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Turning Player Characters into NPC when logged out: Is this a popular idea?
MMOExposed
Member RarePosts: 7,387
Is this a popular idea in the community, to turn player characters into NPC when they log out. They could be controlled by the main computer the developers use, to entice action and create events such as faction warfare events. When the player logs in, the NPC could have a recall animation or something back to the original log out spot.
could make the game world continue to feel alive and active when player population is low.
And could be used to promote faction war or something to generate faction vs faction (or as somebody in another thread calls it, RvE).
Whats your feelings about this?
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Comments
Well thats what I mean, they wouldnt be standing around. they would be doing things. the main computer could send a group of player NPC to come together to form a army and attack a faction city, calling players of that faction to defend.
RvE like that.
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
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It's a great idea.. It's content.. But I think they should take it a step further..
Have the Offline player have AI that fights based on statistics taken during play.. Like how often a skill is used and items and such..
This could make offline players turn mobs in their own right, combined with randomly generated dungeons you have yourself cycled content right there..
Even if people play a game and never come back, at least the game would have content generated by their abscence for those who do log in to play..
its a cool idea.
I like the idea of combining this with an eve like skill progression system.
e.g. you log out while next to an archery range you improve your archery skills while off line, you log out while next to your stall you have a shop for people to buy stuff from.
This actually was part of a concept MMO in making back where I studied.
In theory there where no difference in mobs, npcs or pcs. You just would take control over "your" character when logging in. But last I know this part wasn't anywhere near ready.
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If your gona get hacked, It doesn't matter if your logged on or off...
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I think this would be excellent for player housing. I would love to leave my character hanging around his house and around my guilds city to protect the city if it is attacked. It would be necessary for our NPC player characters to wander around a bit, maybe have some dialog (that we choose?) when clicked on. It would suck if they just turn into pieces of still furniture or something :-/.
As far as those games go that allow toons to sit in cities selling stuff... That is terrible! There should just be an auction house or player shops as part of player housing.
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Reminds me of the movie The 13th Floor. When logged into the simulation a player occupies an NPCs body, when logged out the NPC regains themselves.
This is why I support it. Logged off players remaining in game to protect player housing and halls 24/7 is the next step in making a persistant world. Making long term goals that need to be protected 24/7 is ultimate sandbox concept.
This.
To be honest, I am actually quite surprised that so many here like the idea.
If you'd like to stir the pot or add fuel to the fire...
ATRIARCH had this idea, along with...
FFA PvP
Permadeath
www.atriarch.com
Well thought out design? Hardly. Laughable? You betcha!
I was thinking that players can turn their characters into NPCs in cities mainly as a side "game" or another dimesion or progression.
For instance; you can develope your characters career by working for a city when you logout of the game. Your character can be a Guard, Vendor or anything and their jobs actually matter and affect the city.
When you get back to the game you get coin based on how many hours you worked and let's limit a character ability to work for, say, 6 hours real time then they have to rest.
You set your character to clean the city (since your resume is not that impressive, you start as a janitor) you log out. You login tomorrow (after 10 hours) you find your character resting/sleeping but with 10 silver coins from working 6 hours and a paper with a report of how well your character did. Maybe a promotion would happen after a few weeks?
Terrible idea no one should ever come with, making cities overcrowded areas with thousands of players that will surely make your computer stutter and your graphic card smell like grilled pork, not to mention the server capacity and bandwith allways used at it's max potential, oh god the lag and the daily maintenance killing the game...
Idiots.
When players go offline in Age of Wushu, their characters become NPCs, and those NPCs are ripe for the kidnapping. Nefarious players can attempt to knock out, kidnap, and even sell offline players. While conducting these slimy activities, players will be clearly marked for the Scumbag Thieves that they are, which makes them target for both heroic players and other kidnappers.
Kidnapping in the Streets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC5ANy51S8M&feature=player_embedded
Personaly have no idea how this actually works ingame because I aint playing the game........yet, for example what are the things your NPC character can do?
What would you OP like to see with Player characters turning into NPC when logged out?
Off-line crafting, setting crafting recipies in que and when you log off in a city your offline NPC character will find it's way to a crafting area/house and starts crafting with the desired animations for all to see. Your craft timer might work allot slower when you are offline.
Off-line combat, your character is send into a type of arena, you are in a guild, your guildleader is able to summon your offline character to fill up the group but he should have no controle over your character except from chosing a defensive or offensive role the rest of your character is AI controled. Might you want to login while your offline NPC is in a arena you could get a option/message saying: Join the Arena or Leave the Arena, both message's will be presented in game as answers to the guildleader.