Welcome to Project: Gorgon!


Project: Gorgon is a 3D fantasy MMORPG (massively-multiplayer online role-playing game) that features an immersive experience that allows the player to forge their own path through exploration and discovery. We won't be guiding you through a world on rails, and as a result there are many hidden secrets awaiting discovery. Project: Gorgon also features an ambitious skill based leveling system that bucks the current trend of pre-determined classes, thus allowing the player to combine skills in order to create a truly unique playing experience.

The Project: Gorgon development team is led by industry veteran Eric Heimburg. Eric has over a decade of experience working as a Senior and Lead Engineer, Developer, Designer and Producer on successful games such as Asheron’s Call 1 and 2, Star Trek Online and other successful Massively Multiplayer Online Games.



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  1. #1
    Junior Member Trufax's Avatar
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    Spawning Mechanics and Immersion

    There are a lot of factors that go into balancing a game for a wide range of mechanics and skillsets. I understand the current mechanics are necessary to prevent solo over tuned builds from progressing where groups are intended.

    However monsters appearing next to you in any situation breaks game immersion and ruins the flow of an otherwise amazing combat experience.

    With the gameplay tweaks below I believe this current problem and future problems that arise with balance can be more easily scaled and addressed.


    Respawn Hubs, Flow and Flavor
    The overall goal of these suggestions is to provide a magical zone of protection around the players where monsters do not instantaneously appear.

    To replace the current mechanic, multiple respawn hubs can be implemented at locations where monsters can reincarnate and patrol back to their intended posts. This would not only solve the problem of monsters counter intuitively appearing out of no where it would also make the dungeon feel less static and more like a lived in and dangerous area to progress through.

    In tandem checkpoints can be implemented to toggle respawn hubs if the active players are inside a respawn hub or have reached a certain area of a dungeon. This not only prevents bosses and respawns hubs from being camped, it increases the difficulty of the dungeons progress going further by funneling respawns to patrol through non player inhabited areas of the dungeon. They can also be used as a gauge to aid in tracking the kill speed of a group.

    Difficulty can be scaled in multiple different ways. By having respawn hubs placed in the progression path of a player the difficulty can be scaled to present a kill speed check just as deadly as the current cluster respawn mechanic. For slower more methodical groups they could be disrupted by the current cluster respawn mechanic, sending waves of monsters patrolling back. For faster AoE groups if the respawn hub detects that monsters have been killed in a short time frame of each other it can begin sending bigger more resource taxing monsters at quicker intervals to tax the longevity of those groups.


    Emergent Gameplay and Magical Fairy Land
    I believe setting up the fundamental mechanics for dungeons such as the suggestions above will lead to memorable and unique experiences and create a good framework for tailoring dungeons to the intended difficulty.

    For these scenarios I will use Gazluk Keep as an example:

    Scenario 1: The orc mages have been decimated sending the respawns toward the Death Trooper hub of the dungeon. Instead of respawning as mages, the death troopers increase in number of acolytes. This not only allows groups to craft their own experience in a dungeon it adds a layer of realism to the Orc culture and in fighting represented in the lore.

    Scenario 2: A patrolling monster could shout for help if it encounters a corpse of one their own. This creates a much more dynamic experience where tactical compassion could be employed to throttle the groups experience.

    Scenario 3
    : If there's a group going TOO fast, the respawn hub sends something a little extra down to meet the challenge. Encouraging both methodical/tactical gameplay as well as high risk / high reward.

    Scenario 4: Beakhorse is forced into the respawn area of the tacticians who are more adept at controling the beast creating a more formidable corp of combatants.

    Scenario 5: Two competing groups are racing towards progression on different sides of the keep. The faster group prevails, conquering their respawn hub funneling respawns to the other side of the keep effectively sealing the other groups fate. On top of this it creates a more difficult encounter if the prevailing group wishes to progress into that side of the keep.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Mikhaila's Avatar
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    Interesting ideas, but I'm not sure this wouldn't cause a lot more problems, and be a lot more work than what we have now.

    The amount of coding, testing, and work that would have to go into a project like this is huge.

  3. #3
    Junior Member Trufax's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mikhaila View Post
    Interesting ideas, but I'm not sure this wouldn't cause a lot more problems, and be a lot more work than what we have now.

    The amount of coding, testing, and work that would have to go into a project like this is huge.
    Barring the Magical Fairyland section a change like this of it would consist of:

    1. Reroute respawns to static location instead of around players

    2. If static location is toggled off due to occupied players, reroute to alternate hub. This would require an invisible check perhaps using an already existing trap mechanic for example.

    3. Patrol mobs back to original post ( this already exists )

    From there its all extra flavor and tuning to difficulty preference and dungeon appropriateness.

  4. #4
    Senior Member INXS's Avatar
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    This could be implemented in a future dungeon if it's too much to change existing?

  5. #5
    Junior Member Trufax's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by INXS View Post
    This could be implemented in a future dungeon if it's too much to change existing?
    After testing the current mechanics it seems the current algorithm triggers a respawn event once the timer has been reached and the player encounters trigger points on the perimeter of existing spawn locations. Enter the ninja gangbang.

    This current mechanic isn't tied to a particular dungeon I'm assuming. @Citan

    If procedural solutions are what we're driving towards perhaps tying the spawn hubs to bosses would make it less intensive work wise.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Crissa's Avatar
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    Oh, I really miss the respawning patrols mechanic in Horizons. Most mobs came from gates, but some came from other things. Some mobs were 'leaders' and others were followers.

    So if a leader pathed through some followers that lost their leader, they could be recruited. So every once in awhile, that spider patrol would 'recruit' all the skeletons in the graveyard and send them down on whoever was harvesting cedar in the lowlands.

    But it was set up because their world was built around invasions through portals.

  7. #7
    Junior Member Trufax's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crissa View Post
    Oh, I really miss the respawning patrols mechanic in Horizons. Most mobs came from gates, but some came from other things. Some mobs were 'leaders' and others were followers.

    So if a leader pathed through some followers that lost their leader, they could be recruited. So every once in awhile, that spider patrol would 'recruit' all the skeletons in the graveyard and send them down on whoever was harvesting cedar in the lowlands.

    But it was set up because their world was built around invasions through portals.
    I hope this doesn't get misconstrued as we've now given graphics to the invisible portals that follow us through dungeons giving us a logical reason these monsters pop up next to you.

  8. #8
    Member HardRock's Avatar
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    I think it is a great idea. I Want to see behavior change depending on how many enemies are in an area. If there are x number of orcs in an area they form a unit and act accordingly. Damaged orcs fall back, perhaps sending another to retreat and grab more reinforcements. That would add realism and give incentive to end the fights faster instead of luring 1 or 2 at a time.

    If X number of orcs are unattacked for X amount of time they search of a ballista. Once manned the ballista will fire a large bolt that does X damage. Large ballista require 3 orcs to man.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Crissa's Avatar
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    Well, you'd still want to lure one or two at a time, but you'd want to kill any stragglers so they didn't send the alarm.

  10. #10
    Junior Member Trufax's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HardRock View Post
    I think it is a great idea. I Want to see behavior change depending on how many enemies are in an area. If there are x number of orcs in an area they form a unit and act accordingly. Damaged orcs fall back, perhaps sending another to retreat and grab more reinforcements. That would add realism and give incentive to end the fights faster instead of luring 1 or 2 at a time.

    If X number of orcs are unattacked for X amount of time they search of a ballista. Once manned the ballista will fire a large bolt that does X damage. Large ballista require 3 orcs to man.
    Oh yeah making well timed crowd control even more valuable to groups. Although fears gets way more risky, sounds like fun.



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