This is a repost of a short article that I wrote back in the late 1990’s.

We all felt that after we lost the NWN game that there would never be another perfect PvP & RP game. If there were to be another “perfect” game, it would need to meet a specific set of requirements, at least in my mind.

Sure, some of the items are a bit out of date, but most still apply. And unfortunately, there hasn’t been a perfect (of even really good) PvP game since back in the day.

It’s too early to tell for Age of Conan, but even now it is lacking in the Level Playing Field / Balance category. And the chat system needs to improve. And the community needs to grow a bit, since the only interactions that take place now are either 1) you getting ganked by someone while you’re questing to try treadmill up to maximum level or 2) someone asking you to join their group so they don’t have to wait for a spawn.

But, at least there is a bit of promise, I guess. But I digress. On to the archived article.

The Perfect Game

In the existence of video games, the great majority of them, have been of some competetive nature, of sorts. Whether it be a fighting game, strategy game, sport game, action game, adventure game, or RPG style game… the one thing that all of these have in common is that it pits players against players in a competetive environment. With that being said, I cannot understand why the main focus of a massive multiplayer game should NOT be combat oriented. The idea of gaining virtual money and virtual real estate, of gaining cool items, and the like, while being a necessary part of the gaming environment, these types of things should NOT be a central focus. Now, that is not to say that roleplay has no part in gaming. In fact, the complete opposite is true, roleplay is essential to gaming. But the nature of this roleplay should not be geared only towards happy trading between people, buying houses, and being fishermen. Instead, one must realize that the whole reason fantasy worlds exist is to teleport the player into a peril fraught world, one where dragons roam free, one where you can slit your neighbor’s throat and no one will care too much, and one where you are constantly in a struggle for survival.

After having said all that, these 10 components are what strike me as the most essential components which would be necessary in creating the perfect game.

I. The Turn-Based Environment

Since combat, struggle, and survival are the key underlying themes to the world, a turn based environment is needed. This environment provides those involved with a small, finite period of time in which they have the ability to think, plan, communicate, and then act. The turn based environment provides for a fair way of giving each person time to think, act, and react. This type of environment eliminates the problems of lag, ping times, bad connections, and quick twitch reflexes (ie, the click-fest which many games have become).

II. Strategical Combat (PvP)

From the turn based environment, strategic PvP will develop (assuming III. IV. and V. have been met). Strategic PvP grows from the ability of each person not having to rely on quick clicking ability, but rather on their wits and tactical skill. Since the world and combat space are a finite space, it becomes like a game of chess, one players moves, the other player reacts, until there is a victor. The victor is the person who showed mastery of the terrain, his weapons, and of being able to out battle his opponent. Strategical combat also requires:

III. Defensive/Counter Attacks

By this I mean that for most (preferrably all) possible attacks, that the opponent has some sort of option (whether he chooses to take it or not is up to him) whereby he could divert or minimize the attack against him. This is a system of balancing powerful attacks with powerful defenses, something which the games of recent have ignored. One cannot hope to have Strategical Combat when an opponent can throw a 2000 points of damage spell that has no chance of being minimized, other than by sheer luck. This system of checks and balances provides for a more strategical environment. Again, in chess, each pieces has its strengths, each piece has its weaknesses. Other pieces exploit these weaknesses, or divert their strengths.

IV. Attainable Peaks (Levels)

First, there must be a set limit to how high of a level one can attain. Second, the highest levels must be attainable in a reasonable amount of time. Only when the players have peaked out in the tedium of their character’s level can the above mentioned combat take place.

V. The Level Playing Field

Since everyone will be able to reach their maximum level without years of playing, and assuming that III. is taken into account, everyone will be on a more or less level field. Balance will exist because of III. and IV. thus making the combat meaningful. This leads to the next key factor:

VI. The Drive for Power and Respect

Whereas in recent games (as people have mentioned recently on this board) the drive behind the players was to acquire money, equipment or other “material” possessions, this, in fact, is detrimental to the gaming environment. This promotes random acts of killing and only random acts of killing. The drive for loot destroys the hopes of the strategic combat. Instead of this drive for loot, it is important that the notion of power, skill, and respect be part of the environment. Organized events (combat oriented, guild oriented, problem solving events, etc) are a means to producing a heirarchy amongst the various guilds and players. The drive should be to become the best and most respected, not to become the richest.

VII. Roleplay

Sprouting from the turn based gaming environment, roleplay can flourish. Since players don’t need to worry about being jumped as they sit at a zone gate and don’t need to worry about getting the “click, click, click” death of UO and EQ. Instead, should a combat situation occur, since the combat is turn based, the encounter can be roleplayed instead of having to react and flee or whatever. Also, aside from the combat based roleplay, general roleplay is also necessary. This roleply can be largely based on VI. and the power of the different guilds and respect that has been awarded to the prominent players. Roleplay also helps the community grow.

VIII. A Central Messaging System

Important to the development of VI. and VII. and the community, there needs to be a centralized message board system. This is key for outside the game roleplaying, It is important that everyone knows where to find out about the other guilds, their goings on, their players, and it is a good place for in game events to be developed and discussed.

IX. A Quality Chat Engine

The chat engine must be exemplary. There need not be any shout commands or ooc commands that broadcast to the whole world, but there needs to be private messages and an easy to read and contribute to chat window/engine. The chat is important to both roleplay and pvp. PvP, like roleplay, requires communication. Without communication, the game loses a part of it’s strategy and it also loses part of it’s community. With a chat engine like ultima online’s, the community can never develop.

X. Community Events (Quests)

The community of the game needs to be developed. Many of these factors contribute to the development of the aforementioned community. As the community develops, it is possible to have meaningful events in the game, quests, and other adventures. Guild on guild combat, team combat, pvp ladders, and the like are all a part of this and are all necessary for the game to be the ideal game. NPCs and AI only offer so much challenge and get quite boring very quickly. With players becoming a major factor in the game, and with the communal heirarchy developing and constantly being challenged and rewritten, this allows for the game to be complete. It now has the ideal combat and the ideal community and thus, it is the ideal game.

PvP, Roleplay, and Community need to develop in the proper way, or the game will not be ideal, and will flop. All three are important and all three are interrelated. None can be sacrificed, all must be present.

Kal Mirage
AGM of KAAOS