A dynamic world after 2.0

Hey guys,

Forgive me if this has already been covered but I haven't seen it and couldn't find it. My question here is... Is SE planning on make the world a living breathing world after 2.0 ( I realize 2012 will bring mass changes but whatabout after?) I'm thinking unpredictable things such as Meteor showers at night, random small scale attacks in random areas areas, NPCs that arent 24/7 standing in the same exact area, When a store closes the npc's leave. (who closes their store and stands at the counter turning people away?) Random NPCs showing up in different areas with random quests, A random NPC fishing for a few hours (maybe he has a secret to tell you or forgot somthing at home?).. Anything other then the same guy standing around all day long, a caravan dude who needs your help every 30 minutes as if that idiot hasnt figured it out yet that hes going to be attacked. I mean at least the caravan quest could be randomly harder or not hard at all, maybe you dont get attacked at all and the task yields little prize. I like unexpected, unpredictable. I realize everything cant be like this but look at Zelda Majora's mask, they did something like this 10 years ago.... I dont think a static world is going to cut it these days, not with other games coming out with living breathing worlds. Maybe somthing was said about this in the last letter but I didnt see it. Anyone hear anything related coming from the Devs or Yoshi???

I'd like to hear what SE has to say to this o:

While I agree to some degree, there's the fact that the people who play 40+ hours a week will experience way more content than someone who plays 10 hours a week.

EDIT: The 40+ hour players will experience content that people who play 10 hours a week simply just can't.

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Originally Posted by JackDaniels

While I agree to some degree, there's the fact that the people who play 40+ hours a week will experience way more content than someone who plays 10 hours a week.

EDIT: The 40+ hour players will experience content that people who play 10 hours a week simply just can't.

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Though that's generally how MMOs were originally supposed to be -- A constantly changing world and time doesn't stop just because you're offline. Aside players and the like, a lot of MMOs are static in that regard.

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Originally Posted by JackDaniels

While I agree to some degree, there's the fact that the people who play 40+ hours a week will experience way more content than someone who plays 10 hours a week.

EDIT: The 40+ hour players will experience content that people who play 10 hours a week simply just can't.

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Uhhhhhh........duh? That's a pretty basic principle that can't be avoided. If you have more time to play, you get to play more. Unless you have found some wormhole in space and time that negates this truth. But nonetheless, I'm in support of a more interesting world.

I'd like this. Though, preferably it'd be content that lasts over a number of days, allowing everyone to partake when they can.

i wasn't suggesting though that it only happens once forever, I'm just saying its unpredictable. Maybe some things more often then others, some 3 days a week, some 5 times a month? whatever it may be. and yes... some people will not be on as often as others but ehh... sorry? haha, they could be lucky enough to experience one of each every time they log on.. also not everyone is in the same exact area at all times therefore even though people are on there will still be plenty of people who do not experience it the first time.

Baby steps, first let's get them to bring back unique monster behaviours they allready spent good time programing to just srap because people were sad it may effect their Exp/hour.

If something always has a predicted outcome it can become dull. I like the idea of having events occur randomly. Even for the player that doesn't play much if they witness something rare they will think it is pretty cool. In ffxi I found a nm for the first time while randomly running through the forest and I thought it was pretty neat. I would enjoy a world where you can't just look everything up online.

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Originally Posted by JackDaniels

While I agree to some degree, there's the fact that the people who play 40+ hours a week will experience way more content than someone who plays 10 hours a week.

EDIT: The 40+ hour players will experience content that people who play 10 hours a week simply just can't.

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Exactly how it should be. Need to lay off listening to Obama. Person that works 40 hours should be rewarded more than person that works 10.

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Originally Posted by Jynx

Baby steps, first let's get them to bring back unique monster behaviours they allready spent good time programing to just srap because people were sad it may effect their Exp/hour.

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goats following you messed up everything. if they would run away after the player engaged in battle, that'd be another thing. but the old mechanics were messed up.

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Originally Posted by Cichy

Exactly how it should be. Need to lay off listening to Obama. Person that works 40 hours should be rewarded more than person that works 10.

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The person that plays 40 hours needs to get a job and help pay back Obama's 14trillion... :)

You should read this old topic:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ture-of-Eorzea

A lot of interesting ideas, i hope they'll add. Btw, i agree with your OP.

When I studied game design, one very important thing I learned was that you shouldn't spend too much work to make details which only a few people notice, because in the end time is money and for an mmo they always needs to add new content. I'm not meaning to say details aren't vital. However, it's like with a painting. You can keep trying to enhance bits and ends on it, but it's easy to get lost in the details and not getting the big picture done.

Not the best reference, but I hope you see what I mean.

tldr:

Some detail and "easter eggs" are good, just don't give us twenty six different /bell commands at the expense of content.

postcount+1

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Originally Posted by Cichy

Exactly how it should be. Need to lay off listening to Obama. Person that works 40 hours should be rewarded more than person that works 10.

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For one, not everyone in the world follows american politics. I know how you americans have issues coming to terms with the fact that the world doesn't revolve around you guys. Second, you have no idea what you're talking about and you should be stripped of your right to vote.

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Originally Posted by Ilethius

The person that plays 40 hours needs to get a job and help pay back Obama's 14trillion... :)

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Or the oil companies? You also need your right to vote stripped away. I bet you vote for bush and already forgot how he ran your country into the ground.

Guys this is not a political forum.

ok, political nonsense aside. I dont want six different /bell comands, and even though some people wont notice ALL of them, the idea is that there is so many different random events that it wont be small detail. Its a selling point on the game. Look at GW2, everyone is raving about how alive the world will be because whether or not that game will be any good thats what people want, a living breathing world to play in! There needs to be a balance of static and dynamic.

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Originally Posted by Nayt

When I studied game design, one very important thing I learned was that you shouldn't spend too much work to make details which only a few people notice, because in the end time is money and for an mmo they always needs to add new content. I'm not meaning to say details aren't vital. However, it's like with a painting. You can keep trying to enhance bits and ends on it, but it's easy to get lost in the details and not getting the big picture done.

Not the best reference, but I hope you see what I mean.

tldr:

Some detail and "easter eggs" are good, just don't give us twenty six different /bell commands at the expense of content.

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I guess this is where there difference between western and eastern game design lay -- as when I entered this industry we learned that it's the small things that mattered just as well as the core content. When you create a fighting game, you want to see damage happen, you want to see that your punches and kicks are actually inflicting pain, you don't want to punch a guy who is naturally smiling (smug) yet his expression never changes.

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Originally Posted by Morticous

Hey guys,

Forgive me if this has already been covered but I haven't seen it and couldn't find it. My question here is... Is SE planning on make the world a living breathing world after 2.0 ( I realize 2012 will bring mass changes but whatabout after?) I'm thinking unpredictable things such as Meteor showers at night, random small scale attacks in random areas areas, NPCs that arent 24/7 standing in the same exact area, When a store closes the npc's leave. (who closes their store and stands at the counter turning people away?) Random NPCs showing up in different areas with random quests, A random NPC fishing for a few hours (maybe he has a secret to tell you or forgot somthing at home?).. Anything other then the same guy standing around all day long, a caravan dude who needs your help every 30 minutes as if that idiot hasnt figured it out yet that hes going to be attacked. I mean at least the caravan quest could be randomly harder or not hard at all, maybe you dont get attacked at all and the task yields little prize. I like unexpected, unpredictable. I realize everything cant be like this but look at Zelda Majora's mask, they did something like this 10 years ago.... I dont think a static world is going to cut it these days, not with other games coming out with living breathing worlds. Maybe somthing was said about this in the last letter but I didnt see it. Anyone hear anything related coming from the Devs or Yoshi???

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sounds like a fun idea tbh, randomness is what makes mmo's interesting and fun. because one off events are something to remember and talk about in the future you can be like "remember when this happened yeah that was cool"

you need these memories to make it something special

Not everything has to be random though in order for it to be a living breathing world. Maybe one NPC goes on a walk every Wind day (or whatever the days are called) and here is the random part, one day he gets attacked and needs help and is willing to pay a small reward! and other days he never gets attacked at all. Make the people sitting at tables together eat and talk amongst themselves... instead of staring into space........ things like this are what im talking about. A group of Kobalds randomly attack one of the settlements (or whatever those houses are out in the middle of nowhere) and helping them out leads to a reward. None of this walk up to an NPC with a ! over his head and he says.... Ooh... i think we are going to be attacked... would please help us? And if you walk away nothing happens (Like a static quest would)... it should be.. "WE ARE BEING ATTACKED HELP!" while they are actually being attacked, and then you help or you dont but if you dont they get ransacked. Kind of like the Taru in whitegate getting kidnapped in FFXI, that wasn't static (or it was and i wasnt paying attention XD).

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Originally Posted by Morticous

i wasn't suggesting though that it only happens once forever, I'm just saying its unpredictable. Maybe some things more often then others, some 3 days a week, some 5 times a month? whatever it may be. and yes... some people will not be on as often as others but ehh... sorry? haha, they could be lucky enough to experience one of each every time they log on.. also not everyone is in the same exact area at all times therefore even though people are on there will still be plenty of people who do not experience it the first time.

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I would love to see random disasters that change the world like tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.

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Originally Posted by Krausus

I would love to see random disasters that change the world like tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.

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That could be too drastic to happen often but maybe a tornado hits a homestead and they ask for your Carpenters (or whatever woodworker is called, i hate DoH :p) help to make supplies to rebuild.

I want to be an actor rather than a spectator in this game one day.

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Originally Posted by ellohwell

I want to be an actor rather than a spectator in this game one day.

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What do you mean by this? You want to cause trouble and create random events? XD

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Originally Posted by Nayt

When I studied game design, one very important thing I learned was that you shouldn't spend too much work to make details which only a few people notice, because in the end time is money and for an mmo they always needs to add new content. I'm not meaning to say details aren't vital. However, it's like with a painting. You can keep trying to enhance bits and ends on it, but it's easy to get lost in the details and not getting the big picture done.

Not the best reference, but I hope you see what I mean.

tldr:

Some detail and "easter eggs" are good, just don't give us twenty six different /bell commands at the expense of content.

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although some of your ideas are good, this statment is the best counter argument. you can't have 6 or more dev's writing a quest that only 20 ppl will ever experience. the world should and i think will be more dynamic in 2.0 but how will, we will have to wait and see

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Originally Posted by grandm

although some of your ideas are good, this statment is the best counter argument. you can't have 6 or more dev's writing a quest that only 20 ppl will ever experience. the world should and i think will be more dynamic in 2.0 but how will, we will have to wait and see

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Yeah well whatever they release it better be really good because last release was trash. I don't see why they couldn't add a few things like this before release and continue adding as they go after release. It's not meant to be something 20 people encounter, look at it this way, they are doing some of this now but its only because they are rushing to add content to a game that was mega fail at release, not everybody participated in the mass grouping of imperial troops outside of Uldah... or the moon rat quest.. whatever that was... But in this idea instead of taking those out after a period of time they come back from time to time.