I have decided to post up some tentative plans for the game as it stands right now. Don't feel obligated to read it all but this does explain roughly what I have in mind for the game.
(some of you may have read this already)
My intention is to make this game a "mini-MMO RPG", of sorts. I shall explain what I mean by this:
Like any other MMORPG, the game takes place entirely online, with most of the content designed to be handled by groups of 2 or more people. The game can be played on one's own, however there is no "single player" option in the game. One has the choice to either "Host a game" or "Join a game" when they first run the program. Unlike most MMOs however, there is no server running the game 24/7. Servers are hosted by players and servers can be shut down by the hosts. The character that you created is saved on your computer and can join any sever with this (or a new character), provided that there is availability on the server you are trying to join for your character (more information on this later). The game will feature 3d graphics, similar to World of Warcraft and other 3d MMOs. The game takes place in a huge world, full of landmarks and geography present in the actual LBT films, recreated as accurately as possible. Players may enjoy the game as any of the following LBT characters:
-Littlefoot
-Cera
-Ducky
-Petrie
-Spike
-Chomper (under consideration)
-Ruby (under consideration)
-Ali (under consideration)
-Some generic dinosaurs, who have their own storyline, separate from the Original LBT characters' storyline. This is explained in more detail later in this post.
The world is full of NPC (non-player characters) to talk to and receive tasks from. You can also discover tasks to complete from other sources. Some tasks (called "Adventures") require a group of people to complete, as they are too difficult or complex for a single player.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this game is, basically, to develop your character and have fun. Your character will gain experience points, some items and treestars to become stronger. Experience point levels do exist in this game, with a level cap of 50 right now. This is subject to change.
Hosting a game: When you host a game, you may give a name and description for your game. Other players (no player limit decided yet. Possible limit: 64. I will try to make it as high as possible. It will be a MINIMUM of 8, hopefully much higher) may connect to your game via LAN or Internet, using your IP address.
Once you have given a name and description for your game, you are taken to the Character Select screen. On this screen, the player may choose his/her dino, each with their own abilities. In order to play through the major "core" of the game, the player must select one of the LBT characters, not a generic dinosaur. Here's where it gets interesting:
Only ONE player may control each LBT character on a server. This means that there will NEVER be two Littlefoots, two Duckys, etc. on the same server at the same time. If a player has chosen Littlefoot, everyone else who tries to join the game will be informed that Littlefoot is not available and that another character must be chosen. This means that each server will have a maximum of 8 major players on at any one time...so why the 64-player limit? That's where the "generic dinos" come in.
I a player wishes to join the game to explore the world, to socialize, to hang out and maybe do a few tasks here and there, they may! Not everybody is a skilled gamer capable of handling the more difficult gameplay that may exist for some of the Gang's tasks. Also, the server may already have all 8 Gang members playing and if somebody just wants to log in and have some fun, they may, as a generic dino. The generic dinos allow anyone to pick one of a few different dinosaurs, which the player can adjust the look of somewhat (by slightly adjusting size, colour, etc.). Generic dinos have their own set of tasks available to them, separate from the Gang's tasks. In short, the Gang has a set of tasks to do in the game. Multiple players can choose the same generic dino. The Generic Dinos have a different set of tasks to do in the game. They may cross paths with the Gang at times, but the world is so huge that the chances are unlikely unless they meet in a central location (such as the Great Valley).
Character stats:
Each member of the LBT Gang each has unique stats. Generic dinos all have the same base stats, which can be expanded by eating treestars and completing some tasks exclusive to them...and some tasks that may require a huge grouping along with the Gang...more on this later.
(think raiding in WoW and you'll see where I'm going with this).
Stats that will likely exist for playable characters are:
Health (HP): This is how much health the character has. When the character takes damage, this value falls from its maximum. When its current value hits zero, the character is dead (We have not yet decided what happens upon death). Health regenerates while sitting down and not being attacked.
Energy (EN): Attacking in combat takes energy. Basic attacks use a very small amount. Abilities and Special Abilities require more energy than most normal attacks to execute. Energy regenerates (relatively) quickly while sitting down and not being attacked. Energy regenerates slowly anytime while not attacking. Treestars can be eaten in battle to quickly restore energy in dire situations. It takes time to eat a treestar though, and you can be interrupted while eating if you are attacked.
Strength: Affects the amount of physical damage done.
Increases the maximum HP of the character slightly.
Strength is useful for moving large objects in the game, such as boulders. NOTE: Some boulders require more strength to move than a single character can easily obtain. In order to move such boulders, players must combine their strength together. If their total strength is more than the amount required to move the boulder, the boulder can be moved. The higher the players' strength is over the boulder's required strength, the faster the boulder can be pushed.
Stamina: Has a significant effect on the maximum HP and EN of the character.
Agility: Improves the character's ability to dodge attacks.
Gives a character's stealth attacks a higher chance to critically hit the target (doing more damage).
Improves the chance for a physical or stealth attack to hit the target.
Toughness: Affects the character's resistance to damage. The more toughness the character has, the less physical damage they will take when they are hit by a physical attack.
Affects the maximum HP of the character.
Dexterity: Improves the chance of physical and ranged attacks to hit the target.
Slightly affects character's resistance to damage.
Grouping:
This game is designed with grouping in mind. Some tasks are possible to accomplish on your own, but many will require grouping with other members of the Gang in order to accomplish. There will be tasks for each possible quantity of LBT Gang members: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, so no matter what your group size, there is something to do. tasks that require larger groups will yield better rewards and generally be more interesting to complete. They are also generally more difficult to coordinate and more fulfilling to complete.
Adventures:
These are tasks that require the entire Gang of Eight to complete. They typically involve long excursions with many difficult challenges and likely very powerful creatures to face.
Grand Adventures:
This idea is still VERY preliminary and I am not yet sure how this could fit into any story, but...
Grand Adventures are too difficult for even our entire Gang. In order to complete a Grand adventure, the Gang must seek the aid of Generic Dinos. Grand Adventure tasks will appear in the game along with a recommended number of adventurers to complete it. This number will likely typically be between 10 and 20. As you can see, Grand Adventures literally demand a small army of dinos to successfully complete. B)
Chatting:
The game features 4 chat channels:
Global: Chatting over Global means that Every Single Player in the game can see your message.
Local: Everyone in your region (say, the Great Valley) can read your message.
Group: Every member in your group can read your message.
Whisper: Only the specific person you are talking to can read this message.
Dueling/Battling other humans:
This will likely be possible. A player can challenge another to a 1 on 1 duel.
Members of a group can all enable their "duel" setting and engage in a free-for-all, last-man-standing battle. This will be one of the last features to be implimented.
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ITEMS:
Treestar:
This is the most important item in the game, as it has a great many uses. Treestars are stored in the player's inventory and may be traded or consumed.
Some tasks require paying treestars to an NPC in exchange for the task's reward.
Eating treestars outside of combat will allow you to increase your character's maximum Energy. While the numbers have not yet been decided on, an example of how this works is as follows:
Every 100 treestars you consume, your character gains an additional 50 points added to their maximum energy.
This lets players develop their characters using treestars as well as through gaining experience and abilities.
Treestars may be used in combat as "reagents" for some abilities. Some possible examples of this are:
Sprint: Eat a treestar and temporarily increase your movement speed.
Healing: Treestars can be used by biped dinos to heal members of their group.
Recover Energy: A dino can eat a treestar in combat to recover some energy quickly.
Using treestars takes time (maybe 3 seconds, still to be decided on). If you are attacked while using a treestar, some of the progress of "using" the treestar is lost (if you have been eating for 2 seconds and you are attacked, this may be reduced back down to 1 second, for example) and there is a chance that the treestar will be destroyed, cancelling the action that you took. If you wish to use another treestar and try the ability again, you may.
Other items will probably be introduced in the future.
