Well, my preferences are not very uncommon...
I love snowy/icy regions, like Velious. I like icy plains ;). Also "Underwater-Dungeon", like Kedge Keep. But "Underwater" need to made well. Alot of games arent able, to give you a good experience, in "Unterwater-Dungeons". Kedge Keep is a very good example, how to make it good!
lyrina said:Well, my preferences are not very uncommon...
I love snowy/icy regions, like Velious. I like icy plains ;). Also "Underwater-Dungeon", like Kedge Keep. But "Underwater" need to made well. Alot of games arent able, to give you a good experience, in "Unterwater-Dungeons". Kedge Keep is a very good example, how to make it good!
Yeah, snow/mountins are awesome and underwater is pretty popular and one of the game that have done a pretty good job of this zone is Guild Wars 2, in my opinion :)
Kilsin said:Name a region / climate you would love to experience in an MMORPG setting that isn't typically offered.
Well, I wracked but I think most regions/climates are commonly offered. Fields, plains, foothills, farms, jungles, deserts, islands, underwater, maze/labyrinth, mountains, cities, lava-fields, castles, caves - I can't think of any NOT done frequently.
A couple styles that I think are not as commonly thought of that I'll steal from EQ:
Thurgadin represented a closed wall city similar to Kaladim. I liked that closed off, fully-indoor, city idea.
Emerald Jungle was an amazing tropical jungle with hidden cities and ruins.
Underwater zones definitely need lots (and lots) more usage. I imagine they are hard to execute well so they are only tossed in here and there.
I like the low gravity idea, but it wouldn't fit in a high fantasy genre without a stretch of magic-imagination.
The slippery floors in Velk's was an interesting zone with climate-type influence, also.
Mostly, I'd like to see a zone that has a combination belnded smoothly together, where there might be a forest, and a cave and a lake or pond with underwater area - all as part of the same zone.
All great options listed so far, but I be allong the lines of the tropical rain forest, or just any real forest.
One thing I always found lacking in games, is the forests are usually nothing more than a bunch of trees spaced rather liberally apart. Seldom is a forest so thick that one must really stay to well traveled paths.
Frankly, there is from what I have read so far one that was not mentioned. It is not necessarily a climate, but a mix of climate changes happening when rapidly going from cold to hot or hot to cold. Simply put, I would like to see Fog. Possibly Dense Fog at that, it adds to atmosphere, and possible sneak attacks by mobs.
lyrina said:Well, my preferences are not very uncommon...
I love snowy/icy regions, like Velious. I like icy plains ;). Also "Underwater-Dungeon", like Kedge Keep. But "Underwater" need to made well. Alot of games arent able, to give you a good experience, in "Unterwater-Dungeons". Kedge Keep is a very good example, how to make it good!
Frosty mountains. I second this. I loved Velious. I have always been a fan of frigid, snowy woodland zones. I would love, love, LOVE to see a whole region like this spanning many levels where I could spend my career as a Ranger tromping through the snowy foothills hunting and watching over my domain. I'd sub right now for life if this was for sure in game.
One of my favorite zones of any mmo came from Vanguard. The river valley was amazing with the ambience and style. It was almost as if the zone was split into 3 different zones with each side of the forest and the river in the middle.
I think something like that but with an underwater aspect to the river part would be awesome. so you can adventure in the jungle area then maybe once you are high enough level explore the depths in the water.
I sure enjoy the hard to get to, non mapped or discussed remote islands frought with challenges gettin from one to the other. Each archapeligo or island in the archipeligo would offer unique mobs/rewards/ dangers( shifting sands, quicksand/rapid erosion water born dangers, cave systems etc. Perhaps you would have to gather or construct a way to the other islands from the previous island..like build a boat or somehting. Once you are there make it hard to get out as well. Makes it all the more special. You could do Hot or Frozen varients of this.
1. The Low Gravity option would be interesting as this hasn't really been done that much that I know of.
2. mid-air...
3. Moving maze. The setting could change section by section..one frozen, one desert, one under water..etc... and have a random person "thrown" above the area looking down either at a map representing the puzzle or the actual group/raid/people. Then the majority of the group/raid/people are actually in the puzzle and will watch their world spin as the folks moving the parts from above solve it.....gate it by spawning mobs for each turn of a piece.
4. or...with the gnome lore...on a.....
Loved the concept of a supernatural disaster in Chrono Trigger with the Time Crash. A zone forever frozen in time (wildlife, leaves in the wind, people). All stuck in suspended animation. Though as cool as this concept is I dont know how prcatical it would be in an MMO. What would we do in such a zone? Save it? Fight Time Devils?
out there kinda idea, but how about a 'Bermuda Triangle' - esque region, where direction is thrown off (each player in a group might be getting a different sense of what north is , etc) magic abilities may have wrong effects (fire randomly heals a mob, a stun randomly sets it ablaze). weapons become too heavy, or rust quickly, or even randomly do far more damage. areas that are dark as night, take a step it isdaylight, 20 more steps its night again. strange portals that may send you to a different part of the zone, or world (maybe drop you in the middle of the sea or in front of a raid boss - all random)
second thought it might be the most frustrating place ever lol
maybe a truly floating, sargasso sea type place, not really a landmass but thick seaweed, stuck ships, odd flora and fauna that has adapted to this environ, tons of sea creatures of aall types hanging out below the floating mass waiting for the unwary to fall through....might be an interesting dungeon type area
werzul said:out there kinda idea, but how about a 'Bermuda Triangle' - esque region, where direction is thrown off (each player in a group might be getting a different sense of what north is , etc) magic abilities may have wrong effects (fire randomly heals a mob, a stun randomly sets it ablaze). weapons become too heavy, or rust quickly, or even randomly do far more damage. areas that are dark as night, take a step it isdaylight, 20 more steps its night again. strange portals that may send you to a different part of the zone, or world (maybe drop you in the middle of the sea or in front of a raid boss - all random)
second thought it might be the most frustrating place ever lol
maybe a truly floating, sargasso sea type place, not really a landmass but thick seaweed, stuck ships, odd flora and fauna that has adapted to this environ, tons of sea creatures of aall types hanging out below the floating mass waiting for the unwary to fall through....might be an interesting dungeon type area
Wild Magic areas.....
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Wild_magic
I would pay twice for this....
Environments to 'experience' :
1. Valley of the Corn:
Tall grass (picture shoulder height or higher wheat fields) valley .... with packs of raptors inside it! You and your party move through it, creating furros the tallest in your party can see. Elsewhere in the fields they can see other paths being made ... perhaps by people... perhaps not. Danger and worry about being ambushed by raptors at any point in this almsot endless valey of corn. Perhaps coming across the odd carcass, stripped clean of all but bone and gristle .... a warning of the inhabitants and their habits!
2. Village of the Damned:
Forlorn Village/Town where it rains all the time, every day. Mud clogged, mud covered, streets which suck at your feet as you trudge through them. The constant noise of rain falling and the almost impossibility of ever getting dry! Your rations rotting, your clothes getting mouldy and mud everywhere! Inhabited by depressing residents scratching a living in a place that would depress even an amphetamine junkie! Is time slow here? Or is it just cursed for all eternity?
3. Land of the Titans:
Entering an area where everything appears 10x (or more) as big as it should! Each step in a flight of stairs would be 6 feet tall, needing you to climb them one at a time! Having to work out how to climb the 40 feet tall table leg to get to the table top! Perhaps, eventually finally spotting a Titan standing 70 feet tall and weighing some 90 metric tonnes! Running to the walls edge to hide in the 4 foot crack in the wall. Where does this tunnel lead? Have others been this way before? Did a cat, standing 6 feet tall at the shoulder, get them?
Some of these might be nice (in the 'funny peculiar' way) to visit!
The only area that hasn't been done much is an underwater zone. And one that was designed for virtual reality would be original.
There's nothing much that hasn't be said above or done.
What do I prefer? desert type areas :) - But generally really vast areas.
I like the area's you've travelled/been through a 1000 times but have yet to explore it all. Don't like simple zones where I've explored it all. ;)
I too would want an arctic like environment as both Everfrost and Permafrost in EQOA and EQ2 were so beautiful. After all, my favorite city was and still is Halas/New Halas. But more outside the box I'd love to see some sort of shadow/darkness zone and elemental zones (i.e. air, earth, fire, water) would also be great.
I'd like to see a zone where the entire zone is very similar to Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, an old AD&D module ( Wiki Link for those unfamiliar ). You could explore an old, ruined space ship that crash landed ages ago which was buried somewhere in Terminus. You could create whatever climate you liked for it, since it is a spaceship. The anti-gravity area would be a natural fit. You could fight robots, mutants, maybe even the original aliens that crashed here, only slightly...altered? Find powerful artifacts that takes a learned wizard decipher, and an even more powerful enchanter to bring the device "back to life." I dunno, just think it might be kinda cool...
...oh, and the Gnomes would love it!