EI and the Future of Horizons

[Altar]

I have a pretty heavy background in the arts and I consider MMOs to be the newest medium of storytelling. Personally, I'm curious about ways to explore tensions between the living races. Having a common foe doesn't necessarily mean everybody's best friends and I think there's a well of potentential there. Sometimes, a slight shift in perspective can make a whole world seem new. The challenge is to find a way to execute these ideas in a way that's fun to play. I'm not a developer so I'm not sure how practical my ideas are, but we're making it a point to be creative about determining not only what the story is going to be, but how we're going to tell it.

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Hmmm maybe there is enough tension between different races and cultures in the real world without having it in a game I play games to get away from that.... BUT that is just me

[Jayne]

I agree Altar, sadly there are some that like to create that type of tension in game already.

[Chioxin]

Umm.... dragons.... bipeds? Anyone????? =) And I know on the RP shard we've explored these thoroughly >.>

If it leads to open PVP I won't be happy though =( please don't move it into open PVP =/

[Nagafen]

Altar & Jayne,
The goal would be to make the game more dynamic and fun to play, not to divide the players. Bear in mind, these are just my ideas and they haven't been green lit. We're still assessing where we want to go next.

Chioxin,
Rest assured that it has been made abundantly clear to us that PvP would not be a welcome change to the game. Let me say it again, for emphasis:

We have no plans to add open PvP to Horizons.

[CallakDW]

Hmmm maybe there is enough tension between different races and cultures in the real world without having it in a game I play games to get away from that.... BUT that is just me

I have the feeling that mabe he was referring to making hostile NPCs of the native races?

[Arzel Rashemi]

Altar & Jayne,
The goal would be to make the game more dynamic and fun to play, not to divide the players. Bear in mind, these are just my ideas and they haven't been green lit. We're still assessing where we want to go next.

Chioxin,
Rest assured that it has been made abundantly clear to us that PvP would not be a welcome change to the game. Let me say it again, for emphasis:

We have no plans to add open PvP to Horizons.

Ok, so can I ask for clarification in this. Is what I'm understanding accurate? That is, to say, EI wants to take the original lore of the world with the different races and their perspectives to one another, and fortify and strengthen that lore again so it becomes part of the forefront of the game's storyline in addition to the Withered Aegis? Things like Lunus working a little more closely with Fiends as compared to Humans, Humans having a distrust for Fiends and Sslik, Helians and Lunus having their quietly kept little differences, Gnomes being bitter about the loss of Rachival, ect?

Mind it, its been so long since I've gone over any of the lore like this, I'm a little or more patchy in areas.

[Nagafen]

Ok, so can I ask for clarification in this. Is what I'm understanding accurate? That is, to say, EI wants to take the original lore of the world with the different races and their perspectives to one another, and fortify and strengthen that lore again so it becomes part of the forefront of the game's storyline in addition to the Withered Aegis? Things like Lunus working a little more closely with Fiends as compared to Humans, Humans having a distrust for Fiends and Sslik, Helians and Lunus having their quietly kept little differences, Gnomes being bitter about the loss of Rachival, ect?

Mind it, its been so long since I've gone over any of the lore like this, I'm a little or more patchy in areas.

That is precisely what I meant to say, except replace "EI" with "Nagafen". This is the direction I, personally, would like to see the game go. I believe that a strengthening of the story would make the game more interesting to both new and veteran players.

[CallakDW]

HEY EI! Listen to this guy, he's got braims! }:=8p

Seriously, I love this idea, it's been needed for a while.

[Chioxin]

Sounds really exciting to me =) I'm up for a few story bits that involve more than the WA =)

*Points and agrees with Callak!!!!*

[Jayne]

Altar & Jayne,
The goal would be to make the game more dynamic and fun to play, not to divide the players. Bear in mind, these are just my ideas and they haven't been green lit. We're still assessing where we want to go next

Not disputing that Nagafen. If its assessed and planned well anything can work. I am glad you are looking at new ideas and vision. I have always supported that type of action. In my RL job that is what I do. There is always room for continuous improvement

Jayne

[Altar]

Seems. this brings to mind WoW and EQ2, bad vs evil ..my race is better than your race ..... I don't like Gnomes...or Fiends...or Ssliks....or whatever ...still means racial strife and to much like real life sorry just not my thing in a game.

BUT again that is just me and I'm not a roleplayer

[Kulamata]

Nice to hear thoughts that don't start with "first we adjust {Choose one: <crafting>,<resources>, <xp>, <class x>}". A positive approach to game direction would be a breath of fresh air indeed.

I always thought "Now, with extra nerf!" was a crazy sales pitch.

[BKBanzai]

Nice to hear thoughts that don't start with "first we adjust {Choose one: <crafting>,<resources>, <xp>, <class x>}". A positive approach to game direction would be a breath of fresh air indeed.

I always thought "Now, with extra nerf!" was a crazy sales pitch.

hehe, very true Kulamata.

I'd like to see quests be available at all levels for adventurer schools, as an alternative to turning in trophies or killing mobs.

It could be something simple, such as a trainer asking for particular tier comps.

As for keeping lore alive, story tellers in different towns, this could be done live until such time as NPCs could be made. I thought even in the new player towns, this could be an "event" of interest to new players (as well as old). Then again, New Trismus gets laggy enough, maybe not a good idea.

[Zarcharien]

That is precisely what I meant to say, except replace "EI" with "Nagafen". This is the direction I, personally, would like to see the game go. I believe that a strengthening of the story would make the game more interesting to both new and veteran players.

I'm sorry prehaps I'm misunderstanding something.

Quoted from an interview with Ed from EI on mmorpg.com July 21, 2006:

"While Andercheck says he has no plans to radically change Horizons, he added that his team was intrigued by the original Race Wars concept for Horizons. As some may recall, under its original design, all the races of Horizons would have been at war in a PvP-oriented title. Andercheck was clear though that he does not plan to alter the current game world, but will evaluate this and other concepts as options for entirely new servers."

So, it would seem to me that this idea of "race tensions" is identical to "race wars" so to speak really was/is a concept proposed by EI in general and not just Nagafen. Not that it really matters, just left me kinda confused that this is being proposed as a new idea all of a sudden.

[Garfonso]

So, it would seem to me that this idea of "race tensions" is identical to "race wars" so to speak really was/is a concept proposed by EI in general and not just Nagafen. Not that it really matters, just left me kinda confused that this is being proposed as a new idea all of a sudden.

"race tension" does not necessarily mean "race wars"... there are maaaaaaaaany other forms of tension besides war.
You could make many nice stories and events from those litte differences without any pvp...
For example the Humans get a quest to spy on the sslisk, developing some strange bloodmage near sslanis and so on.. just for a starter.
In the same event a Sslisk player could get a very different task.. maybe something with humans in it or something very different..

Just the point of "not every one doing all the same" would add soooo much diversity to the game... ok.. not every body would be able to do ALL the quests, but for me, that would be quite cool... it would be something players could talk about

[Kulamata]

I think the original statement was in the nature of a trial balloon; it seemed rather diffident, fishing for a response, rather than a strong statement of a planned direction.

[Vlisson]

We've been focusing on the challenges that were right in front of us, for the past few weeks. It wouldn't make much sense to buy a new stereo for a car that needed new brakes. Now that things have begun to quiet down, we've begun putting together our plans for the future. I can't go into details here but keep an eye out for interviews with Danu, in the coming weeks.

ok then what are the challenges that are right in front of you?

so if i understand you correct than you dont want to add more monster/new landscape/new schools atm

you want to use a WM to make the world via Events more exciting?

[Anima]

<waves!>

Think... Lunus Dragon Supremisist group whos memebers attack all bipeds or Helion dragons they come across.

Mmm... or Traitorous gifted. Militant, Power hungry bipeds who wish to overthrow the Empire.

Or or... Cult of (insert fiendishly grewsom name here). A group of Zelot Fiends bent on growing thier cult and performing unspeakable acts upon the gifted.

As nice as it is to daydream about this stuff, if well played, the Withered Ageis is all we'll ever need as a foe. Of course, variety is the spice of life.. and we have more than enough Istarian land to go around.

Personally I'd like to see siegable forts and strongholds before having conflict among the living. Inhabited Labrynths and caves would be plus aswell....

<waves!>

[CallakDW]

This kind of stuff works well for WoW. Rogue groups that have their own reasons for being hostile, but are same as the player races. It's one of the features I like better on WoW over HZ, it would be great if we could get some of it implemented.

Another good example that is allready in HZ is the Blood Skulks. I don't think they are blight creatures, and no they aren't player creatures, but they are somthing different, allthough a bit too high level for the low end players to enjoy.

[Senkeleron Fell]

And nothing says that they can't have groups of non-player elves, gnomes, humans, fiends, etc that are evil and have to be taken down by the good player characters. After doing the quest where you run around Istaria talking to bunches of npc's I got the feeling that there was soon going to be a break between the gnomes and the empire.

I know I always find the battle more serious and personal when I go up against an undead elven spearman!