Would you create missions if given the chance?

[Higain]

The other day I happened to have found an old screenshot of the mission creation window. Which in turn led me to start thinking how value added elements like this add to a fun gaming experience. I forget the specifics why mission creation was removed from the game - other than the usual reason. Exploiting game mechanics. That’s generally why we can’t have nice things.

That said, if we were given the chance to create missions, what would you like to see? I’m thinking about mission modules that include outdoor graphics with hills and trees and elemental effects - radiation damage etc. Increase secret room modules and maze elements that break the all-left/right-doors mission blitzing. How would team mission bosses and rooms be handled and configured? I’d like to choose boss level, species and aura type and minions with special attack features - that sort of thing all nestled in an outdoor canyon module with room to kite or do whatever a team need do to beat the boss. Special missions could possibly use dungeon models like the shadowlands static dungeons or places like the CoH dungeon.

What say you?

[Hellzicke]

First off, that would be totally awesome…

second, what UI is that? It looks also awesome…

[Higain]

The two images below are the original GUI at launch. The screenshot with the mission creation window is a custom fan GUI pack made September,18 2001. I used portions of the custom GUI with the roll-up minibar up to about 2013. I’m unsure if anyone has tried to hack that old stuff into the newest client engine etc.

and

[Chrisax]

Would I? Of course.

But the whole question hits two major issues (that are obvious):

• Creating a mission editor is a huge work, unless you keep it totally elementary in which case it has close to no interest. And, still, it would be some serious work to do.

• The whole design of AO, even with various changes and fixes performed, is way too open and insecure by today’s standards. When AO was created, no one imagined the level of hacking and cheating that would appear along MMOs’ history and the increasing technical competence of hackers.

It would be a huge work to create a mission editor that would be at the same time secure, complete enough, and relatively easy to use (I had several opportunities to see the tools devs worked with, long in the past, and, believe me, the editor was tough and they didn’t have enough time to improve it; I can mention this because even GDs did publicly in the past).

Basically, each mission or addition would have to be “audited” by developers for safety.

An alternate solution could be something I suggested long long ago: have a group of highly “trusted” (and creative) players working on missions, so the security concern is considerably lowered. But that’s not what the idea of a “mission editor” means in this thread, or in general.

Still, IF it was possible to have a mission editor, I would love to use it, and I know, just in my own org (Athen Paladins) at least half a dozen competent persons who would feel the same. And I’m confident there are more around in AO.

Chrisax
MP 220, AL 30, Research 70, active, Born on Rimor
In AO since 2001
Founder and elected President of Athen Paladins
/www.athenpaladins.org/forums/

[Higain]

Thanks for that info, I was unaware of the behind the scenes stuff.

I started playing before mission creation was patched out of the game - and regret never once using the mission creation system - mainly because there were so many new things to explore that I just never bothered trying it out.

I’d only support a system open to everyone. I don’t like the idea of giving select players special privileges. Funcom’s Professional program being one of the things in that vein which bothered me for a number of reasons.

That said, I do recall how ordinary solo and especially team missions were broken for a very long time and how people took advantage of them; the shelving and behind couches being safe spots; jumping up and landing on top of the mission “ceiling” and running around unmolested. The dev’s finally fixed that stuff but it took an extraordinary amount of time to do so.