Hex Tile
I've been playing Civ V lately and the advantages and coolness of hexness have worn on me. The honeycomb pattern is not only beautiful, but practical for a strategic and visual sense.
| Pretty! |
As far as combat and exploration is concerned, I'd like to keep it about strategic maneuvering and simplicity. Click on a tile and choose from a radial menu your action of choice. Click on yourself for inventory options, click on an enemy to attack, click on a tile to move, click on a tile to cast a spell, click on an NPC to talk. I think Peter Molyneux had that much right in Black & White. Oh and no HUD...none, zero...nada.
Randomly Generated World
If you've played Dwarf Fort, think that. Otherwise, just think of a new continent with new villages, with new citizens, with new guilds, with new biomes being generated each time. Even the main quest(s) will be randomly generated (yes, some will end up being similar, but at least this time you're killing the reborn Squirrel god nested under a volcanic mountain instead of the less aggressive Dwarf-forged ensouled titan butterfly that has claimed the town of Chyroshire as his larval outpost).
Free Roaming
You start somewhere, you go where you like, you might die. I was also thinking that quests play out if let untouched. So, if you decided that advancing your ranks among your new found "Mead Guild of Marshmountain" buddies is more important than stopping the undead plague sweeping the continent, you might find your city smells disgusting and everybody seems a few notches stupider...or perhaps the citizens of the world ended up being safe due to a mountain range and some vigilant lepers. In other words, you can go where you like, but don't expect the world to wait for you during your herbal gathering session.
Turn Based
You move, he moves, everyone moves then you move again. Just for clarification, you would never leave the overhead view to go into turn based combat, the general game is always turnbased. Think Rogue-Likes.
Unscripted Quests
Along with the world generation, the quests would be randomly generated as well. Also, the quest giver, targets, associates and anything related to the framework the quest would always be different. More importantly though, it doesn't matter how the objectives are completed, so long as they are and you can convince the giver that YOU did it. So, if you need to go kill Glitterdragon, but by the time you get to Glitterdragon he had been slain by the Pixies of plainness, the quest would still be considered complete. Another part might be that you have to often convince quest givers you are the man for the task (see below).
Social AI
I would like to see a lot of love put into the dialogue with NPCs. The rough framework would be, they say something, you choose a response, repeat. Available responses would be based on your characters abilities and actual achievements. Here's a crude example:
Enpeecee: I need a bro that's awesome enough to slay the crocosaur in my basement.
Your Options (bold is selected):
1) I'm totally bro enough to kill that crocosaur.
2) I know a pretty good bro.
3) I know that feel, homie.
4) Oh, so you want to put someone elses life at risk for your problems.
Enpeecee: I don't know. You barely look like you can lift a sword, let alone slay a crocosaur.
You:
1) Ya, you're probably right, best of luck with that though.
2) Are you insulting me?
3) No seriously, I've slain an X before. (You would go into a menu and choose a creature you know about for X)
4) Well, I guess I could help you find a bro.
Enpeecee: Well, if you've killed an X before, a crocosaur actually doesn't seem so bad in comparision, here are the keys to my basement.
You:
1) I shall not fail.
2) Thank for the keys, scrub.
3) Woah, woah, let's talk compensation!
Enpeecee: N'wah!
Another aspect to the social dynamic would be a system where information is shared via social interactions between NPCs. So, if you kill an X in front of a group of people. They might pass on this knowledge to others and even the quest giver, so that they are more likely to believe your awesomness.
Hardcore
One life, don't fuck up.
Okay okay, but if you do there is hope! I'm thinking that you can create a new character in the same world and try to continue living in the world where your last character left off. Managed to destroy 4 of 5 of the rifts that demonic oozes were pouring though before you died? Your new character might not be as skilled or have the same connections, but you can take him to try and stop that oozial overrunning. Or hell, maybe he'll end up jumping on the summoner's boat and try to restore the 4 that your other man destroyed!
But seriously...lots of die, lots of cry, lots of fun.
Whew, if you actually managed to read through this spewing, I applaud you!
