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Old 01-15-2007, 04:07 AM   #2
KaVir
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Name: Richard
Home MUD: God Wars II
Posts: 2,052
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Guild Wars has 'dyes' as random magical item drops. You can apply dye your equipment for cosmetic purposes. I pinched this idea, but also gave dyes random magical bonuses of their own which are applied to whatever item is coloured. I only allow certain material types to be dyed, and don't allow an item to be dyed more than once, but it does allow for an extra degree of customisation.

A bigger source of ideas and inspiration for me was Diablo II (although I know that many, if not all, of their ideas appeared in earlier games such as nethack and Final Fantasy). In particular, some of the Diablo II ideas I like and feel would work well in muds are:

* Magic items with randomly generated bonuses.

* Gems/runes/jewels that can be inserted into socketed items.

* Randomly generated dungeon layouts.

* A skill-web, allowing for many character variations within each class.

* Boss mobs (an ancient computer game concept, but not so common in muds).

* Simple yet entertaining once-per-character quest system.

* Good support for cooperative play, but also great fun to play solo.
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