The Path Less Chosen

As we join a sea of participants in the GarageGames/MyDream one year game contest, one goal will drive our team and help focus our efforts: Be different.

Sure, we'll share many of the same concepts as live and development games, we'll always strive to keep our goal in mind when making decisions. No, they won't be as simple as the color and height of an orcs ears, or the lighting used to define a dungeon. Instead, we'll push our team to use that philosophy to find ways to differentiate ourselves from those around us.

Here are some of our ideas:

Character creation and progression: Instead of starting the game up and being thrown into a standard set of character creation screens, the player will instead enter the world the same as everyone else, looking around trying to figure out what's happening. Run around for a bit and see what the game is all about. Once you've decided how you want to advance through the world, pick your choice. Gained 20 levels and changed your mind? You can always switch, just be prepared for a bumpy road as you relearn a new set of abilities.

"Us vs. Them": Most games pit players against common enemies. Ever wanted to actually be the bad guy? Be the alien invading earth instead of the human defending it.

"The Grind": Every attempt will be made to avoid simple, repetitive tasks. No, you don't need to kill twenty rabbits to find four furs. Instead, discover a sunken ship and find out where it came from.

Player vs. Player (PvP): Instead of having dedicated servers, offer open world PvP for anyone to join whenever they would like to do so. Remember that sunken ship? Turn on your PvP flag and help your side defend the lighthouse so more don't meet the same fate.

Multi-genre: We'll blend both science fiction and fantasy. Master the art of hand-to-hand combat or pilot a robot. Fly through space or travel on horseback across the undiscovered western frontier. Replace an arm with an artificial limb or master the magic arts.

Content, content, content: Two options for every quest and quests at every corner. Players like options, and the more that are available, the more your players can decide their own fate. Fly through space or explore under the sea?

While our eyes may be larger than our stomachs, we're definitely up for the challenge, whether we win the contest or not as we are MMO fans first and foremost. We are going to attempt to build the game we want to play.