askgaming

The dragon I'm always chasing is uncontrived, cooperative, asymmetrical gameplay.

To that end I've always wanted to see a game that takes team dynamics from MMOs and applies them to a game with physics.

Look at the role of the tank in an MMO party. His job is to keep the team safe. In a practical setting that would involve physically boxing the enemies out and keeping himself in the path of harm. But MMOs don't work that way, because there are too many players to have consistent physics. So instead the tank just taunts, which is so contrived and stupid. The whole exercise is reduced to clicking icons on the screen while whatever the graphics are doing is largely irrelevant.

Don't let objects move through each other. I want to have to make a plan with my team using terrain and positioning.

It would probably work best as a top-down or isometric action RPG.

And while we're at it, MMOs always end up getting so bloated that half the class-specific content is useless. Keep it tight. Keep the differences between classes mechanically significant. Then explore new spaces without making previous content irrelevant.

Instead of having three ranged DPS classes, give them clear delineations like crowd control, AoE, and utility/puller. Since this is not an MMO that's expected to add infinite content, it should be possible to design encounters that benefit from the differences without making any one class required.

And since I'm already ranting, let's make it Robin Hood themed. All the classes are right there in the Merry Men! You've got ranged DPS (Robin), a tank (Little John), a healer (Friar Tuck), melee DPS (Will Scarlet), and a bard (Alan-a-Dale). There are so many versions of Maid Marian (including early ones where she's as skilled in combat as Robin Hood) that she could be any class.