Riding off into the sunset
Fallen Earth has really captured the deepest parts of what first attracted me to MMORPGs. I’m constantly running into things which are totally unknown to me and the entire time I am logged in I never once come across anything that feels intuitive. It’s the complete opposite feeling that I get when I play the WoW/LotRO/WAR/Aion model. Time flies by because I am so engulfed by everything — I am totally immersed and lost in this virtual world. I’m constantly brainstorming ways to improve the game because I want it to be perfect.
There are a couple mechanics/systems in Fallen Earth that I’ve been thinking over today at great length.
First, Durability.
I want to see items lose durability and eventually be destroyed. Repairing them should lower their overall durability (perhaps a Condition/Durability system) and eventually they are destroyed. Item wear is important in a player-driven economy and sandbox game with PvP/PvE/Economic elements. Crafters need to always be in demand — always. This means that players should come to crafters to buy great stuff, go out and use it, break it, and come back for more. This keeps crafters continually working for business. If items do not permanently break then even the happiest customer is a one-time customer. Happy customers need to be repeat customers. Everything should break eventually, even the best stuff in the game.
Second, Experimental Crafting.
Right now the crafting system is very similar to SWG. You get the materials, you put them together, and wait. Great! It does indeed work. However, I would like to see an experimentation system added to the game as well as resource quality. For example, not all copper should be created equal. Parts of the world should yield better quality copper and it should rotate like it did in SWG where sometimes better copper can be found here than there. I might find copper with .99 quality and really want to make items that use copper because I’ll be able to experiment and make substantially better things than someone using .75 quality copper. I should be able to experiment and increase the damage at the cost of durability or range, etc. Allocating experimentation points while crafting could really expand the market and create a niche for the people who truly want to focus on crafting. Increasing the quality of raw materials through a resource quality system and then allowing players to increase and customize intermediate goods will allow for customizing the final good to be exponentially more rewarding for the crafter and the customer. I’d love to talk more about this if anyone is interested.
Third, Factions.
This is a part of the game that I am least familiar with, but one that I am very much interested in learning about and voicing my opinion on. I was talking today with Bartlebe (friend playing) and we decided that we both think Factions should be a more permanent choice. This idea that you can “play the wheel” and be liked by all factions turns the system more into a powergamer thing than something that defines your decisions in the game. Killing someone of your faction or an ally of your faction should bring harsh penalties. The decision you make to join a faction should really carry some weight because it should both reward you tremendously by unlocking vasts amounts of content but also lock you out from the factions you chose to forsake. However the faction system plays out in the game, it needs to be important and it needs to have a feel of permanence and dedication to it.
My character is up to 55 Ballistics, 55 Science, and 45 Rifles. I have a Shotgun, a Rifle (that I crafted!), some nice clothing (that my friends crafted!), and a brand new and improved Horse (that I crafted!). I’ve spent most of the entire day just collecting resources. It’s really quite impressive that I spent the whole day crafting yet at the same time advanced my character almost two levels, amassed a small fortune (then spent it), upgraded all my gear, and explored for the first time in a large radius around the city I’ve called home.
That’s all for today! I’m sick again so I’m calling it a night.