I was watching this week's Extra Credit on the future of MMOs when it made me wonder, "What would a a MMOFPS be like?"
After much thought, I think I came up with a long winded answer.
I suggest you buckle up.
Before we begin, I know that MMOFPSs exist. However, they been small and haven't gotten a whole lot of popularity. Some proto-MMOFPSs exist, like more micro-transaction games like Combat Arms and Battlefield Hereos (which isn't a FPS, but is based around a series of FPSs, and is pretty close to it) and giant brawls of players like Mag shows that the huge player bases needed can be achieved on one server. But, it would really take a big IP to get any MMOFPSs really rolling, so what think would be the best example is Halo.
Stop.
Put away the rage of Halo for right now.
The games haven't been my favorite, I think ODST was a complete rip off myself. However, Halo fits best because you have this huge war and worlds, a whole potential for classes and races that FPSs like Half Life and Call of Duty simply don't have. I would never play the game, but Halo's world not only has the potential for it, but the IP is popular enough to get the whole thing really started.
The basics can be pretty much the same as a MMORPG. Their are two sides (Humans and Covenant) and it can be set about midway through the war. Liberties such as "Aliens lose even when the Chief isn't around" will have to be made, but I don't think that many people will mind. For humans, you get the standard Medic, Machine Gunner, Assault, Snipet blah blah blah. No Spartans at the start. Tanks and Warthogs I think should be some late unlock, being something you could call for to be dropped under some cool down time. Spartans would be unlocked far down the road, and even then, the health system would work more on the line of Halo:CE then Halo 3.
The Covenant would be broken into their races instead, with grunts, jackals, the flying bug things, and whatever else the the Covenant has with a similar Elite block (plus maybe Brute block) until higher levels. The Aliens would be devide more on their race abilities then their equipment. Jackals has sheilds, the bug things can fly for short distances, Grunts annoy enemies to death, the blue monsters act as very slow tanks, blah blah blah. Elite would be similar to Spartans, and everybody would be all hunky dorky.
The level up system would have to be closer to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, with exp tied to your class or Race. You can upgrade your medigun with the medic class, but can't upgrade an assualt Rifle with the same exp if you see what I mean. You get Exp from killing, doing missions, and destroying x amount of Marines for creepy bug eye alien y. Their would be several planets for both humans and Aliens and "battle zones" where war is pretty much constantly happening. It wouldn't need to be directly connected but a loading screen showing a space ship flying to the planet. You only get access to the higher level areas with higher levels, and get blocked from lower level areas to prevent balance issues.
The rest of the details is pretty much up to the developement slave army that Microsoft has. It is just a theory of how it could all fit together, but I think it could be done. Also, I claim copyright since I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find Mircosoft has claimed the idea and have nothing to present a judge.
After much thought, I think I came up with a long winded answer.
I suggest you buckle up.
Before we begin, I know that MMOFPSs exist. However, they been small and haven't gotten a whole lot of popularity. Some proto-MMOFPSs exist, like more micro-transaction games like Combat Arms and Battlefield Hereos (which isn't a FPS, but is based around a series of FPSs, and is pretty close to it) and giant brawls of players like Mag shows that the huge player bases needed can be achieved on one server. But, it would really take a big IP to get any MMOFPSs really rolling, so what think would be the best example is Halo.
Stop.
Put away the rage of Halo for right now.
The games haven't been my favorite, I think ODST was a complete rip off myself. However, Halo fits best because you have this huge war and worlds, a whole potential for classes and races that FPSs like Half Life and Call of Duty simply don't have. I would never play the game, but Halo's world not only has the potential for it, but the IP is popular enough to get the whole thing really started.
The basics can be pretty much the same as a MMORPG. Their are two sides (Humans and Covenant) and it can be set about midway through the war. Liberties such as "Aliens lose even when the Chief isn't around" will have to be made, but I don't think that many people will mind. For humans, you get the standard Medic, Machine Gunner, Assault, Snipet blah blah blah. No Spartans at the start. Tanks and Warthogs I think should be some late unlock, being something you could call for to be dropped under some cool down time. Spartans would be unlocked far down the road, and even then, the health system would work more on the line of Halo:CE then Halo 3.
The Covenant would be broken into their races instead, with grunts, jackals, the flying bug things, and whatever else the the Covenant has with a similar Elite block (plus maybe Brute block) until higher levels. The Aliens would be devide more on their race abilities then their equipment. Jackals has sheilds, the bug things can fly for short distances, Grunts annoy enemies to death, the blue monsters act as very slow tanks, blah blah blah. Elite would be similar to Spartans, and everybody would be all hunky dorky.
The level up system would have to be closer to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, with exp tied to your class or Race. You can upgrade your medigun with the medic class, but can't upgrade an assualt Rifle with the same exp if you see what I mean. You get Exp from killing, doing missions, and destroying x amount of Marines for creepy bug eye alien y. Their would be several planets for both humans and Aliens and "battle zones" where war is pretty much constantly happening. It wouldn't need to be directly connected but a loading screen showing a space ship flying to the planet. You only get access to the higher level areas with higher levels, and get blocked from lower level areas to prevent balance issues.
The rest of the details is pretty much up to the developement slave army that Microsoft has. It is just a theory of how it could all fit together, but I think it could be done. Also, I claim copyright since I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find Mircosoft has claimed the idea and have nothing to present a judge.
