Enhanced physical interactions with the gameworld

Okay, okay, so how many of my posts start with 'Okay, okay'?

Okay, okay, I know its been ages since my last post.  (How many start like that?)

Okay, okay, sorry but this blog has become less about pure P&P, and more about game design in general.  As this next post concerns MMOs not over-the-table shenanigans.  How many more posts are like that?

Well, the above are purely rhetorical questions of course.  Stuff your answers.  I'm trying to run a business and this eats into my recreational blog time.  I have also threatened repeatedly to start a blog purely about MMO design, which I will no doubt do at some point, but right now I barely have enough spare thought for one recreational blog let alone two, or three or four (as I'd ideally start blogs for MMO's; sandbox action/adventures; FPS etc. etc.).  Seriously, I intend to do this in the future.  I intend to launch a mother-of-all game design blogs and break it into sub-blogs covering design parameters / initiatives anent my favourite genres. I may even be so arrogant as to call it the The series... i.e. The MMO, The FPS... etc. etc.  And it will be about lessons learnt in respective game design re those genres, with notable examples.  And also about evolving genres, improving gameplay, etc. etc.  But all that's going to have to wait, I have a business to run.

So I'll keep this short and sweet.

I've been playing Rift recently.  I like it.  It's like WoW but better.  It's a good distraction from the trials and tribulations of reality (a little too good at times, exerts quite a pull, like the gravity well of a collapsing super-giant).  Anyway, enough to say it is still HEAVILY FLAWED.

As I have mentioned previously I believe (at least I've said it in my head enough times) that a major evolution in MMO game design would be enhanced physical interactions with the game world.

It is not enough to roll out the same tired old formats.  And there are a few directions that need to be followed before we see a serious evolution in the MMO genre.

Firstly, take a lead from Shadow of the Colossus - if you're going to portray massive monsters, make players hacking away at their ankles futile (unless you want to pay homage to Achilles).

Secondly, get some real physics in there.  Even if you have to compartmentalise the world - instance it - in order to cut down on the processing power.  But provide real physics and real interactions with the physical world.  Which segues nicely on to...

Thirdly, let players dextrous enough, with light enough gear (cloth or leather in typical Fantasy MMOs) climb up structures, cliffs, buildings... and enter into skylights, chimneys, holes cannons have made, whatever.  I'm fed up with my 68th level rogue with 3000 agility being unable to scamper about on rooftops or evade capture by taking 'The Thieves' Highway'.

With such enhancements to the physical interactions of the game world we provide for situations like: throwing enemies off of tall buildings / cliffs / ledges.  Many fantasy MMOs have spells and abilities with a 'knock-back' function, and I hate it - HATE IT! - when they cannot be used to send an enemy off a cliff - or similar high castle.

I appreciate some of the mechanics and gameplay behind the reasons why - but largely don't agree with them.  If you as a player mistakenly send an enemy over a ledge into a volcano where they are consumed by lava and are thus unable to retrieve the object you wanted for a quest (which they had on their person, and took to their fiery grave) then you're an idiot.  And you fail the quest.  Simple as that.

When my 68th level rogue with 3000 agility is confronted by a rocky cliff of seventy degrees (which is actually a barrier between zones) I should be able to climb the damn thing!  It makes no sense that I can't.  There are other ways to inhibit or prohibit journeys which don't break down the verisimilitude of the gameworld.  How would I do it?  Let the character climb the cliff if they have dexterity and gear suitable for climbing.  But if you don't want them to succeed - or rather you want to make it very, very hard - have the cliff be home to some terrible flying beasts which will literally pluck the player from the cliff face and fly off with them, dropping them in a nest of ravenous hatchlings!  And that's just off the top of my head.  How cool would that be in a game?  To have your character a) unable to fight (or severely impaired and limited to weapon types) when climbing - perhaps just short one-handed weapons like knives, and they must remain static whilst doing so... and b) have monsters which are literally capable of picking them up and flying off with them!

Water rarely holds much of a threat for players (despite a minor breath issue).  Yet in real life water is a potentially terrifying place because you can drown, you can tossed around by currents, and its home to myriad things that are far more agile and dangerous in water than you are.  Capturing this kind of reality - or at least moving closer toward it in an MMO - is a must-have step toward inducing fear and tension and thus creating a sublime gaming experience that far outstrips that which is currently available.

This post has been brought to you IMHO.