Guild Wars 2 - Possible gear enchantment concept

The stats attributes for the gears are fixed in GW2. Unlike Diablo 3, the stats are dynamic. There are pro and con to either gear attribute mechanics.

As the attributes are fixed for the gears, enchantment mechanic can give a little edge to power seeker players.

For example, before enchantment:

Berserker's Pearl Broadsword (Exotic)
Weapon Strength: 995 - 1100
+179 Power
+128 Precision
+9% Critcal Damage

After enchantment: (Possible concept)

Berserker's Pearl Broadsword (Exotic)
Weapon Strength: 1045 - 1155
+179 Power
+128 Precision
+9% Critcal Damage
+5% Weapon Strength (Enchant)

Some possible enchantment addon:

• +50 Power
• +50 Precision
• +2% Critical Damage
• Any other attribute strengthening the gear only.
• +80Power, -30 Precision (Could be fun too for glass cannon)

To make this a mechanic to erode gears economic, it can be implemented in a way that once the gear is enchanted, it is character bound (soulbound).

So what is needed to enchant? I guess the best would be premium items in gem store. You would be thinking that it is somehow becoming pay-to-win? I would prefer to think it as premiums for the rich players, be it real money or in-game gold, or ways to become stronger. It is really great that gems can be trade for using gold. Hence, indirectly, you do not need to spent a cent to get the premiums.

Let's call it enchantment scrolls likewise as the transmute stone there are 2 grade (Normal and Fine), one for item level below 80 and for item level 80. What's more, there are 3 levels of each grade. Example:

• Fine Enchantment Scroll Level 1 (For rolling or re-rolling the first enchantment for a level 80 gear)
• Fine Enchantment Scroll Level 2 (For rolling or re-rolling the second enchantment for a level 80 gear)
• Fine Enchantment Scroll Level 3 (For rolling or re-rolling the third enchantment for a level 80 gear)

The final possible outcome:
Berserker's Pearl Broadsword (Exotic)
Weapon Strength: 1045 - 1155
+179 Power
+128 Precision
+9% Critcal Damage
+5% Weapon Strength (Enchant Level 1)
+2% Critcal Damage (Enchant Level 2)
+80 Precision -30 Power (Enchant Level 3)


Stakeholder Summary

• Player would find any means to get stronger and more power in game. I would see this feature as positive impact. Player could get an edge with the enchantment. Typical gambling experience to obtain the perfect attributes by using the enchantment scroll.
• Anet could erode gold economic when players use gold to exchange for gem to enchant their gears.
• Anet could make revenue when players purchase gems.

Similar Mechanic exist in game:

• Torchlight 2 - http://www.torchlight2game.com

Guild Wars 2 - Possible gears durability concept

Gears in Guild Wars 2 only get more and more over time, there is some game mechanics design implement to erode the quantity of gears in the game. In a long run, this could be a negative impact to the game economic when there are fewer players in time to come.

Some game mechanics to erode the quantity of gears:

• Mystic Forge any 4 gears of the same grade for a roll of a random gear of the same grade and a chance to obtain one grade higher. E.g. 4 rares roll 1 rare or 1 exotic. Also used to obtain the base weapon for crafting legendary.
• Salvage the gear to obtain crafting materials. E.g. Obtain Glob of Ectoplasm from rares.
• Sell the gears to NPC (usually for the low end grades)

Thus, you just need to own one set of end-game gears and you can used the gears forever on your character. There is no demand for the gears thereafter from the same character.

To create a demand, durability on gears can be implemented. In GW2, there are different grades of gears namely:

• Normal (White)
• Fine (Blue)
• Masterwork (Green) Character bound on use.
• Rare (Yellow) Character bound on use.
• Exotic (Orange) Character bound on use.
• Ascended (Pink) Account bound on acquired. (Trinkets only from Factual of the Mists)
• Legendary (Purple) Character bound on use. (Weapon only)

Currently, gears suffers damage when a character dies. There are a few stages of damage.

• Not Damage
• Damaged (Red shield on gear)
• Damaged that can be repair (Red shield with cracks on gear)
• Totally Damaged (Gear is not in effect)

Your character will be naked when all the gears are totally damaged. You will need to repair your gears in order to use them again.

Here, durability mechanic design can be implemented. Each gear will have a durability counter based on the grade of the gear. When the gear is repaired, durability counter decreased by 1. Once the counter reached 0, it cannot be repaired any more.

For example,

• Normal (White) - Durability counter 5
• Fine (Blue) - Durability counter 10
• Masterwork (Green) - Durability counter 15
• Rare (Yellow) - Durability counter 20
• Exotic (Orange) - Durability counter 30
• Ascended (Pink) - Durability counter 40
• Legendary (Purple) - Durability counter 100

When durability counter can decrease, there should be a way where it could be increased. Here are some possible cocept:

• Using Mystic Forge, slot in the intended gear, an durability scroll, and 2 items.
•  Legendary - 2 Gifts (E.g. Gift of Metal and Gift of Light for greatsword)
• An premium durability scroll from Gem Store which restore the gear to it former glory.
• It could be likewise as the transmute stone (item below level 80) and fine transmute stone (item level 80).

Stakeholders Summary

1. Crafters would love demands. Game economic for gears would have more demands. More demands usually yield better profit.
2. Players would not like it as it would cost more to maintain the gears.
3. Anet could erode ingame gold from this mechanic when players exchange gold for gems to buy the premium items. 
4. Anet could get revenue when players purchase gems to buy the premium items.

Similar Mechanic exist in game:

• Luminary: Rise of Goonzu  - http://luminary.ijji.com

Minecraft - Possible Social Concept

1. A social freemium concept of the game.
2. Resources can be obtain through premium purchase.
3. Each player has a small world, owned, for building a home shelter, farms and trees
4. Player are able to co-op in caves run (different world) for rare resources.
5. Player are able to co-op in nether world run (different world) for rare resources.
6. Player are able to visit friend's world but cannot mine or take anything.
7. Player world can be expanded through achievement or use level points to exchange.
8. Player are able to co-op in various popular mod maps, these mod maps can be unlock with premium purchase.
9. Player are able to craft custom character skin. Some characters skin can be purchased as premium.
10. Player are able to adopt pets. Some pets can have different color or different skin as premium purchase.

With over 28 million registered users.
5 million of them purchased the game.
Social game concept on Facebook.
Freemium and Premium concept.

Quite a feasible business for a game.

Minecraft - Game Concept Digest Part 1

Game Concept

1. A world of cubes/blocks.
2. You could simply "mine" most of the cubes in the world.
3. By mining, you obtain resources to craft items. 
4. Some resources are limited, however there are ways to make some resources infinite.
5. Some resources is not reusable; broken when mine or degraded to other resources.
6. Build anything with the resources by placing them back to the world.
7. Character, the player, has various attribute counter
1. Health bar
2. Hunger bar
3. Oxygen bar
4. Armor bar
8. Day and Night mechanics
9. Monster will spawn at night or dark places to hunt you down. 

Usual Scenario for Game Play

1. Build a shelter to protect yourself at night
2. Hunt resources to craft armor for reduce damage from monster
3. Hunt resources to craft weapons to fight the monster
4. Build tools to mine the resources
5. Build livestock farm to reproduce resources
6. Build crops farm to reproduce resources
7. Saplings planting to regrow tree
8. Adopt a wolf pet
9. Adopt a ocelot pet
10. Enter caves to mine rare resources
11. Explore the world
12. Build railway tracks to various destination
13. Switches and circuit 
14. Nether world exploration 
15. Build defense system 
1. Murder hole
2. Quarantine monster spawn points      

Key Points

1. User are able to gather various resources and craft various items.
2. User are able to reproduce resources by means of realistic Eco-cycle.
1. Crop farming and livestock farming (Similar to HarvestMoon)
3. User are able to keep pets with beneficial protection over monster
4. User are able to play in different game mode
1. User who just want to build they world (Peace Mode or Creative Mode)
2. User who want some trills at night (Standard Mode with difficulty level)

The Tribez - Game Concept Review Part 1

Core Resources

1. Villagers
2. Gold
3. Food
4. Wood
5. Stone
6. Lumber
7. Cut Stones
8. Marbles

 Game Mechanics

• Build houses to add villagers
• Maximum 03 houses for each type
• Hut - 01 villager
• Nice Hut - 01 villager
• House - 02 villagers
• Cozy House - 02 villagers
• Cottage - 02 villagers
• Mansion - 02 villagers
• Villa - 03 villagers
• Expensive House (Premium) - 01 villager
• House are upgradable to level 04 max
• To unlock the next higher tier of houses, the Main Building need to be upgraded with all 03 houses of the current tier to be upgraded to level 04
• Houses can be built based on Happiness Level which determines the amount of villagers a player can have

Get Started and Game Play

• Player is given some initial resource and villagers to start the game
• Main Building, Level 1
• 02 villagers
• 01 Warehouse
• Player will progress by doing these:
1. Build social buildings to increase Happiness Level
2. Build houses to increase Villagers
3. Build Patch to farm for Food
4. Build Forester Hut to harvest Wood
5. Build Quarry to harvest Stone
6. Build Warehouse to increase resource storage capacity
7. Build Lumber Mill to obtain Lumbers from Wood
8. Build Stone Mill to obtain Cut Stone from Stone
9. Build Pig Farm to obtain Food (higher return than Patch)
• Player will initiate tasks to be done such as building or harvesting. Each task will cost various resources and a fix time to be completed

Different kinds of resources

Playing games every now and then, resources is one of the key element in game design.

What do I meant by resources? Well, for example, in-game gold or game currency. You want your players to earn the game currency. Thus, giving players the power to acquire new items by purchasing. How should the game should let players earn the game currency? I will touch on it in coming posting.

Talking about purchasing items, items can be obtained by the means of crafting. With the mechanic of crafting items, this contributes to a wider range of resources.

Take a medieval genre game for example, a knight wield sword and shield, wore armor and helm. The armors and weapons could be crafted in game. Maybe some wood, stone and wheat-grass to begin with. The next tier can be iron, coal, cloth and leather.

How to obtain wood? Maybe by chopping trees.
How to obtain stone? Maybe by quarrying from large rocks or a quarry mine.
How to obtain wheat-grass? Maybe by farming.

Another example could come from constructing buildings. To start building a village, you need to gather people. By having people, you could think about the necessity to sustain a person. Food, water, housing, clothing depends how complex the game design is.

How to obtain food? Maybe by farming or hunting animals.
How to obtain water? Maybe by building wells or fetching from rivers.
How to obtain house? Maybe by gathering resources to build it.
How to obtain clothing? Maybe by herding sheep for wools.

Ultimately, there might be different kinds of resources to build up a game design. If you want players to obtain items by purchasing, game currency is a must to have. With game currency, items can be purchased instead of crafting for a more simple game design; buildings can be purchased instead of constructing with resources for a easier game play.