The Problem
Every time a DM has to make a new quest, there's a ton of things to consider and make:
- New area
- NPCs
- Enemies
- Story
- Items
- Possibly even a map
- Possibly some puzzles
- Etc.
Short Term
Well, short term answer is put more work in, but if we get new players, the problem will come right back. Not to mention life issues could knock some DMs out for periods of time, and that just makes things worse. Not to mention trying to make new content, or even get past the darn Level 30 barrier and trying to make content for that. The heck with late-game possibilities, we're having trouble with the current game. In a nutshell, if ZURPG continues to go this way, it's going to remain a standstill that never truly gets past its continuous problems.
The Suggested Answer
We build the whole game. The ENTIRE game. Every area, NPC, enemy, item, spell, skill, ability, creature, map, system, templates, and all of it. We build it ALL ahead of time. Of course, that comes with a certain problem...
In order to do this, ZURPG will need to temporarily go down. If we all put our support in for builidng the game, that downtime can be capped out at half a year. It sounds like a while, a really long time actually, but it's not. I'd say half a year to build an entire world and all of its systems, characters, and events is a pretty crazy undertaking. We'll probably have to cut down certain areas, at least for initial re-release, and then brings those areas back as expansions.
In order to do this, ZURPG will need to temporarily go down. If we all put our support in for builidng the game, that downtime can be capped out at half a year. It sounds like a while, a really long time actually, but it's not. I'd say half a year to build an entire world and all of its systems, characters, and events is a pretty crazy undertaking. We'll probably have to cut down certain areas, at least for initial re-release, and then brings those areas back as expansions.
The Good
Here's what this means when it comes back though:That said, a quest can be set up fast. Really fast. This means there's much, much less downtime between quests (or... whatever players are doing), and sessions really should be able to carry on every week without breaks, bar scheduling issues.
And because of that, WE CAN SUPPORT ALL OUR CURRENT PLAYERS CONSISTENTLY!
My god, does that mean... WE CAN ACTUALLY SUPPORT NEW PLAYERS! Which also means more people that can potentially add new content and DM.
We don't need a game restart. All we're technically doing is filling in the blanks, of which there are many, and those blanks are huge.
- DMs don't have to make a bunch of new stuff with every quest, because it already exists. They can still make new quests with new content, but they don't have to do it every single time.
- Players gain a lot more freedom. They can even choose their own quest using existing material, be it exploration, taking down a bounty, going after a hard treasure, or even garner support to become leader of a village.
- This means that players will become the focal point of the story, and I'm talking "DM sets up a story, players interact with it". Players can truly set the story themselves.
- Some players won't want to set the story themselves. That's fine, because then can just follow in the story created by those that do.
The Work
This is not a one man project. Nowhere near close. This is going to need the support of as many people as possible. We going to need full descriptions for every area. We need character designs, including full profile, physical description, personality, and potential story, such that any DM can handle the character. We need maps. More items and abilities. Content for the Level 30, 40 and 50 tiers. It's a ton of work. But I think if we pull together on it and get it organized well enough, it can work.
Open Source
Everything in the DM's Corner will need to go open. Honestly, story-related stuff on the DM's end and their specific story ideas are going to be less relevant in terms of revelations and surprises, because a lot more story stuff can potentially come from players. That said, anyone that's still holding some secrets will also need to drop the bomb and let it out. I'm not restricting this project to just the major contributors - I'd like anyone that has any ideas for it to contribute in whatever way possible. It will have a restriction though, and that's "hey, we need stuff for these areas". This means new areas will have to be off-the-hooks until we can fill in existing areas.
Keep It Simple Stupid
FireSeraphim has been pushing that ZURPG is currently too complex and needs to be simplified. Given that even I am having trouble keeping track of what's going on in higher-level battles, I am definitely agreeing with this statement. We don't need to dumb the game down per se, but there's a lot of complex and convoluted effects that are, well... too complicated. For example, Status Effects are currently over-the-top. Some Passives and Innates are also kinda ridiculous. Some things probably need some tweaks and fixes.
The Bad
Well, there's the obvious long hiatus. Current quests might need to be cut short or just ended abruptly altogether. The only other truly bad thing about this is that if we don't pull through during the hiatus and don't do the work that's needed, it'll be for nothing, and ZURPG may as well be considered doomed.
The Poll
I reiterate - this idea and project is impossible without support. I'm not going to commit to such an effort if I don't have your vote. For this vote, I need 75% or more to say "Yes", otherwise we'll just keep going the way we've been going, aka potentially long downtimes between quests, story continuity being everywhere, freak out every time new players join, etc.
Please vote and comment.
Please vote and comment.
