Sierra Kilo

One of the features that I like most about the Nintendo Wii is the concept of the Mii characters. Every Wii player can create their own 3D avatar. This avatar (Mii) can be used in games such as Wii Sports, and supposedly in the new version of Animal Crossing for the Wii. This concept is great. It gives players a virtual version of themselves that connects them to the game in a new way. I would love to see XBox Live do something like this. With the XBox camera, you can take pictures of yourself for use in the arcade games as well as games like Rainbow Six: Vegas, where your character’s face is skinned with pictures of your own face. If they took the Mii avatar concept and combined it with the camera, it would be a great way for players to be a part of the game.

The XBox 360 does have a concept of global settings, though. Settings such as “invert Y axis” can be carried into the games. So, you set it once and every game that allows for that setting, simply reads it from your account and adjusts accordingly. This keeps you from having to change this every time you start the game. I also like the ability to send/receive messages from friends, and change the music in the games. These are great ways to allow the player to personalize their experience.

Since the weather has been bad (and I hate cold weather), I have been playing the XBox a bit lately. I’m almost done with the Thieves’ Guild quest line in Oblivion. I did a bit more exploring and picked up a couple more quests. I’ve logged about 65 hours since the beginning of December (comes to about 1.5 hours/day) and I have barely even started the main quest line. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is how an RPG should be.

I read an article on Phantasy Star Online for the Sega Dreamcast. It said that it wasn’t necessarily an MMORPG, but more like an MORPG: Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game. Instead of competing against 3000 other players for space, kills, and quests, you form a small party and set out together for adventure. I thought that was a great idea, especially for a game console. Have a single-player RPG where you could form a party with your friends and extend the play experience. I, for one, would love to play Oblivion with my buddies. The engine seems well-suited for the task.

What features would this online version add? Well, with a larger party, you would need more enemies. Instead of a single wolf in the wilderness, you might run across a pack of four. Instead of a single ogre, there might be three. You could also modify the enemies’ armor and health a bit, to offer tougher opponents. You would need to adjust the prices of items, since each player would get 1/4 of the valuables that they would get in a single-player game. Quests might be tagged with a minimum number of participants. If the party is not large enough, the quest cannot continue, or would be much too difficult. Online-specific features would include voice chat. If you are near another player, you could talk together. You might also offer a global chat channel that would require players to pause their game. Fast travel would need to be accepted by all members to keep the party together. When all members of the party are not available, single-player quests could be activated.

Perhaps Oblivion, itself, isn’t suited for such online play, but the engine and setting could allow for it. With slight modifications and added features, that’s the kind of game that I would pay a subscription for. Forget World of Warcraft. Give me The Elder Scrolls Online.