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Sci-Fi MMORPG
MMOmaker
Member Posts: 77
Would anyone be interested in a sci-fi MMORPG that was set on an alien planet with no humans, only very strange non-humanoid alien creatures, some of them playable?
I'm a game developer and I have an idea on how to get that concept online relatively quickly. That's not just talk. I was the lead developer for the "Magic of the Gods" MMORPG so I have created an MMORPG before and know what is involved.
This idea is so different I wanted to get feedback from players at the very beginning.
Comments anyone?
Comments
What is cool in MMORPGs is that you usually can get some kind of "connection" with your character. It could be "fantasy" or very "sci-fi" (EVE) but you can still usually associate yourself with the character you are playing. In a "wouldnt it be cool if I really had magic powers" or "I wonder if we'll get spaceship like that, someday" way.
Now aliens? I dont know. It could be fun, but playing a MMORPG where my character is not even HUMAN? If theres lots of lore to back it up, and the world is really detailed... maybe. But I think thats a bit weird.
Not that weird actually. Just think of the aliens as mutants in a post-apocalypstic world. Your characters and mobs don't use armors, swords or laser guns, but use their abilities gained from mutations.
This idea isn't original though.
I purposefully pick non-human races when playing MMOs. In fact, one of the things that turned me off of AC was that they were all humans.
I think there is plenty of room for an MMO that lets us play tentacle monsters and blobs, though I suspect you will need at least one bi-pedal as so many seem to need that security blanket. Personally, I would LOVE to play something much less human.
I think if one race of aliens would have to have some type of humanistic look to them to offer that style to a person wishing to play it.
The problem with the MMO field is if it isn't the same genre or to far out for normal people than it becomes a niche game. The 2nd problem MMO players are a lot like metal music fans. Die hard till the band flops, becomes to popular, changes styles and they'll turn and walk away rather quickly and will dish it every chance they get.
In order to be original it's not the IP for me. It's the features and how they are implemented that game that make it original. WoW didn't become top dog cause it's IP was uber awesome. It was what the game offered.
You're going to need more than one humanoid avatar.
I would love to play a 6 legged spider creature or something, but there is a reason why every game has a human or something very close to a human. Before TBC, the Alliance greatly outnumbered the Horde on most servers. As it sits, the least used race in the game is Tauren, despite them having some of the best racial bonuses in the game and being the only horde to be a druid.
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Agreed. The IP helped, but the game was polished, stable (for an MMO), and heavy in content (six starting areas at launch).
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I'm not afraid of it being a niche game. This one couldn't really hope to be anything else.
Just from the response I'm getting so far, I'm considering dropping this idea and doing something else instead.
Yeah very good to try something else......NOT, I mean we can't expect to see something original, I mean let's stick to what we know, people want something different but when different is presented to them they want what they already know.
Personaly I wished developers or gamecompany's would take some more risk and not give up on new things, else we keep seeing the same old being wrapped in another skin.
And it's definitly a shame that a few reply's in this topic already changed your mind into trying something else.
Yeah very good to try something else......NOT, I mean we can't expect to see something original, I mean let's stick to what we know, people want something different but when different is presented to them they want what they already know.
Personaly I wished developers or gamecompany's would take some more risk and not give up on new things, else we keep seeing the same old being wrapped in another skin.
And it's definitly a shame that a few reply's in this topic already changed your mind into trying something else.
I agree. Screw the responses. Do it. Tremulous is one of the most popular FPSs out there. Look what one team plays as!
Dare to be different. Make it, we'll play it and decide then. Forget the haters. Make it, and make it good. I actually have a list of features I personally would love to see in an MMO if you need some player feedback.
Check out the MUD I'm making!
If done right, with a lot of customization to abilities(or even your physical traits, if you are a mutant), I think that it could be a lot of fun.
Heh, screw armor and do a spore type thing. You get addons instead of weapons and armor, if it's futuristic you could develop gear to make those addons better and have a very complex economy.
There are so many possibilities for so many genres, you just have to be creative. I still suggest having at least one humanoid type race though.
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Heh, screw armor and do a spore type thing. You get addons instead of weapons and armor, if it's futuristic you could develop gear to make those addons better and have a very complex economy.
There are so many possibilities for so many genres, you just have to be creative. I still suggest having at least one humanoid type race though.
If you do a spore like system, then you could make yourself humanoid, or a 10 legged spider-shark.
Aliens that live in the water, the trees, the sky and on the ground. Only by playing all of them could you unlock the secrets of the planet. Also, every player could take this path differently creating truly unique game play. An alien mystery planet. Sounds good to me!
Heh, screw armor and do a spore type thing. You get addons instead of weapons and armor, if it's futuristic you could develop gear to make those addons better and have a very complex economy.
There are so many possibilities for so many genres, you just have to be creative. I still suggest having at least one humanoid type race though.
If you do a spore like system, then you could make yourself humanoid, or a 10 legged spider-shark.
Yeah you could..... but I meant it more as a later thing rather than a beginning thing. As in, you addon to an existing race rather than build your race up from scratch. That's much more applicable in a MMORPG environment.
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You better have female aliens with humanoid torso and at least C cup boobs too.
Nobody will play a male or sexless blob.
If the game didn't have humans I don't tink I would be interested, for the same reason that I am not interested in playing EVE. I hear it's a great game, but I like to have a human or humanoid character. But that's me.
well i think its kinda nice but for my own opinion i still want to play mmo with human character involve. Cause i play some games which reflect my self too... If everyone is an alien i don't think i can play it
Actually if OP is thinking about doing a text based mmorpg, strange looking alien blobs with tentacles may be acceptable
But then I have seen a couple of sci-fi/post-apocalystic MUD just like that already.
Yeah very good to try something else......NOT, I mean we can't expect to see something original, I mean let's stick to what we know, people want something different but when different is presented to them they want what they already know.
Personaly I wished developers or gamecompany's would take some more risk and not give up on new things, else we keep seeing the same old being wrapped in another skin.
And it's definitly a shame that a few reply's in this topic already changed your mind into trying something else.
I agree. Screw the responses. Do it. Tremulous is one of the most popular FPSs out there. Look what one team plays as!
Dare to be different. Make it, we'll play it and decide then. Forget the haters. Make it, and make it good. I actually have a list of features I personally would love to see in an MMO if you need some player feedback.
I counted maybe 60 players in Tremulous. I checked one server and noticed 15 bots (who counted towards the player count.) So that's 45 players. "one of the most popular FPSs"?
I mean, I agree that doing a Marines vs. Aliens sort of MMORPG has a ton of potential. Tremulous nitpick aside, being unique and doing something well is a great way to set yourself apart from the crowd and be successful. But you do have to approach the problem intelligently because the criticism people are bringing up is exactly why you don't see more alien RPGs: people like to build an association with their characters.
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Yeah very good to try something else......NOT, I mean we can't expect to see something original, I mean let's stick to what we know, people want something different but when different is presented to them they want what they already know.
Personaly I wished developers or gamecompany's would take some more risk and not give up on new things, else we keep seeing the same old being wrapped in another skin.
And it's definitly a shame that a few reply's in this topic already changed your mind into trying something else.
I agree. Screw the responses. Do it. Tremulous is one of the most popular FPSs out there. Look what one team plays as!
Dare to be different. Make it, we'll play it and decide then. Forget the haters. Make it, and make it good. I actually have a list of features I personally would love to see in an MMO if you need some player feedback.
Even if I do give up on this particular game idea, that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on new things entirely. Whatever game I do next, it will probably be very different from everything else out there. This isn't the only game idea I've got.
As for your list of features, feel free to post them if you want to give me your ideas. Just don't try to claim they're proprietary later.
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I did create a text-based MMORPG. It's called "Nations and Empires". Another idea I have is to make a new, more automated version of Nations and Empires. It could be written in PHP fairly easily.
That's another topic I'd like feedback on actually. Is there any interest here in an extremely realistic text based strategy game set in a low-tech world that is not Earth, but is inhabited by humans (the reason why is one of the mysteries of the game.) Players would control provinces of a corrupt and dying empire with the option to have their province declare independence and attempt to become a separate country. Other players could control other countries, barbarian tribes, etc.
What I'm trying to do here is come up with a game idea that is relatively simple to create, but would generate some revenue that could be used to finance a more ambitious project. The problems with that one are that I have doubts about whether anyone would pay to play a text-based strategy game.