Mounts

[Trillium]

Need some thoughts 'bout mounts in ORPGs.

I'd like to hear your opinions on how rare/hard to get they should be, how big should their role be and the like. ah, of course - are they needed at all?

Some possible variants on 'hard to get' topic:
like WoW 60% ground mount (moderate price, mid-lvl)
like WoW epic ground/normal flappy (rather expensive, top-lvl)
like WoW epic flappy (very expensive, top-lvl)
obtainable through a (long) questline (like dreadsteed/charger/etc.)
a boss/world drop (how rare then?)
a reputation reward
something else perhaps?

My next concern are flying mounts:
Are flying mounts (or generally - flying) for an ORPG (with several different maps, daungeons, etc.) a good idea? Flappies are cool and add a new angle to the game, but they are a bit hard to balance and can result in "why me haz to kill thoze monstars? me kan fliez ower their headz!"

also:
should mounts get tired?
mounted combat
upgradeable mounts (armour, enchants, etc.)
maybe a special mount controle system? (imagine riding a donkey... )
mounts carried in inventory? meh... (wow-stle)
etcetera

gimme some brainstorming, need ur opinions/thoughts

 

[greasontim]

how many levels you got in your ORPG?
flying mounts could be a pain to do cause normaly the point of flying mounts in games is to either not be able to get attacked while moveing fast or to just fly so you dont have to go around stuff

 

[Super-Sheep]

Mounts just dont work in Wc3. Why to not use the flight masters like in wow? You just hide the hero and create dummy that would move to point1 while camera is locked on every 0.01s.

 

[Bwathke]

Mounts would be nice but I dont know how to make the models for them...

 

[asam3]

why not make flying mounts only fly above trees, doodads, and units. but on walls, gates, and cliffs, they cant. so a little balance to it but still has that flying feel to it would be there. their use? they can act as another inventory, where if they use potions, the hero gets healed. and also give them skills, maybe 2 or 3, depending on what mount you are riding. maybe immolation, splash attack(hero), and damage over time effect on attacks if you are riding a phoenix or something. then the skills level up automatically on a certain level. maybe every 6, 8, and 10 levels, the skills also levels.

 

[Trillium]

how many levels you got in your ORPG?

max lvl is gonna be 50

and flight masters are hardly an option - only a couple of maps will have 2 or more towns

 

[Bwathke]

I wish we could make maps about 450x450 but we can't I know it's to prevent lag but still that's our problem.

 

[GLB]

What is a an "epic flappy"? Is this something like a mount? (yes, I never played WoW, and I never won't)

Anyway concerning your (flying) mount question, it is an interesting idea and would give a new aspect to wc3 ORPG's. As I remember, there are not that much which have a feature like this. But, personaly, I would not do it. Inherently, it is not easy to balance a game only for ground units, but with some flying options, it would be even more harder...

 

[Bwathke]

(yes, I never played WoW, and I never won't)

OK besides the speech error I'm with you I played the trial..... Worst two hours of my life that I cant get back. But a "flight master" is a guy you talk to then he brings you to another city and takes half your money.

 

[Trillium]

flappy = flying mount
epic = high quality in WoW

 

[Bwathke]

Do you need to make a totally different model to do the mount system?

 

[Revolve]

I think you should put mounts into the game, but with some exceptions;

No flying mounts. Flying mounts doesn't match in WC3, and as said you could just fly over stuff, and the camera would be very annoying if you flew over high mountains.

For ground mounts, then you should definently have proper models. A footman mounting as a Knight might look odd, so use proper models.

And the tired thingy would be awesome, then you can't ride through everything, but you have to stop after a certain time and relax, enjoy the view.

=)

 

[Cyper95]

OK besides the speech error I'm with you I played the trial..... Worst two hours of my life that I cant get back. But a "flight master" is a guy you talk to then he brings you to another city and takes half your money.

takes half your money?? stop lying dude.... and wow isnt fun until you reach lvl 20 atleast

 

[asam3]

mounts would generally serve only as an "eye candy" in an ORPG, i think. i mean, there's a teleportation scroll, speed boosts, and the map won't be that big to need something "more convenient than speed boosts".

so either you give it an option to be able to use potions which would heal your hero and have skills, it'll only be an eye candy. and WoW needs mounts, since it's a world, not a "continent".

but yeah, i've never seen an ORPG with a mount yet, let alone a warcraft map with a mount option (cept for the hipopography which is already present in warcraft).

 

[Bwathke]

takes half your money?? stop lying dude.... and wow isnt fun until you reach lvl 20 atleast

xD he does but yea thats what everyone says get to level 20 get to level 20! Well it takes like 2 hours to level up to level 3 to I dont want to waste my life away on that game no offence xD.

 

[Trillium]

it takes like 2 hours to level up to level 3

lol? btw, its all off-topic... >:|

 

[Bwathke]

sorry

 

[asam3]

xD he does but yea thats what everyone says get to level 20 get to level 20! Well it takes like 2 hours to level up to level 3 to I dont want to waste my life away on that game no offence xD.

not really 2 hours. doing quests made me level up fast... or was i only enjoying so much graphs that time didn't bother me?

oh yeah, maybe a camera change would be good(as what someone said in the first page), like in WoW when you ride the flying transport thing and have nothing to do but absorb the scenery.... man.... printscreening was all i did at the time i was riding that flying thing in the barrens to the tauren town....

 

[Bwathke]

Ok back to what this is about yes mounts would be awesome

 

[Cyper95]

okay i like the mounts idea but Bwathke how much you gotta suck to be so slow(no offense dude but 2 hours that is like lvl 15-20 you can reach in that time with the right leveling addons)

 

[Trillium]

lol, the line 'bout observing scenery gave birth to a funny idea:
there will be flight masters in each zone... however they will only sell a ride round the zone, so ppl can make some screenies =)))) kidding ofc =))

ok, thanks for ur opinions, appreciated =)

 

[Bwathke]

If you do make a mount system please tell me how you did it

 

[Cyper95]

can you tell me to since im considering implying a mount system in my map

 

[Bwathke]

Same here xD it will work better when I get TFT

 

[Nelisje85]

You could make "no Fly - zones" wich stop you from flying to some places, or forces you to dismount when entering certain areas until you have unlocked the privilege to fly there through some quest or insane amount of gold. (like bying the flying rights in Northrend) or do flightpaths like someone said on the first page.. maybe do a carrierpigeonesque thing where you mount remembers certain locations and just lets you fly between them. (like flightpaths but without flightmasters)

Nrmal mount should be doable, increase speed and if mounted unit attacks or is attacked dismount.

 

[Trillium]

well, i came to think flying mounts are rather unnecessary (WoW, for example, was much better w/o them)

as for dismounting - i plan to make mounted combat. maybe even a hero who will mostly fight mounted. now its all 'bout improving my triggering skills to do all that =/

 

[Nurga]

Hi, i also make a orpg atm (Dungeon Gods) and i put in mounts too but atm they are really bad.
Example:
The first avadiable mount is the horse. Its like a goblinzeppelin, so you put your hero in and end. Thats boring. i want the have somebody sitting at them!
Maybe i should create a Unit for every hero, to put them at the mount and ready is it. What you mean? There also are flying mounts, but don´t ask me what to do to get them
So, there has to be No-Flying-Zones, you are right. (Example: You cannot fly into the bosse´s room and dismount to kill him without fighting against mobs.
But there will mostly be No-Air-Mounts, a mount like a dragon would be the symbol for one of the best players. (Like: You have to kill 5000 Heroes (over lvl 40) to get 5000 Honor Points to buy this mount.)

EDIT: Oh my god xD I´ve got 2 problems
Prob. 1: The attachment just appears if you use the ability to load manual at the hero
Prob. 2: Just look here: (Riding at the horses head^^) Its a very easy system, "unit"-specialeffect is attached at the chest. maybe it should be another point....

 

[Trillium]

ok, ty for response =)

 

[Nurga]

iam still trying to get the unit more at the back of the poor horse xD

 

[Asomath]

I think if you were going to include mounts in your RPG, you should also add mount-fighting. If you have normal fighting on mounts, you may see it a good idea to add enemies that do increased damage to you when you are on a mount. That way, although the players are getting a huge speed advantage, they may also end up taking more damage from these specialized enemies.

If you want to add the ability for players to customize their mounts (Increased damage, increased armor) make sure there is a disadvantage for every advantage. For example, if a player decides to equip armor to their mount, the mounts speed is decreased. That being said, there could also be magical armor that drops that negates the negative effects, or tokens that prevents anything bad from happening to your mount when you upgrade.

This way, you can have mounts that are entertaining and specialized for the players, while also keeping them from getting out of hand and end up ruining the game play experience.

Good Luck,
~Asomath

 

[Trillium]

mm, thanx, will think 'bout it, nice ideas =))