So I was in chat one night, and we were discussing Pacific Rim and then we got to discussing the Kaiju genre in general. This discussion got me to thinking of a great idea.
What if there was a Kaiju MMO?
For those of you who don't know an MMO is a shortened version of the abbreviation MMORPG which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game. The focus of MMOs is that you are playing with other people from around the world. You can compete against each other or help each other complete missions and quests.
World of Warcraft is an example of an MMO.
The discussions in chat gave me hope that the kaiju genre is still popular or is becoming popular again.
So a Kaiju MMO, at least to me, seems like a good idea. And here is how I would break it down.
HUD: The Heads-Up Display or HUD displays all your info. For my Kaiju game (which is yet untitled), the HUD would be located at the bottom of the screen. Here are some blueprints.
P.S. I just wanna say I made these in paint. I don't have an advanced graphics program. Besides, they're just blueprints so they can be sucky and basic.
Bottom Left of the screen:
Bottom center of the screen:
Bottom right of the screen:
Factions:
In many (if not all) MMOs, choosing your character depends upon what faction you choose. There's always a "good" and "evil" faction.
Representing the "good" faction in this game, the Controlled Kaiju represents Kaiju who are either controlled by the government or they fight for mankind- hence the emblem being the UN symbol.
The rogue Kaiju represent the "evil" faction. As their name implies, the rogue Kaiju do not serve humankind, nor are they controlled by them. They only seek destruction and conquest.
Classes:
Now the core part of the MMO, is your player. You can choose your species or class and customize them.
For this game, most species and classes are neutral, meaning it doesn't matter what faction you chose (Controlled or Rogue Kaiju), they're available to both classes. However, both factions each have three exclusive classes. What that means is that there are three classes available only for the Controlled Kaiju and three only for the Rogue Kaiju.
The mutated beast is probably the most basic version of the Kaiju. Most of them are mutated. The premise behind the mutated beast is that it was an ordinary animal that was exposed to nuclear fallout and radiation and became this monster. As such, they're abilities and powers come from the radiation.
The story of the ancient creature class is that it was a prehistoric species that, through some fantastic means, managed to live on to the modern day era. They do not suffer from radioactive mutation, so they do not have those abilities, like firebreath. However, they make up for this by having extremely high armor and health. So they have to work on getting closer to the enemy, but they have the health to do it.
I was worried about this one. Whether or not to make the Great ape its own class or group it in with another class. However, in the end I chose to make it an individual class. The great ape class has the ability to leap great distances as well as climb obstacles. They also give the hardest hits and , due to the advantage of thumbs, can throw debris.
Similar to the mutated beast class, only insects (and arachnids) instead.
This class was inspired by two Godzilla foes (both of which are pictured), Hedorah the smog monster and the mutated plant Biollante. The elemental class represents one of earths elements, be it natural (earth and water as examples) or manmade (fire and pollution).
THIS CLASS IS EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE "CONTROLLED KAIJU" FACTION The premise to the robot is that it was a computer, built by humans to combat Kaiju.
THIS CLASS IS EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE "CONTROLLED KAIJU" FACTION The difference between the Robot and Mech class is that the robot is controlled by a computer and the mech is controlled by a human pilot (or crew of pilots). As such, the movements of the mech can be more humanlike. Its weaponization can also be more humanlike. For example, the mech class can wield cannons, guns, and melee weapons.
THIS CLASS IS EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE "CONTROLLED KAIJU" FACTION The story to the Mechanized Monster class is that it's a Kaiju who has received Cybernetic upgrades to itself, becoming a deadly combination or organic and mechanic.
THIS CLASS IS EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE "ROGUE KAIJU" FACTION The mystic god is a kaiju who is worshiped and summoned by either an ancient civilization or a cult. I thought about making this a neutral class, but Megalon convinced me this could go in the Rogue Kaiju faction exclusively. Because (with the exception of Mothra), the Mystic God is usually summoned to wage war on mankind.
The Mystic God is definitely the "mage" type class. With more magical abilities both offensive and defensive.
THIS CLASS IS EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE "ROGUE KAIJU" FACTION The dragon was definitely a challenge. Given their role in general mythology, mostly as destroyers, I thought to make them exclusive to the Rogue Kaiju faction.
The dragon has three offsets available for customization. Classic: based on both Chinese and Japanese mythology, the classic variant of the dragon class is long, slender, and serpentine.
Basic: The most common form of dragon. Long neck, wings, breath, four legged, etc.
Hydra: Based on King Gidorah, the Hydra variant of the Dragon class has no arms, and some customizations have no legs. Instead, it has multiple heads (min: 2, max: 6). Without arms or forelegs, the hydra's melee attacks are extremely weak and have to rely on ranged attacks.
THIS CLASS IS EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE "ROGUE KAIJU" FACTION The story of the space fiend class is that of a kaiju who came to earth hurtling through space. Their abilities are a combination of physical and cosmic (such as laser beams).
Other issues: One of the things in MMOs is that you can get weapons and armor. You can also buy items from vendors. Kaiju, being giants monsters don't wear armor or weapons (exception of the mech class) and they can't really buy stuff. In some MMOs, you also buy abilities from vendors. So I came up with ways to get around this, for a Kaiju MMO.
Story: So the appeal to MMOs is that you play online with billions of people from around the world. Even so, it's not mindless. Both factions have a story that you can play through with a ton of optional side missions. I have some basic ideas that need improving upon, but here they are.
Controlled Kaiju: A meteor is crash lands on Earth. Inside this meteor is a deadly monster. As the beast rampages across the planet, the world governments send out their kaiju to combat the beast. However, this being has caused erratic behavior amongst the rogue Kaiju, increasing attacks from them as well. The player plays a UN controlled Kaiju who is tasked with defending the entire planet and help the other Kaiju.
Rogue Kaiju: Set a few years after the Controlled Kaiju story. Even though the meteor and the monster within it were destroyed, the rogue Kaiju continue to act erratically. As a retaliation, the UN builds a massive battleship to combat the threat. You play one of the Kaiju caught up in the carnage. Rampage across the world until the time comes to face this new threat the humans have pitted against you.
Improving statistics: This is the buying weapons, armor, etc. So my solution to this is as your kaiju levels up, you get character points. You can spend these points on improving your offense, defense, dexterity, constitution, etc.
Abilities: This one was more difficult to figure out. But, I got a good solution. As you explore the world map, unlocking new locations. In these locations, you establish a "nesting ground" where you can return to recover from battle and such. As you level up, you can visit a nesting ground to level up or add new abilites to your kaiju.
In-game Currency: Also a tough one. First off is the currency. Kaiju don't make money. So, what would the in-game currency be? That is something I've been thinking long and hard about that, trying to solve it. This is one idea I've been working on:
When you kill an enemy, you get something called "domination points." The idea being you gain notoriety as you take down enemies. It's a weak idea, but it's a starting point for a potentially stronger idea.
Vendors: And then comes the question of where to spend the in-game currency. For items that restore health and improve your abilities and stuff like that. I had another idea about that. Caves. Much like nesting grounds, many Kaiju reside in caves. So the premise is, you approach a cave, and you can spend your domination points for items.
Even after all this, I still feel as if my idea is incomplete. So, given what I have right now, what do you guys think?
===================================================
Reviews are welcome! And I WANT THEM SO BAD!!!!!!
-MCott
===================================================