Role Play Cafe: General Discussion and hang out about RP itself.

[The Nonexistent Tazz]

Totally not on what appears to be the same topic as everyone else, but, ah... Would anyone be interested in a RP with a plot that's like a mix between Sword Art Online and Pokemon?

For those that aren't familiar with SAO, it's a manga/anime about a massive multiplayer online game (MMO) played using technology that allows the player to almost feel as though they are living within the game world. The only catch with Sword Art Online is that there is no log out button. There's a mechanism inside the technology that you use to play that hooks up to your head, and if you die within the game, you have a few seconds for someone to use a very hard to find revival item on you, or the mechanism fries your brain and you die. If someone from the outside tries to take off the technology you use to play, the mechanism goes off and you die. The only way for the players to get out of the game alive is for someone to win...by proceeding up through the levels of the game, beating the boss of each floor to gain access to the next, all until you beat the final boss on the 100th level.

Here, it would be modified to a Pokemon MMO, however the technology and "rules" would be fairly similar. It'd take some time and detail to get a full RP write-up done for it, but before I even try...yeah, would anyone be interested?

That could be great...If done properly.

I can't say my idea could be for the best, but my take on this idea:

The format of the MMO's gamestyle should be that the Players, initially, either start with 0-2 Pokemon (up to preference) and have the players be combat-capable themselves (like an actual MMORPG). The enemies are other Wild Pokemon, the bosses are really tough Pokemon (just Fully-Evolved Pokemon first, then Pseudo-Legends, then ACTUAL Legends), and you cannot directly capture a Pokemon; instead, as a rare drop, Pokemon Eggs appear, complete with rarity (with rarer Pokemon being stronger). The human and Pokemon, in addition, BOTH have equipment and armor (the humans have to manage weapons as well), and ultimately any player character has an effective party of three at all times, counting himself/herself and his/HER two active Pokemon.

The plot, out of world, is essentially that this MMORPG is the SEQUAL to one that was effectively 'WoW at its prime' Popular, but was bankrupted after some time due to being unable to sell it's other games. The creators of the game took the rights, gave it to a triple-A gaming company, and gave them the rights to work on it, and it's currently in CLOSED Beta. Rather than risk chances, the company decided to find the talented and famous players from the original MMORPG's days and not only invite them to the Beta, but ALSO give them a free Shiny Pokemon of their choice (or some other fancy aesthetic whatnot). The RPers take the role of the invitees, natch, and everyone is inside the video game for pretty much the first time and have JUST gotten out of Tutorial.

This is where it gets interesting: In the REAL WORLD, terrorists barge into the company premises and essentially manage to kill off ALMOST all of the staff (almost), lock down the area, and hook up everyone in the VR machines or whatnot with a kill chip that activates if they dare leave-a thing that the players become aware of. They offer this ultimatum to the local government: they pay truly insane amounts of money, or everyone's dead. The players, if they dare try to leave, get outside help to do so, or die in-game, they die in real life. There are initially no exits out of the MMORPG whatsoever. The terrorists cannot reach where the players go after they log off, though: due to an error in explosives, the only way there is blocked off, so if anyone did manage to escape, they'd be totally free.

However, a heroic programmer, one of the original creators of the game, managed to hide. This ONE guy manages to briefly alter the code of the system and update it. The additional lines of code not only prevent banning (also instant death) but also add a bypass to the kill switch by going to certain dungeons. It was supposed to be the tutorial dungeon they just cleared, or barring that some of the few first ones. Unfortunately, he added a wrong number, and now the only ways out are three of the end-game raids: One against The Original Dragon (Kyurem+Zekrom+Reshiram), one against Arceus, and one against Mewtwo in a fusion of his Mega Formes. He also manages to link in as a voice to the others via an in-game chatbox. Finally, in order to make sure his work could not be undone, he's locked the code to only his privilege through a system so complex hacking it is out of the question. He stowed himself away somewhere the terrorists will never find him the instant his work was done.

The Terrorists realize that changes were made and they can't do anything about them; if they manage to complete the end-game dungeons they've escaped, and they can't reach them in the VR room due to a clever setup that prevents anyone from trying to interfere with them mid-game. Suddenly shifting from the fake reality to the real one is bad for the mental health, and the developers put consideration into that. However, the terrorists have one last trick up their sleeves: there are still empty spots in that VR room and they have a few suicidal manics who would gladly risk their lives. Sending those crazy guys in, they use some system commands the programmer didn't lock to give them end-level gear, max their own level, and the power to auto-instigate PVP with other players in close-range, which means they can instantly summon a (highly-likely to be under-equipped) player to a quick death. They've issued an ultimatum to the players; stay within a few subsets of zones and don't do any combat, on pain of death.

Thus, the RPers must contend with the quest-line from start to cap level to escape, all the while avoiding death by the AI wild Pokemon and bosses and the PC Terrorists out for their blood. If they defeat the endgame raids, they escape and foil the terrorist plot.

I could go into more detail, including the MMORPG plot and mechanics and classes, if you like this idea.

[Midnight Sun]

Here, it would be modified to a Pokemon MMO, however the technology and "rules" would be fairly similar. It'd take some time and detail to get a full RP write-up done for it, but before I even try...yeah, would anyone be interested?

I've never watched that anime, but the RP idea sounds really cool. I'd be game, need to get back into RPing and yeah ^^

[Winter]

SAO is kinda hit and miss, really. It's got a good premise, but it's execution wasn't the best...lots of time skips that make character development that has taken place over two years feel really rushed, and things kinda jump around from time to time...plus the romance is a bit obnoxious. Would be taking a bit of a different approach, but not too far off... Guess this means I need to get planning/typing, lol... Don't expect anything from me soon, though. Got work and college, and I'm helping out with another RP that's supposed to be going up very soon.

[Winter]

I actually had a fairly different set of ideas, myself, though I could definitely incorporate some of of that suggested plot, Tazz.

[Chibi Altaria]

I like the actual SAO plotline, before it delved into ALO. And GGO I have yet to watch, so can't complain there. xD

It's an interesting concept, but it really depends on what you wish to do with it. Could be good!

[The Nonexistent Tazz]

If any help is needed, Winter, I can help make the world of the MMO itself so it keeps people engaged. I mean, no reason to not have the game itself be engaging. Also possibly the gameplay of the MMO if you like the idea I presented above for the bare minimum. Unless you really don't want or need my help, and I can see a lot of reasons why, but I'd like to see this idea of yours flourish, and a good way to do so (IMO) is to have more ideas thrown at it until it becomes awesome on paper and doubly so in practice.

[Neo Emolga]

Here's an interesting proposal.

Combine the MMO idea with the PMD one. I'd go into more detail, but I'm on my phone at the moment.

[The Nonexistent Tazz]

Here's an interesting proposal.

Combine the MMO idea with the PMD one. I'd go into more detail, but I'm on my phone at the moment.

I was actually making classes for the MMORPG idea because I really just liked what I had in my head too much, but they really would have only worked for humans...

...Then, this idea, which is probably insanely awesome in its own right, not even getting into the SAO-plot elements that was part of the original idea. The simple concept of PMD+MMO go hand-in-hand, honestly, and on so many levels! Think about it: The MMO mechanics of loot fit perfectly with the PMD style of taking rare treasures from the depths of dungeons, or at least the Explorers games, which I think are the best in the series. The idea of guilds go perfectly with the PMD 'verse. The small player parties allot for PC and NPC companions to both be recruited so you don't have to have friends to do anything (even RAID), so you can do the whole game solo. Alternate characters can be recruited onto the team and swapped out as the team leader at any time, so if you know a certain dungeon packs specific enemies you can switch to a different character. Loot is shared amongst the whole of your team, so every character can go (and if you think about Gates to Infinity, everyone gets EXP while you're doing it, so nobody gets left in the dust)...And of course, Dungeons. I don't think that even needs explaining-randomized floor layouts and foes every time, so even the same dungeon never gets old and grinding in it is far less boring!

Like, holy f***ing s**t! When you think about it, a PMD game looks PRIME to be an MMORPG! I've heard the idea of Pokemon MMOs get slammed repetitively due to its nature, but this? You could honestly go and take this as a game idea without looking like an idiot, because it all just makes so much sense and the mechanics only need so much tweaking to be perfect! It's brilliant! Mind=Blown. Yes, yes yes, yes yes yes, hell f***ing YES! The only fridge logic is how they get used to those raidcally different bodies, but eh, n00b caves exist for a reason! Shut up and take my money!

All hail Neo. He IS The One.

[Grassy_Aggron]

I am game for all of this.

Also, as for getting used to different Pokemon bodies... Ummm... Ditto avatar. Yeah.

Totally. Makes "switching your class" a heck of a lot easier XDDD

[Midnight Sun]

I'm not a huge fan of PMD RPs (don't play Pokemon as main characters so well), but if that's the direction everyone wants to take, then... democracy ^^'