I'd like to share some of the new RPG ideas I've come up with for a game I'm workin on, currently.
As far as I know, someof these ideas have never been used in other games. If they have, please correct me!
Also, please note that I am constantly updating and editing this post, so if you are interested in its content, I would advise you to look back at it every few moments, when you are available.
In this "world" I'm creating, there are several races living together in this planet. They are disputing territory, resources, and all-- certainly, this is nothing new, but keep this idea in mind, as it will serve as a base for the next ideas.
Now, 1st thing I've come up with:
- Cities:
Cities would be scattered around the planet.
Each city can be controlled/conquered by a race, by , let's say, capturing the Church, the Castle and the Entrance gates of said city.
Also, (Thanks to Super Antx), the routes connecting each city will be a little more complex than the average RPG's "road system". By conquering a city, a player's route back home after a long day of deer-hunting could be deeply affected by the cities' current political preferences.
***Interesting concept SAX helped me to think about is NOT to have a direct route a player can follow to reach another city, but instead having a web of internconnect locations, allowing the player to choose which cities/locations he'd liek to pass through in order to reach his final destination. Adding city-conquest to this, a player would have to check how other cities are doing, otherwise he could pass through an arch-nemesis' town.. heheh!
The "other" rewards of doing so could be:
(2nd idea) - Economic Advantages:
Having conquered a city, the server could calculate how many cities this race has under control, and add small discounts at stores (say, a discout of [4 * cities]%), and also, maybe increase the array of available equipment the players can purchase at a store... - Gameplay Advantages:
As mentioned before, players would have a greater control of the map-- imagine having your own little hunting spot in the woods, where you fight your werewolves every now and then; then looking at your enemy, hunting rabbits at what is left of their hunting ground!
Also, resource gathering control could take place-- again, SAX helped me into shaping this. Look up Fable's resource gathering system; that is basically how the economy would work in the game.
(3rd idea)
Not taking city-conquest into consideration, a player could have his own reputation inside a city itself-- if you commonly visit a certain store, or perform actions that please the city's governemnt, you could get discounts for being the shopkeepers'/government's friend-- or you would be reject by the town for performing "bad" actions, concerning the same topics.
Also, if the topic above seems good, this could make it more "deep"/"valuable":
---Edited!---
Much like the first GTAs (PSX), where you could join 1 of several gangs, and influence others depending on your choices.
Thanks to Lummox for pointing a "big" problem out!
My explanation here was a little mishaped-- but it's better now.
Suppose you have 5 gangs, A,B,C,D,E.
If you decide to join A, your actions would shape the kind of relationship between you and the other letters. As in, each letter has a great ally, a good ally, a neutral relationship and an enemy-- having joined A, most of your "PvE Missions/Quests/Actions" would be, for example, be mainly focused on attacking the enemy gang, while supporting your allies; a great explanation is below.
Taken from Lummox's response,
With a circle from A to E, maybe groups closest to each other on the circle are most closely affiliated, but groups farther from each other hate each other the most. So A loves B and likes E, doesn't care for C and hates D. The two that are "forward" from A are a little better liked than the two that are "backward" from it, and then overall like/dislike stems mostly from proximity to A. This has the advantage of allowing for some mutual friendship and mutual enmity, while also allowing for more complex reactions.
Apply this case to several dozens of people, working under different gangs, and we might have somethin interesting there!
What do you guys think?
Thanks for reading!
~Gooseheaded
Or, you could go asymmetric. With a circle from A to E, maybe groups closest to each other on the circle are most closely affiliated, but groups farther from each other hate each other the most. So A loves B and likes E, doesn't care for C and hates D. The two that are "forward" from A are a little better liked than the two that are "backward" from it, and then overall like/dislike stems mostly from proximity to A. This has the advantage of allowing for some mutual friendship and mutual enmity, while also allowing for more complex reactions.
Lummox JR