xerox
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
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posted December 09, 2008 10:30 PM |
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[Guide] How to Create a Good Game
Hello, I am a very creative person and I love to create factions, racials (even though I wont join the stupid "New Perk" competition ever again because I didnt agree with the judges) and other games and World of Warcraft expansions etc.
Anyway here is a guide with lots of tips and stuff about creating a game (idea).
1. What kind of game do you want to create?
Decide first if you want to do a MMO (which this guide will focus mostly on, though I might add special RTS guides later etc), FPS, RPG etc.
Then decide what style it is. Is it set in a fantasy world, medieval europe or perhaps some crazy hybrid between technology and magic (a lá Might & Magic).
In this case we are going to make an high fantasy norse MMO called Twilight of the Gods.
2. Brainstorm & Inspiration¨
Start brainstorm about the world and its background etc! Think a lot, write down all ideas then develop them. Go and search one google for inspiration or to get some more knowledge about Norse mythology etc, like in this case.
The Internet is the greatest source of inspiration you can get and mythology should also provide you with tons of ideas!
Even IRL historical events can provide inspirtation and if you are bad at names then there are tons of name generators out there too.
I wikipediaded about Norse mythology, trying to find possible races and enemies etc.
I learned more about the Valkyries, Einherjar, Vala and norse gods.
I made up a conflict which was never recorded etc. I found too fitting factions etc (Union and Legion in my case) and even played some norse games for more inspiration (Battle of Asgard, Age of Mythology etc).
3. Game Features
A game must have lots of features. This might seem a bit sinister and evil - but what do you think is the best way to get a succesful game? It is stealing other ideas. Yes, you have heard right.
Look at other successful games. I wanted to do a Norse MMO. So I looked at the most successful MMOs on the market.
I looked at LOTRO, AoC, WAR and WoW of course.
I tried to see where the games had failed and were they had been very successful.
Try to steal the good ideas other games had but improve them even more! But dont make it to obvious that you have stolen them! If you do that, people might notice that it was similar and might think you are bad and unoriginal.
So lets look at bad and good features about games.
Improve good features even further and develop them and try to make bad ideas good or just scrap them. I will also include Darkfall which is a revolution to the MMO genre.
LOTRO
+ Great storyline and background
+ Good phasing system
+ Beautiful world
+ Major character dont get slaughtered and bad  Instead the game tries to introduce new villians.
+ Nice title system.
- Boring enviroments. Everything looks the same.
- Boring spell effects.
- Feels lifeless and slow.
- Boring races - you can only play stupid Hobbits, male-only Dwarves, Elves and humans.
- Lame PvP
So what is the main issue about Lotro?
Its boring. PvP is boring, it feels boring, it looks boring even the races are boring.
WoW is great on the enviroment part, all zones in WoW look different. Slow combat becomes boring combat.
People wants fast-paced combat with cool, glowing effects all over the place. The PvP is lame because it lacks an enemy faction.
So from Lotro we have learned to...
1. We need two factions in order for the game to be interesting. A huge playerbase in the game market likes to PvP.
2. We need different enviroments. Not just forest, plains, forest, plains, forest plains, mountain, forest, plains, forest, fields, forests, fields.
3. Cool and fast combat with lots of effects.
4. The title system is great. I took this for my Norse MMO and linked it with the achievement system (which I will talk about later).
5. Phasing makes the world change depending on your choices and the quests you do etc. Suddenly, a new quest-hub might have emerged inside that ruined castle courtyard etc.
It makes the world breath.
6. Although this is not a huge problem in Norse mythology, its better to create new cool villians then kill old famous ones which everybody likes. Why not be able to actualy join the old evil villians and fight for them?
AoC
+ Realistic
+ Nice and unique fightning system
- To complex fightning system It just becomes annoying.
- Didnt feel complete at launch. The game is not complete yet and has been rushed.
- To realisitc and to brutal for many people.
- Boring universe.
I am very likely to young to understand Conans greatness but I think it sucks. 3 human races... boring.
1. Its not nescessary to have über graphics, its gameplay that matters.
2. Have a unique and cool fightning system - but that everybody can get a good grasp on.
3. Fantasy universes dont need to be realistic.
4. Never rush a project or game. Let it take its time. I will quote Blizzard "It will be released when its ready".
It could nearly 10 years for Starcraft 2 to be announched - it is still not ready despite that they have worked on it since before Warcraft 3. Same story with Diablo 3 - which is not even close to release.
5. Have a fun universe with many different speices and beasts.
Darkfall
+ Unique MMO with whole new aspects.
+ New stuff which will change MMOs forever.
+ Basically the players have control over everything.
+ Players can build cities etc.
+ Combines RTS elements with MMO elements. Epic sieges etc.
- Might seem very alien and strange to gamers, because its so different.
- The players have to much control. There is no classes or anything. There must be rules and limits. I predict that Darkfall will sadly turn into a chaotic and weird MMO.
1. Player housing and etc are cool. That players actualy consturct the world is very cool but it should be controlled through quests etc. Basically, in Darkfall the players have to much control.
2. Epic battles are always cool.
3. To different from other MMOs.
WAR
+ Excellent PvP. Lots of options.
+ Cool content from lvl 1 to 40 (max level). You get PvP in the starting zones.
+ Very nice Tome of Knowledge feature. It lets new Warhammer players learn about the game lore and get bonuses and additional info for monsters they kill etc. Like a portable in-game wiki.
+ Cool races.
- PvE is lame. If you play WoW - then imagine yourself that the raids would be on the same level as RFC. The WAR PvE is ridiculous.
- Again. Slow combat and boring effects.
1. PvP is good. WAR is the second most successful MMO after WoW (although WoW has faaaarrrr more active accounts). Lots of players love PvP.
2. Awesome content all the way from start to max level.
3. Very nice Tome of Knowledge system which in my norse MMO - I combined with Achievements and Title system from Lotro.
WoW (counting WotLK)
+ Excellent and great community.
+ Cool phasing system.
+ Excellent PvE content. Players can only play 1-2 hours a day and still get good gear.
+ Very interesting and tactical bosses. Teamwork is everything here. Without teamwork, you are screwed. This applies to both PvE and PvP.
+ Graphics remain loyal to the Warcraft universe and Northrend is wonderful.
+ Interesting quests at 68-80
+ Easy to learn but hard to master.
+ Talent trees. Good and unique classes. Much utility and fun spells.
+ Getting a good economy is not to hard.
+ Good, but not nescessary, moneysinks for rich players.
+ The world is alive. I see Wolfs hunt stag in the woods, Dragons sweep down from the ground and attack the Scourge, Bears fish in the rivers and lots of events etc.
- PvP is boring to some people. It stinks compared to WAR.
- Many grinding aspects.
- Players feel forced to take one talent spec. Like there is only one talent spec for Tanks.
- 5% of the playerbase got to see BCs last raid, the Sunwell Plateau.
- Kills off many famous lore characters.
- BM Hunters got nerfed to the ground, I dont like the nerfhammer and the nerfbat  /cry
- Removed the uniqueness between classes and the Horde and the Alliance.
- Old Gods are overrated and everyone goes mad.
- Blizzard screws over their own lore all the time.
- Blizzard doesnt care about the old world and old content. Makes leveling boring after a while.
- Graphics pre-bc are a bit old now and there should be a major graphic overhaul.
- Cool things happen once but never return again (aka The New Plague, War of the Shifting Sands 2.0 and PvP ranks etc)
1. The world should feel alive and "breath".
2. More focus on PvP.
3. The factions should be unique.
4. End content should be more accessable.
5. Major events should happen once every year.
6. Make new villians instead of slaguthering old heroes who go mad.
7. Less grinding and "kill 10x boars" quests
8. Cool PvE
9. Talent trees makes classes unique.
Well, thats it for now. I may update but im tired after working on this all evening.
I will post my Norse MMO later.
____________
Over himself, over his own
body and
mind, the individual is
sovereign.
- John Stuart Mill
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