Goblin Squad Member
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Given the rather heated nature of several threads lately, I thought something a bit more "fellow player" oriented might be nice.
Please list here those tools, mechanics, skills, items, locations, etc., that you have seen in other games, or would just like to see in PFO, that better enables one player to help another in some fashion. This could be helping them in PvE, PvP, collaborating in trade/crafting/spells, assisting new players, teaching skill use...whatever you think would help one player to help another in whatever aspect of the game you wish to write about.
In that our interactions will create much of the entertainment in this game, I'm hoping not all that interaction will be competitive in nature. To this end, help me brainstorm a decent wishlist that leads to the benefit of others.
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Goblin Squad Member
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How about a way to contribute excess goods either for other players (starting out most likely) or for settlement NPC buffs. Extra food, raw materials, starter tools, anything that would be thrown away in other games.
I vendored tons of stuff in WoW that was useless to be but I wanted to contribute it to the war effort. That effort was a sham on WoW, but could be a real event in PFO where contributions could be beneficial.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I can't remember if it was SWTOR that did this or if I'm just imagining it, but I remember some game where party members within a certain range could be seen through visible obstructions, just letting you know where they were at a glance instead of needing to constantly open up the in-game map.
Dunno if that can be done in PFO, but it might be interesting if you're exploring a dungeon or something.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I will spend alot of time helping new people get thier merit badges/quests etc. completed so that they can get a good start and my group and/or settlement will grow with more encouraged and active members. I have almost always been treated well in any MMO that I have joined and I have always passed on that favor.
The EE people will kinda be the Kings of PFO for awhile. It will be important that new players get a helping hand and maybe more will stay longer.
I guess I mean the Buddy/Mentor system I have seen in some MMOs.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I want to see various protection spells and buffs that you can cast on people without having to be in their party to do it. If the benefit does no harm at all (has no way of being twisted into an exploit), I have always found it a nice gesture to walk by a total stranger and cast such spells on them, and have always thanked others who do it for me. How likely this will be to happen in a game with more limited spell capacity (except for cantrips) is hard to say, but I know I'd do it at least for new players I'm helping.
A channel dedicated to providing helpful information (answering people's questions), separate from the regular regional chat, would be nice. You get too many yahoos who like to give unhelpful, sarcastic replies in regular chat (though I'm hoping the community in PFO will be more friendly). Also, a helper flag as I've seen in some games might be a nice feature.
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Goblin Squad Member
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A /rope command to let you bring a nearby character to your position. Very useful for helping people out of weird positions where they get stuck in the environment, and for helping players who aren't very good at jumping.
I want to see various protection spells and buffs that you can cast on people without having to be in their party to do it.
Personally, I believe this was terrible in EverQuest and in Vanguard. There's something deeply immersion-breaking about waiting while someone in your party logs in a series of "buff bots" to buff up your group before you head out on your adventure. Having experienced my fill of that, I'm very strongly of the opinion that all buffs should act like always-on (but changeable) auras that only affect nearby allies.
I'd much rather see crafted consumable items that can temporarily provide buffs. You can still hand those out to random strangers, if you feel so inclined.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Personally, I believe this was terrible in EverQuest and in Vanguard. There's something deeply immersion-breaking about waiting while someone in your party logs in a series of "buff bots" to buff up your group before you head out on your adventure. Having experienced my fill of that, I'm very strongly of the opinion that all buffs should act like always-on (but changeable) auras that only affect nearby allies.I'd much rather see crafted consumable items that can temporarily provide buffs. You can still hand those out to random strangers, if you feel so inclined.
I dunno, drive-by buffing has been one of my favorite "help the community" things in MMOs. Having to interrupt whatever they're doing with a trade window just seems sort of obnoxious. Especially if they're in the middle of a fight.
Edit to add: I agree that log-cycling buff bots is also obnoxious, but I'm not sure it's a problem worth giving up passing generosity for. Not to mention that crafted buffs just leads to "Crap, we died and I lost all my unthreaded stuff. Give me a second to hop on all my alts to mail myself another stack of buffs."
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Goblin Squad Member
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Personally, I believe this was terrible in EverQuest and in Vanguard. There's something deeply immersion-breaking about waiting while someone in your party logs in a series of "buff bots" to buff up your group before you head out on your adventure.
I'd much rather see crafted consumable items that can temporarily provide buffs. You can still hand those out to random strangers, if you feel so inclined.
I've never done the buff-bot thing, nor has it impacted my immersion, as I have, so far, tended to play only with my brother. I do, however, really enjoy drive-by buffing (for example, my Captain in LOTRO); it'd be hard to do that if one had to open a trade window with someone to give them a consumable.
Given the paranoia about trade that's come from so many scams, and PFO's general nature, I can see people being wary enough of strangers that they'd not accept the offer. I can't even suggest making it a "drop it on them without a trade window" situation, because some jerk would use it to grief.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Dario and @Jazzlvraz, I understand, and was well aware of this sentiment before posting.
I would also point out that many Enchanters in EverQuest found it difficult to find groups once everyone was able to get a 4-hour KEI in POK.
I would also point out that "drive-by buffing" may be extremely dangerous to your Reputation in a game where much of the conflict is Player-versus-Player.
I want there to be ways to practice random acts of kindness to strangers. I'm just of the opinion that "drive-by buffing" isn't a very good way to do that, because of the other problems it causes.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Dario and @Jazzlvraz, I understand, and was well aware of this sentiment before posting.
I would also point out that many Enchanters in EverQuest found it difficult to find groups once everyone was able to get a 4-hour KEI in POK.
I would also point out that "drive-by buffing" may be extremely dangerous to your Reputation in a game where much of the conflict is Player-versus-Player.
I want there to be ways to practice random acts of kindness to strangers. I'm just of the opinion that "drive-by buffing" isn't a very good way to do that, because of the other problems it causes.
I would think if one or two long-duration buffs are all you bring to the table, there's probably a bigger problem than drive by buffing. I played EQ, pre- and post-PoP. KEI vendors had less to do with their problems than the general perception that they, frankly, sucked as a class.
As far as it impacting other player's perception of you (to distinguish this comment from the in-game reputation mechanic), that's sort of on the player. It doesn't have to be totally random. It may be buffing nooblets in NPC starter towns. It may be buffing people I know from my settlement or allied settlements as I happen across them in the woods, but don't want to bother them from whatever they're doing. It may be tossing buffs on a caravan I see is about to wander through known bandit territory (or, if I'm feeling less generous, the bandits I see waiting to ambush a caravan). That's player choice.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@Dario and @Jazzlvraz, I understand, and was well aware of this sentiment before posting.
I would also point out that many Enchanters in EverQuest found it difficult to find groups once everyone was able to get a 4-hour KEI in POK.
I would also point out that "drive-by buffing" may be extremely dangerous to your Reputation in a game where much of the conflict is Player-versus-Player.
I want there to be ways to practice random acts of kindness to strangers. I'm just of the opinion that "drive-by buffing" isn't a very good way to do that, because of the other problems it causes.
Point 1 I would say that is a huge flaw in the mechanics, while I'm not familliar with those particular buffs as I haven't played EQ, IMO stronger buffs should have lower durrations, buffs with more than a 5-10 minute duration should be more kinda nice things but never the primary reason you would bring a class along in any circumstance.
Point 2 certainly does make sense there. IE how do you know the guy you are buffing isn't about to go on a murderous rampage, and that certainly does bring up questions on it.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I would think if one or two long-duration buffs are all you bring to the table, there's probably a bigger problem than drive by buffing. I played EQ, pre- and post-PoP. KEI vendors had less to do with their problems than the general perception that they, frankly, sucked as a class.
I'm not suggesting any differently.
I would not have any objection to there being a category of buffs that could be cast on other characters, and stay on them even after the caster was gone, but which were significantly less powerful than they would be if the caster remained with them.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I had a maxed priest in WoW that would hang around the AH in the Dwarven Quarter casting the spell "Power Word: Shield" that, with the right talents selected, would provide a speed buff. Killing time while running was way more fun if you ran fast. Silly, but it was fun to see people enjoying down time by something as simple as spell buffs.
Still, casting spells on others who don't want them can be very intrusive. Even worse, it can flag you if they were flagged for PvP already. You became flagged and if your character was in a neutral area, you set yourself up to be attacked, so random buffs were usually reserved for safe places like your home town.
Potions would be good, edibles would be good, scrolls, charms, decent tools, all could be given to new arrivals. Preferably put into a charitable location (think of an adventurers Goodwill store for gently used good, some new, all cheap or free).
Older, more experienced players could also escort new players to settlements further inland from the river, as travel might be too dangerous solo. And helping new players learn how to harvest goods in the wild by guarding them while they learn the ropes would be helpful.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I would also point out that "drive-by buffing" may be extremely dangerous to your Reputation in a game where much of the conflict is Player-versus-Player.
This is an excellent...and scary...point I'd not considered at all. Thank you for disturbing my wa so effectively :).
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Goblin Squad Member
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Thank you for disturbing my wa so effectively :).
Hah! One of my favorite skits revolved around a guy screaming "you're f***ing with my wa!". Something about the idea of a guy who was so obviously overwrought and unhinged worrying about losing his state of "harmony, peace, balance" just tickled me.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Star Wars Galaxies had an interesting system in which some players were musicians and dancers, and other players recovered from exertion and combat faster if they came to a cantina and watched the performers. The PFO version could be a bardic performance effect. Giving people a benefit from entering a non-combat environment (unless a bar brawl breaks out) encourages socializing, and sometimes roleplaying.
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Goblin Squad Member
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@KarlBob, Battle Fatigue and Entertainers have been discussed extensively. Based on what little the designers have told us about potentially having to go back to town to remove some of the long-term debuffs that get stacked up as you receive Critical Hits, I think there's good reason to hope we get something somewhat similar to that in PFO. I'm remaining hopeful about that, at any rate :)
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Goblin Squad Member
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Star Wars Galaxies had an interesting system in which some players were musicians and dancers...
My main in SWG was a Trandoshan dancer; yes, SWG was essentially a huge chatroom for me. I was one hub of a good-sized rumour-mill and news-hub, with story-telling thrown on top for more fun.
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Goblin Squad Member
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My main in SWG was a Trandoshan dancer; yes, SWG was essentially a huge chatroom for me. I was one hub of a good-sized rumour-mill and news-hub, with story-telling thrown on top for more fun.
That's one of the reasons why I still have such fond memories of pre-NCU SWG. The town system is another one, and I'm really glad that PFO will have a settlement system.
My main started out as a musician, before drifting into a career as a pistol-packing wilderness scout.
Nihimon, I hope so, too.
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Goblin Squad Member
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As someone who will be spending a good deal of time helping new players, I love the ideas thus far. I'm also interested in hearing ideas people have that will benefit any player, not just new people.
As a teacher, one way to benefit others that I keep coming back to is the idea of having some sort of mentoring feature, where a character with a higher score in a particular skill could somehow help a lower skilled character, perhaps with their chance of success with that skill or perhaps even in the speed with which they acquire experience in that shared skill. Something that simulates the more experienced person directing your learning, providing helpful tips, better technique, etc.
For instance, if your designated mentor had higher stealthing skills, then with his assistance, you could stealth a little better while within a certain proximity. A better skilled swordsman could "teach" by example how to attack more effectively or how to strike with more force for slightly better damage. I would limit the student to one mentor at a time. To be able to gift students with these helpful buffs, there could be an actual teaching skill. The more of your own training time that you dedicate to your teaching skill, the incrementally better the bonuses that you can give your student.
On a larger scale, we've also kicked around the idea of your settlement providing bonuses to certain activities based on key figures in the settlement, such as the master smith benefiting all smiths at your settlement's forge. If these key figures had enough teaching skill, could they possibly add a buff to some skill use or perhaps even a small boost to training speed in their particular field for members of their settlement?
Feel free to suggest a better way in which this could be done, but I think some sort of teaching/mentoring mechanism would greatly increase some forms of player interaction.