Features you'd like to see in Shroud of the Avatar

I like the idea of a rogue/thief character--and I thought UO's approach to snooping/stealing/hiding was amazingly well suited. It'd be very interesting to see something like that again. Good suggestion.

 

This is a good example of something that could be posted into a new thread--a poll would probably produce some pretty interesting results.

 

I'm pretty happy with the KS stretch goal that involve some sort of player-run town and also a pre-set "theatre"; it would be great if the developers keep pushing for these things, like player-run inns and other establishments just like in UO.

Also, along the same lines, the possibility to create furniture in order to realize typical medieval contests/faires, like archery buttes and so on.
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1) The occassional (but rare) secret door...something that you really need to stumble upon.
2) 'Rare' npcs....npcs that you spawn for a brief time in random places which offer special stories, unique looking clothes, gear, etc that is not obtainable elsewhere.
3) "stealth or hiding" that is impacted by the level of shadow at a specific location....ie, who can hide in broad daylight in the middle of a flat road? This is a ridiculously huge request, but i would like it!
4) One server for all accounts which offers pvp zones and some safe areas, preferably defined by level of 'development' and guards being present.
5) Achievement system and a VISUAL way to show far you've progressed with your achievements....a random example, the length of the beard allowable on your character (in the case of females...maybe the size of their b......).

Thank you.

 

I think you'll be pretty happy regarding #4--one of the design aspects of the various play-modes (SPO, FPO, OPO) is to avoid 'sharding'. Also, I've heard #1 mentioned by some other folks as well. I think people really enjoyed the hidden switches in Ultima 7/SI and how they were disguised. Great ideas in the other aspects; keep them flowing.

 

This. Just an option. Please.

 

I did make a thread not long ago, it wasn't too well recieved by the general public. There were some who liked it though and some who would never use it so they didn't care one way or another but the opposition was very ridgid and afraid thier portion of the SoTA funds for thier personal wishes would be diverted...an extreamly vocal minority.

 

I forgot to click the "watch thread" button so I didn't recieve your Formal Apology and Admittance of Incorrectness until just now, but that's all water under the bridge, friend.
I'm just glad that though it may never happen (it being a Hard-Core PermaDeath mode in single player), you support me in my fight for justice.
We may be companions in this journey we call SoTA for many years to come (mainly because we've all invested too much into it to quit), and I can assure you that I'm not done with this and your sworn aid to the cause is noble. It will not be forgotten.

 

I would like to see an Auction house integrated into the player vendor interface, walk up to any vendor to brouse their wares, open the auction house to check all other vendor inventory to find like items and compair pricing. Recall button to vendor for purchase.

 

Some additional thoughts. Sorry they are not one liners:

1) Characters should ultimately be able to align themselves with a certain faction/"religion"/country....and, there should be 5 to 10 of these in total, of which a few of them are constantly at war with each other, with others being consistently neutral. This allows for pvp players to engage in 'full world' pvp between these waring factions, with players that want limited pvp (ie, pvp zones), chosing neutral factions. Essentially, this is a larger scale version of the guild wars i remember from the old UO, but without the need to be in a guild (this does not eliminate the fact that guilds can still wage personal wars on a smaller scale). What I like about this, is it encourages world pvp while allowing pve centric / crafter players to enjoy the game and 'scenery' of an occassional skirmish here and there.

2) Rope - consumable item. Similar to the real world, one should be allowed to purchase rope to decend from very high areas without dying.... an inexpensive consumable item which takes up backback space and something that is occassionally very useful

3) a seperate 'burst' stamina bar which is not unlimited and is specific to running/dashing - for running away and chasing people. I remember 'age of conan' having this ...all players (regarldes of class) had it and the amount one had was somewhat customizable. In theory, it should be a formula based on a players stats and the weight of gear one of wearing/carrying. I thought this was a great aspect to the game....i remember trying to chase people and also being chased while watching my stamina bar quickly being depleted and my heart pounding away.

 

The reason I wouldn't want that is that it takes away from a very nicely placed house. The people who have placed their houses in prime spots deserve to have their items be on display to be purchased. Competition should not be displayed on that person's vendor because that takes away from that guy's potential earnings.

 

At best, it could tell you "there are 3 other vendors in town that also are selling (an axe of honey booboo)" it would be up to the player to find them & to see their prices.

 

Ever had the owner of a watch shop tell you where you can buy other watches that are just like his that might be cheeper?

 

Here are some fun suggestions worth naming again.
I personally desire a WHIP as both a weapon and a functioning grappling rope. Here is the same link as Jondavis posted above, too cool not to watch:
Indiana Jones does his stuff to Devo's 'Whip It'
I know it will require a bit of coding, but they managed to do it in the Indiana Jones game!

 

You failed to read my post and understand, when you walk up to a players public vendor you would first be viewing THEIR inventory. On the vendor interface there could be a "AH" button with a search feature, so that savy consumers can easily "shop" for the best deals. It would have the added effect of allowing "seller" to view other offering (sales) of the same item and price their item accordingly. They would still have the "freedom" to price it the same or lower than their "competition" (other sellers). OK lets not call it an "AH", lets call it "the internet", or "Craigs list", or a "classified newspaper", or a "penny saver", it's just a public billboard showing all the sales in the world, in other words "free" advertisement. Don't most Businesses advertise their products?

I totally agree with you here.

Of course not, but I don't buy my watches at the first place in the Mall I walk in to either, I shop around for the best price, for the same item quality. Most of the times I can find a perfectly good watch at Walmart or Ross, both discount stores here in Calif., now if you want a "Rolex" then you got money to burn, most people don't have that much and need to budget.

 

I read what you said and understood it just fine. I don't think I've been clear on why I'm taking this stance. It's more than just that I don't think the competition being accessible from my personal vendor. I'm looking for something deeper and immersive.

I'm not opposed to a system that locates vendors in a city that sell the same items or whatever. I just don't want it to be in the form of some tool that you click on. I would rather it be interaction with an NPC that should have this knowledge, and not from a vendor who works for a single shop. As for auction houses there is supposed to be a local auction house that local people will be selling items who have no vendors to sell them on. However there should be another option for us to locate items on vendors. A way to do this is to have NPCs that you can talk to and pay in the town square that know where to acquire stuff. On the server side these NPCs are a front-end to a database of all the items being sold in the city and their locations.

When I was in Tijuana one time a guy who looked like a gang-banger came up to me and asked me if I was looking for "ANYTHING". At the time I was looking for something difficult to find. (i wont' say what). Either way this guy directed me to the exact shop that sold it for a small fee.

I believe most towns that have a lot of goods for sale would have some kind of gang or individuals that make a living connecting you from point A to point B. Say you talk to one of these NPCs and ask about specific type of long sword, then he could walk you to the house that has that vendor. Or if you are less specific he might mention a few locations and takes you to the vendor that is most qualified. (maybe on the server side it evaluates the vendors selling the items and assigns more weight to vendors that sell more items that also might be of interest to you). Maybe this guy could hang out with you till you find what you are looking for.

That seems more realistic than your vendor personally knowing what is going on at an auction house when he is employed only by you. I know a computer game like SotA can tie into a database on the back end and deliver any information they want to deliver to you, but I would rather the world function more realistically. I think it's better to have to go interact with players and NPCs to gather the info instead of clicking on a toolbox within a vendor window. I hope that clarifies my reasoning.

 

I like this idea Isaiah. Even if the system didn't keep records of everything that is for sale and its prices, it would be cool if you could register your vendors so that local guides or maps or whatever would know you exist and what you typically sell. I also like the idea of in-game advertising, but I think it should be paid for. The ubiquitous signage of RL drives me batty, so I'd be rather opposed to billboards and the like, but maybe posters, or hiring an urchin to stand on a corner and call out your wares. In fact, maybe the NPCs could work both ways - buyers can ask where to find something, and sellers can pay them to go around recommending their shop.

 

maybe if an organization or street gang were acting as guides to homes, then perhapse donating to these guys regularly might cause them to give a random advertizement of your goods to people as they walk by.

 

WoW, this is an excellent idea, one that deserves some serious consideration. Thanks for making it clear to me, I totally agree with you.

I liken this idea as a "cab driver" in a large city, they know the city and surounding areas like the back of their hands, their the "goto guys"of the city, the ones who can get you anything, all you need do is ask, weather it be Legal, Illegal or something in between, they will know someone who is selling it, for a price of course.

They could be limited to the city and surounding areas, towns and their surounding areas, a village could have wondering npcs that travel from village to village or who wonder the wilderness. The Tavern keepers could point out "Bud, the guy sitting at that table can help you out", during your conversation with him. Or point you to a master artisain in the city to ask.

The player vendor owner could have a choice, advertise or not, their inventory. When a buyer asks for a "long sword" they would get a list of all available for sales, in that area, at that point in time. They would have to travel to another area to view another selection.

I can support an idea like this.

 

A possible solution help everyone:

1) Auction house should be limited to raw materials and consumables. Indeed, there should be an auction house in each center of commerce for citizens to list and sell items in bulk at a central location. Bringing up one of my previous comments, there should be some high quality raw materials that are only available in PVP zones and some raw materials that are only available via spending time PVE. This creates an economy, makes the Auction House a viable place to market these things, and promotes pvp & pve beyond 'leveling' or 'questing'.
2) Individual player shops should be limited to crafted items (essentially weapons, armor). I think there should also be a limit to how many products one can sell. In my opinion, there are no Walmarts in my Fantasy MMO worlds. Having limited 'stock' of what each person can sell encourages specialization...it also encourages people to sell their 'best' product.