Create a MMORPG with no gear in it

[MisterSheep]

Imagine a game similar to WoW: a MMORPG in a vast world, questing, multiple class, levels, etc.

Only difference: NO GEAR

Rules:
-It must not be grindy, people doing endgame content are doing it to have fun.

-No gear, characters can level up, but there are no gear to grind, (if there is gear, they are only cosmetic with no stats).

-It must be diversified.


My idea:

Soft and hard level cap: As the game launch, the soft cap would be lvl 50 and the hard cap lvl 100. Every new level grants you access to new talents/specialisation. A lvl 50 character would be able to invest into 1/4 of his whole arsenal, and a lvl 100 into 1/2. Once a character reaches the soft level cap, he can still gain new level, but for each extra level, it would become twice as difficult to gain a new level, a second extra level would require three times the effort, a third would require four times the effort, etc.. Though, the soft level cap would be increased by one for every week since the game has launched. Hardcore gamers can rush on a single main character, and more casual players may prefer to level multiple alts or to wait until the soft level cap has increased further.

Game balance: For each ten level a character gains, his power would become twice as great. So a level 30 would be twice as strong as a level 20, and a lvl 40 would be four time as strong as a lvl 20. Health would increast even further, so as characters level up, fights would last for longer everytime.

Questing: Each race would have their own starting area, but most zones won't have a level requirement. Encounters would be adjusted to your level so you could quest wherever you want. Hence, a level 70 could quest in the same area as a lvl 20. You would unlock extra area as you level up, each of which will be more challenging the one before. While grouped, encounters will be adjusted to the level of the lowest character, though, players would only receive exp if the highest level character of the group doesn't exceed the lowest by ten. Quests would be random from day to day from week to week, and from season to season.

PvP: There will be no premade brackets, but each ''battleground'' or ''arena'' match would have characters within ten level of each other. To maintain balance, the amount of player on each team would be balanced based on the ratio of each side's character level. So one side could possibly have 10 lvl 70 characters while the other has 20 lvl 60 characters.

Scenarios: Each day there would be minor scenarios going around that would last for about an hour, but about once every week, there would be a huge scenario that would last for a full day. Some scenarios would be pre-programmed, but some players would be able to volunteer themselves to play as powerful monsters while the event last. Volunteer players would be rewarded depending on the amount of wreck they did.

Vehicules: As you level up, you would gain access to a wider array of vehicules, both ground and flying (and why not space ships). There could be vehicule PvP and races, vehicule scenarios, and zones dedicated to vehicules. Mounts may ruin immersion in WoW, but why not actualy increase immersion by using vehicules in a spectacular environments as more than just mounts? Individual races could even be created by player themselves.

Raids: There would actualy be no raid, but instead, encounters/scenarios that would tuned so high that it would require multiple players to defeat it. There would be no grouping or level requirement, instead, the threat would depend on the amount of players of each level bracket currently doing the event. Imagine a huge freaking titan that would deal AoE damage divided amongst the lowest level characters while focusing his stronger attacks on higher level characters.

Aesthethic: There would be no gear with stats, but there can still be aesthethic armor/clothing/weapons/accessory. Why? because people LOVE customization! There could even be player-made armors, clothes, weapons and accessory (each would have to be approved first to prevent abuse)

And the most important:

Player contribution: Why should only the devs be in charge of bringing new content? Players would be able to settle into their own instanced area, create their own encounter so that other players can actualy play those. Those encounters might provide few or no rewards, but most players would have fun trying out community stuff. Rewards could be given to the most popular player content. Each player would only have one instance each, but it could be as huge as the world itself, and they would be able to update it whenever they want. (Updating a player instance would reduce it's popularity to zero)

[Nab]

No one would want to end game because there's no reward or competition.

[MisterSheep]

No one would want to end game because there's no reward or competition.

There are actualy plenty of games with no actual rewards.

Gear grinding over and over doesn't translate into fun for a lot of player. Plus, what is the purpose of gear? Increase the strenght of your character so you can have access to an higher tier of challenge. Now all you have to do, is provide the challenge to the player without bringing the gearing factor.

In my own mmorpg exemple(if you read it), endgame would start at the soft level cap, and the hard level cap would be similar to the top gear available. The difference is that leveling is way less grindy than the gearing process and just as much rewarding, plus, there's way more freedom in leveling up as you can quest, group, PvP, race, etc. And even if you would reach the hard level cap, you could still pursue vanity goals, and since the event would be diversified, and constantly updated (since players actualy contribute content open to public) you could have fun exploring each different aspects of the games, wheter you like PvP, Racing, PvE, an explorer, that you are an achievement hunter or a money-maker, etc.

[Lazy Gecko]

Character progression is one of the fundamental mechanics of RPGs. I'd be more in favor of an MMORPG that just did away with leveling and handled progression differently.

[MisterSheep]

Character progression is one of the fundamental mechanics of RPGs. I'd be more in favor of an MMORPG that just did away with leveling and handled progression differently.

The main issue is mainly to find a progression mechanic that could be forgiving to more casual or newer players, while still giving challenge to more hardcore players.

[Deleted]

Ultima Online back at the beginning before the realm splits. Everyone had the same bog standard gear the game was purely based on how you spent your skill points.

[Rendia]

Sounds like your leveling process is similar to EQ, just re-worked to make MORE levels. I liked EQ's AA point system, but felt that if you weren't on the cutting edge you were NEVER going to catch up to those that were. There was no incentive to start playing once others had 300+ AA points, you just couldn't compete.

[Hanto]

This whole thing reminds me how GW2 plans to be.

[Deleted]

GW1, even though isn't your typical MMO doesn't really have 'gear'. Every 5 levels or so you can craft a new armour set that simply has more armour on it then the previous ones. Come max level everyone has access to the same gear and even though your only half way through the game armour isn't thought of again.

[thewallofsleep]

I'm pretty sure the game you're talking about is Guild Wars 2.

[Temp name]

the entire point of having gear is to make someone look at a person and say "i wish i had his gear", what would there be to give that feeling without gear? because even if it's just cosmetic, people will start QQ'ing at how people who acually do stuff will look better than them and at some point will get it for free, making that completely useless aswell. same with titles, mounts and all that

[Lieutenant Commander Data]

Not as enticing as this idea for an MMO:
http://forums.create.msdn.com/forums...px?PageIndex=1

Game mechanics is where innovation needs to happen.

[MisterSheep]

I'm pretty sure the game you're talking about is Guild Wars 2.

I don't even know a thing about GW2, if it has any similarity it's mainly coincidence.

[Bayhas]

Yeppp.. this is pretty much GW2.

[Larynx]

You nearly described Guild Wars 2 exactly.

[drwelfare]

So finally my Buck Naked Brigade would be a force to be reckoned with and not just get slaughtered.

[alturic]

No one would want to end game because there's no reward or competition.

Pretty much this. Without gear there's pretty much nothing in MMO's. Sure you can say "gear" without stats, so you can look different but what's the point of questing? crafting? To make the "aesthetic" gear?

I mean don't get me wrong, at the end of the day it would be skill vs skill in a PvP environment, but that's only if the game is tuned 100% correctly.

Either way, count me out.

[MisterSheep]

You nearly described Guild Wars 2 exactly.

I guess i'll have to try this game out then, lol

[Paloh]

If there is no items to farm what would be the point of doing the endgame content more than once?

[Ragingblade]

Ok.

You have no gear, progressive casual leveling (after 50 weeks -a year- the game is just easy leveling with no more hardcore leveling) and without raiding of high-end content, all the high-end gameplay is the same that you have been played since lv1.

In adition to that you may find yourself (and a few low-levels) trying to fight a pvp group smaller than you but extremely powerfull (mmm... I remember those 20 stacks of Tenacity... that gameplay style was great... isn't it? :P ).

Mmm... looks like a good idea but doesn't survive a critical analysis just for one reason:

"Fun" is not a gameplay controlable variable, "fun" is not something you can adjust, improve or define to work with it. (Scott Rogers have an incredible book about game design - Level up! The guide to great videogame design - with one of the most awesome explanations for "fun is no enought in videogame design" sentence).

One of the attention hooks of MMORPG is player-avatar improvement; you can level up, become more powerfull and skilled but when you have hitted the max level you need to focus on something (a great story, gear, new and undiscovered places...).

So if you don't have a few millions of dollars to fuel your crew of writers, designers, programmers and artists to create places, quest, scenarios and enemies as soon as the players clear them... your players will fly away as soon as "fun" is no enought to catch their attention.

Bonus: If you let the players create quest and scenarios you'll find two instant results:

- Inappropriate content (sexual, racist or just stupid).
- Crap, crap and more crap (and one in a million extremely great scenario... covered and buried by the other 999999 crap scenarios).

This comment is a bit rude... but game design is hard, MMORPG game design is like fighting in the WWII with a spoon... you can win but only if you have a few hundred soldiers at your back and a lot of warfare experience (and enought money to push the team to success).