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Sooo... The Future for MMO's? - 5 Things you would like to see...
Breezeycouk
Member Posts: 82
I've been reading a lot of posts about the current state of the MMO universe.
F2P / Cash shops are bad and make games unfair / unbalanced
Publishers are squeezing devs to rush out poor IP implementations or clones
WoW is killing the industry as everyone trys to be a ME2 and KOTOR hype is killing anything else.
Instances are bad - Sandbox good ......
I don't know if any dev's or pubs read these forums but here is an open channel for people to say what they want to see in a MMO that will allow them to feel confident that they will "invest" time and energy / subs money to keep said game going so maybe devs don't need to be leant on by the pubs and allow them to release a game that people want to play.
It will be interesting to see which lines people take as this is a open question and I can see opinion falling a couple of ways.
Please read this next bit carefully as some people aren't seeing this...
To keep it tight please don't post game titles (I like the way game X did such and such) and I'm thinking to limit it to 5 things that you really wanna see. (We all know we want stable servers, good graphics etc etc.)
THIS IS NOT A FLAME FORUM OR A CRITIC FORUM OR WELL - YOU COULD BE RIGHT BUT YOU COULD BE WRONG FORUM - JUST A CHANCE FOR PLAYERS TO LIST 5 THINGS THEY WANT TO SEE IN A MMO.
THAT'S 5 THINGS PEOPLE - NOT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MY POST OR ANYONE ELSE POST - JUST 5 THINGS YOU WANT TO SEE...
5
So to open up:
1. Sandbox
2. Missions that mean something - I go here - I kill bad boss - He doesn't respawn or You ask me to save something and then my friend IM's me to ask for my help to do the same mission... (I know this is dificult but can't someone design a intelligent spawn engine that resets locations / names of enemies or promotes others...) The same goes with area grabs - If I / We beat off an attack from Something / Someone then give us some terriority for new exploration / bonuses etc or if someone comes in and kills our bosses then they are dead until we elect new ones.... This goes for instances too..
(How much of a bummer would that be to spend an evening on a quest and come back and find your quest giver dead ???)
3. Permadeath - If I F**k up enough to die then I should feel some pain for that - It would slow down people and make them think.
4. Game stability / longeivity - Don't change it drasitcally half way through on knee jerk or allow people to level up in a matter of weeks - give serious thought to the dev program / releases / new features. - A sea and people with no boats is a great way to stop people doing crazy stuff in new lands - although you could also build in the Aztec / Spanish thing - Great - Loads of gold but then everyone dies as they have no resistance to European disease....
5. Stop the Gold / EXP / Credit sellers & super levelers - Just stop em dead like a virus - You must see their ingame messages / mails.
Lets see what everyone else thinks...
(Edited as people can't see to get the point of this thread...)
Comments
The future will be more mmos on consoles and more linear dumbed-down content so the masses can play. Glad I got an education just so I can play grammar school grade 5 mentality mmos!
So this is your chance to question this...
Please people - Just give 5 things you would like to see in a MMO not to rant about anything else.
Yes, because education isn't used for real things, like jobs, right? =P.
No, seriously. Please don't de-rail this topic with your hate propaganda. It isn't necessary and does nothing but create dissension among the community.
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
1. There is no reason you can't ad sandbox elements to a themepark game. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
2. Changing the names of Mobs spawns doesn't accomplish anything. Kill 10 x is still Kill 10x or kill 1x, even if you call it Y. You want to change the world. Killing the dragon changes the world if the dragon no longer is attacking the peasants. Killing the Dragon A, and next time killing the Dragon B, and then C, and then D, doesn't change anything.
3. No. Perma death doesn't work. Period. Players already have to grind the same content with alts. Perma death means a game so boring, it's unplayable.
4. Agree. Don't ask players to buy and subscribe to one game, then change it on them into something else entirely.
5. Agree. Gold selling is cheating. Stop cheaters.
as for me i can live with dungeon instance phaze or whatever they want to call them!on one condition tho
minimum cap per side on any dungeon as to be lot of player .whats a good number !beats me i ll hazard a guess here since we all know aika and bunch of other aim to support 1000 vs 1000 player
i think this is a fair bar !but lets lower it to eve online since the max this sand box can bring in (at least tested might be more in reality!)eve had 1700 player in jita so that means around 850 per side i can live with that number in an instance
but 25 player average come on that is ridiculous!even wow supposed mmo (i cal it an mo because that what it is
only have one place they can fit 350 player in an instance its wintergrasp and sand box forget it athene tried it many in wow we went in with 4000 player (from the stream prob was more in the game!)
crashed server
tried it less annouced server still crashed the fact is sand box take humongous ressource ence the instance idea but instance today with 5 to 25 player in there beurk sorry but im out!
so as mmo goes i dont believe the futur is very bright !but if you change the topic to mo instead of mmo(mo=multiplayer online,mmo=massive multiplayer online big diff.
then with the wording mo that futur is very bright every game is going mo every one of them!
aika,eve and probably other are the only true mmo most of the other upcoming title are just plain mo (same as wow)
Yes, because education isn't used for real things, like jobs, right? =P.
No, seriously. Please don't de-rail this topic with your hate propaganda. It isn't necessary and does nothing but create dissension among the community.
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
It isn't hate propaganda. Its making the point that players are not dumb, we get older, hopefully smarter and we can handle more challenging mmos. We don't stay at age 5 forever! As far as the op stating about a sandbox, just look how many people played SWG and I think thats the most you'll ever see for a sandbox mmo.
The future will consist of disgruntled MMO "veterans" complaining on forums.
You crazy kids, GET OUTTA MY GENRE!
And dammit, STOP HAVING FUN!
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
one of this years, posters in MMORPG.com will understand that sandbox games are the past, not the future.
Well, since the title is slightly misleading, I'll answer by saying that I think the future of MMOs lies in themepark-sandbox hybrids, which should at least partly satiate the rabid vets who want the WoW/EQ noodles out of what used to be the UO/SWG soup.
If the thread were entitled "So... What Do You Want to See in Future MMOs?" (hint, hint), I'd answer:
1) No levels. This is sandbox's greatest strength; horizontal progression rather than vertical.
2) Dev-fostered player interaction, such as a dynamic economy. Players can do all sorts of things, but only if the devs give them tools. I'm not against things like Auction Houses, as long as there are other services that can be performed only by players (for example, you can buy your new sword in the Auction House, but you need another player to enhance it). The economy would be stimulated by mostly non-PvP means. Yep, you heard it right. I don't want FFA PvP in my MMO. Faction vs. Faction or Guild vs. Guild PvP, with limited player looting and item degradation, would be more like it. Players would get resources from the environment, either through harvesting or killing PvE mobs, rather than running up behind a noob with an inventory full of ore, stabbing him, looting him, and snorting maniacally the entire time.
3) Shifting territorial control. I always liked this feature because of DAoC. You take it, you keep it. Obviously, this would apply to PvP.
4) Good graphics. Hey, I know gameplay > graphics, but it doesn't hurt if the game looks good. Fortunately, bad graphics don't seem to be much of a problem anymore. The game would have to run smoothly, though, especially in combat. Smooth, engaging combat is crucial to a good MMO, unless you want to make it more tactical like EVE. Nothing wrong with that, but many people have ADD and will not be satisfied unless there are shiny lights and pew pew everywhere. IT'S EVERYWHERE!
5) Girls. Make it more girl-friendly by offering non-combat social activities so it isn't such a damn sausagefest. Let them dress up or have a tea party or cuddle cute little animals (as long as those animals never set foot in my battlefields).
I know I kind of ran out of steam for 4 and 5, but I'm serious about more non-combat activities (including good crafting, because crafting can be fun if done right). The more versatile your game is, the more options you can offer your players, the more subs you'll get.
I'm aware my wish list will never be implemented by big company because this will not cater to masses but here we go:
1) Skill based system. No classes at all. Maybe some form of specializations to prevent everyone being same but FFS don't force me to relog if I want to be crafter/healer instead of melee guy when I'm in other mood. Darkfall is trying to do it right now, we will see the effect soon.
2) One instance world. It can be done and it's done by many games and I see no reason why there shouldn't be more games where you actually fell it's living and changing world instead of some multiplayer game.
3) Fully deformable environment. Looking at Wurm right now. It's fun and really makes exploring exciting. Players will always do things no dev would imagine if given right tools.
4) Deep player housing. Want to make house? Find a spot and build one. Want to make city? Bring buddies and work on it. Castle? Clans would love it. As much customization as possible (something like A tale in the desert boosted)
5) Real meaningful economy. EVE done it right. No other game even close. Why? You need to think about game economy before launching game. Adding auction house 2 weeks before release is not implementing economy in your game dear devs.
That's my wish list but as you can see all points are already made in some games. I just need company with enough balls to create such a game, company without Must Be Blizzard II mentality.
OP's ideas would take the genre backward imo.
If the hardcore crowd wants their MMORPGs to retain a similar game depth to what they're used to, they need to start coming up with clever ways of maintaining depth while reducing complexity and irritation.
This arbitrary "games should be painful" attitude adds irritation without discernable payoff. Ideas without reason should be abolished and replaced with purposeful ones.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
I agree that just going backwards to UO/EQ era gaming would not work. The pain tolerance of most people isnt that great today. But I also think some ways of making a game casual friendly went too far. IMVPO companies overestimated the desire of MMO customers for easy going gameplay. It's a simple matter of math. If you make just so much content for 1 hour per day, gamers rush through a game like STO in 2 weeks. It doesnt really pay off in the long term. I think many desire more challanging games and more complex MMOs, which does not mean just to go back to 1995 gaming.
As an idea I always thought Vanguard was a good approach, only the execution was bad. Also I see the addition of story as one of the big coming trends, something MMOs so far mostly lacked, as compared to single player games. I am quite sure SWTOR will set a trend with that in the future. Making story meaningful is the task of the future. Also bringing back more social aspects as we knew them in games like SWG would be a good idea. These days people rush way too fast through way too casual content. It leaves people hungry for more. See how fast ppl burn through the minimal content of STO. Many are not satisfied with such reduced worlds, and I am sure in the further future (meaning not right tomorrow, but in the next few years) we'll see more complex MMOs being made again. Good things always come back.
I don't share all this doomsaying some practice. Too many things have been said to be dead. Back in 1990 RPGs where called to be dead, too. Every smartass was so sure the days of complex RPGs where over and claimed everyone would ony buy simple shooter type of games as the then new Tomb Raider, and as a result the borked Ultima IX was made. But today we have Dragon Age, Mass Effect, we had the many Baldurs Gate & Icewind Dale and many others which proofed that complex RPGs are far from dead. Just someone has to bring fresh ideas to the table. I am sure sooner or later someone will bring this renewal to MMORPGs as well, and I hope SWTOR is that sort of MMO.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
5 things I'd like to see:
1. No instancing.
2. No real-money cash shop.
3. Hybrid open pve/pvp influenced world.
4. Dynamic mobs that intelligently act as if their a part of the world. i.e. creatures migrate and forage, attack other creatures, are not statically teathered to a camp or location. Where humanoid mobs have motivation for their existance, such as a farmer farms and is weiry of outsiders, where lands have armies and guards that roam the countryside and are capable of helping player characters if attacked by another player character, etc. A dynamic world.
5. Town building in cooperation with the npc's, where players drive the shops, economy regionally, and influence local, regional, and country happenings.
Striving for Silver Stars since Gold is so effeminate.
I'm sure most women will roll their eyes at that one. You must not think very highly of them.
But I do agree that these games do need more to do than combat. Many female friends won't even look at these games because they are not interested at all in combat and have said that combat is boring. They want more puzzles and such.
For me some of what I would want would be:
1, more puzzles and such ; )
2, I'll take art design over graphics any day.
3, More of a huge open world like Vanguard.
4, Huge Dungeon crawls
5, Vibrant cities not marginalized by player or guild housing.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
These 5 things will never happen. because these 5 things are what would make an mmo great. sorry to say. gaming companies love instancing, RMT shops.
---------------------------------------------------------------
1) Seamless world like Vanguard, or that other game everyone seems to love so much. Loading every 5 seconds is annoying *cough* aoc *cough*
2) No instancing!!! im so sick of being the only player, group, guild, what have you in a zone. MMO (massive multiplayer) stop limiting the multiplayer aspect.
3) Like Vypre, NO RMT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PERIOD! NONE! no silly little costume sets, xp pots, no rmt pets! NOTHING! if you want us to get cute little thingies you would put in a rmt shop, put it in game for us to play to get!!! stop being greedy assholes
4) A company that doesnt launch its game when its not ready. I would love to see a company launch a game with it working properly. A few bugs here and there is understandable, but gaming breaking bugs, memory leaks, completely missing content is unexcuseable.
5) Side game social aspects. For example, in eq1 there was the alcohol tolerance ability which was fun as hell to try to level. get some booze, get wasted, and run around with your screen spinning and all screwed up! Take a boat ride from BB to Freeport drunk with your friends, race around the ship and see who would slip off the side first due to being drunk!
fun things like that, languages too! i remember in eq1, my friends and i would go out of our way to learn the really strange languages nobody bothered getting. so we could curse people out in a foreign language and they'd have no idea! lol it was awesome! learning it was fun too, you start off horrible and cant speak for shit, its all gibberish. then you can slowly start understanding each other.
just little social aspects of the game like that make a huge difference in longevity of a game.
I'm not sure how you can have this discussion without pointing to what games did what parts well in your opinion and what parts have been utter fail in games as examples. When you get down to it, most of the games considered MMORPGs are little more than co-op repeatable single player games. How many millions of players have done the exact same quests/missions over and over again with it having little to no meaning other than to be some superfluous grind to an endpoint where they can sit around and complain about no endgame content?
People attribute the label of themepark and sandbox to games, not really taking into account some of the meaning of what they say. For the themepark games, you are pretty much looking at doing the same thing that millions of other people have done. Generally speaking though, people only go to themeparks a few times a year if that. On a daily basis, they would become boring as you have done everything. For the sandbox games, they simply do not exist. They may aim toward being more sandbox than themepark, but none of them actually get anywhere close to that. They are hybrids at best and the filters will not allow what they are at worst.
That being said, here are five things that I would like to see (and I apologize beforehand for any references to games):
1) Actual massive worlds. I like the idea of the size of the universe in Eve, but by keeping it in space, it is not really that large. To an extent, I like how Shadowbane and Anarchy Online had starting areas. I do not like how congested they get after a person leaves that area. I would want a game where I could have played for years without having even gone to half of the game universe. Things like the planets in Eve and the universe for Battletech and even to an extent Star Wars Galaxies come to mind. A player could spend their lives on a single planet exploring that, a few planets exploring them, or simply exploring numerous planets. I would never want to find myself in the situation that City of Heroes or World of Warcraft has, where you ask yourself with all these people around - why is there anything left to do?
2) Actually affecting the environment. From NPC groups to the worlds themselves, I would want players to be able actually to affect the environment. Going with the example above, new planets may be hostile - whether the environment or the NPCs that are already there. Players might attempt to conquer the planet or eke out some sort of diplomatic relations to coexist with the other intelligent life on the planet. If the players kill off NPCs, they will not simply respawn. Other NPCs or other players may appear at times to challenge their sovreignty or the like, but it would not be some endless grind of stupid NPCs that keep showing up for the slaughter. If the players raid an outpost, the NPCs may abandon the outpost - beef up their strengths - or something, anything other than just grab their ankles for the next group to come along. If a group of players raid a dungeon and grab the uber loot, they will face attacks from various NPCs trying to get that loot and from other players trying to get that loot. There would not be a hundred people running around with the same unique item. If players come across an uninhabited planet that does not support life, they will need to make it support life if they want to own it (for whatever resources or strategic value it may have). They would have to provide the resources not available on that planet - food, water, oxygen, etc. So there would even be terraforming and all the rest. The actions of the players would draw the attention of both good and not so good forces in the universe, so there would be consequences should the players decide to destroy a planet. It would be a case of getting as close to a sandbox world as possible.
3) Allow for both the casual and hardcore. The casual player could play along in the more metropolitan areas or even attempt to explore the far reaches of the universe. The hardcore player could try to take over the NPC factions in those metropolitan areas or seek out their own dynasties elsewhere. The casual player would never find themselves on equal footing in regards to accomplishments and "loot" as the hardcore player, but there would be more than enough provided for them to do to have a sense of accomplishment. For my last three months in SWG way back when, I did not participate in combat at all. I had some harvesters and ran a shop. It was pretty casual. In Eve back when 12k people online was a big deal, I used to read while running traderoutes. The game would provide the opportunity for the casual player to run quests/missions for some NPC faction that would have some meaning in the game. The hardcore gamer would be able to do more as they please.
4) FFA PvP Looting. Face it, without FFA PvP looting - you remove one of the main consequences of dying. So we are going to give you the opportunity to return to life, there is going to be some penalty for that and we will require you to think before you head off on that grand adventure. It would be setup to provide the player with some basic gear (kind of along the line of the rookie ships in Eve if you will) when they die. They would still have any possessions they own in the bank, in their homes, guildhalls, or what have you. When you head out for an adventure, only take what you think you may need and what you can afford to lose. Of course, in some areas of the universe - there would be consequences for looting another person (for killing them, etc). You could draw the negative attention of various NPC factions (or the positive attention of others). There would be consequences (I guess this is a recurring theme to what I am saying here).
5) Physics. There would be no walking through other people. There would be no carrying tons of equipment because it only takes up a bag slot. There would be an element of realism that is so sadly missing from so many games. If you get shot in the leg, you are not going to walk as fast as you did. If you are encumbered, injured, etc - that will affect what you can hold and do. You will not be swimming across a lake in plate armor as if you were waring inflatable arm wings. This could go on and on and on and on and on and on. You will need to eat, sleep, etc. Though, I might let urinating and defecating slide, eh? But still, nothing hurts fantasy like a lack of realism.
Oh well, I could put more effort into this - but the fact is these threads pop up all the time, they have for well over a decade, and nothing really has changed. We get the same old same old games, where it is pretty much just different IPs or artwork, but the same old co-op single player game...
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
I think you are slightly off base. There is pain an irritation that is unnecessary, and ads nothing to the game. But then there is pain an irritation that can add to the feeling of enjoyment and accomplishment, which cannot be achieved any other way.
It's the feeling of climbing to the top of a mountain, versus the feeling of taking an elevator to the top of the mountain. Sure, the view is the same either way, but I think the two travelers will have a different experience of that view.
- Sandbox, no classes, only skills
- an MMO not built around combat...who was the first person who said that the best way to get fun is killing ? I'd like to see an MMO where i can make my living by pearl-diving. I'd like to see a game where there are mountain areas with valuable resource nodes where you can't get only if your flexibility skill is high enough, or if you hired a leader who can help you to get up there, and you actually have to climb that mountain, using ropes and stuffs like that. And I'd love to see that flexibility skill being trained in ballrooms by dancing :P ( yes, I'm a woman, lol )
- PvP with looting in outlaw areas, with a good reason to go there...like rare resources or treasure hunting, no more newbie killing in starting areas
- quests with cutscreens and investigation, puzzles, something where you have to use your brain not only your sword, no more wall of text, no more killing 10 rats
- a game mechanism where they got rid of repetitive gameplay...i have no idea how could that be possible, since training a skill always seems to be repetitive, but i wish someone invent it soon
1. Less lag
2. Better mob AI
3. Allow more UI customization
4. Better combat
5. More character customization options
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren
I only have one.
1) A different p2p model, something like how pay-as-you-go cellphones work, so I can finally justify paying for a p2p mmo again.
1) Real character customization, every person that reaches cap with a certain class can choose one special ability (make like 20-30 special abilities) so people even though they are capped have a difference.
2) Player made world editor or item editor or spell editor, it can be done, trust me, similar to SWG chronicle quest builder but with graphics and what not. It's like when people made levels for Quake 3, some of those were bloody amazing. Take a hell of a lot of programming.
3) Random attribute items, i'm sick of every person having the +5 sword of virginity with 20 str and 20 dex. It's fun showing people your items cuz they're all different.
4) Let's be different, a world with weather and mounts and your char is affected by it. If you are in a winter place, you are more likely to slip than if you are in dry area, if you are in a hot place, you get more fatigued, spells, skills, what not to stave this off.
5) Anti-heroes. Every game is full of heroes, let a group of NPC controlled heroes just run around aimlessly and spawn randomly, it'll be like, ho hum im just leveling and bam you get nailed by uber anti-heroes, get your own hero network in to battle them.
Cryomatrix
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
1). Sandbox
2). Intricate crafting system / gathering system
3). housing, guild and personal
4). balanced PvP that is not forced
5). Skills instead of levels
In closing, yes, I am a SWG vet. Yes an updated game with the structure of the old SWG would be ideal. Yes I named the game, because no company has filled that niche, though there is hope for Earthrise.
Playing: Nothing (nothing worth playing)
Favorite: SWG (pre NGE, CU)
Played: WoW, Eve, DAoC, Warhamer, AoC, SWG, Earth & Beyond
Hope: GW2 maybe
I think its pretty funny how people think a sandbox game cant have classes. The best games ever made have classes + exp levels + skills. Classes would just be there to offer direction and even without a name people go around calling themselves " Paladins " and such when using melee and healing combos.
Locking yourself into one belief just makes whatever game you envision shallow and barren of any real sandbox qualities.
For me the 5 things would be..
1. A large surface world.. Parts of Dungeons being instanced doesnt matter to me. I would prefer it to prevent griefing and camping of needed quest mobs.
2. Experience levels and skills. Exp levels control HP, Mana and combat adds (combats adds would be +1 to a to hit roll gained every x levels ) while skill determine how good you are with whatever you are using.
3. Tone down gear bonuses and the like. I grow tired of seeing players with thousands of hp. Would rather see HP being in the hundreds instead of the thousands.
4. Many gathering and crafting abilities.
5. Something.
When it comes down to it sandbox = choice.. Limit choice and it isnt a sandbox. A game having classes does not mean it couldnt be a sandbox. As I said before if the world supports choice then it doesnt matter if you choose a class for direction or choose your own skills.
What made UO a sandbox to me waas the ability to go hit on a mountain or tree to get resources and then going back home and crafting on my own forge - turning bolts of cloth into bandages.. It wasnt " choose your skills " it was everything else that I could do if I CHOSE to do it.
1. I would like my future mmo to have living breathing worlds. I want the AI to react on a social level, Prey/predator system, faction alignment behavior changes depending on Seasons/weather/Day cycles. I want multiple planets not just one, planets with different rule sets like ffa pvp, hardcore pve, casual, three way factions, I want all the rule sets set by players depending on who owns the planet.
2. I want players to be the content, I want territorial pvp, player created quests, player created dungeons, Player created pvp tourneys and arena. Player created towns and cities, player governments and more.
3. I want deep and evolving crafting mechanics. I want us to start primitive in our crafting and through research we evolve as a society then become multiple societies that colonize several planets using the technology we researched,
4. I want social networking to the max, guilds, clans, alliances, countries, links to the real world net, in game voice and video.
5. I want the game to evolve constantly. maybe once the game has been out for a while it goes into space and becomes a space conquest game also, player created everything, true scientific exploration.
Man.... I'm geeking out here sorry.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
I always find these threads frustrating, because that get my imagination going, but I know it will never come to fruition. And here I go anyway.
1. Mechanics that make sense. Developers need to ask themselves: How would this work or look in the "real" world. Hitpoints, mana, armor, encumberance, death all are just becoming silly mechanics that lack any immersive feel. Replace hitpoints and mana with energy. Combat would not be about getting hit and taking damage, but exerting huge amounts of energy to attack, block, parry and dodge. The first rule of a solid combat system would be that anyone could defeat anyone -- even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in while. Replace death with trauma and shock and replace respawning with waking up in the local hospital or temple of healing. Have armor act like it's designed to. But remember, encumberance is an issue.
2. WYSIWYG looting. I kill an orc in chainmail carrying a sword. I should be able to loot his chainmail and sword. His corpse could become a node which I could skin, scalp, take his ears or his teeth. But remember, encumberance is an issue.
3. What's in my hands? I slot a sword and shield, then I cannot eat and drink. I have to click and drag things into my hand slots to actually use them. If I have a potion in my backpack, or on my pack animal, then I have to empty my hands and dig through the pack, whose capacity is measured in volume, not slots. Sorry, can't shove that tower shield in your belt pouch. And remember, encumberance is an issue.
4. A real Reputation system. Want to become a paladin? Then you better do something to really impress the local order. Want to learn how to cast spells? You will have to do a lot of errands for the mage academy. Learning languages, talking to various NPCs and such will all become vastly more important. Collecting orc scalps or rat corpses would be little more meaningful.
5. Gear wears out. The player-driven economy will thrive not on players trying to find the hat that makes them stronger, but because their old hat wore out. It's silly that character development happens more through gear than other mechanics. I may lose some gear when I am defeated. Maybe I wake up in the hospital naked, or those darned medics took my stuff as war trophies... Gear should be about what's needed for the job, not what has the best stats.
I am a veteran. I think of things that were a factor for me. Never once did a consider an enemy's level. My experiences were always based on effective use of gear and skill, but I won't bore you with a class on TLPs...
TSW, LotRO, EQ2, SWTOR, GW2, V:SoH, Neverwinter, ArchAge, EQ, UO, DAoC, WAR, DDO, AoC, MO, BDO, SotA, B&S, ESO,