How about a new generation of MMOG? Something geared more toward the educational and historical? I am proposing to create this through my ongoing research and self taught methods of gaming design for a multiuser interactive experience non have yet to see.
No big guns and fancy cars, swords and armor and the like. We are talking grass roots Primitive!
PRIMITIVE
The Basics:
You are a caveman or simian if you will, waking (Having the first moments of awareness) into a world of chaos and mayhem. Around you the world moves, and you are forced to complete a set amount of tasks every day just to survive...
Eat-
Sleep-
Have shelter-
In this crazy moment of awareness you see there are others around you in the same position, and if you wander to far from the enclave.. you find that it will be hard to survive in the spaces beyond your meager home hobbles.
You will need to co-operate with your neighbors to go on hunts, and rely on others that stay in the homelands and farm and harvest building materials to supply you for your tasks. All these are supplied by those around you, live breathing and eating fellow Primitives that need you as well to survive in the cruel and harsh world.
It all starts in the ENCLAVE, this is the small safe (almost) area in which the entire community lives works sleeps and breaths. When you first enter the game of PRIMITIVES, you are a hunch backed cave scrapping nothing.
Over time you develop a skill or two and begin to advance. Naturally after working a skill for some time, you become erect (standing straight), now for a farmer or a gatherer this can be fine and dandy, cause you instantly stop what your doing and do a little dance and yell and shout your elation dancing merrily around in circles and chanting wild nothings. If your a hunter when this happens, you can be in a bit of trouble.. as the creature your fighting is not going to take notice to your good fortune of walking straight, or will take notice of your bantering and make you a singled out target- crushing or goring you where you stand.
ENVIRONMENT:
The weather takes a big course in the daily life of the PRIMITIVE, from snow to rain and intense heat and ice storms. Most won't be in the fields or hunting during such occasions. You will probably find them in the COMMUNITY HUT, which is built by the village in a combined effort on each of the WORLDS. Each world has a separate logged image of the village and its created buildings and evolution of community, and I know before making it, a developers nightmare.
They would be found there telling tales of adventures, and of hunts and new tricks they have learned while others dance sing and play happy songs on instruments made from raw materials.
CHARACTER DETAILS:
All players start hunched over, and in the event of working their SKILL one day become erect, see above, and then can walk straight. This is an instant bonus toward stats and gives new abilities to the PRIMITIVE such as:
Running: for getting away from chasing beasties...
Climbing: for getting to those special areas out of reach.
Swimming:for crossing the Great river on a quest or mission.
Productivity increases-
Endurance and Stamina increases-
Tentative Stats to date:
Stamina: The life of your PRIMITIVE, how much physical damage one can take.
Endurance:The amount of stress one can take overall rated on 100%
(This decreases as days go by without food and shelter) effects you production and stamina.
Strength: Added bonuses to hit, and cause damage or move weights of objects.
Speed: How fast you can move, weighed against your strength on how much you carry.
Reflexes:The ability to defend oneself in combat situations or calls for quick action.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE BASIC SKILLS:
Farmers-
Find their way into the fertile fields, where they start as simple HARVESTOR of what is already growing. Over time their skills increase to allow them to use tools (bought from a crafter) to cultivate their own crops. Grain is one of the needed parts of the PRIMITIVE diet and brings a great yield - however it is worth less than meats.
Cutters-
Gatherers of wood and vines and various other cut pieces of flora. This individual is generally employed by a CRAFTSMAN, and is paid in either goods from that individual or in food stocks provided by the employer. They may also gather wood for others for fires needed for cooking and for other needs met by various other SKILL GROUPS. A valuable person to have as you may be busy doing other things such as crafting weapons, farming or going on the great hunt.
Gatherers-
Are mild adventurers, a type of multi-classed individual brave enough to wander the outer reaches of the enclave looking for items needed by others for their projects. This could be special stones for the shaman, a particular root or weed for a cook, or even special items used in banded pieces worn by classes to boost their strengths and stamina. They have the uncanny ability to detect and create items that can boost other stats as well. The GATHERER is important as they are a gopher for the rest of the enclave, adventuring to get needed items, etc etc.
Craftsman-
These individuals begin as simple makers of wooden spears, and weavers of baskets and fishnets, they make ropes from hair and vines. Over time they learn to create more complex items such as metal tipped spears and bows. All through which is an evolutionary process of skill advancement, leading to making clay homes (hobbles) and fashioning small wooden structures and traps, that they build and trade for their food supplies.
The SHAMAN is one of the most difficult skills to train on as he must spend countless hours, days and weeks preforming bizarre and uncanny rituals for the tribe. There may be more than one of him, and there may not be...but some of his rituals require there to be more than one to make the SPELL or RITE come to pass. They have the ability to heal, and to pass good blessings over the enclave... they are revered, but take a lot of time and dedication to mature.
Water drudger-
These individuals drag water from the main rivers to the enclave for a profit in food and supplies, they tend to have more time to goof off and not do anything as once they have filled a quota, they are done for the day and can pass their time as they see fit. One thing is for sure, it is easy to have other Skills in the works if you are a water drudger. As you have plenty of spare time to HUNT and GATHER, or just lay around and do nothing at all.
Cooks-
These individuals take what is brought in RAW meats and grains and make them into more palatable and higher in energy. They can also make food eventually that give stat boosts and allow others to have increased skills for a limited time, and even prevent disease.
Hunters-
Well they call me the hunter... This is the work horse of the ENCLAVE. They go in massive groups to hunt wild beasts and make lavish of the rewards. Many times they will bring gatherers with them to help carry the loads on a load to loan basis. Once back at the enclave with all the required meats, all parts are separated. Meat bones and fats, fur and sinew. These are all used in the base methods for much of the enclave process:
Meat - used by cooks to make specialty foods, or can be cooked by anyone for nourishment.
Bones - used by shaman in rituals and charms, and craftsman for making weapons and tools.
Fats- used by Shaman for Rites and making torches and lanterns.
Fur- used by hunters to tan and make clothing, and covers and shields, even for painting.
Sinew- used for ropes and bow strings by crafter.
THE REALITY OF SEGREGATION:
To add to the mix of separation of species, other than man versus beast- we have man vs man, to start we add character differences such as those with beards and those without. The hairy vs the non-hairy... that should add a bit of interest.
ENTERTAINMENT:
Music- In the times of playing melodies to calm and bring rest to tired bones..
Dance- Where ritual dances are preformed to create added ENCLAVE bonuses.
festivals- Where all share in a pool of free food, drink and cheer!
Pit Fighting- Where the mighty can face off, and the meek can place bets..
The Wall of tales- Where you can draw images that are judged by the ENCLAVE.
And in the natural order of things the Pit fighting kind of feeds into the pecking order of the classes and skill sets. The farmer doing the best will be more revered, the warrior hunter that kicks people into the dirt in the Fight Pit will be more feared of a leader. thats if he doesn't run away when a 20 foot flesh eater arrives from the smells of the hunting parties 5th kill.
LIVING:
Not all in the world is calm, random events such as HOME INVASIONS take place. All live in either HOBBLES (for the wealthy) or in the CAVE SYSTEM all of which is considered part of the ENCLAVE. Despite Enclave defenses an occasional intruder gets in, such as a Sabre tooth in the lower caves and in the Hobbles. The caves could be easily defended if other hunters live there, as they can fight off the beast, however a hobble may have only a few working class people living in it and get eaten. Either way someones getting eaten.
The safest places to live are in the higher reaches of the Caves or in the Stone ledge, these are high off the ground and don't suffer being attacked as often. However once again they can be randomly attacked by Pterodactyls .. again same situation, a home with hunters is safer than not, and still someone is going to be eaten..
Homes and the rankings:
Lower Level Cave: rooms 2-6 people
Second Level Cave:rooms 2-4 people
Hobbles (clay houses in the village): rooms 2-4 people
Third Level Cave: rooms 4-8 people
Fourth Level Cave: rooms 2 People
Stone Ledge: Rooms 2-6 People
Mountain Peak: Community of shaman
