Keep tmw interesting for players level 90 and up
These are my ideas on how it would be possible to keep tmw interesting for players with advanced or maximum level. Before presenting these ideas i'd like to do an analysis, what might be the reason why this game is interesting.
TMW is kind of RPG. A role playing game is about developing a character. Developing is a) an ongoing process and b) should make the character unique in some way. I'd like to call that "personal profiling". This development of a fiktive character is quite close related to development of a real
personality. It is not a bad thing at all. Playing with alternate personalities in a virtual environment helps developing personality.
The problem with games like tmw is, they are limited. So in all those games this limit will inevitably be reached at some point. When this limit is reached, the game is no more interesting. The player might choose to start over with another character and try a different approach, which is good and pretty legal. But these alternate paths are limited, too. It is not possible to get rid of these limits. What would be possible though is to extend these limits significantly.
What is often demanded for extending these limits is: More unique or rare items (which help further in personal profiling) and more quests (which help in personal profiling as well and in a very similar manner). This works to some degree. But on the long run this "more of the same" will not help. Just imagine thousands of unique items, and each player has his/her own set. What would it be worth?
So what i'd suggest is a complete new development aspect. For doing this i'd like to a) extend already existing features and b) change other features.
At first 2 in 1: I'd like to terminate the current death handling. It is way
too cheap.There is no challenge here. Challenges are what personal
development makes interesting and exciting. No risk - no fun. Of course a character death should not kick the player. But it should definitely not be that cheap. Second, together with this new death handling i'd like to extend on a feature that is already implemented: Sagatha.
Sagatha does some judgement when deciding if a player should get that astral soul skill. This judgement is based on overall behaviour. This is
interestingly quite close related to real worlds thinking of an "afterlife".
So what i would like to see in the game is sort of afterlife. A character,
when killed, does not automatically respawn on some map, but on a specific map, which is part of the underworld. This map has to be created. On this map there is 1 NPC who judges and decides on the players future path. It's kind of classification. This classification has to be carefully worked out. I'm not through with it, there are many open questions. But this classification is the essence of my idea.
Now for low level characters there should be a simple exit. Level 10 and below should just be allowed to use a certain warp point and go to some predefined map location in the upper world. No difference to now, except that the NPC should give a detailed description how death works here. So anyone can adapt strategies to it.
For level 11 to somewhere around 90 i'd suggest a counter. Each time the char dies he will be allowed to exit to the upper world by paying some generation points. The first time after lvl 10, the counter is 0, so there is nothing to pay. The next time it will cost 1 generation point. For this the NPC should do a complete stats reset (like Malivox), and then allow the char to proceed after paying his fee. The char may then be set up again. This would make Malivox obsolete. The trick here is, that not the level is reduced, but the achievable maximum of attributes. The more often you die
the more expensive it will be. At some point it will really cost much.
Now beyond that level for proceeding the char will not pay this fee, instead will be converted to a new species, depending on the classification done then. This new species char will start at level 1, but with decent attributes and new duties and new privileges.
The classification might be this: A dark path with 2 characteristics: One
undead and one demonic. A neutral path with several characteristics: One nature, one barbaric, one noble, one magic. And 1 holy path with 1
characteristic.
For the undead path the start would be quite easy: Let the char be converted into a skeleton. After then reaching level 90 he may respawn as zombie. After some more of these he might respawn as a lich or necromancer or something like this. For the demonic path there are still forms to develop. The final result should be devil.
For the neutral paths there would probably be no need for new sprites for every new class/level. For the noble part f.ex. there could be a new skill (leadership) which would allow to lead some slave mobs permanently. the final result should be respawn as king (with his own castle?). For the nature path some new sprites would be needed. The final result should be respawn as
dragon. For tha magic path respawning as Dschinn (Genie) or something like that may be appropriate.
For the holy path it's quite simple: Respawn as angel
Now for the duties: Each of these new classes should only gain exp by doing specific tasks. These should be different for every new class. For the dark path this could be killing player chars, for the holy path protecting these player chars. Something like that.
The privileges should be different too. And maybe limitations, too.
Now assume 8 to 12 levels of each of these new classes, combined with new items and skills that only these classes can obtain, and you get a very huge extension of game limitations. I think you get old and gray before trying all the paths.