How I would do end game if I owned SSG (and had the money)

[fatherpirate]

Let us get rid of the obvious -

I don't own SSG
I am in the entertainment biz, but not mmo's
This is just my opinion, not any better or worse than any other.
I am posting this so that even though SSG will certainly not use
this, maybe it will stimulate their thinking.

I will category this suggestion is 'Do something new instead of doing what everyone else does.'

-------------------------------------------

Get the rights to use Planescape.
Hire more creative staff.
Create the City of Doors (similar to DDO's current city dungeons hubs)
Fill it with quests (properly themed)

Introduce the new endgame.
You reach max level and you can choose to enter the City of Doors (one way trip)
You start back at level 1 planeswalker
Exp is slower than in the normal game ... 5-10 times slower.
All your gear from the previous world is turned into cosmetic gear.
You get to adventure, advance and live in the all new world dealing with the planes.
You no longer have contact with the past world ... everything is new for this toon.
Players in planescape can make NEW guilds (the old ones are cut off)
The only way to play a toon in the City of Door (and the planes in general) is to bring in a max toon.

There is your end game
2 worlds

but that is just me.

[vryxnr]

...so essentially your end game is to... play a different game.

[Oxarhamar]

...so essentially your end game is to... play a different game.

Pretty much

And right about one thing it ain’t going to happen

Don’t forget the advert campaign or it’s all for not

[Annex]

Father Pirate, please forgive me, but I am about to have some fun at your expense.

I sincerely do not get it.

If I take a stroll through the harbor and Gatekeeper's Grove, I will pass at least a dozen portals to other worlds. They are all over the place. I can step through many of these portals and adventure in places that I am told are other planes of existence. Great. Some portals only allow creatures from other planes to invade, and I am supposed to close them. Okay. Various Gatekeepers can send me to even more panes of existence. The city is filled with portals!

Why do I need to take a one way trip to a city of portals that take me to other planes when I live in a city of portals that take me to other planes? Could someone please explain this to me? Also, what if this new city of portals has a portal back to the other city of portals. Will that break something? I am a little concerned.

Maybe this is about adding more portals to more planes of existence? Okay. Sure. Problem. The developers put out, like, 15 quests a year. How are they supposed to suddenly have the time to flesh out a couple quadrillion new planes of existence? So far, when they add a plane of existence, we get, like, a square mile of some place that looks pretty much like everywhere else. Usually, pirates hang out there. The developers here really like pirates. I guess that feels very comfortable for you, being a pirate and all. Also, let's say they did release these quadrillion fully fleshed out planes of existence. I mean, they are planes of existence! How the heck can I possibly explore all that real estate? Each plane has, like, a quadrillion worlds in it. These things are huge!

Dunno. Seems impossible to me. It's, like, impossible taken to the impossible power to the impossible power. I'd settle for 10 quests every three months. Maybe every quest can start at a portal to another plane of existence. The Gatekeeper standing there says it goes to another plane of existence, so it must be true. Would that work?

[Weemadarthur]

Why do I need to take a one way trip to a city of portals that take me to other planes when I live in a city of portals that take me to other planes? Could someone please explain this to me? Also, what if this new city of portals has a portal back to the other city of portals. Will that break something? I am a little concerned.

Just for clarity and to make this make a little more sense for you. When FP is talking about THE city of portals he isn't just talking about A city of portals but a place called Sigil - The City Of Doors (AKA the city of portals or the cage). This is one of the more iconic places in D&D and due to how it works is imo exactly where DDO should have been set from the start. It's portal based gameplay actually screams to be used how questing in DDO has been implemented.

If you ever want to learn a little more about it I would highly recommend looking up an old game by the name of Planescape: Torment. Despite its clunky UI and 2D graphics it is still imo the best example of a D&D game on the PC. After a few hours play you would fully understand why the setting would be perfect for DDO and why this would also be something that could draw a huge amount of interest.

[Uska]

I probably wouldn’t I would just quit making content and put current game in maintenance mode and make a new game trying to avoid the power creep

[Bagel99]

I probably wouldn’t I would just quit making content and put current game in maintenance mode and make a new game trying to avoid the power creep

IF it were up to me id take reincarnation feats, past lives and reaper points out of the game for an Account based XP System that awarded points toward trees similar to the Reaper trees but more diverse. It would be a tiered system, each 5 points being exponentially more xp required to get from the last. XP to the account based system would award at 5% for non members and 10% for members while leveling normally. When approaching cap you have the opportunity to reincarnate which would dump 100% of your characters total xp into the system and 150% for members. There would be the option to reincarnate at any level, hearts of wood being purchased in store or crafted via materials kind of like Commendations.

Key Points:
1. ALL characters get access to the points and contribute. This would allow freedom of play for Alts,etc. Today i feel like a paladin ... tomorrow a ranger .... a month later a crazy barb cleric wizard hybrid that eats snacks to deal damage.
2. There would be no CAP on the amount of points you could earn. Trees will have caps on benefits for balance.
3. Point benefits WILL/ MUST be level Gated!
4. Earning a point will have passive benefits like 1 Hit Point and 1 Spell Point, max amount applied gated by level until cap. IF you achieved say 400 points it would not make or break a toon at level 1 and i have to say with balance to absorbtion and other mitigation like dodge being possible its a Buffer and we all know some mobs swipe 400hp like candy, but that hard work might've added an extra hit you can take. ( IF necessary cool mechanics in raids can deal % of your life damage + small flat amounts to provide challenge for all players ! )
5. Incentive for points earning can be something as simple as cosmetics or Name Plate Color/ Border changes.
6. THE single most important point, WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM, having an account based system will allow older players to make toons of variety, some gimpy, some cookie cutter and not feel like they wasted time. New players obviously may be behind but its ok, no longer having to worry about my 3rd life as a tiefling or halfling rogue, they can play their paladin and make the same progress if they so wish. Leveling a toon with friends is cool cause playing with your solo or main build will still allow progess on alts, especially if schedules never lined up perfect.

I think this system with tweaks would work wonders, keeping XP pots, TRs and content always viable, able to make money BUT also benefit players in equally awesome ways. All that would be left is a system to fix inventory .... geez even i cant think of a solution for that one ....

[fatherpirate]

I do thank folks here for understanding that this kinda suggestion is to stimulate
thinking outside the box.

everyone stay cool (despite the heat wave)

[Amorais]

For me, end game means your character should be good, I mean legendary. As such I'd expect that legendary status to reflect in the game world.

You no longer need to buy normal equipment, they would be donated by townsfolk. Spell components Fah, by end game you should automatically get the feat to no longer need them. Eschew Materials.

Repairs are done free of charge - in fact they pay you to repair your equipment

If your max level, your haggle skill automatically is raised to the maximum allowed because your a bona fide hero

Random people in the street bow to you. You have saved their worlds a hundred times over - that demands respect

Max level mount is available, if you TR you lose it

All dungeons lower than max level you can auto-teleport to the entrance. Doing them is just a hobby.

[Marshal_Lannes]

I'm not a fan of Planescape. Getting away from the codex page narrative thread would be my first move.

[Memnir]

Yes to implementing Planescape.
No to implementing it this way.

[Oxarhamar]

Yes to implementing Planescape.
No to implementing it this way.

+1

[blarhblarhblarh]

Lol.

Your endgame would make only you happy.

All the rest of the playerbase would suffer.

If they had planescape they could simply add it to DDO´s actual content without much problems. There could be an agency to solve problems between planes and the adventurer could be the one hired to deal with extraplanar crime.

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

All the rest of the playerbase would suffer.

Define "all the rest of the player base".

You are trying to include people who do not want to be included, so to me, this is a troll's attempt to drag one's opinion down.

[PedXing20]

Define "all the rest of the player base".

You are trying to include people who do not want to be included, so to me, this is a troll's attempt to drag one's opinion down.

You do this ALL THE TIME.

[fatherpirate]

I would love adding Planescape in the normal way.

But that would not stop DDO's slow spiral down the plumbing.

My main point is ... If they keep doing what they always do,
they will get the same result ---> slowing dying MMO.

If you want DDO to last, it has to change, or it will absolutely die slowly.

More of the same ... will change nothing.

[Oxarhamar]

I would love adding Planescape in the normal way.

But that would not stop DDO's slow spiral down the plumbing.

My main point is ... If they keep doing what they always do,
they will get the same result ---> slowing dying MMO.

If you want DDO to last, it has to change, or it will absolutely die slowly.

More of the same ... will change nothing.

What they need to do is advert & shore up the new players experience not creating a new endgame that’s an entirely different game will do nothing to change the new player experience and will not bring new players

In other words more of the same for new players is more of the same

[fatherpirate]

What they need to do is advert & shore up the new players experience not creating a new endgame that’s an entirely different game will do nothing to change the new player experience and will not bring new players

In other words more of the same for new players is more of the same

Some how, I do not see them paying for advertisement ... mainly because I
have not seen them do that for DDO in years.

The best thing for DDO players might be for some other group to buy DDO from SSG.
never know

[Eantarus]

...so essentially your end game is to... play a different game.

This.

Seriously.

Your suggestion is literally to just make an entirely different game. And your character derives no benefits from playing the original game. And you can't go back to the original game.

I'll tell ya one thing: there could be a nice cottage industry of people playing a character to cap in DDO so everyone who wants to go play the other, entirely unrelated game you're suggesting, can buy them and play that game.

[blarhblarhblarh]

Define "all the rest of the player base".

You are trying to include people who do not want to be included, so to me, this is a troll's attempt to drag one's opinion down.

Ok, all the playerbase but Alrik_Fassbauer and fatherpirate.

If the playerbase weren't satisfied with the endgame they wouldn´t be playing. Simple as that. And yes, I have an favorite D&D module also but I don´t think I should shove it in everyone´s troat. Eberron is great and have space to all modules, even a Vecna ravenloft could be up to lvl 34 and so on but... one content doesn´t need to abolish the others.