I think if Ember is looking to break a lot of new ground, it could focus a little more on bridging gaps between the game executable environment and the player's own native world. I found the Fallout Pip-Boy app (join the local network and control your in-game inventory/change weapons and armor from your phone) very intriguing. But I think there are far more opportunities in an online MMO-style environment for innovation here. A few ideas:
A smartphone app to control character details, inventory, or view live in-game maps, as above
Integration with either an existing social network or barebones first-party one, but critically, it must be accessible from outside the game environment. I have never gotten into WOW, but played early Firefall heavily, and Guild Wars 2 as well (and before that, in the distant past, also Maple Story, BUT TELL NO ONE) and often friendships within the game are difficult to maintain because even if you're not going to be actively playing the game, you have to sign into it to communicate, so if you're away from your gaming machine or don't want to sit through loading screens, you're cut off. It just paints a hard line that keeps the in-game relationships from feeling natural or real.
A casual-engagement zone within the game, such as was created by mid-level thumpers in early Firefall. This would be for people wanting to "hang out" with friends and play the game, but who may be looking for more of a social interaction than a high-stakes fight (where XP and resources may be lost) and who may not be 100% focused on the game at all times, but don't want to just stand in-game and wait for a conversation. Some of the most fun I've ever had has been in old Garry's Mod zombie map/mods, where humans are encouraged to fortify and turtle in place while zombies assault them. It's kind of campy and unrealistic, but it builds a sense of predictability and casual fun that MMOs tend to do away with when they carve out strict Pacifist/PVP/PVE areas where either you're 100% in the crosshairs or in perfectly safe.
An area hotspot system, which is something I think early Firefall got right, in both melding events and rare-resource thumping areas. Having regional callout events that brought people together in an area really makes the in-game population feel like a natural ecosystem. It also gives you the ability to scale semi-procedural events like dynamic enemy spawns to a general headcount of players that respond to the event. This is a very natural way to build new friendships when these events have a common (but low-risk) goal that strangers can collaborate towards.
EDIT TO ADD:
A CALENDAR! If there are going to be timed events, or seasonal events, or whatever analog is present in the game, having a simple calendar app (either in-game or out) that syncs with the game world would really help bridge that gap as well. Getting a strike team together for a dungeon run, or collaborating on, say, Baneclaw, has always been rough for me because at best I'll be trying to get everyone on the same page via a forum post or scrolling through chat logs looking for a server-wide announcement, and neither of those things follow me as a player OR integrate into the game world itself. I'm not looking for an Outlook analog, but giving me the ability to see what's coming up in the MMO world (from the perspective of my Guild, the entire server population for server-wide events, and within my existing friends list) would 100% contribute towards keeping people engaged and not missing out (which I did many times during Firefall, when I'd come upon an event that was finishing or had finished, or miss a Baneclaw run that didn't succeed due to lack of people.
A smartphone app to control character details, inventory, or view live in-game maps, as above
Integration with either an existing social network or barebones first-party one, but critically, it must be accessible from outside the game environment. I have never gotten into WOW, but played early Firefall heavily, and Guild Wars 2 as well (and before that, in the distant past, also Maple Story, BUT TELL NO ONE) and often friendships within the game are difficult to maintain because even if you're not going to be actively playing the game, you have to sign into it to communicate, so if you're away from your gaming machine or don't want to sit through loading screens, you're cut off. It just paints a hard line that keeps the in-game relationships from feeling natural or real.
A casual-engagement zone within the game, such as was created by mid-level thumpers in early Firefall. This would be for people wanting to "hang out" with friends and play the game, but who may be looking for more of a social interaction than a high-stakes fight (where XP and resources may be lost) and who may not be 100% focused on the game at all times, but don't want to just stand in-game and wait for a conversation. Some of the most fun I've ever had has been in old Garry's Mod zombie map/mods, where humans are encouraged to fortify and turtle in place while zombies assault them. It's kind of campy and unrealistic, but it builds a sense of predictability and casual fun that MMOs tend to do away with when they carve out strict Pacifist/PVP/PVE areas where either you're 100% in the crosshairs or in perfectly safe.
An area hotspot system, which is something I think early Firefall got right, in both melding events and rare-resource thumping areas. Having regional callout events that brought people together in an area really makes the in-game population feel like a natural ecosystem. It also gives you the ability to scale semi-procedural events like dynamic enemy spawns to a general headcount of players that respond to the event. This is a very natural way to build new friendships when these events have a common (but low-risk) goal that strangers can collaborate towards.
EDIT TO ADD:
A CALENDAR! If there are going to be timed events, or seasonal events, or whatever analog is present in the game, having a simple calendar app (either in-game or out) that syncs with the game world would really help bridge that gap as well. Getting a strike team together for a dungeon run, or collaborating on, say, Baneclaw, has always been rough for me because at best I'll be trying to get everyone on the same page via a forum post or scrolling through chat logs looking for a server-wide announcement, and neither of those things follow me as a player OR integrate into the game world itself. I'm not looking for an Outlook analog, but giving me the ability to see what's coming up in the MMO world (from the perspective of my Guild, the entire server population for server-wide events, and within my existing friends list) would 100% contribute towards keeping people engaged and not missing out (which I did many times during Firefall, when I'd come upon an event that was finishing or had finished, or miss a Baneclaw run that didn't succeed due to lack of people.
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