not grinding 1x1 "rocks" and tree bricks for stats and money. thats for sure.
just because current rpg mod makers refer to mmo's for inspiration, dont mean the aspect of role playing cant be unique and actually fun for blockland.
this is a topic that i could debate all day in its own topic. with craploads of ideas and examples.
not really something im going to get into here.
besides, its my little dream about blockland, im not involved with anyone's projects.
This was the post which made me think. Many of us enjoy role-playing on Blockland, after all if we build up something, why should the fun stop there? Unfortunately, those easy pretend role-playing games are bound to get tired after a while, or even worse, get out of control.
This could have been the incentive of many people who created RP mods or just harnessed the power of events or VCE, resolving the "feeling of pointlessness". But there are still problems.
Before moving on, it would be the best to list what I found problematic and you should also post your comments, suggestions and theories.
One of the main problems is that they rarely encourage playing roles. They join as Bob Whatever, and they act like Bob Whatever, even if it is completely out of tune with the setting of the game. And this is the better, because other times the game completely breaks down and becomes a free-for-all deathmatch.
This is the part when you end up seeing father murdering a policeman with a M4A1, because he mistook him for a postman -it's hard to tell difference when they take their hats off- only to be murdered by a toddler with a rocket launcher, who should not be able to move anyway.
Many worked hard on resolving the issue with aimlessness, however, it is still far from being perfect. What really grinds many people's gears is the grinding.
Player: So I need to chop down one more tree by clicking to get a spoon to dig the earth for metal to make a puny butter knife so I can finally go and kill the evil boss in the quest who is probably a dumb bot. Wait, with a butter knife?
Mainly the 'evented' RPG-s are guilty of this. On the other hand, CityRP based games might lack of any grinding, but they surely get boring and pointless since the 'rewarding system' is broken to the core. It is indifferent whether you engage in any activity or not, your business has customers or is empty, you always get your reward (money in this case). Which makes encourages slacking or, if weapons are involved, mindless killing.
Player1: Idiot, stop killing!
Criminal: nou im criminal i do whatever i wnat
Player2: police! help!
Police: AFK
There are many more defects, I realise. This is just an introduction.
Instead we should focus on how to overcome the problems finally. Perhaps it is time to list what we know about the game and start thinking about that.
- It's a building game thus there are rules and limitations of what is possible and what is not
- There is a mini-game system
- There is a powerful add-ons system
- Vehicles are supported
I know the list is incomplete and may list things which might not be as relevant, but after all this is a discussion, feel free to list your ideas, because the more we know about the nature of the game, the more likely we can think of a game mechanism which suits the players and Blockland right.
