Social web RPG

I have this vision of a super casual community space where you could hang around, chit-chat, join up for activities, or just sit around listening. Influenced by my own experience from games like MapleStory and RuneScape (which are both still running!), it had to be in the form of an RPG.

The goal

With that in mind, the game needs to be focused around socializing. However, knowing I'm not a whole game studio, it can't be dependent on having a big player base, so the content needs to be adaptable to solo playing as well.

To achieve that, the game should always encourage players to be together. And importantly, never make it a disadvantage to have another player around. Mining an ore shouldn't disable that ore for another player. Chopping down a tree should let every player cut the fallen tree into logs for themselves. The more player killing monsters, the faster they should respawn, and everyone who contributed should get their own loot. This way, the player is rewarded for being together, but doesn't hinder solo play.

Being together is only half the goal though. The game should also make it easy to interact with others. A chatbox goes a long way, but emotes and facial expressions are important tools to socialize. Text alone can sometimes be hard to decode, but say it together with a 😡 face, and it becomes much clearer. Emotes like dancing, sitting, taunting, and pointing could help set the mood or clarify intentions.

The challenges

A completely unknown game from some random person, is not gonna have the best odds of getting players into the game. As such, the barrier to entry must be non existent.

First of; the game is web-based, and requires only a link to launch it. It streams in content as you go, so it launches quickly. As a web feature, the game can ask to be "installed" on the users machine once we see they're interested. This way it's easier to launch the next sessions.

The second barrier is having to create an account, as one usually have to do in online games. To prevent people closing the tab on this step already, the game should instantly take new players into a temporary account without having to go through any account steps. We still want a light character customization step, but even this should have obvious options to quickly get through. This presents the perfect opportunity to ask the player subtly to "save" their progress. Aka link their account to an email so they can log back in. If they've still not created an account, their temporary account should stay active for a few days, linked to their current browser.

If they're trying out the game with friends, it's important to get them playing together fast, which is why there shouldn't be much of a personal instanced tutorial. The game should obviously still teach the player about the mechanics, but this can be handled as they progress in the game.

Any social games of this era is fighting against third party chats like discord, and while it might be foolish to fight against the chat giants, the game should try remove the need for a third party chat client outside the game. To this extent, the game is available on all devices, and features a chat mode, where you can launch the chat only for a quick message instead of the full game. It also features optional push notifications so you can message offline players, just like a chat client.

The content

So, what do you exactly do in this game?

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Towns & taverns

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Adventures

Ever wanted to set out on an adventure with a new found friend? Of course you have! The ever so famous RPG dungeon is great place to go with friends, strangers or alone. As with everything in the game, it should encourage socializing. These adventures should let every player, no matter skills or social capabilities participate in fun dungeon runs in a safe an open environment. They are open for all, with great treasures. Puzzles and challenges where the more people are present the better, and of course designed so no one single player can ruin it for everyone else.

Fancy a more challenging adventure? Delve into the hardmode version for even greater treasure. Gather a party before entering, or go solo. This private instanced version is much harder, but keeps the same mechanics you've practiced in the open version. This helps players practice before teaming up to prevent friction with new players.

Minigames

Need a push to participate in events? The wizards academy hosts fun minigames every hour (or so) you can join from anywhere in the world. A quick teleport away for a quick round of triathlon, quiz or other fun games.

This helps break up stale gameplay, and you might even find new friends in these events.