive multi-player online) game Vanguard, was the Diplomacy mini game. Granted it was done with cards (kinda lame) but the concept of including the tactical art of diplomacy is a good idea. And I think it should be in my noir mmo.
You could try to convince me otherwise, but you would need +5 speechcraft.
Nouns and Verbs
So how would our items and actions be implemented in my noir mmo?
Lets start with items:
Clearly we would need to plumb the depths of 30's & 40's fashion which many have to make movies like L.A. Confidential, etc.
There would be Fedoras, Dungarees, Overalls, Pinafores, Jumpers, Cami Knickers, Mackintosh, Frocks, etc...
As well as various shoes and boots ... Jackets, and Formal wear.
But here's a cool thing: People in the 30's bought "Patterns" for clothes (my dad actually made us winter jackets from these patterns while we were living in Alaska), which are rice paper-like thin sheets with dotted lines detailing where the fabric should be stitched, and little marks for inserting pins.
This continued into the 40's because of war rationing. Unlike today (despite being in a war), people were encouraged to repair their clothing, not continue to spend freely.
Now we've got Tailoring as an historically apropos profession, and one that spans the 2 decades.
These Patterns ("recipes" in WoW) can be bought and sold, learned by tailors, etc.
But I think it would be cool to have non-tailors be able to learn low-level patterns not unlike how the "First-Aid, Cooking, and Fishing" professions are implemented in WoW.
Tailors, on the other hand, could em beau their creations with added benefit to the wearer: Shoes with increased Speed, Fedora with increased Diplomacy, Overcoat with added intimidation.
Other items would of course include weapons.
Pistols: Derringers, old Peacemakers, pocket model Smith & Wesson .22, and many more...
Shotgun: yes, they had sawed-off shotguns then, and lighter models like the 4-10.
Rifles: Remington, Winchester, etc.
So Gun-smith should be a playable profession.
But here's where it could get real interesting: In the war years, people often remember seeing trucks loaded with anti-aircraft guns and other large-caliber stationary munitions traveling through town.
I can picture a mob related mission to steal one of these things and use it to take out a rival's hide-out, or yacht...
Other items: books, magazines, newspapers, cigars, cigarettes, pocket-watches, monocles, wrist watches, rings, suspenders, cuff links, ties, eye glasses. And each of these things can be "enchanted" to boost a players abilities.
Other thoughts?
Lets start with items:
Clearly we would need to plumb the depths of 30's & 40's fashion which many have to make movies like L.A. Confidential, etc.
There would be Fedoras, Dungarees, Overalls, Pinafores, Jumpers, Cami Knickers, Mackintosh, Frocks, etc...
As well as various shoes and boots ... Jackets, and Formal wear.
But here's a cool thing: People in the 30's bought "Patterns" for clothes (my dad actually made us winter jackets from these patterns while we were living in Alaska), which are rice paper-like thin sheets with dotted lines detailing where the fabric should be stitched, and little marks for inserting pins.
This continued into the 40's because of war rationing. Unlike today (despite being in a war), people were encouraged to repair their clothing, not continue to spend freely.
Now we've got Tailoring as an historically apropos profession, and one that spans the 2 decades.
These Patterns ("recipes" in WoW) can be bought and sold, learned by tailors, etc.
But I think it would be cool to have non-tailors be able to learn low-level patterns not unlike how the "First-Aid, Cooking, and Fishing" professions are implemented in WoW.
Tailors, on the other hand, could em beau their creations with added benefit to the wearer: Shoes with increased Speed, Fedora with increased Diplomacy, Overcoat with added intimidation.
Other items would of course include weapons.
Pistols: Derringers, old Peacemakers, pocket model Smith & Wesson .22, and many more...
Shotgun: yes, they had sawed-off shotguns then, and lighter models like the 4-10.
Rifles: Remington, Winchester, etc.
So Gun-smith should be a playable profession.
But here's where it could get real interesting: In the war years, people often remember seeing trucks loaded with anti-aircraft guns and other large-caliber stationary munitions traveling through town.
I can picture a mob related mission to steal one of these things and use it to take out a rival's hide-out, or yacht...
Other items: books, magazines, newspapers, cigars, cigarettes, pocket-watches, monocles, wrist watches, rings, suspenders, cuff links, ties, eye glasses. And each of these things can be "enchanted" to boost a players abilities.
Other thoughts?
5/22/08
Whether to weather the storm
GTA IV has incredible weather.
I'm sure WoW has better weather then what can run on my system...
Today here in CA there was a tornado, rain, and lightning ... and it made me think about how weather has played a role in movies... BESIDES the crappy love stories at the end of the 2nd act when she leaves to go back to her old tobacco-chewing boyfriend who doesn't really love her....
See in old detective movies there might be a little rain when we're supposed to be puzzled... like we're a little out of our element or caught off-guard (or as an excuse to share a paper cup of rye with the hot bookseller chick across the street - who looks great with glasses too - while staking out the underground stag shop).
All this to say, there should be hot bookseller chicks in my noir MMO.
I'm sure WoW has better weather then what can run on my system...
Today here in CA there was a tornado, rain, and lightning ... and it made me think about how weather has played a role in movies... BESIDES the crappy love stories at the end of the 2nd act when she leaves to go back to her old tobacco-chewing boyfriend who doesn't really love her....
See in old detective movies there might be a little rain when we're supposed to be puzzled... like we're a little out of our element or caught off-guard (or as an excuse to share a paper cup of rye with the hot bookseller chick across the street - who looks great with glasses too - while staking out the underground stag shop).
All this to say, there should be hot bookseller chicks in my noir MMO.
5/20/08
The Race Card
Possible Races in My Noir MMO:
Black
White
Chinese
Hispanic
American Indian
Armenian
So the touchiest subject could be race. Here's why:
You can make an orc be stronger than an elf because neither exist, and there won't be an offended party.
But you do an MMORPG with real races...what do you do?
Chinese get a +3 agility?
Blacks get +3 badassery?
Whites a +3 winning smile?
It's a real problem, especially because if realism is what you're going for, you failed because Chinese people aren't genetically more agile than American Indians, etc...
So you start everybody at the same ability level.
Ok.
Maybe you gain abilities depending on your play style. Is this possible? If you're a "bust down the door & start shooting" kind of player, your stats build more strength and stamina, and if you're a "sneak around back & cold-cock 'em" type player, your stats build agility, subtlety... that could be cool.
One of the cool things you can do in Star Wars Galaxies is become mayor of a player-created city.
I love that idea, but in America in the 1940's it was pretty damn rare (if it happened at all) that a black man (not to mention woman) could be mayor of a huge city like LA.
Should the game be adjusted to be fair?
Or do we make a mature-rated MMO?
Those don't seem to fly too well.
Black
White
Chinese
Hispanic
American Indian
Armenian
So the touchiest subject could be race. Here's why:
You can make an orc be stronger than an elf because neither exist, and there won't be an offended party.
But you do an MMORPG with real races...what do you do?
Chinese get a +3 agility?
Blacks get +3 badassery?
Whites a +3 winning smile?
It's a real problem, especially because if realism is what you're going for, you failed because Chinese people aren't genetically more agile than American Indians, etc...
So you start everybody at the same ability level.
Ok.
Maybe you gain abilities depending on your play style. Is this possible? If you're a "bust down the door & start shooting" kind of player, your stats build more strength and stamina, and if you're a "sneak around back & cold-cock 'em" type player, your stats build agility, subtlety... that could be cool.
One of the cool things you can do in Star Wars Galaxies is become mayor of a player-created city.
I love that idea, but in America in the 1940's it was pretty damn rare (if it happened at all) that a black man (not to mention woman) could be mayor of a huge city like LA.
Should the game be adjusted to be fair?
Or do we make a mature-rated MMO?
Those don't seem to fly too well.
A Touch of Class
Choosing a "Class" in an MMO seems like the 2nd most psychological decision the player makes. The first is "Race". I want to talk about class first, because race gets a little dicey when we're talking about the 1930's and 40's in America. How much realism do you really want, right?
Ok so the classes in My Noir MMO could very well be:
Detective (of course)
-Private
-Pinkerton
-Police (Ranked)
Street
Patrol
Detective
Deputy DA, etc.
-Mob (Ranked)
Errand Boy/Girl—the Don
-Merchant (Ranked)
Street—Large Corp manager
- Movie personnel (Ranked)
Key grip—Mogul
-Newspaper Personnel (Ranked)
Paperboy/girl—Editor
etc...
Or maybe these are just professions one can choose and there is another "Class" distinction....
I don't know.
Ok so the classes in My Noir MMO could very well be:
Detective (of course)
-Private
-Pinkerton
-Police (Ranked)
Street
Patrol
Detective
Deputy DA, etc.
-Mob (Ranked)
Errand Boy/Girl—the Don
-Merchant (Ranked)
Street—Large Corp manager
- Movie personnel (Ranked)
Key grip—Mogul
-Newspaper Personnel (Ranked)
Paperboy/girl—Editor
etc...
Or maybe these are just professions one can choose and there is another "Class" distinction....
I don't know.
Let me count the ways...
I was thinking of doing a "it's like WoW, but..." section, but rather than get too involved, I'll just list a couple of things I like about WoW:
- talent system
- detailed lore
- balanced leveling system
- tongue-in-cheek approach
- limited professions
probably much more....
I think these could translate to the Noir universe quite easily.
* I should be clear: I don't have any technical programming knowledge, so when I say something stupid like "this could be done easily", I only mean conceptually. I can't even fathom the immense amount of work Blizzard coded...just so we're on the same page.
Limiting aspects of WoW:
- very limited customization
- no residence ownership
- Very little creative input from players (recipes are static and cannot be altered). For example, even if you have the recipe for "Blue Linen Shirt" which calls for linen cloth, course thread and blue dye, you cannot make a "Red Linen Shirt" by simply buying red dye. You have to have the recipe for "Red Linen Shirt". A little more experimentation would instill greater ownership.
btw, low level stealth for the rogue class sucks.
- talent system
- detailed lore
- balanced leveling system
- tongue-in-cheek approach
- limited professions
probably much more....
I think these could translate to the Noir universe quite easily.
* I should be clear: I don't have any technical programming knowledge, so when I say something stupid like "this could be done easily", I only mean conceptually. I can't even fathom the immense amount of work Blizzard coded...just so we're on the same page.
Limiting aspects of WoW:
- very limited customization
- no residence ownership
- Very little creative input from players (recipes are static and cannot be altered). For example, even if you have the recipe for "Blue Linen Shirt" which calls for linen cloth, course thread and blue dye, you cannot make a "Red Linen Shirt" by simply buying red dye. You have to have the recipe for "Red Linen Shirt". A little more experimentation would instill greater ownership.
btw, low level stealth for the rogue class sucks.
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