RPG Style RO

[Ayu]

I think that somewhere a server is either:

-official 'clone' (where goal of the server is just to be as close to official as possible with boosted rate/level cap/stat cap being the only change and 'minimal' changes. You share the same target audience as iRO Valk basically.)

-customized server (you know that you are playing Ragnarok Online, but there's lots of customs: be it quests, new classes to coexist with the official ones, skill modifications, new monsters, new minigames, etc. Someone did mention the server I GM on, heRO, to be an innovative server with mouRO. I personally classify heRO in this category but mouRO in the next one...)

-new game with RO engine (when you wouldn't recognize that it's RO if it's not for the familiar looking sprites and familiar names, like mouRO. Anyone from mouRO can tell you that if you expect normal RO build and strategies for a character in mouRO to work, you are royally screwed. However, using the same build across 'customized server', usually you will be fine, just not necessarily optimal due to custom equipments affecting how easy/hard it is to get a str or dex on multiples of 10 or whatever.)



From the *sounds* of this, if it's really going to be a RPG feel, it's not just a storyline that accompanies the server. Rather, you have quite restrictive move over the world until you 'beat' a point in the story that allows you to travel to the next one. The story sounds mandatory, and core game mechanics (not just how the inn works) need to be changed to fit the game... such as probably restriction in what skills you can get at a time, re-adjust *all* the monsters' drops due to the restricted movement (like what, hood[0] with no better alternative until you *finally* get to the story arc that involves sohee as a random monster around? You'll probably have to adjust muffler[1] to be dropped by a monster you meet a bit earlier in game. All the cards may need to be adjusted, in case if a monster early in the game drops a card that completely overshadows a card from a later monster, yet in normal RO this is fine cause you can reach either one at any point of time.)

It's really hard to have a "RPG story" feel that involves the freely roaming players who may be doing whatever they want... without changing a *lot* of things until it's not exactly recognizable except for the familiar look and familiar names.


(not saying that the "new game with RO engine" type is a bad thing at all, as I always wanted to try mouRO when I do have time which I never do. It's just that from an advertising sense, you may just get more players to try it out if you don't advertise it as a Ragnarok Online private server)

[l2ue]

@ayu

Well, if you classified it that way, I can tell you that I am aiming towards a customized RO server. Nearly every fantasy MMORPG has a storyline, even the original RO, which is based off a norse myth. Most private servers I played on, only cares about shiny customs and NPC's that make players fat and lazy, no storyline involvement. RPG Style is just some fancy enfranchise name I made up. I am trying to make RO fresh again, by changing the norse myth into my own creative storyline and then intergate it with whatever else private servers has, which is customs(scripts,equip,etc). It is still the same gameplay(diff rates), only that there isn't a one-click heal NPC like most private servers do. It's a RPG-feel not exact like Final Fantasy.

[PoisonWolf]

@ayu

Well, if you classified it that way, I can tell you that I am aiming towards a customized RO server. Nearly every fantasy MMORPG has a storyline, even the original RO, which is based off a norse myth. Most private servers I played on, only cares about shiny customs and NPC's that make players fat and lazy, no storyline involvement. RPG Style is just some fancy enfranchise name I made up. I am trying to make RO fresh again, by changing the norse myth into my own creative storyline and then intergate it with whatever else private servers has, which is customs(scripts,equip,etc). It is still the same gameplay(diff rates), only that there isn't a one-click heal NPC like most private servers do. It's a RPG-feel not exact like Final Fantasy.

TC,

So if I am getting it right, are you just going to customize it at the script level?

Cheers.

[Ayu]

That... doesn't exactly sound much like a 'RPG' but rather rewritten quests that form a uniform story line at best, and sadly quests in a RO usually can't escape the usual 3 forms of (or combinations of the 3 forms):

-item collection
-talking to NPCs
-kill specific monster(s)

To be honest, I think most people here is thinking of the 'jRPG' type of RPG when you mention that. Like, start off as a novice in Prontera, first 'quest' is to get a job change within here, then some story arc event broke out and you are sent to say... Izlude to investigate, etc etc. "That" type of RPG, if you get what I mean? Cause right now, it really sounds like just a typical RO server with all the quests rewritten. Helps a bit for those who like questing, but in terms of actual gameplay especially those who likes to pvp/woe, there doesn't seem to be much solution against the "been there, done that" to really make this server an "innovative RPG server."

[l2ue]

@ayu
Honesty, I am still on the phrase one of the project. The storyline is about a kingdom torn apart when the king disappears, leaving 6 of his sons to rule. Later divided into two kingdom(6 - 4 = 2 ). Aldebaran as a buffer zone between the too. You start off at aldebaran. You get your first trans job at aldebaran, a diff quest for each job. Choose sides. 2nd trans. Branching and interecting storylines. Integrated PvP event corresponding two kingdoms. WoE only at Alde. Free market. A Union similar to guilds for each job providing new functions, rank, you name it. A highly well design town, including Inn, Pubs, Shops, Unions, etc. Headgear quest as usual. A dedicated pub with more functions. Also my prize silkroad script.  And to make traveling more diverse, I included a highway from where you have to walk the extra mile to a dungeon by warp from A to B to C to Dungeon or take advantage of being in a guild by using in-game guild functions. If possible, I would make Pub/Inn ownership, boosting the value of zeny, which most p-server downgraded to donation coupons and/or coins. In addition to completing to the main storyline, the commands such @go and warps will be availiable.

^ All of that, my foundation for a RPG Style RO aligned with my motives. This sounds more like a customize server than new game, well, in my point of view.

The only difference from the original RO is a whole new storyline, more functions possible by scripting, events(no more hide-in-seeks plz), rates, and minor changes in prices and stats. Discuss.

[Skotlex]

That... doesn't exactly sound much like a 'RPG' but rather rewritten quests that form a uniform story line at best, and sadly quests in a RO usually can't escape the usual 3 forms of (or combinations of the 3 forms):

-item collection
-talking to NPCs
-kill specific monster(s)

To be fair, can't you break down "quests" in pretty much every RPG-styled game to one of those three usual forms (or a combination of them)?

[Ayu]

That... doesn't exactly sound much like a 'RPG' but rather rewritten quests that form a uniform story line at best, and sadly quests in a RO usually can't escape the usual 3 forms of (or combinations of the 3 forms):

-item collection
-talking to NPCs
-kill specific monster(s)

To be fair, can't you break down "quests" in pretty much every RPG-styled game to one of those three usual forms (or a combination of them)?

Well there's still a 4th one for "escort services" which are absent to RO in most part but still present in some other RPG.

[Sarin]

5th, puzzles, riddles etc...

[Ayu]

Sadly most of the "RO puzzles" are just figuring out what is the item to bring or what is the order to talk to NPCs (which is just combination of the major 3 within RO world). Not very likely that RO servers will start seeing the Lufia 2 (an old but great example of proper puzzles/riddles in RPG games on the SNES) type of puzzles anytime soon

[bulbasteve]

Sadly most of the "RO puzzles" are just figuring out what is the item to bring or what is the order to talk to NPCs (which is just combination of the major 3 within RO world). Not very likely that RO servers will start seeing the Lufia 2 (an old but great example of proper puzzles/riddles in RPG games on the SNES) type of puzzles anytime soon

Guess it is hard to do a sliding block puzzle with monsters constantly attacking you.

I think a previous poster had it right about the practically of making anything really new with RO. At some point you are better off just making an rpgmaker game than you are trying to do everything you want within the confines of RO.

Which is why I never really thought MouRO was all that radical. Most "customized" RO is really just standard RO with fishing and mining added on top, MouRO is something where some fundamental game mechanics have been tweaked a bit....but it still plays like Ragnarok Online. But then people are so conservative in how they view their severs that tweaking the ASPD calculation is clearly totally a new game, but I would think that to people who haven't played in years they might not even notice it is so different.

Now if someone really did make some sort of turned based jRPG type of server, then that would be a truly different experience, it you click on a poring and suddenly some command menu pops up with "attack, defend, flee" well then I think the average joe would go "hey this isn't how RO plays!".

[LiteX]

Sadly most of the "RO puzzles" are just figuring out what is the item to bring or what is the order to talk to NPCs (which is just combination of the major 3 within RO world). Not very likely that RO servers will start seeing the Lufia 2 (an old but great example of proper puzzles/riddles in RPG games on the SNES) type of puzzles anytime soon

Kind of truth, nowadays, RO is like a mini-game colletion, what RO needs is a solid storyline

[Loki]

Turn base RO? Bulba has some some serious radical ideas. Me likey.

[A92FL0163]

Now if someone really did make some sort of turned based jRPG type of server, then that would be a truly different experience, it you click on a poring and suddenly some command menu pops up with "attack, defend, flee" well then I think the average joe would go "hey this isn't how RO plays!".

Like Final Fantasy Tactics? Or similar to Wakfu?

[LiteX]

Now if someone really did make some sort of turned based jRPG type of server, then that would be a truly different experience, it you click on a poring and suddenly some command menu pops up with "attack, defend, flee" well then I think the average joe would go "hey this isn't how RO plays!".

Like Final Fantasy Tactics? Or similar to Wakfu?

I would love a Tactics-like RO, IIRC I saw one in Youtube some years back

[wtfuxx]

@A92FL0163

LOL'd at your siggy XDD