How long are you expecting to make the game? / How big will the world be?
"Hi, I want a programmer to make me an MMO" questions happen all the time. Guess how many MMOs people actually make? Maybe one half finished one or so on these forums.
For years to come. If people are playing it, then I suppose it would go on forever. The world would be expanded as we go along and would be tied in with storyline events. For example, a pathway might crumble open through some mountain and the player might have to investigate the cause of this, as well as gain access to a new area. The programming would likely reach a point where barely anything needs to be programmed, though, since I plan for there to be tools I can use to upload new graphics, edit and create maps, and patch the players' game clients with the udpates. The game will involve puzzle-type dungeons, which I should be able to create on my own assuming the map editor has the appropriate features.
Indeed, I can imagine these "I want to make a game, but I want you to do it all for me" things must be like a plague around here. I've been interested in making a 2D isometric MMO since 2004, though, and I would say my art has developed to acceptable levels for such a project. I know programming is tough and takes time (and years of practise), but the same goes for art.
Great pixel art but from a user point of view, i don't find the features or shall i say lack of, the least bit appealing. I find a RPG with no stats/levels is no fun at all, especially for an online game.
Another thing, having a shop only for cosmetic items is nice but pointless. I would rather invest on items they can use like in battle. I'm sorry but in my opinion, again, as a player, i would never purchase stuff just for looks. Sure some would like my daughter but she'd pay for those herself
As for programming, no need to aim too high, while c++ is great and efficient, it is overkill for a 2D game and there are other viable languages with great portability options and you'll attract a wider variety of programmers and it would make game development quicker. I'd rather have a C# programmer with tons of experience than an inexperienced c++ programmer.
I don't know if you actually took the time to make a game design document but if you didn't, you might want to do just that, especially for a mmo.
I hope i'm wrong and it works out!
Best of luck!
Well, let's put it this way: there are hundreds of MMOs out there that are already focused on grinding stats and leveling up and most of them are not successful at all. Maple Story had the most success with that since it was a new idea at the time, but now it's been done to death.
Times are changing. Just look at how popular Minecraft became without any sort of leveling up. Then there are several games that rode on the success of Minecraft, such as Terraria. You may say to yourself "Well, why would anyone waste time building a house in a game? I can go to the store and buy a pack of Lego to the same effect." True, but that doesn't change the popularity of these games that introduced radical ideas to multiplayer online games. Haven & Hearth is a smaller example of a successful indie game, which features a unique combat system, terraforming, some simple building features, and a huge world for players to explore, claim, and establish their own cities.
It's not all about terraforming, though. While that is a fun idea (that is, in all reality, completely "pointless" and cosmetic), MMOs are changing in other ways. There are newer MMORPGs that try to add more actual gameplay and have less focus on level ups, such as Vindictus, Dungeon & Fighter, and Rusty Hearts. It's still a problem that they have level ups, though, since it forces you to grind to unlock a new area. I've played MMOs and talked to people who play MMOs - they unanimously hate grinding and it often causes them to quit the game. However, many of them think it is a necessary compromise, but only because there are not many options without grinding.
League of Legends is an example of a game that gives players the grind to some extent, but it is not the focus of the game. You level up and then you're back to level 1 the next time you start a game. It keeps the game fresh and prevents stale, repetitive gameplay.
Honestly, why would you want grinding? It is a bad MMO aspect that was added as filler to make the game "infinite". MMOs you may be familiar with were based off of RPGs made in the NES and SNES era, and those concepts are far obsolete by now. Games are increasingly aiming for originality and actual gameplay, and I think it's only natural we should follow suit.
You'd be surprised how many people like to just hang out on MMOs. They buy avatar items (with real money) to make their characters look unique even if it gives them no actual benefit. Before Dungeon Fighter Online closed, people were paying $5 to $7 for one piece of virtual clothing, and lots of people were buying it. I know it sounds stupid, but people do it. Of course, I wouldn't want highway robbery prices like that, but I do want to let players customize their character's appearance greatly with a large variety of items. Some games succeed off of that alone even with zero gameplay, such as Gaia Online, Habbo Hotel, and Endless Online. Killing Floor, a game on Steam, also sells different character skins as downloadable content. Tons of people buy it even though it offers no advantage - they just want to look different.
I don't have a formal game design document, but I do have a lot of the design aspects written (on the computer). I'm currently working on ironing out the details for the classes (warrior/mage/etc.) and exact skills. In this game, you will unlock skills as you play the game, not with "skill points", and you will not level the skills up to make them more effective. I feel leveling skills up is a bad concept since it causes you to only have 2 or 3 effective skills while leaving the rest in the dust. My plan is for each skill to actually have an applicable use, sort of like how in Zelda games, the different items are useful in different situations or against certain enemies.
The skills in this game will be about how you use them, not about using your most powerful skill to instantly kill all enemies within a 20 foot radius. The power of the skill will correspond to the effort it takes to execute it.
Jobs
