The Little Things You'd Like To See

[Furai]

I'm hoping that I can get alot of support on this thread and possibly have a few forum mods or devs take a look at it every so often.

[Focus]What are some small things which don't stand out in your mind instantly that you'd like to see within Mortal Online?

I'll go ahead and begin the list. Go ahead and add on what you feel would make a good addition. I'll add submissions that seem reasonable or just plain great into here and note your name at the end of them. In addition, I'll also be updating it periodically with whatever comes to mind.

Note: These are LITTLE things, not on the top of the to-do list, but some additions to the game that would just make it all around more fun. No huge implementations please. These things shouldn't be headliners on release, but be huge pluses for the game if the inquirer does a little delving.

Note: As this list expands, I may reorganize it into subcategories to make it easier for devs who are looking at it. Depends on how long it gets.

For the Devs: I will be putting asterisks (***) next to anything that seems like it will require alot of coding off the top of my head. Hopefully it helps you pick apart some things.

1. Character acrobatics/fluidity. I would love to be able to make my character do a diving roll to avoid an attack, leap with a full effect off of a large emplacement, dive into water, or perform an acrobatic stunt without breaking gameplay (NOTE: THESE ARE NOT EMOTES) Maybe base these abilities upon an athletics trait?

2. Being able to climb trees. Good lord, I cannot tell you how many times my inner role-playing self has wanted to climb a tree and lay down lazily on an upper branch, and either communicate with players walking below me, keep a lookout for a target or enemy, or attack someone from the foliage.

3. Possible element effects. Will I set your house on fire? You're damn right I will. Did the rain just put out your incompetent campfire leaving your company at my mercy in the darkness? Why yes, yes it did.

4. Diplomatic killing. I would love to be able to use poison not just on my weapons, but maybe concoct a deadly one and slip it into someone's food or drink at the local tavern should that person need to be disposed of quietly.

5. Exotic weapons and armor. Yes we've got your broadswords, bows, battle axes, mauls, staves, and all manner of paraphernalia, but how about some wicked looking weapons and armor? Missing sections, extra edges, curves, etc. How about a dagger that's as wide as my forearm and has an extra point? How about different colored blades? Why yes, I did just spear you with a halberd forged with red steel. You can't even see the blood!

6. Environment effect on weapons. Put a sword in flames and it gets white hot. Arrows are blown off course in windy places, or are less effective in rain. ~Sorjak

7. Enough pack space that we're not forced to constantly micromanage loot ~Zeno

8. Personal housing having hooks or cases where items may be displayed, nice for keeping trophies from kills. ~Zeno

*9. Stat-tracker (including kills/deaths/ratio/etc). Maybe in the form of a journal? ~Zeno

10. Selectable mood (rage, calm, boredom, ...) as well as corresponding facial expressions ~admiralnlson

11. Armor/cloth dyeing ~admiralnlson, Geoff

12. Multiple voice sets for each race ~admiralnlson

13. One of two kinds of map systems:

A. Map with interactive features, such as the ability to add notes, directions,
good locations for gathering, etc. As well as a compass and other map
necessities ~Zeno

B. Map purchasing. Have vendors selling different maps in different areas of the
world. Possibly have copies of player maps made by those who have explored farther abroad.
Details ~admiralnlson


**14. The ability to make graphical changes in small things.

For example, I'm a bladesmith, I should be able to weld a blade into the form that pleases me best, maybe it's a fire-shaped blade, maybe it's just an awesome double-edged design with a handle.

Speaking of handles - accessories.
I want to pop out a blade and put it on a dragon mantle handle or one that is lighter. ~Killermandude

15. A realistic day/night cycle as well as lunar cycle. Damnit, a season cycle as well while we're at it, that includes the actions of any NPCs (IE: Sleeping/working/shopping/gathering/etc) ~admiralnlson

16. A wide variety of pets with specialized abilities. For example, a falcon or hawk could scout an area and, if you were able to communicate with beasts, convey information about the surroundings to you. A ferret could steal a key, while a horde of moths could eat away at someones bag, possibly causing something to fall out. ~Tenclaw

17. Preferably NO auction house. Or if necessary, make it done in some other way. Require the crafters to be present at the auction, actively advertising their items (you'll have to watch spam on this one). Being able to meet with a master player craftsman would be one of many better experiences in the game. ~Tenclaw

18. Alcohol, drugs, player-affecting consumables. We want all the fun of stumbling shit-drunk out of a tavern sometimes, because that's just plain fun. These things are always part of any real fantasy game, and are usually just fun additions.

19. Key rings. Good lord key rings. I can already picture it. I've got the key to my house, the keys to several chests, the key to the trapdoor leading to the secret basement beneath my house, as well as all of the ones I stole from various people and still have yet to try on different things to see if they fit.

20. Tall grass to hide in, thick trees to sneak around behind. Other stealthy things (feel free to elaborate)

21. The abilities to crouch, jump, lie down, commando-crawl (couldn't think of any better term for that) etc. We would love full control over our characters.

22. No floating player names! None, absolutely zero. This detracts from the realism of the game, completely ruins any stealth elements, and feels far too WoW-ish.

*23. The ability to draw on some things. We don't want graffiti, but maybe being able to trace in the dirt with a stick, write on paper, draw pentagrams on the ground, or runes/symbols on set objects (boats/fortifications/etc) maybe with some magical effect? ~Sorjak

24. Character customization post-creation. By this I mean that I would like to be able to change the way my character looks in some ways after initially creating him. Maybe I've decided I want to grow a goatee/5 o'clock shadow. Why not? I'd say facial features can't be changed, but hair style, color, etc, as well as anything not involving serious surgery should be considered for this, such as tattoos or painting.

*25. An extensive and in-depth mount and mounted combat system. Lots of variety, with different abilities and aspects for each mount. Also controls the way each one handles
Details ~Lord_Str1ker


26. Particle effects resulting in small wildlife and insects in order to bring a higher level of realism to the game. ~Traceur

27. Look customization. If I want to look the part of an assassin, I shouldn't have to wear some fruity-looking gear. It ought to be fitting for that of my character. There should be levels of clothes as well. IE: Shirt underneath armor, overcoat, bandanna, hats, etc. These will allow for the player to hide what kind of class they are should they feel like doing so. ~Lina

28. Comical references to outside sources (Nothing over the top, but maybe some hidden area or strange animal etc) everyone needs a little humor neh? ~Shurt

29. Arenas available for player use against one another with a broad spectrum of features, such as betting, match watching, etc. Maybe open world. ~Maverick519

30. No unfinished areas. Please give us a seamless world where we can explore to our hearts content. If I see a mountain, I want to know that I'm able to scale it. I don't want to have some invisible wall blocking me from exploring something interesting. ~Finskie

**31. Highly customizable player housing. If somebody wants to build a castle, why the hell not? But I'd hope he'd be able to hire guards in case of someone else wanting to ransack the place. Shack? No problem. How about a house built underground? Now that sounds mysterious.

**32. Impact effects on your character, weapons, and mount. If you strike another player without severing an appendage, your weapon should stop somewhere, not complete a swing. Likewise, if someone slams you with a warhammer, you should get knocked back or sideways.
Details ~Nox_Vortem
Details ~Nevvier

***33. Rag-doll weaponry. It'd be great if we could place weapons we use on our static character's body somehow. This would probably require a bit of coding, but would certainly make my day. For example, if I could have a set of throwing knives going down my arm or leg, with a katana on my back and an axe on my waist, as well as rearranging them whenever I please, I would be quite stoked. ~Nevvier

34. Recognizable constellations in the night sky. This one speaks for itself. ~Nevvier

35. Falling damage (Though there ought to be some form of float, slowfall, or temporary flight spell as well) ~Nevvier

36. Added sound effects that you don't always notice in other games. IE: Squishing when walking through mud or sludge, splashing in the water, rainfall, thunder, other footsteps, etc. There should also be different sound effects for each kind of armor. Plate and heavy chainmail should be the loudest (clinking), while leather and cloth should be the quietest. ~Nevvier, sny, Lord_Str1ker

***37. A good VOIP system. I'll go into a bit of detail on this one, because nobody can seem to get it right the way players would like it.
-We don't want group VOIP. That can be done with Ventrilo/Teamspeak.
-You should be able to speak into the mic, and people within, say, a range of 10-20 yards should be able to hear you. If there's any way to extend that when someone yells, even better. But that's not a top priority.
-There MUST be an individual player mute option.
This system adds to the realism of the game and can add a more social effect to it. As long as there's a mute button so we can block unwanted spammers, it's a great idea.
~Artorius, Cartheron

*38. A bounty system, but not like in most games. Preferably an NPC that you can go to and submit a name and bounty amount to. Once done (with a small fee of course), it will be posted on a public board in all major towns. If a player has a bounty on his head, the next person that kills him should be able to loot, say, his head. Upon return of the head to the NPC, that player will receive the bounty amount, and the person who paid for the target's death will receive a nice message with regards to the death of said target.
~Rosco, Lord_Str1ker
**-A 'bingo book' or bounty book that updates every time you step into a city containing different bounties on their boards with details/information on them. ~Nehemia

39. An unstuck feature. WoW did this with a hearthstone, so as not to detract from the gameplay by adding an "unstuck button". Let's have something original!
~Kirillionaire

40. Common wildlife that respawn regularly. Probably not necessary for any quests, but simply there to add to the realism. (Oh, and they should be able to be killed)
~Hampo

41. Applicable poison and fire arrows. Simply put, we'd love to be able to apply poison to arrows, blades, etc, as well as light arrows on fire. There should be animations for each of these. ~Maverick519
42. Weak points and more heavily armored points to focus on during combat. Ex: Hacking at someone's calf should slow them down considerably. ~Killermandude

43. Different ways of attacking for some weapons. For example, with a sword, one should be able to slice, thrust, and cut. A spear should be able to thrust with the blade as well as slice, and be able to hit someone with the staff of the weapon itself. Same goes for other weapons (IE: Hammers, daggers, etc)

44. A way to choose from a couple (not many, maybe 1-3 per weapon type) ways to hold your weapon. For example, I'd like to be able to hold my daggers as such: 1 blade pointing up, one blade pointing down. Maybe I'll decide that later I want to hold them both pointing up. Etc. (Probably a bit of a hassle to add, but it would look really great guys, and everyone would probably appreciate a little more customization)

45. Multiple celestial bodies on the skyscape. Now that we know day/night cycle is in, please make the world of MO have more than one sun/moon, it would be so awesome to gaze up at the morning/evening sky before heading out into the wild and see something you never get to see on Earth. ~sny

46. Being unable to wear armor that doesn't fit you. If you're an orc, you probably can't wear halfling or human armor (unless it's really big human armor), and vice-versa. Or if you can wear it, give a penalty for it (more x% more slowly or have x% less armor). ~Cartheron

47. Monster-Weapon interactions
Character-Character: emotes
Character-Environment: Emotes
Visual representation of Inventory on chars.
Details ~Armorsword

*48. Item shops - More graphical representations of self-owned shops (if they're to be implemented). Pillars for items, small tents, etc.
Details ~Lord_Str1ker
On a side note, I'm of the opinion that item shops clutter up cities too much, as well as general meeting areas. If you want to display things, I think you should have to buy a building in a city/town and then use it as a shop. ~Furai

*49. Some form of limiter on currency carried. Weight was mentioned (~Ebon
But I rather like the idea of bank notes. ~Nox Vortem
You're only allowed to carry, say, a maximum of a set amount of the currency (we haven't gotten a name for it yet) I would say either 1,000 or 10,000. If you have anything more than that, it must be deposited in a bank. You may carry bank notes with you that state your ability to withdraw from any bank in the world a certain amount, thereby eliminating the problem of 1mil currency in your back pocket.
Side note: Investigate maybe doing the same thing with items? Maybe for only common items instead of unique.

50. Spell returning/diminishing effects
Details ~Nehemia

51. Cloaks ~Shawk

52. Physical projectiles
Details ~Sorjak
Latest Update: 4/27/08 @ 2:04pm GMT-6

53. Paper and books available to be written on, read, edited, etc. Oblivion did a fairly decent job of this. For example, if you could pick up a piece of paper and read it, or, if it had nothing on it, write something else with a pen from your pack for other players to read, I would be thoroughly happy. Details ~Traceur54. Ambient sounds - background noise and music pertaining to the surrounding area. Ex: Rushing water for river, cicadas for woods/open clearings, owls for forests, ringing metal for mines or forges, etc etc etc.
~MasterRabbi

55. Not just one kind of armor per (well without levels, we'll say rank/status. If I'm at about the same skill level as another player, and we both happen to be the same class, I really don't want to see him wearing exactly what I'm wearing because it happens to be the best kind of thing for us at the moment. ~Geoff

[HunterKiller]

I would really like to see #2. It adds to immersion and the possible tactics to use when setting up an ambush on someone. I could imagine a group of 6 or 7 archers hiding in the trees along a popular road. Firing at enemy factions or religious groups. Maybe creating a serious road hazard unless a toll is paid.

#3 would also be an interesting element to implement. Its been tried in single-player games more recently but in an mmo this could be a fun feature for role-play. Your target is hiding inside of an abandoned building. You set the roof on fire in order to smoke him out. They have the choice of burning to death inside of the building or running out of the building through the front door where they will have to fight to the death.

[Furai]

Precisely. The features aren't necessarily world-changers, but things that will appeal to a player's sense of adventure, action, tactics, and all around enjoyment of the game.

[Metal Wolf]

Dwarf tossing. With in chatbox distance feedback.

[Sorjak]

Environment effect on weapons. Put a sword in flames and it gets white hot. Arrows are blown off course in windy places, or are less effective in rain.

[Morxeton]

#2 would be sweet, but you would need means of being able to take them down so they can't just camp in a tree forever and kill you ever time you try to climb up to get at them (of course this is more like melee on ground vs. ranged in the tree). Perhaps being able to smack the tree with your weapon and knock them down or actually cutting the tree down (which really should be possible anyways if you are to harvest wood for the crafting system).

[Furai]

Added sorjak's, and while I love metal wolf's idea, it is, of course, impractical :P Maybe a world event sometime? lol

[Zeno]

Running, climbing and jumping is always nice, swimming is good too.

Enough pack space that we're not forced to constantly micromanage loot is another great thing.

Personal housing having hooks or cases where items may be displayed, nice for keeping trophies from kills (on Asheron's Call I used to keep a lot of the weapons I looted that were inscribed by the players I killed and took them from and hung them up in my villa).

A list of every character you have ever killed or been killed by (redundant maybe but I'm weird and nostalgic and like to reminisce about previous encounters with good enemies).

A way to keep track of kills and deaths (its the stat freak in me), ratio is not that important but some kind of number to know is nice and fascinating.

Map coordinates, very helpful for coordinating attacks and such.. actually a map in general would be awesome.

[admiralnlson]

#1 - selectable mood (rage, calm, bored, ...) => corresponding face expressions

#2 - at least half a dozen voice sets for each race+genre

#3 - no ugly plastic shiny skin *cough* (AoC) *cough* (at least for humans)

#4 - armor/cloth dyeing

#5 - lively NPCs in town (not just standing there)

#6 - realistic night impact => NPCs actually sleeping, ability to see other NPCs (probably with less honorable intentions, like criminal organizations members)

#7 - moon cycles (some were-animals appearing on full-moon night maybe?)

I'm gonna stop for now

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Zeno

Map coordinates, very helpful for coordinating attacks and such.. actually a map in general would be awesome.

I think all maps should be bought:
- from NPCs for areas next to civilization
- from Player Explorers for "uncharted territories" maps
So I guess I'm against a "general map system".

[Killermandude]

The ability to make graphical changes in small things.

For example, I'm a bladesmith, I should be able to weld a blade into the form that pleases me best, maybe it's a fire-shaped blade, maybe it's just an awesome double-edged design with a handle.

Speaking of handles - accesories.
I want to pop out a blade and put it on a dragon mantle handle or one that is lighter.

Stats on weapons down to the comfort.
A giant bulky blade not only would slow you down, but would make you less comfortable and thereby angrier or... I dunno, less likely to focus on an attack?

[Killermandude]

P.S. Zeno said "Running"
For the record - I wouldn't even buy a game without the ability to run.
And I'm heavily inclined for a temporary sprint button (quick stamina drain)

[Furai]

Updated again. I've been inspired with a few new ideas that I'm thinking of how to word properly

[Tenclaw]

Let me have a hunting falcon sitting on my left arm while I ride in new territory.

Please not only dogs, bears and large cats for combat pets...
badgers, wolverines, martens (heck, mustelids ftw) as medium combat/stealth pets... (think about ferret fetching the key, that you need to break out of the prison for you)..!

Please dont let me buy anything in an auctionhouse... I want to meet with the top crafters of this game...


more to come

[Killermandude]

If this is well maintained over a few days I hereby request sticky status ^^

[Furai]

Updated again

I have tons of ideas jumbling through my head, and I will be keeping this updated with those as well as any decent suggestion that I see added here every time I am home, so keep throwing ideas around guys. I'd like to get a big list so that we can attract some attention from the devs.

[Sorjak]

The ability to draw.

Mages could draw runes on their bodies that give them extra spell power or more skill in a school of magic

Priests or just anyone could draw the name of their god (or the symbol of it) over their house or boat or armor or anything and if their deity is powerful enough, it'll have an enhancing effect

[admiralnlson]

Originally Posted by Furai

13. Map with interactive features, such as the ability to add notes, directions, good locations for gathering, etc. As well as a compass and other map necessities ~Zeno/admiralnlson

Well, technically I said I was against this ^^ This is Zeno's will only.
What I would like about maps is that they should only available on sale from NPC (for well-know areas) and player explorers, and not available for everyone from the beginning.

[Furai]

Originally Posted by admiralnlson

Well, technically I said I was against this ^^ This is Zeno's will only.
What I would like about maps is that they should only available on sale from NPC (for well-know areas) and player explorers, and not available for everyone from the beginning.

Gotcha, was in a bit of a rush when putting a few of those up. I've been in and out all day. I'll reword some of it.

EDIT: Updated. Feel free to elaborate on the map system you have in mind, as i'm not sure on the details for that one.

[admiralnlson]

Well, here are details:

- NPCs sell maps for very common areas (like cities and a vague world map)
- Players (explorers) may stop for a while to draw the map section corresponding to the area they are in at that moment (drawing emote + ~20sec cast bar)
- An actual map corresponds to a collection of map sections.
- You need paper to start drawing a map
- Anyone can copy a map anywhere with a high-enough level in "cartography" (skilled up with original map drawing only)
- A high "cartography" skill level could reduce the time needed to draw a map section or copy a map.
- Player-made maps originals or copies can be sold/given to other players (they're normal inventory items)

I don't know if it should be possible to create false maps though (easy scam there).

---

This suggestion comes from the fact that I don't like the idea of getting a complete map of the world as soon as your character is created. So you should have to either:
- buy maps, or
- make them yourselves while wandering around for the first time in a region, or
- never draw or buy any map and always rely on your sense of orientation (which should be hard, in order to boost the map trade)

[Furai]

Since im a bit lazy to do the HTML hide code, I'm gona go ahead and just quote you for that :P

[Lord_Str1ker]

Nice Thread you got here, Furai

...like the idea admiralnlson

For me personally, I would like to see the most advanced flying mount system yet. Take into account gravity, wing span, creature weight, etc. Say your flying a Wyvern that has scales making it considerably heavy, but armored nonetheless. Even with a huge wing span, it will be slow getting off the ground, but once high enough, you start to ark down (imagine this in first person view) and gain more and more speed as you descend towards the enemy...it'll essentially be a MAC Truck hitting w/e is in its path. If you successfully dodge it however, it will be vulnerable at the back as it slowly ascends. From the other, more maneuverable perspective, consider an eagle mount (perhaps only small humanoids able to ride). Having feathers, it will be considerably lighter than the Wyvern and would be more suitable on taking on single targets , very agile and hard to hit, but not a lot of damage.
I could keep going on about mounts being the same creature, but with different wing span lengths/claw size/area-based mounts effecting scale quality,etc., but I'll save it for some other time. This can be a really extensive subject, perhaps another game entirely.

[aztuitseb]

like all , the second map system is my way to go.
get maps from npcs covering a huge area . craft a map covering a very small area - your line of view

[Traceur]

small animals.
not every insect is 3meters tall. some just might be small insects on the ground that could probably be done with minimal particle affects. some birds maybe.

and the same with plant life: forests, bushes, and most certainly jungles, they all have different plants in different life stages, young and old... their thick and hard to pass through. that's what make them so great for stealth in the first place.

[Shurt]

I'd like to see sublte references in-game to make people remember the good ole' days of UO such as "Ratman" mobs.