XP Chains from FFXI. Not only would this feature be aligned with the game tenets, but it would go a long way toward realizing the vision of incorporating a "fun grind" into the leveling phase. Combined with the disposition system that is planned for Pantheon, I have no doubt that this game would have the best grind experience of any MMO ever made. There are some folks who haven't played FFXI who think a feature like this would feel too "contrived" but ask any FF veteran how amazing it was.
Vanguard crafting. I just think its the best ssytem I have ever seen in a game. Kept me engaged during the process. I thought it was fun and it took some skill to do it right. It wasn't like most other games where you selected the recipie and clicked combine. You had things you had to do and tools you needed to aquire.
The boat/water physics from Sea of Thieves.
Can say a lot about Sea of Thieves, but the way the boats move through water and the way water looks in the game is absolutely amazing. To see an MMORPG actually include proper water physics and making sea-travel fun and engaging would be awesome.
After watching the gameplay videos, I would have to say a light source of some type that can sit in your inventory. Something that doesn't have to be held. Torches are great and give off a good amount of light but giving up that hand slot is something most people won't be willing to do. It's too important of a slot to your character. Whether it be something found, summoned or even player crafted, {hint, hint, maybe something with stats as your crafting skill progresses}, there needs to be some type of light source.
Shyin said:After watching the gameplay videos, I would have to say a light source of some type that can sit in your inventory. Something that doesn't have to be held. Torches are great and give off a good amount of light but giving up that hand slot is something most people won't be willing to do. It's too important of a slot to your character. Whether it be something found, summoned or even player crafted, {hint, hint, maybe something with stats as your crafting skill progresses}, there needs to be some type of light source.
Something like the lightstones that you get off of wisps in old EQ, I remember having to light the way of a Barbarian (he couldn't see in the dark) I usually carried one of those as opposed to a torch.
A broad immunity to being disabled in combat after you have been disabled once. Few things are more frustrating than dying after you spend an entire fight unable to use your abilities because a mob disables you three different ways in a row or two mobs take turns disabling you. Yes I know it is *fair* we can disable mobs but it is also frustrating and we pay the subscription money the mobs do not. Unless VR has come up with a business model supported by fees paid by the mobs - that would be nice.
Second choice - the Vanguard harvesting and crafting system. Note I put harvesting first. Apart from group harvesting having player-crafted harvesting gear, having the potential for rare materials from nodes, even ultrarares though that was a bit overdone IMO they weren't rare enough.
fancy said:The housing/farming/land system from Archeage. I loved being able to expand my property and own a whole chunk of an area. I also loved having something to do during non peak hours. Farm, plant, craft, check out my house.
I also enjoyed the trade pack commerce system from Archeage (which went along with the farming), but I guess it wouldn’t really work without the PvP. I’ll go with the meaningful and memorable items featured in early EverQuest. PRF has already promised us meaningful and memorable items, but I don’t think the importance of this can be overstated. It needs to happen.
I'd have to echo what oneADseven said. The XP chains in FFXI were something that would encourage teamwork and good group mechanics, which is something Pantheon seems to want to bring to the table.
Something else that I would like to see from FFXI - In that game, NPC vendors wares would vary depending on which faction controllled what zone. Control was earned by monster kills. I'd like to see something like that, as it makes the world feel more alive and not static. Some rarer crafting components could be sold (limited supplies), different foods and drinks, maybe some rare recipes...things that would not be game breaking, but would help bring that little "something" to the game.
The ability for players (i.e. bards) to craft their very own music like in Project Gorgon! It adds a lot to the immersion and rp-factor, sitting in a tavern with lots of other players while listening to music from bards playing on several instruments.
It is a huge socializing aspect within the community!
Spectator Mode that allows you to spectate your friends PoV as he/she plays. Preferably with UI elements that highlight what actions he/she is performing (since you wouldn't see his/her keybindings). I know this is usually used in MOBAs or FPSes, but I'd love to be able to ride along and watch a friend from another guild doing a raid. It would be like I was watching over his shoulder, but since not all friends are local friends...
I know you might just say that I could go along on the raid, but we know that VR will be adding Disposition features to prevent players from Zerg'ing a boss, so there will be limits to how many people can take part in a raid. Plus he may be doing content that I'm not key'd or attuned too. Or maybe it's a fight I'm not geared up enough for yet.
I have to pick just one? :(
A mashup of FFXIV and Vanguard crafting and gathering..
If I get to pick additional features that I would love to see (not necessarily from other games, and yes I know I'm copying from my post in the Champion's Hangout :) )...
2) A mashup of Vanguard housing and SWG player cities into a Freehold system (see my post here: https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/6938/farmville-in-pantheon/view/page/2)
3) Dynamic story events that happen over long-ish periods of time and temporarily or permanently change the face of Terminus (invasions, disasters and calamities, wars between the races, and so on)
4) A diplomacy system that allows players to accomplish various things by influencing notable NPCs and factions, including (but not limited to):
- Modifying where factions put their available resources (send more guards to Avendyr's Pass to keep the road safe for merchants)
- Modifying how factions interact with outposts and Freeholds (trade treaties, etc)
- Unlocking unique quests for their guild (the faction entrusts the guild with a very important task)
- Aligning with a faction to unlock other features (such as the right to build an outpost or Freehold)
5) Community crafting projects with permanent or temporary impact (contribute gear for the soldiers to protect merchants better, dropping prices in the city, as an example)
6) As part of the progeny system, semi-randomly generate a special epic-scale "family quest" for the new character/heir.
7) Lots, and lots, and lots of support for social events of all types (weddings, parties, competitions, etc) - cosmetic clothing, emotes, interactive furniture, available venues, and so on.
8) "Super-raids": Periodic one-time raid events that require multiple guilds spread around the world to work together to defeat. (Like the Sleeper in EQ, only spread out worldwide instead of zone-wide). When defeated these raids would go dormant for many months, although when one threat is laid low, rumors of a new foe might soon be uncovered.
9) Sailing and player ships, like in Vanguard, with islands and mysteries dotting the seas of Terminus that are only accessible by ship . Gather your friends and hoist your colors for adventure.
10) Vanguard-inspired Disciple and Blood Mage
11) EQ2-inspired collectible system (and its plethora of cool housing items while we're at it)
12) FFXI-inspired XP chains and skill chains
13) Creature taming (loosely inspired by vanilla WoW and SWG, oddly enough)
14) EVE-inspired market "buy orders", combined with SWG-inspired player shops (so placable NPC vendors that can both buy and sell on consignment).
15) A player music system ("Make taverns great again!")
16) SWG-style player camps (appropriately themed, of course)
17) EQ-style epic quests (but expanded)
... ok, I'll stop now. :)
If I had to pick one thing, it would be no maps at all like classic EQ. No maps and no quest waypoints mostly because it brought the community together more, and brought that challenge in. If you really wanted to complete a quest it took a lot of thought and navigation. Also, you had to skill up sense heading, that was awesome too, i don't know when they started giving that skill to people but it was so boring to have it auto maxed for your new toons
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but the travel difficulty and resulting sense of immensity of classic EQ.
About a month after release, a couple of friends and I moved to the Test Server. I'd only been in the Neriak/Freeport area before that, but I rolled an Erudite Wizard, and they were playing Elves. After my first spell rank, I started the overland journey to get to Faydark, never having done it before. It was a full day of effort through zones I'd never visited, exploring terrifying areas. Crossing the Karanas forever, a desperate run through Highpass, etc. Still a great memory. I loved being a teleporting class and felt cheated when the Nexus came out -- it shrunk the world terribly, and I actually really enjoyed offering teleport services before that (always free, maybe just because of the Test Server community, but something I loved getting to do for others).
That also meant that I was tied into the quests and storylines of another region. Instead of getting involved in Qeynos, I spent my time facing down Orcs in Crushbone and eventually trying to navigate Unrest (oh, God, the nightmares). It gave me a different experience altogether from most other Erudites of the early EQ era.
That feeling of size, scope, immensity, made Norrath into something special for me that I carried with me for a long time.
As an honorable mention, I'd bring up the music system in LOTRO. I spent many hours playing a lute in the Prancing Pony. It added nothing but atmosphere, but it was a lot of fun. There are plenty of more meaningful systems I could mention, but that was an "extra mile" sort of thing that made the game world feel more real, more inhabitable.