First off, WOW Raynes...good post, nice clear presentation of your thoughts and reasoning of why you want what you want.
I agree, gaining good fame should:
Open SPECIAL mission/quests that benefit you in each skill tree, special new gear you can make, special racial moves you can learn...now that they trust you.
Show significantly in prices for ANYTHING sold as an NPC item in the whole town (including mounts, packers, food, material and on and on ad naseum)
There should even be a point where the chat tree changes, the NPC should view you, eventually (prolly +50 fame or there abouts) as a SPECIAL friend or even "hero to the cause", whether there is a title or not...I don't care, but it would be nice. (Idea, special title for melee missions that raise your fame in a group over +50, over +75 and when you hit 100 fame, special title for mages/healers, and special title and forms for crafters and maybe a stanza for foragers that adds to focus regen. Just my two cents on that one.)
I agree, the new planet, paid expansion or not is NOT coming in the next two months...I don't code and I KNOW that yall aren't EVEN ready to beta/alpha the Ryzom Planet two phase yet. My feelings are, while I would rather you debug FULLY before the release, having SOME idea of how long the delay might be (tenative release date of ROUGHLY nine months from today, with a HUGE disclaimer that if testing does not go well this date WILL change), could not hurt if we the player/testers/forum lurkers knew.
Bad fame should eventually (a bit before hitting Neg 100) even end up with that faction hating you SO much that they will Kill On Sight you. Before that point...Bad fame should:
Raise your ticket prices at the opposite fame, at neg 100 they totally REFUSE to sell to you. You don't want to lose that ticket option, don't hit the "magic number".
Prices in neg fame towns should go up on ALL NPC items, see positive fame for what ALL npc means. Food for mounts, mounts and packers should be PAINFUL (if not just plain NOT affordable. Like ten times the normal rate if you are over -75 fame) in high neg fame towns.
I would like to see NPC's emote different emotes like players can, like disgust or hatred shown when someone of a high enough neg fame tries to start a mission with them. And say something like, "I KNOW YOUR type wouldn't help my people! Get lost before I call a guard to deal with you!" *emote of spitting on the ground or finger across the throat*
I would like to see the Kami and Karavan more active in the game play. More skills they are willing to teach us with higher fame in their faction(spells and gear on Kami side and techo crafting and use on Karavan side...Maybe the ability to fix items using some of the same mats you use to make that item).
I would like to see the ability to travel using those "sky branches". I have traveled to Tryker lands and climbed all of those I can and that exploration is the kind that fuels my normal game play. When I can climb around and see new stuff...somehow grinding for four hours the next day isn't as BORING.
On the ATS, I am FULLY willing to sign (On paper if need be) an NDA (non disclosure to those that don't normally test/beta games) and be willing to have my NORMALLY account suspended for two months and ALL testing privillages permantly revoked with NO possible review of the case if I break that NDA. I am rather certain that the type of player that would TRULY be a tester, and benefit the live servers and the devs, would be fully willing to sign that NDA as well.
The above stated, I would think that putting as much of the patches as possible on the test server would be MORE than enough to double the normal population, maybe even more. I don't normally bother to log on other than to test theories and when there is a notice that something new is up for testing on ATS. I noticed that when there IS a focus, I actually run into one or two other testers during that focus test.
Testers PLEASE! reply here if you would change your testing habits if MORE of the patches hit the ATS EVEN if you had to sign an NDA with possible punitive temp suspension of live server account and ALL revokation of testing privilages on ATS upon breaking the NDA.
I am not sure if Raynes was talking about an NPC like I am thinking about. But how about some of those random worthless NPC's that wander around towns ACTUALLY get bits and pieces of the storyline, rumors, offer missions for special skills/spells/techniques(stanzas)? How about a town crier that says in local chat bits about recent goings on including server specific HEROS (event winners, special mission completers, new NPC's that have story bits and pieces). What about a performer in the taverns? (now THAT would help the RPers alot) How about if a HIGH neg famer walked into the opposite fame's bar and a bar fight breaks out?? (No DP due to ANY deaths, and the opposite fame could opt into a PVP fist fight maybe? But it would cut the dullness and provide an opportunity for storyline, NPC generated ROLE play). How about an NPC run up to the right level player and BEG them to help her save her farm(outpost?) from *insert the peril here*?
I KNOW I am asking for ALOT, don't think I expect even HALF of it to hit live server, but at least pass these thoughts to the dev and ask them to let them roll around in their heads.
raynes wrote:What would you like to know more about? Is there something we can perhaps add to the ryzom.com website? Any existing content that should be explained in greater detail?
1) In the MMhell interview it gave a description of what the complete encyclopedia is suppose to be. Currently this is not the case. What is the time frame in which we can expect to be able to complete some full albums, and get special missions as a result of it?
2) What are the plans concerning fame? Is it always going to be a secondary system? Or can we expect game play to be more based on it?
3) Currently there are only penalties associated with getting bad fame and nothing for getting good fame. There is no real benefit to getting good fame with groups, and really no benefit for getting top fame with groups (+90 personal). What are your plans to change this, do you plan on changing it.
4) In the expected plan of progression it's listed that a new planet will be introduced in 6 months of going live. It's clear that is not going to happen, so when can we expect that?
5) When are the Kami and the Karavan going to become central to the story and not just secondary after thoughts?
6) Currently the game is lacking content, besides the encyclopedia missions what can we expect mission or quest wise in the future?
7) Why do you refuse to put a full update on the test server so we can really test?
8) In every other MMO I have ever played there were always NPC's that you could talk to about the game, get missions from, and have an overall feeling like they had a unique personality. Currently this is not the case with Ryzom. All NPC's respond the same when players speak to them. In addition there are a lot of NPC's that have special jobs but do nothing. When can we expect the NPC side of Ryzom to come alive?