Buuuuuuut I need input, advice, and help coming up with ideas, because this is set in the future. SO... I need help with weapon, skill, and event ideas that would have taken place between thenearfuture and the time when the story takes place. Then also ideas for plots and the like for the story. But until then, here is what I have so far as my basic idea!
Prologue:
Legacy of the Mabinogion
A story concept based on the novel series Sword Art Online and the MMORPG Mabinogi
Prologue: The Birth of a new Genre
In 2018, advancements in brain scanning technology took a leap forward from what was thought plausible within the time frame, by a doctor James Handerson of Ames, Iowa; who was trying to find a way to give paralyzed individuals the opportunity to feel the ability to move freely again, through an advanced virtual reality set utilizing cutting edge EEG readers and non-invasive means of input via low level electrical pulses into the brain. However, he lacked the funding on his own to make them in quantity, and after his patent was filed, Samsung Electronics backed the idea, offering him fifty million dollars in exchange for exclusive rights to manufacture the headset. This headset, dubbed "Galaxy Shift" by Samsung's marketing staff, soon proved to be quite useful in the medical market; but not only this, a commercial version was made available, able to be accessed by any PC and most mobile phones of the time, allowing for immersion into media and data flows like nothing prior could have ever done, and by 2020, despite it's steep price, it was already in the hands of many buisnesses and, inevitably, in the hands of many gamers. What followed was merely common sense.
In 2021, Devcat announced it's newest game to be distributed by Nexon, and a rebirth of the once-popular MMORPG; Mabinogi. The new game's name would be: "Legacy of the Mabinogion" or LMO. Notibly, loyal players ad been keeping the game afloat through continued payments by the playerbase as a whole, saving it from being shut down three years in a row by reaching stated goals; their time and money was rewarded with this first-generation VRMMORPG; Those remaining players of mabinogi would not only be given exclusive rights to the closed beta, but furthermore would have their items, levels, and skills ported to the new system, with their cumalative level now becoming their set player level as well. Worldwide, this amounted to just over thirty-thousand players.
By the time beta players started exploring the world, they were immersed into the same fantasy life they had long loved and stood together to keep alive. To many, the immersion that came was a dream come true, as this world was indistinguishable from reality from a feeling standpoint, although pain was dulled by a factor of twenty to prevent issue. For many, this was the perfect game, and those lucky enough to be a part of it began their exploration of the land of Erinn once more.
Game concepts:
story;
Changes from Mabinogi (additions)
-extended race system-
+offered to players as a rebirth-only option for any character that reaches level 1,000, not available as a character card. Core race character cards are allowed for rebirth of these characters in mabinogi. called "ER's or "Pro Races" byplayers. All races available as standard character creation options in LMO, which removes the rebirth system in exchange for easier leveling early on and far more challenges. Instruments are unaffected by weapon restrictions. Races with tails have them animated in mabinogi and functional controllable in LMO.
-new weapons-
+spears : high crit / attack count with some injury rate at expense of core damage, balance, and durability versus swords.
+Rifles : increased range at the expense of highly reduced DPS versus dual guns, has it's own skills.
+Throwing knives : low damage high crit ranged weapon utilizing it's own skill, has a chance of missing as core ranged skill.
Human ER's:
- Shadow: Character race gets a bonus of dexterity at heavy loss of will. Limited to the use of daggers, throwing knives, and guns. This race only has darker colored skin colors / hairs as options. Gain a bonus to the Final Hit skill where it does not deactivate until the player is depleted of stamina or the skill is deactivated manually, and gain a bonus to the cooldown of all combat skills.
- Kitsune: Character race gets a high bonus of intelligence at a heavy loss of will. Limited to single-handed weapons and staffs, and cannot equip shields. (though ineffective shields can be equipped and the character can still dual wield) This race gains fox ears and a fox tail outside of the normal clothing options as a permanent cosmetic effect. Primary fur color of these attributes match hair color, secondary color is white. Shapeshifting into a fox will match the color pattern. Gain a bonus to spellcasting speed and can use the shapeshift skill without a dreamcatcher.
- Dwarf: Character race gets a bonus of Strength at the expense of dexterity and will. Lose access to knuckles and bows. This race is shorter and stockier versus humans. Gain a bonus to 2 handed weapon damage and crafting skills.
Elf ER's:
- High-elf: Character race gains a bonus to dexterity and strength at the expense of will and int. Limited to swords, shields, magical weapons, and bows. This race gets longer ears. Gain a bonus to the defense and protection of shields and can cast any spell regardless of equipment, though casting speed suffers if not equipped with a magic weapon.
- Nekomata: Character race gains a high bonus to dexterity at the expense of strength and will. Limited to knuckles, throwing knives, bows, and guns. This race gets cat ears and a cat tail, with fur color matching the character's hair color. Gain a bonus to movement and attack speed.
- Brownie: character race gains a bonus to dexterity and int at a high expense of strength. Limited to magical and ranged weapons. Smaller verus elves. Gain a bonus to magic damage and spellcasting range.
Giant ER's:
- Goliath: Character race gains a bonus to will and int at the expense of strength and luck. Limited to knuckles. Appear Thinner than a normal giant. Gain bonus to knuckle damage and crit rate.
- Dragonkin: character race gains a bonus to defense and protection at the expense of movement speed, int, and will. Appear like an anthropormorphic dragon minus wings. Scale color based off hair color selection. Gain bonus to shield bonuses while using the defense skill.
- Cycloptian: Character race gains bonus to throwing spears, and has a reduction in int and will. Only one eye.
new skills:
- Sword Blaze: available when the blaze skill reaches rank 9, allows the usage of the skill Blaze when equipped with a single one-handed sword (no dual wied or 2 handed.) with a 30% damage reduction at rank F. (10% at rank 1) Also reduces durability at a 10x rate.
-- Throwing Knife Skills --
- Swarm: Throws multiple knives at a penalty to accuracy. Rank F throws 2 knives with a maximum of 60% accuracy, rank 1 throws 8 knives with a maximum of 80% accuracy. If 4 or more knives hit their mark, it bypasses the defense skill.
- Tumble: Throws a knife with a 50% chance for greater damage, at the risk of halved damage. Damage increase runs from 25% damage at rank F to 200% at rank 1.
- Suppressor: Throws knives in rapid succession without pause for the duration of the skill. Increase in rank decreases stamina expenditure and increases skill duration.
- Sting: Throws one knife with a guaranteed critical hit if it connects through use of magic. Skill rank determines maximum accuracy and MP expenditure.
- Rapid Poisoning: Throws the next ten knives with a chance to poison the target, success rate of inflicting the status on a target increases with skill rank.
- Debilitating knife: The knife thrown with this skill has a chance of paralyzing the target, increased by your critical stat and reduced by the target's protection stat. Base stat chance starts at 50% at rank F and grows to 100% at rank 1.
-- Rifle Skills --
-Explosive shot: Fires a high explosive round at the expense of four rounds in the mana chamber. Does increased damage in a blast radius around the target allowing for splash damage. Splash damage is equal to 75% of the potential damage for the primary target. Begins at 150% damage at rank F and has a maximum of 300% damage at rank 1. Blast radius increase at rank 9, rank 5, and rank 1.
-Radiant Shot: Fires a beam of energy, expending all remaining bullets in the mana chamber and knocking down the player who fires it. Does increased damage per bullet expended, with 20% per bullet at rank F and 50% damage per bullet at rank 1. Damages all enemies within the beam up to the maximum range of the gun, beam width increases with level.
-Armor Piercing shot: Gains penetrating values based on skill level at the expense of using two bullets from the mana chamber.
---New items---
--Throwing Knives--
Throwing knife belt, primary hand. Needed to throw throwing knives. Very fast attack speed [3] 1-1 damage, Range 500, balance 80%, critical 40%, 20 durability.
-ammo-
-gravel- (stack up to 20) +3 damage
-butter knives- (stack up to 30) +2-3 damage, range increase 500.
-small rock- (stack up to 20) +5 damage
-dinner knives- (stack up to 30) +4-5 damage, range increase 500.
-palmed stone- (Stack up to 20) +7 damage
-steak knives- (stack up to 30) +6-7 damage, range increase 500.
-throwing needles- (stack up to 50) +6 damage, range increase 1000.
-Lead clobber- (stack up to 20) +9 damage.
-throwing daggers (stack up to 30) +8-9 damage, range increase 500.
-throwing rods (stack up to 50) +8 damage, range increase 1000
-Gorgon eye (stack up to 20) +15 damage
-Shadow blades (stack up to 30) +11-17 damage, range increase 750.
--Spears--
-Shortspear- Fast attack speed [4] 2-9 damage, 10% injury rate, 30% critical rate, 50% balance, 6 durability.
-Soldier's spear- Normal attack speed [4] 7-14 damage, 10% injury rate, 20% critical rate, 45% balance, 8 durability.
-Longspear- Slow attack speed [4] 8-16 damage, 10% injury rate, 20% critical rate, 35% balance, 8 durability.
-Phalanx- very slow attack speed [3] 21-30 damage, 10% injury rate, 24% critical rate, 25% balance, 8 durability.
-Pike- very slow attack speed [2] 22-35 damage, 10% injury rate, 36% critical rate, 24% balance, 8 durability. +1 defense.
-Nagitana- Very slow attack speed [3] 16-34 damage, 10% injury rate, 20% critical rate, 35% balance, 8 durability.
--Rifles--
-Meles mk I- Normal attack speed [1] 12-36 damage, range 1500, 5-50% injury rate, 10% critical rate, 20 durability. 12 rounds per mana chamber.
-Meles mk IX- normal attack speed [2] 14-28 damage, range 2500, 5-50% injury rate, 10% critical rate, 24 durability. 12 rounds per mana chamber.
-Hagel Mk IV- very slow attack speed [1] 20-50 damage, range 2000, 20-80% injury rate, 10% critical rate, 20 durability. 8 rounds per mana chamber.
-Granites Mk V- very fast attack speed
[4] 12-24 damage, range 2000, 0-30% injury rate, 20% critical rate, 30 durability. 16 rounds per mana chamber.
---LMO updates---
-Full immersion system utilizing Galaxy Shift virtual reality system. World able to be navigated in any direction. All senses operate, and bodies are anatomically correct, though maturity locks are in place. Players are unable to remove maturity locks until age 21, where they may choose to add blood effects for combat, and allow for sexual content within player housing (and only in) with another player with maturity locks removed. A number of safeguards are in place to ensure content is not viewed outside of age restrictions.
-New areas, to the west the endless sea and the Isle of Avon itself. To the north, the frozen wastes. Beyond Iria to the east lies the endless sea #2, and to the south, the land of sÃoraÃ. (endless*) In sÃoraÃ, there are three hundred field areas , each of which surrounded by a magic barrier that cannot be crossed until the field boss is defeated, each of which is stronger than any dragon or boss found on either Udlah or Iria. Every ten fields cleared, players will find a village. Beyond them all is rumored to be a castle of pure obsidian, where the strongest boss in the game is said to reside.
Story concepts:
Running as my character and interactions with players I know for the beta test.
Chapter 2 is the 1st year's metagame.
Chapter 3 starting the 'real' storyline. Not sure whether to continue with my character or have it be about a noob in-game when the event begins. That will be interrupted by a quantum-powered AI.
So... input, additions, changes you think should be made? Or is the whole thing a stupid idea? Would love input.