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what if there was a mmorpg with no npcs.

BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393
What would that be like, if everything that moved and was in game was controlled by a real player? You want to be a cat out in the wilderness have at it, you want to be a merchant, go for it, need a warrior log in as one, want to wreak havoc questions up as a world boss. What would a game like this be like? Do you think it could work?
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Comments

  • SoloAnythingSoloAnything Member UncommonPosts: 308
    I never played myself but I'm told planetside 2 has no npc.
  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342


    Originally posted by Battlerock

    What would a game like this be like? Do you think it could work?

    1) Stupid.
    2) No.

  • BoneserinoBoneserino Member UncommonPosts: 1,768
    I am going to guess.... full of asshats.

    FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!

  • BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393
    Ps2- sort of does - where you buy weapons and vehicles .... I was thinking all aspects must be player controllled.


    Asshat- are in every game - it would be a community effort to define the culture not just of this game , but any game.
  • iixviiiixiixviiiix Member RarePosts: 2,256

    By NPCs , you mean no AI enemy (they are NPCs) , and only natural resources like rocks and trees ?

     

  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,273
    Players are more important than NPCS. PS is not a MMO, its a MMOFPS. With that format no npcs is fine, not sure it would work in a traditional MMO format though.
  • BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393
    Originally posted by iixviiiix

    By NPCs , you mean no AI enemy (they are NPCs) , and only natural resources like rocks and trees ? 

     

    yes no ai enemy or ally or nuetral, resources like rocks and trees will of course remain as in game items, I can't think of any reason one would want to be a rock or tree
  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 4,036


    Originally posted by Battlerock

    Asshat- are in every game - it would be a community effort to define the culture not just of this game , but any game.

    Yeah, and if asshats are the dominant community in the game then the game culture would be defined by the asshats.


    So, all it would take is some large guild like Something Awful to come in, take over the game and basically ruin it.


    An MMO with no NPCs at all would definitely be a really small niche so it wouldnt take much to destroy it.

  • kishekishe Member UncommonPosts: 2,012
    No NPCs are one of the reasons Asherons Call 2 died a horrible death.
  • DaikuruDaikuru Member RarePosts: 797
    not a bad idea in theory, i would like it if you could get really strong and become a raidboss or something like that, but i think a game like that wouldnt work out.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

    - Albert Einstein


  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332

    I could handle no NPC's but imo would make for a lesser game world with absolutely no LORE.The point of playing as a Boss no i wouldn't want that in game.

    However thinking about FFXi ,you can play as the creatures in game,so i think it would actually be interesting if you could level up as a creature but then players are fair game to attack you only while you are a creature.Hmmm now that i think about it,if you perhaps leveled up to the highest level as a particular creature,say an Orc then perhaps you could have a system to be able to level up as a Boss,however again players would be allowed to kill you and get from that loot table.

    It would definitely be an interesting take on gaming.

     

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441

    No NPCs is not really a problem in some games, but no mobs either require a rather specific game.

    A war based MMOFPS would work excellent with no NPCs, they are usually playing POWs and innocent bystanders there anyways.

    That is however mainly modern war (say from the 30th year war and forward and even there some NPCs as peasants and such would be good). In a historical or fantasy MMO most players either want o play "hero" or "villain", some don't mind playing crafters but very few would like to play serfs.

    If you want to make a living world everybody can't be sword wielding heroes and villians that maybe farm a little at the side. Of course you can easily have very little interactions with the NPCs that you see in the background mucking the fields but they should still be there.

    Mobs are actually less important but having some minions that guard your place when the guild is offline still isn't a bad idea or your huge castle could be conquered by a single player during off timne hours.

    But for say a WW1 MMO it would work fine.

  • BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393
    Originally posted by Loke666

    No NPCs is not really a problem in some games, but no mobs either require a rather specific game.A war based MMOFPS would work excellent with no NPCs, they are usually playing POWs and innocent bystanders there anyways.That is however mainly modern war (say from the 30th year war and forward and even there some NPCs as peasants and such would be good). In a historical or fantasy MMO most players either want o play "hero" or "villain", some don't mind playing crafters but very few would like to play serfs.If you want to make a living world everybody can't be sword wielding heroes and villians that maybe farm a little at the side. Of course you can easily have very little interactions with the NPCs that you see in the background mucking the fields but they should still be there.Mobs are actually less important but having some minions that guard your place when the guild is offline still isn't a bad idea or your huge castle could be conquered by a single player during off timne hours.But for say a WW1 MMO it would work fine.

     

    I think it would be interesting to see in fantasy, Sci fi, shooters, all types because it puts the role play into the games - it basically infuses the players to role play to some extent, it sets the frame of mind. I actually think a shooter would be the hardest to make interesting since there are already many with little to no npc. Relevance.
  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by Battlerock
    What would that be like, if everything that moved and was in game was controlled by a real player? You want to be a cat out in the wilderness have at it, you want to be a merchant, go for it, need a warrior log in as one, want to wreak havoc questions up as a world boss. What would a game like this be like? Do you think it could work?

    It wouldn't.

    Few people will bother, and you have will an empty boring land.

  • BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393
    Originally posted by nariusseldon

    Originally posted by Battlerock
    What would that be like, if everything that moved and was in game was controlled by a real player? You want to be a cat out in the wilderness have at it, you want to be a merchant, go for it, need a warrior log in as one, want to wreak havoc questions up as a world boss. What would a game like this be like? Do you think it could work?

    It wouldn't.

    Few people will bother, and you have will an empty boring land.

     

    There would need to be well thought out incentives too, why would I populate a game as a random animal for example, because it's fun? Does it help me ? I might que as a merchant because i need to make gold and as the only merchant in game, 10% of all sales go right in my wallet, I would call that incentive to me the merchant, at least long enough to make some coin.... maybe i got ganked by a rival faction - i cant take them on myself , or can i ? I que up as a firebreathing world boss dragon or purchase the option to do so.... then i just fly my big dragon but ovef to thier city and torch the olace until they rise up and defeat me.
  • Adjuvant1Adjuvant1 Member RarePosts: 2,100
    With no npc, you're reeeeaallllyy leaning on the player base to formulate story and motivation. It already works for niche games, especially fps/team fps. Some games have npcs for a development stage, but the meat of the game is the world pvp. You should probably investigate how well those games do, how and why, and get back to us.
  • Sorry, OP. A game like this can't work anymore. Maybe 15 years ago it could have. Unfortunately, the mmorpg genre has become too widespread and the anonymity attracts the worst kinds of people. 
  • BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393
    Originally posted by jonesing22

    Sorry, OP. A game like thip work anymore. Maybe 15 years ago it could have. Unfortunately, the mmorpg genre has become too widespread and the anonymity attracts the worst kinds of people. 

     

    OK - what if you did this ...... what if you took dayz and made the zombies be real players
  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by Battlerock
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Battlerock
    What would that be like, if everything that moved and was in game was controlled by a real player? You want to be a cat out in the wilderness have at it, you want to be a merchant, go for it, need a warrior log in as one, want to wreak havoc questions up as a world boss. What would a game like this be like? Do you think it could work?

    It wouldn't.

    Few people will bother, and you have will an empty boring land.

     

    There would need to be well thought out incentives too, why would I populate a game as a random animal for example, because it's fun? Does it help me ? I might que as a merchant because i need to make gold and as the only merchant in game, 10% of all sales go right in my wallet, I would call that incentive to me the merchant, at least long enough to make some coin.... maybe i got ganked by a rival faction - i cant take them on myself , or can i ? I que up as a firebreathing world boss dragon or purchase the option to do so.... then i just fly my big dragon but ovef to thier city and torch the olace until they rise up and defeat me.

     

    Does not matter. Many players just want to pop into a game, do some combat and has fun. Asking them to think about being incentives of being cats, or standing around selling stuff is just futile.

    Personally i won't touch it with a ten foot pole, but more power if you can convince enough people to play such a game.

  • BoneserinoBoneserino Member UncommonPosts: 1,768
    Originally posted by Battlerock
    Ps2- sort of does - where you buy weapons and vehicles .... I was thinking all aspects must be player controllled. Asshat- are in every game - it would be a community effort to define the culture not just of this game , but any game.

    No

    I said full.    Big difference.

    FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!

  • Adjuvant1Adjuvant1 Member RarePosts: 2,100

    You know, people were asking this sort of thing years ago with, "what would an mmo without combat be like". Then we got Second Life, which is basically social media in a persistent world construct, and for what it is, it has worked pretty well, even to the point of people paying each other real USD for being their architects and interior designers.

    I think it's alot like that. Instead of as much a game as the devs have made, players makes the "game". So, yeh, you'd have to create a format suitable for such activity.

  • DistopiaDistopia Member EpicPosts: 21,183
    This idea would only be interesting IMO if it was adopted by true RPers. Anything else would most likely be a no mans land of ganking and asshatery.

    For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson


  • rojoArcueidrojoArcueid Member EpicPosts: 10,722
    install > log in > find no npc > log out > uninstall




  • iixviiiixiixviiiix Member RarePosts: 2,256
    work well on RTS , but not RPG .
  • TotoyDonutTotoyDonut Member Posts: 29

    If there are no NPCs, who will guide you on your quests? XD Who will give you rewards and items. Where can you buy pots, the beginner equipments, where can you manage your treasury?

    Oh, I forgot, The only thing i want to say is "F*CK THAT GAME IF THERE WILL BE LIKE THAT!"

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