Online Play - Feature Spec No.4

ONLINE PLAY

Feature No. 4a [auto match finding]

attend dungeons without forming a squad

Importance: +++++ / difficulty: +++++

what's the matching system, player numbers

Brief

Vision Canvas: players will feel excited and interested when communicating and fighting together with squad or their friends

Core Pillar: User can team up with players in online co-op to complete tough dungeons together for high level rewards

The adding of multiplayer dungeons adds more variety of gameplay different from running quests that can be easier to introduce the chunk of storyboard and help them to get more familiar with their individual skills and cards. Separate from harder RAID quests, these dungeons are easier than those dungeons that can be achieved through unorganized random players. Also, this can be a more effective way to get EXP to help players level up. 

Spec

• Most of those dungeons are finished by squads of 5 players, which contains 1 tank / 1 healer / 3 DPS. Auto match finding system should group up the different queued player together to group each 5 players together and form the squad for them to enter the dungeon.
• Those dungeons consist of several bosses and minions between each bosses. Players have to defeat those minion in order to move from one boss to another boss. Each dungeon has a final boss that would be relatively stronger than the other bosses and players will finish the dungeon once they defeat the final boss. 
• Only defeat the last boss can be marked as finish the dungeon and get corresponding rewards; however, there are relatively smaller reward for defeating each bosses. 
• All minions and bosses can drop all kinds of items, range from materials to gears. Bosses would have higher rate of dropping more rare items. 

Beats

• Characters decide a role (T/H/DPS) before entering the dungeon and start queueing the match finding through dungeon board
• The ready check should be sent to all players before the entering of the dungeon
• After all players checked ready, the squad forms in the dungeon and they start to finish the dungeon
• Players cooperate together to use skills and cards to finish the dungeon
• After the dungeon is finished, they collect loots and rewards, gain EXP points if they are not lv max, and the squad dissolves

Assets

• Multiplayer / 
• friends /
• cards / 
• skills / 
• gears / 
• UI

Additions

 

Feature No. 4b [squad and squad boards]

all other players who wants teammates

Importance: ++++ / difficulty: ++++

entries of filters, categories

Brief

Vision Canvas: players will feel excited and interesting when communicating and fighting together with squad or their friends

Core Pillar: User can team up with players in online co-op to complete tough dungeons together for high level rewards

This differs from the auto match finding system that this allows characters to form up the team with their friends instead of random people. This also incorporates friend system. This feature allows players can finish quests, play dungeon, or just chat with their friends.

For squad board, it is a board that everyone can access to. Players can post squad member requests from descriptions and various filters or add some existing squad they saw on the board. 

Spec

• Random match finder can only find 5 players dungeons that are relatively low level and easy; correspondingly, the squad can enter most of the existed dungeons or quests no matter they are easy or difficult. 
• Some of the spell or skill effects can only affect members in the squad. This only happens if the squad is within one server. The squads within one server can find each other (squad members) if they are in a same map (from special colored nameplates and icons on the map (more in feature 8a, iconset).
• All squad has one leader. Leader can be the original person who invited others (squad formed by invitation) or the post sender (squad formed from squad boards). Only leader can apply to a certain dungeon / kick out squad members / etc. but squad members (as well as leader) can invite others. 
• If leader leaves the squad, the leader will pass to another random member in the squad. Also leader can designate a member to be next leader. There will be no effect on leadership if a normal member leaves the squad.
• Most of the quests can share the completeness with other members; however, some quests / CGs and animations / player selections (mostly in CG) and other special circumstances cannot be entered by multiplayer squads.  

Beats

Player post member request by selecting the main objective of the squad (like what dungeon, what quest) (and correspond member numbers), and may or may not contain these restrictions: 

• - Lv requirement / item lv requirement
• - Class / job classification
• - Detailed description
• - Already finished (or not) this quest
• - Valid time period of this post (with a maximum time)
• - Additions 

Players can post a member request based on the format as above. Once they confirm the post, the post would join the squad board that other players who satisfy those requirements can see their post. Also, the post sender can stop the post anytime through the valid time period, and the members already within the squad would not be kicked out. 

Players can also join a squad from the board by selecting a desired post. After he confirms the joining request, he will be automated joining the squad. 

Apart from joining the squad though the board, player can also invite his friends or request enter a friend’s squad from the friend panel (more in feature 4f, friends)

Assets

• Multiplayer /
• friends / 
• cards / 
• skills / 
• gears / 
• UI

Additions

• This can be a demo of a squad board 
• Squad members should also be seen on UI:
• Apart from the buffs and debuff, certain card plays should also be shown by the side of party members. 

 

This can be a demo of a squad board 

Squad members should also be seen on UI:

Feature No. 4d [PVP]

PVP in this game (PVP can happen in neutral maps (like PVP areas in WoW))

Importance: +++ / difficulty: ++++

balance, skill modify, safezones/PVP zones

Brief

Vision Canvas: players will feel excited and challenged to operate cards and skills while playing battle

Core Pillar: User can battle in real-time using a weapon of choice along with a rotating hand of cards

PVP should be an additional gameplay differ from dungeon play. This allows players to battle with other players rather than virtual characters. Most PVP skills are remaining the same but still some skill / cards should be modified. 

Also, there should be PVP safe areas for players. This allows some players who do not like PVP to play. PVP also should be a switch that players who enable PVP are not in the same map with players who do not open PVP. 

The city where characters are originated are symbolizing the team in PVP they are in. If players attack players from the same city, then the NPC in this city would turn enmity to that player and will attack that player if he is close. However, there can be battle and rewards for PVP between different city areas. 

Spec

• PVP can happen in 1. Undecied areas / 2. PVP arenas. 
• Undecided areas are areas with no belongings. PVP enabled players can combat with other characters in these areas. There should be reward for making contribution for his homecity
• In those areas, PVP disabled players will not see PVP enabled players, nor reverse (enabled and disabled players should be in separate maps). This allow PVP disabled players can finish quests / explore the world in a safe environment. 
• PVP arenas can be entered through normal match finding panel (similar as dungeon entrance). PVP arenas are separate places (like dungeon maps) that allow multiple different flagged players play battle with each other. 
• Diverse flagged players should be identified as their different nameplates

Beats

• If player enable the PVP from the social panel, then player will enter the map with PVP line. All his surrounded characters are all PVP enabled. 
• PVP enabled characters can attend PVP matches from match finding system. PVP matches are like dungeons, they will transfer to the battlefield once enter PVP matches; however, real characters are combating with real characters instead of monsters. 
• PVP enabled players can find and attack enemy players only in undecided fields. These fields not belong to any city or there’s dispute about the belongings. Defeated players will resurrect in their belonged cities. 
• PVP switch can only be turned on or off in safe areas (PVP not allowed areas)

Assets

• Multiplayer / 
• PVP / 
• UI

Additions

 

Feature No. 4f [friend system]

players can add friends with each other

Importance: ++++ / difficulty: ++

Brief

Vision Canvas: players will feel excited and interesting when communicating and fighting together with squad or their friends

Core Pillar: user can make friends with each other and enjoy game with friends

Friends are incorporated in most games, as well as this one. Players will meet other players in various ways (dungeon play / squad board / wandering on street). By adding friends, players can keep in touch with each other by add a friend. 

Spec

• Add player to friend list should be a button in right click menu (see more in feature 15f, right click menu). Players can see his friend through the friend’s panel. Also, invitation list when forming a squad is selected from his friends list.
• Maximum friends for each character should be limited. 
• Players can see if their friends are online or not. Other information (like place / job / level) can be edited based on player’s privacy preference. 
• Players can chat to a friend from the chat box, also can enter squad chat if he is currently in s party. 

Beats

• If player see another character from (dungeon play / squad board / wandering on street), he can add him as friend by right click > add to friends. This will send a friend request to the target player. Both player’s friend list will add each other if he agrees the request. 
• Player can delete a friend by entering friends panel and right click a player > remove
• If the player’s or the target player’s friend list is full, there will be an error alert to notice him the request has not been successfully sent. 

Assets

• Friends / 
• multiplayer / 
• UI

 

Feature No. 4e [ranking system]

Players could combat with each other and win points in the Ladder Tournament (PVP rank) / DPS (passtime) (PVE rank)

Importance: +++ / difficulty: ++

Brief

Vision Canvas: players will feel excited and interesting when communicating and fighting together with squad or their friends

Core Pillar: User can team up with players in online co-op to complete tough dungeons together for high level rewards

In normal MMORPG games, ranking system are usually embedded in third party plugins. This feature can be made in game or not, which is not a such prioritized feature. However, ranking system allow players to have a tournament that make quantified examine about DPS / speed. There can also be ranking about PVP honors as individuals / flags.

Spec

• Ranking system should be based on real battle logs. There should be cheat detects to validate the battle logs.
• Players has to get all team member’s consent to upload the battle log to add to the ranking system
• But mostly, DPS can be a battle assistant system to help players improve their skill / card choice. 

Beats

• By enabling DPS tracker, players can see an individual panel that show each party member’s DPS and ranking. After successfully finish a quest, there’s the panel that can upload the battle logs to add to the ranking system
• After player finish a PVP arena, win will add points to individual / team and lose will minus points. The ranking can have based on the points each individual / team has. 

Assets

• Battle / 
• UI

Additions

Details and entries may be like this

In battle panel may like this