Indie MMORPG - Rise of Heroes

[Hurricanewatcher2007]

Just wanted to share some information on some work I have been doing for those interested in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.

First of all here is a video from some spell particle effect testing we have been doing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A35Ktnqi8s

Now here is some information about the game:

Rise of Heroes: An Overview

I got the inspiration for Rise of Heroes from playing games like Fable and other Epic RPGs. I enjoyed being able to sink my teeth in an epic story and invest time in furthering my character. I started investigating Online Roleplaying games because even though single player RPGs are fun there was something missing. I missed being able to be a part of something bigger then just my character. In all these single Player RPGs I am always the Hero, the one the story always revolves around. Theres no sense of community or community interaction. Its just me in this great big world full of danger. I started looking around different MMO forums and discussion groups to get an idea on the MMOs currently available. When I saw something that looked interesting I would try it and try to learn everything there was to learn from it. What did they do right? What did they do that made their player base unhappy? I posted on forums asking gamers what they wanted in a MMO and I used every chance I had to learn from every mistake or positive choice. Slowly through the years the idea for Rise of Heroes started taking shape and here today, 2 years just about from the day I started, this design document is now being written. This design document will list every little detail about the upcoming MMO Rise of Heroes. It will list Locations, skills, races, quests, main story and side stories, what will be needed in terms of technology, Market stats, Plans for Empire Games, Plans for Rise of Heroes over the next 2 years, and more.

What is Rise of Heroes?

So at this point you might be asking what exactly is Rise of Heroes? Rise of Heroes is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game or commonly known as MMORPG. It is a known fact that MMORPGs are one of the hardest kinds of Games to make. Stats show that most MMOs that start in the development process will never be finished. The reason for them being the hardest is a topic of Hot debate. Is it because they cost a huge amount to develop? Is it because of the massive amount of content needed to keep the player base happy? Is it because of the programming that needs to be done just right to allow for the massive amount of connected clients to make the game fun? The topic of this document isn’t to discuss the failings of some MMOs or what is the reason for them being the hardest type of games to create. However it is important throughout the development process to remember that everything about MMOs is Massive and not get discourage or give up just because theres a bad day.

Rise of Heroes is your typical Fantasy themed MMO. A player creates their character selects their starting stats and enters the Virtual World. The world in Rise of Heroes is a live, breathing, and evolving world. The player will be able to explore many different ecosystems ranging from underwater coral reefs to snow cover mountains peeks. Each ecosystem will be populated with both real and fantasy creatures that you would expect to find for those ecosystems. Inside the world there will be many different types of things for the player to do. Like in most MMOs Guilds will play a big role in the game content. Guilds will be able to form alliances with other Guilds, Declare war, build cities, conquer land, and more. Players will also be able to gain skills and use those skills in a job. Jobs will include mining, lumberjacks, farming, trading, stock broker, Politician, and others depending on your skills. If city life isn’t what the player is looking for then he/she could decide to be an explorer and go off into the picturesque landscape of the virtual world. Discover mighty waterfalls cascading down a mountain side or adventure deep into the dark caves in search of hidden treasure and fortune. The player also has the choice to gear up and enter battle in service of the kingdom, protect the king, and become a hero. Heroes will be rewarded by having a monument built in their honor in the hall of heroes. In your free time you can buy a house, get married, become a productive member of your home city. Hang out in the bar playing mini-games with friends, decorate your house, practice your fighting skills in duals and more are available right from your home city or town.

What sets RoH apart from other MMOs?

Aging System

Rise of Heroes will have some unique features that will set it apart from other commercial MMOs. Keeping with the theme of having a evolving Virtual World there will be a aging system. NPCs will be born, grow old, and die. This will introduce a problem when it comes to quests however. Each NPC will have to have a set number of quests that will be available through out the life of the NPC. When the NPC dies so does the quests associated with that NPC. Every NPC will be living out their life and going about their day to day lives as the players are playing.

Contract System

We will have a contract system that will provide Players/Guilds in need of something with some one or guild who can provide it. If a guild is trying to build their guild hall and they run out of boards they can place a request for lumberjacks. A number of lumberjacks will place their price per board and the contract will be rewarded to the lowest price or highest quality depending on the settings set by the guild. If the lumberjack who wins does not provide the boards in the amount of time agreed on the contract will be broken and their standing with the guild will be lowered as well as some money will be rewarded to the person or guild that the contract was placed by.

Dynamic Quests

Staff will be able to add quests on the fly with out a server restart based on events taking place in the world. For example lets say Guild A just attacked the city of Mapledell destroying much of the city. NPC John is outside his destroyed house looking around wondering what had just happened. A GM could give John a new quest asking a player to get him some boards so he could repair his house. In the Meantime Player C arrives at the city just after the attack. Player C sees John with a exclamation mark over his head so Player C knows John has an available quest. Player C goes up to John and starts a conversation with John. John asks Player C to get him some boards so he can repair his house. Player C accepts the quests and runs off to get the boards. Player C comes back with the boards and gives them to John. The quest is marked as complete and is now not available again for any one.

Dynamic Quests are a first come first served special class of quest available only to the first person who accepts the quests. They are added in real time based on current events taking place. They are 1 of 3 special types of quests that will be available.

Weekly Quests

Weekly quests are special weekly events that the player will be able to take part in. They are optional but great rewards await for those who accept. They are available to every one but the first person who completes the quest will be rewarded. Once some one completes the quest every one else will be notified and the quest will be ended. These are a race to be the first. These quests are not just about fighting. They could be quests to explore some distant lands or find the lost treasure. Those who complete weekly Exploration quests will go down in history as the person who found the new land or land mark. These quests will be used to introduce new locations through out the story. They will introduce new races and new enemies. Weekly Quests are the 2nd type of special quests.

Story Quests

The last special type of quests is a type that every RPG or MMORPG have in common in some way. These are your main story quests. They advance the game story and are race specific. All playable races will have their own story line. At some point in the story all the stores will merge into a common theme forcing the races to unit in some form. Even though the stories will merge each race will have their own specific quests to complete.

The Race for End Game in RoH

Theres a popular song right now that has a line it goes something like this:

“Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb!”
That’s how Rise of Heroes is. It’s not about the final end game content. Its more about the human journey through your virtual life and the friends you meet along the way. Too many MMOs end up just being a grind fest. It ends up being a grind killing one creature after another to increase your stats and get the next level equipment. Now some people enjoy that kind of stuff and if so there will be plenty of chances for those with that style of game play. However every one will be encourage to take part In the community and events hosted by the community.

End Game Features:

You might be wondering what there will be available for those who have reached the level caps and will Rise of Heroes even have a level cap? Yes there will be a level cap in a way. Your level cap will be a product of your characters age and reputation. Your level cap will be raised every week. Every week the cap will be raised up to 10 levels. This system will mean a slower leveling experience that is spread out leaving more time for other things. A player can decide how they want to level through out the week. If they like to grind for hours at a time then they can obtain all their levels at the start of the week. For those who would rather have a more mixed experience they can level through out the week doing other things in between leveling sessions. When not leveling a players time will be spent indulging in the many activities offered through out the cities and country side. Role playing will be a big part of the game so the game will allow you to really get into character and experience the world through your character. Special events and holidays will be celebrated through out the year which will provide fun and exciting changes to how you play your character and what is available in game.