Some ideas for imporving Ryzoms future
Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:24 pm
Some ideas for Ryzom on how to make it better, and at the same time, create a new, larger subscriber base.
First of all, begin working on a Ryzom V2. This does not require as much work as most would think, just take the current game and fix the bugs/ add new features. I'll get to the features later.
Second, begin beta testing once the game is ready. Have current subscribers ONLY take part in the testing. We know what we like about the game and we are really good about reporting the bugs we find.
Third, allow us to port our old characters over from the old game to the new one, we spent a long time making these toons the way they are, and the last thing many of us will want is to start over.
Fourth, as part of the beta, have some gaming magazines/critiques come on to see what we have to offer. The best bet for this is have them on at least three times. Once to just see the layout of the game and what there is to offer. The second time is to see what takes place in an event, and the third time to see what the gameplay is like. These can be done in any order, and can be more frequent than three times, but three would be a minimum. Some people to invite would be Games for Windows, Game Informer, Gametrailers.com, thats all I can think of right now.
Fifth, ADVERTISE!!! This is the key to making the game great, and popular. You have to get the word out there to more than just the people who read the magazines/go to the websites. Make sure to get the name out there, and bring the game to places like E3, or any other gaming expo that you can think of. People at these events can play the game on-line, with people currently in the beta, and see exactly what we are made of. I'd be willing to bet some of the current players wouldn't mind going to a separate area (kinda like a ring scenario) to show the people at the events around.
Sixth, when the game is finnally ready for release, sell it on the shelves, kinda like WOW and Guildwars do. Keep the monthly subscriptions going, but maybe set a "first month free" or "first three months free". This gets the name outside the internet, and people don't have to wait for days (if they have a slower connection) to download it.
Ok, for the new features. You have to bear with me here, I know you have all heard most of these before.
1. Create a new area for the Tryker, Zorai, and Fyros. This will be essentially the same as the Nexus is for the Matis, a Q200 area that has up to supremes in each of the racial types. This is one of the only pet peeves that i have as a digger, I want to dig Supreme desert mats! Make this area hard to get to, like Nexus, but have nuetral TP's.
2. Open the Canopy!!! We have wanted this for a long time. With opening this up there are a couple of things to consider.
First, how to access it. I say for the "nexus" like areas for each of the races.
Second, mats that are to be dug. I suggest a new material group, just as theres desert, forest, PR, ect. I say have a new "canopy" group. This can be like PR materials, but with a couple of twists, I'll get to that in a little bit.
Third, Make a new craft branch. There should be canopy-specific crafting available. This is where the twist comes in. The canopy materials can be used for any racial crafting, just like PR. But the canopy crafting will be like any other crafting branch, if its over choice materials, you can only use canopy and PR materials to craft it. So, for an example, I can use canopy materials to make Zorai boots, but I cannot use Jungle mats to make anything from the canopy. Its very limiting and very free at the same time. This also makes it so people who have mastered a craft can't just go up to the canopy and buy up the stanzas and be able to craft with just that, they have to work at their canopy dig as well (unless they alreadt have mastered PR) ok I read that part over and it seems like it may be confusing, so I'm going to try it again. Canopy materials can be used to craft in any branch, just like PR. But to craft Canopy items, you can only use PR or canopy mats (unless if they are basic or fine, then any mats will do)
Fourth, This goes along with the dig and craft ideas. Increase the level limit, but only for the canopy crafting/digging. The highest level mats you can get in the game are Q270, and that is only from the bosses. Let the canopy have this level max as well. This will prevent PR diggers from being the absolute best right off the bat. Yes, you can just buy up the levels you already have, but to be a true master in that area, you must go 20 levels beyond what you already know.
Fifth, as an added bonus, for mastering the canopy crafting, allow the purchse form the trainers generic crafting plan. This is like th plans that are currently in effect in some of the rites, but this plan is only available when you reach level270, and only in what you have mastered. So it is like the racial weapon plans available at 150, but you can't buy all the plans in that catagory, just the one you have mastered. This lets us use all of the best mats we have gathered.
Sixth, this is something I would just like to see. Make the q200 and below areas TP's of the canopy available to any faction, Kami, Kara, or Neutral. But make the q250 areas TP's only available to neutrals. An explaination for this may be creating a new "race" of sorts that believes the whole conflict between the Kami and Kara is silly and allows use of their tps to Neutrals only. If you have a double-digit fame with either faction you cannot use these tp's. Only being in the 250 areas makes it not much of a sacrifice for the Kara/Kami, but it will make it a disadvantage to them. As an added stipulation, you must have positive fame with all four of the races in order to use it.
3. Finish up the rites, and maybe make some new ones. This stands alone, and a lot of peole have been waiting for this day.
4. An idea for an event. Awaken the dragon, but make it a four part event. For the first part, he can only be hurt by attacks from the fight branch, nuking does nothing. Second, he can only be hurt by magic, melee/ranged does nothing. Third, he can only be hurt by digging. Now bear with me here, I know this ounds weird. You can say that he is tring to hide away, and digging prevents him from running. For this round it should be digging in specified areas, but make it in every land. The best bet would be the workshops, like the one outside Dyron for the desert, and the one next to the TP in Grove of umbra. Specify an area for each land, and let people dig! Final round would be people bringing these special dug materials to a specified area and crafting with them to create a new cage to hold the dragon.
5. With this idea for the event, make a new type of "lair" (like the Kitin Lairs that we have right now, ie desertstock) These can be located in the canopy and make them "dragon spawn lair". Just a new fun place to raid.
So, tell me what you think, and please feel free to add some ideas. Ryzom has the chance to beat out WOW, but there has to be some marketing out there to make it work. We can help a little with this, but it really comes down to spiderweb getting out there and doing it.
First of all, begin working on a Ryzom V2. This does not require as much work as most would think, just take the current game and fix the bugs/ add new features. I'll get to the features later.
Second, begin beta testing once the game is ready. Have current subscribers ONLY take part in the testing. We know what we like about the game and we are really good about reporting the bugs we find.
Third, allow us to port our old characters over from the old game to the new one, we spent a long time making these toons the way they are, and the last thing many of us will want is to start over.
Fourth, as part of the beta, have some gaming magazines/critiques come on to see what we have to offer. The best bet for this is have them on at least three times. Once to just see the layout of the game and what there is to offer. The second time is to see what takes place in an event, and the third time to see what the gameplay is like. These can be done in any order, and can be more frequent than three times, but three would be a minimum. Some people to invite would be Games for Windows, Game Informer, Gametrailers.com, thats all I can think of right now.
Fifth, ADVERTISE!!! This is the key to making the game great, and popular. You have to get the word out there to more than just the people who read the magazines/go to the websites. Make sure to get the name out there, and bring the game to places like E3, or any other gaming expo that you can think of. People at these events can play the game on-line, with people currently in the beta, and see exactly what we are made of. I'd be willing to bet some of the current players wouldn't mind going to a separate area (kinda like a ring scenario) to show the people at the events around.
Sixth, when the game is finnally ready for release, sell it on the shelves, kinda like WOW and Guildwars do. Keep the monthly subscriptions going, but maybe set a "first month free" or "first three months free". This gets the name outside the internet, and people don't have to wait for days (if they have a slower connection) to download it.
Ok, for the new features. You have to bear with me here, I know you have all heard most of these before.
1. Create a new area for the Tryker, Zorai, and Fyros. This will be essentially the same as the Nexus is for the Matis, a Q200 area that has up to supremes in each of the racial types. This is one of the only pet peeves that i have as a digger, I want to dig Supreme desert mats! Make this area hard to get to, like Nexus, but have nuetral TP's.
2. Open the Canopy!!! We have wanted this for a long time. With opening this up there are a couple of things to consider.
First, how to access it. I say for the "nexus" like areas for each of the races.
Second, mats that are to be dug. I suggest a new material group, just as theres desert, forest, PR, ect. I say have a new "canopy" group. This can be like PR materials, but with a couple of twists, I'll get to that in a little bit.
Third, Make a new craft branch. There should be canopy-specific crafting available. This is where the twist comes in. The canopy materials can be used for any racial crafting, just like PR. But the canopy crafting will be like any other crafting branch, if its over choice materials, you can only use canopy and PR materials to craft it. So, for an example, I can use canopy materials to make Zorai boots, but I cannot use Jungle mats to make anything from the canopy. Its very limiting and very free at the same time. This also makes it so people who have mastered a craft can't just go up to the canopy and buy up the stanzas and be able to craft with just that, they have to work at their canopy dig as well (unless they alreadt have mastered PR) ok I read that part over and it seems like it may be confusing, so I'm going to try it again. Canopy materials can be used to craft in any branch, just like PR. But to craft Canopy items, you can only use PR or canopy mats (unless if they are basic or fine, then any mats will do)
Fourth, This goes along with the dig and craft ideas. Increase the level limit, but only for the canopy crafting/digging. The highest level mats you can get in the game are Q270, and that is only from the bosses. Let the canopy have this level max as well. This will prevent PR diggers from being the absolute best right off the bat. Yes, you can just buy up the levels you already have, but to be a true master in that area, you must go 20 levels beyond what you already know.
Fifth, as an added bonus, for mastering the canopy crafting, allow the purchse form the trainers generic crafting plan. This is like th plans that are currently in effect in some of the rites, but this plan is only available when you reach level270, and only in what you have mastered. So it is like the racial weapon plans available at 150, but you can't buy all the plans in that catagory, just the one you have mastered. This lets us use all of the best mats we have gathered.
Sixth, this is something I would just like to see. Make the q200 and below areas TP's of the canopy available to any faction, Kami, Kara, or Neutral. But make the q250 areas TP's only available to neutrals. An explaination for this may be creating a new "race" of sorts that believes the whole conflict between the Kami and Kara is silly and allows use of their tps to Neutrals only. If you have a double-digit fame with either faction you cannot use these tp's. Only being in the 250 areas makes it not much of a sacrifice for the Kara/Kami, but it will make it a disadvantage to them. As an added stipulation, you must have positive fame with all four of the races in order to use it.
3. Finish up the rites, and maybe make some new ones. This stands alone, and a lot of peole have been waiting for this day.
4. An idea for an event. Awaken the dragon, but make it a four part event. For the first part, he can only be hurt by attacks from the fight branch, nuking does nothing. Second, he can only be hurt by magic, melee/ranged does nothing. Third, he can only be hurt by digging. Now bear with me here, I know this ounds weird. You can say that he is tring to hide away, and digging prevents him from running. For this round it should be digging in specified areas, but make it in every land. The best bet would be the workshops, like the one outside Dyron for the desert, and the one next to the TP in Grove of umbra. Specify an area for each land, and let people dig! Final round would be people bringing these special dug materials to a specified area and crafting with them to create a new cage to hold the dragon.
5. With this idea for the event, make a new type of "lair" (like the Kitin Lairs that we have right now, ie desertstock) These can be located in the canopy and make them "dragon spawn lair". Just a new fun place to raid.
So, tell me what you think, and please feel free to add some ideas. Ryzom has the chance to beat out WOW, but there has to be some marketing out there to make it work. We can help a little with this, but it really comes down to spiderweb getting out there and doing it.