The General game concept.

One of the designers interviewed in Game Development Essentials mentioned that even genre need not be decided before game mechanics are put together. This is wise advice, as the heart of any game enjoyment eventually becomes game play. Nonetheless, some idea of the trajectory and purpose needs to be decided and discussed first. Everything here, is of course brainstorming and subject to change.

I have in mind a type of browser MMORPG. If you are familiar with Castle Age (the facebook game) then you have an idea of how they work. The main difference envisioned is that characters would get a starting character and class. It is not enough to stick with a single avater. Eventually, players would control and develop several characters in combat at the same time. Think of Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, and similiar RPGs. You might have one "central" character, but also handled the inventories, experience points, spells etc for two to four other characters.

The campaign world will have at least four distinct "nations" in which the players choose their starting races/classes. What classes will be available to them might depend on which nation they start it. For instance, in one nation the players can choose between the standard fighter, mage, theif, cleric but could not choose paladins. In another nation they could choose paladins, but not mages -and so on. Some other classes might be equally obscured and involve challenges to unlock. Players then, will be given a feeling of accomplishment when they are able to access all classes.

Now this sounds simple enough, but obviously it is not. Making a game like this involves a campaign world, class balance, level schemes, items, allocations of character stats, and dozens of other things branching of the bubble map. All of this is rather intimidating. It is. However, when broken up into piece, by piece, and by piece, everything can come together easily into a cohesive whole.

This is probably the most macro blog that I will mention for a long, long time. The next blog will involve open thoughts on combat. For now, everything is very open for comments on any subject of a browser-style MMO that any of you might wish mention.

Please give your thoughts.