[dev100x] A new kind of trial

[LeaderofAtlantis]

Before the introduction of the Trial of the Magians or even the augment system, I thought about The Colosseum from Final Fantasy VI - where you bet 1 item in the hope of winning another. With the introduction of Trial of the Magians and the augment system itself, I think I have a new idea for an old one I had. I'll explain.

My original idea was to go to Aht Urhgan and enter The Colosseum and there being a new area where you put up say, the Valiant Knife, on a bet. You are then put into an arena battle against Lindwurm by yourself. Now this wouldn't be just a copy of the original Notorious Monster but a scaled version that would be soloable but still a challenge. If you win, you get the Valiant Knife +1 as a reward. It was a way to take gear that you like and power it up through a challenge that might be fun. Now the risk would be that you would lose and your Valiant Knife would be gone, so it was still a risk and would mean, if you wanted to try again, you would need to reobtain the knife.

This brings me to my updated idea. I had wanted Trial of the Magians to involve a more quest-like process. Instead, it's been more a trial of a player's patience in repeating the same thing over and over again a number of times. This isn't necessarily terrible in some cases - speed killing monsters during a specific type of weather with many other players isn't too harsh now, but having to kill the same Notorious Monster 3-10 times can be kind of annoying if that monster has a 2-15 hour respawn. So I was thinking, we have a few battle like zones that are designed for fun challenges that could be used as a way to boost our gear we've earned and might want to enhance. They might also be fun, linkshell building events.

The Arenas

• Qu'Bia Arena
• Nyzul Isle
• Periqa
• Mamool Ja Training Ground
• Leujaoam Sanctum
• Lebros Cavern
• Ilrusi Atoll
• Horlais Peak
• Bearclaw Pinnacle
• Ghoyu's Reverie

Now there is potential for each of these zones and they could even add more, but I thought what could happen is that using Kindred Crests and High Kindred Crests and the addition of perhaps Imperial Platinum Pieces (I seem to recall them being found in the files at one time) to work towards buying special items to gain access to special fights with Notorious Monsters, but this would be more along the lines of what we had to do in some Assaults or the kind of battles in Abyssea or even in the Doomvoid battles (I always thought it was cool how Guivre in Ruhotz Silvermines can run away and come at you from behind). They've shown they can get creative (the Ark Angel TT warping around La'Loff Amphitheater for example) and have us needing to work on strategies.

Obviously the challenge would need to be equivalent to the item you wish to power up, but the Moogles won't want them to be so easy that they'll deplete their Moogle Magic giving away these power ups. For my example on an idea, I'll use a classic, highly sought item for mages - the Moldavite Earring. For this trial, the Moogle could send you after the mask, staff, or suit of Mysticmaker Warlox - 1 of 3 items proving you beat him. This fight could take place in Qu'Bia Arena.

Inside the Arena, Warlox could be surrounded by 2 or 3 random Goblins who, while alive, give him a type of damage protection. Defeating them removes that protection for a time (there could be hints in the names or maybe the color or type of weapon held by the goblins to what weakness protection they grant him). However, while this seems simple, there will be gateways down either of the side hallways just off the main hallway of the arena, where new Goblins will be able to enter the arena, thus restoring these protections. With a 30 minute time limit, you and your alliance have a choice - break down these hallways and destroy the gateways first (they would have defenses not quite as strong as Fortifications, but close) or go all out against Warlox and deal with the Goblins as they come. Or the group could split up - there could be any number of strategies possible.

Now while there are 3 items he could drop, he might only drop 1 or he could drop all 3. The type of item you trade the moogle could also change the way in which the Moogle enhances the Moldavite Earring. Trading Warlox's mask might grant Magic Accuracy while Trading the staff could grant MP or Fast Cast. Not necessarily these boosts, but as an example. They could increase the level of the earring with these boosts and allow us to get more than 1 boost on the Moldavite, or they could keep it the same level and limit us to just 1 boost while allowing us to take up the trial again. Taking up the trial again, however, would mean removal of the previous boost from the earring.


I hope I've explained this thoroughly enough and if not, I'll be happy to try to clarify anything in my idea. I just wanted some new challenges as I never had the pleasure of going after monsters such as Absolute Virtue or Pandemonium Warden when they were in their prime. I wonder often though - if they were returned to the way they were originally introduced, would our characters now still struggle against them?

[SamuraiJohn]

i'd like to see some kind of Coliseum battle where the player enters a battle and can be rewarded with either some enhanced armor/weapons, and maybe gain points to get some "town gear" like someone mentioned before a town gear Buster sword, or gunblade, and armor that looked like gear old chars wore like Locke's bandanna or something, it'd be fun, also have it to where people not battling could watch a combatant fight the monster, and possibly even place bets like Pankration

[Kavik]

I think the Colosseum would also be a great place to battle each other, since that's really what a Colosseum is supposed to be. On a side note, i think pankration is much too random and even my 'extremely tame' mob doesn't listen to a bloody word i say, I think it would be fun to have more control over the pankration mob you send it, IE being able to tell your mob to use a paralyzing tp move instead of dmg. But i got off track... go go putting to use something that currently has no use!