How would Sonic work... As an MMO(RPG)?

[a mystery]

Introduction post shamelessly copied from some other forum. (I wrote it though, obviously)

This is a little idea I've been toying with - Yeah, I'll admit I'm not the keenest MMORPG player (grinding gets on me a lot - More or less the reason I ditched Pokemon, but not the point) around, but lots of my irl friends all play 'em, - mostly the Korean ones, fittingly enough - and I've actually played a few of them with them.

Well, with that said, let's take a look into what thos MMOs are like and then discuss what should be done to make Sonic into an MMO! (Note: I'm taking the ROG part of the term out specifically because frankly, I don't thnk that aspect of MMOs are compatible with Sonic.)

So there's a lot of games out there, and many with a unique style... What should we get into first? Hmm... Well, let's start with what most (if not all) MMOs worth their salt has: Grinding and Levels.

Levels are a feature in most RPGs - In ERPGs at least, that have a limited amount of gameplay tied to the story with most being unable to revisit after clearing the game, levels are to divide players: if everyone can have different stats against thesame enemy, it's rather like other games, where it's dependent on your playing skill - but there's a catch. It's actually depenent on your playing time.

This is no less true in the MMOs I know - every one of them has a minimalist plot (except MapleStory which is just a massively bloated cliche, and even then it doesn't even matter in-game if you're playing as... Well, almost anything) and a massive world, leaving you to supposedly "Adventure in this Massive world!" - but as a sad single guy driving a sad single c- I mean, tiny nublet that intentionally nerfs much of what you can do, even if you're a veteran player at said game who accidentally forgot his password. This means that if you want to do anything in-game, you'll have to grind for levels or money. (since there is no story, there's no flow into when and what you can do, and no subtle enemy progression leading you further into the levels for taking down bosses) This also means that for the most part, how good you are at in MMOs dependent on how long you've been playing as a single character. It also means that (as long as there's none of that missing attacks completely due to low level stuff) how good you are in an MMO is how low your level is when you have accomplished a task - struggling with a self-given challenge, much like the famous Nuzlocke Challenge.

Now, when you first take a glance at Sonic (especially Unleashed-Colors-Generations-Rush-RushAdventure - pretending Lost World doesn't exist for a sec.) gameplay, you might think "Yeah, but how could this be an MMO?!" - a valid thought. But true to Can of Nothing tradition, we're going for the unconventional: (ironically conventional to Sonic) taking the good features of MMOs and bending them to fit Sonic. This means that my suggestion is a potentially unmarketable disaster with virtually no appeal but is also a large innovation as far as I know.

This is very slightly inspired by a certain Korean MMO called Crazy Arcade BnB: an MMO Bomberman clone. While it's impossible to call the game 'original', it shows that an 'Arcade' style game can work as an MMO - and that people can and will like it. (People may know the series better with KartRider - a Mario Kart ripoff that has a free iPhone app - KartRider Rush - albeit with in-game purchases for most of its content.)

First off, let's decide what we want to keep from MMOs. Here's a list:

Levels: Intergrated into ranks - heavily modified to promote skill over playing time

Character classes: Non-permanent and based off your playing style

Customizable moveset: Intergrated into the Skill Shop - limited amount of moves, as well as limited "points" per se

Customizable character appearance: Taken 100%! This would be a fancharacter creator's dream - and while it wouldn't do anything to help the F Yeah Bad Sonic Fancharacters blog, (or it might?!) it might still attract a handful of thos fancharacters - especially newbie hackers that just hack their fancharacter over Sonic or the ones that are in the fanbase just for the fancharacters.

In-game purchases: A neccesary sin - but absolutely optional. The game will be playable without the custom equipment - just that that jacket would look fantastic on your fancharacter there~

...wait, that's it? Oh well, now let's get crackin'!

Imagine a White Space of sorts: a 2D hub world that leads to the levels that the game has to offer. The first time you play, you're taken to a tutorial level, and as soon as you know how to play.. Another tutorial level?

This is necessary, however, to determine the player's play style: whether they're more akin to Sonic, taking for the fastest path, be there goodies or not, like Knuckles, taking a combat-oriented (yes, it's back, but... Imagine Rayman Origins with SSB-esque combos, will ya) path, taking a bit longer than the other paths for the added price of the points making up for it, or Tails, choosing a heavily platforming-style path, later to get the ability to fly. After this is done, you can choose between the levels - as well as the option to play against someone or just to go on your own. Little to no interaction is done in the levels - the main part of that is taken place in White Space. Levels are gone and replaced with Ranks - your rank on every level combined (Stages that aren't cleared are on Z by default) and placed on an average scale ranging from A to Z. (thus removing S's significance) Based on your rank and playing style, there will be a wide moveset given to you: including the Boost, Drift and Homing Attack for Speed, a hover, double jump and flight for... Well, Flight, and... Uh... A werehog-esque homing attack punch that targets an enemy near you (but not necessarily dragging you towards it) and.. Uh, Knuckles' SA2 moves? - for Power.

That is what I think an MMO in the gameplay style of Sonic could be - a nice progression (albeit 2D) of Modern Sonic's gameplay. I'm sorry if this all doesn't make sense - I typed this on an iPad for about an hour or so. @_@

So... What do you guys think? Is my suggestion okay? Do you have a better idea? Any general comments?

[Splash the Otter]

Your idea has potential, but I seriously doubt that anything good would come from it.

Edited June 18, 2013 by ElectroKyurem

[a mystery]

This means that my suggestion is a potentially unmarketable disaster with virtually no appeal

I took that into account, natch. It's all just a bit of theories in discussion for the sake of fun really - I for one don't really expect something amazing out of this discussion.

[Abominal SnowTaz]

There's already a thread ( for this topic but it may be different whatsoever.

 

As for the idea of a Sonic MMORPG, I can't really think of this as a good or bad idea.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Abominal Taz

[Kamakai]

It depends entirely on the implementation.

[Diogenes]

...poorly?

I mean, ok, I've never played any MMOs (and I've only enjoyed a few RPGs), and I don't have an especially high opinion of them to start with, but I don't see where there's any meaningful overlap between MMOs and Sonic.

As for your idea specifically...it doesn't really seem like much of an MMO? What is there to do besides play levels and chat in the hub? I'm not sure what use an MMO would be as compared to just having a game with expanded multiplayer...people can RP online if that's what they're into.

[Chaos Warp]

Not a full-on MMORPG, but I think it would be cool if a Sonic game had online multiplayer with a MMO-like setup. Like, you have a hub with all the levels you can race in and the hub is filled with other players. You can talk to them and challenge them to races and stuff, or you can go to one of the levels alone and get randomly matched with other people there. Maybe some items/perks that help you win races that you can buy, sell and trade with other players can be thrown in as well. 

Edited June 18, 2013 by Chaos Warp

[a mystery]

Yeah I guess my idea's more similar to a Sonic game than an MMO, huh? I tried to stay away from using most, if not any of of the common MMO mechanics - focussing on Sonic gameplay and thinking of a way to connect it online instead. That's really why it doesn't feel like a traditional MMORPG, but I know at least 2 untradtional ones, both of which are received rather well.

[Turnus]

It would be interesting, certainly. Knuckles could be playable.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Tornado
Please don't post creepypasta-style things in unrelated threads.

[Mr. Taxi]

I don't see where there's any meaningful overlap between MMOs and Sonic.

 

In competition and cooperation. As always.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Recolors will rise in prominence even more than before due to character customization.

[Tani Coyote]

The ultimate problem is most will go in expecting to play like a Sonic game. Sonic's speed is ultimately his downfall as he eats through worlds that would take other characters much longer to clear in minutes.

 

My radical suggestion to make it feasible would be to scrap the official characters and have fancharacters... but then one asks the question, "Would anyone care?" It'd sell well to the fancharacter-producing fanbase, certainly, but what about the wider market?

 

From a story perspective it'd probably be best to establish it as an alternate universe with an abundance of furries a la SatAM; I presume people would be playing as Freedom Fighters from around the globe. But if we establish a separate canon to explain the game that is in and of itself another hurdle.

 

The key detail is we'd probably need to scrap the high speed action, and it goes without saying that presents a peril. SEGA may as well make their own MMORPG at this rate, and they already have one. This game would subsist solely off the Sonic fanbase's liking for it. Which translates into a low budget, which translates into a recipe for something just waiting to go wrong.

[Diogenes]

In competition and cooperation. As always.

Since when have Sonic games been any good at either of them?

[Tani Coyote]

Yeah, let's be honest, Sonic generally does kind of suck with multiplayer unless it's another genre entirely, or you have a second player helping you through the story...

 

Once more, his speed seems to be his downfall, since it's hard to keep two fast-moving objects on one screen without a hilariously panning out camera or the annoying as ever invisible cord connecting the players.

[Mr. Taxi]

Since when have Sonic games been any good at either of them?

 

Since why does this matter? There is nothing about what we've ever seen about Sonic that denies it the possibility of interaction between players in a huge scale.

[Pliny]

I thought the multiplayer in Sonic Adventure 2 was pretty good to be honest!

 

I don't understand all the MASSIVE negativity

[Tani Coyote]

I thought the multiplayer in Sonic Adventure 2 was pretty good to be honest!

 

I don't understand all the MASSIVE negativity

 

I believe the criticism is that it becomes lopsided very quickly. One you fall behind it can be hard to catch up...

 

Contrast to say, a fighting game, where it's often very possible to undo the other person's lead if you're really careful.

 

There's inevitably skill in a factor of anything multiplayer, but there's also the factor of how inherently competitive the system itself is.

 

Though in terms of an MMORPG we don't need to really worry about multiplayer a la SA2 I think.

[Pliny]

I believe the criticism is that it becomes lopsided very quickly. One you fall behind it can be hard to catch up...

 

Contrast to say, a fighting game, where it's often very possible to undo the other person's lead if you're really careful.

 

There's inevitably skill in a factor of anything multiplayer, but there's also the factor of how inherently competitive the system itself is.

 

Though in terms of an MMORPG we don't need to really worry about multiplayer a la SA2 I think.

 

Maybe so, but it's still a multiplayer Sonic game that works pretty well! That in itself is AMAZING! 2-Player Sonic race to the finish? OH YES!

[Mr. Taxi]

Sonic 2 also had quite a respectable set of parameters to evaluate your performance at a stage in a 2-Player match. It demanded skill and strategy, which goes beyond "race to the finish".

 

See, the only essential thing about MMOs is not the massive world or massive presence of players in said world. It's just that other players' performance necessarily affect yours. You have Grand Chase, for instance (I'm sure CoN is familiar with it), which is based on levels, but is a MMO nevertheless. Sonic would work like that, I suppose. You can unlock new levels and gain some sort of experience and/or money depending on how you fare in the level. But, most importantly, depending on how you fare compared to other players.

 

I don't see what's so difficult to figure out about this. Whether MMOs are good or bad is another story.

[Pliny]

Sonic 2 also had quite a respectable set of parameters to evaluate your performance at a stage in a 2-Player match. It demanded skill and strategy, which goes beyond "race to the finish".

 

See, the only essential thing about MMOs is not the massive world or massive presence of players in said world. It's just that other players' performance necessarily affect yours. You have Grand Chase, for instance (I'm sure CoN is familiar with it), which is based on levels, but is a MMO nevertheless. Sonic would work like that, I suppose. You can unlock new levels and gain some sort of experience and/or money depending on how you fare in the level. But, most importantly, depending on how you fare compared to other players.

 

I don't see what's so difficult to figure out about this. Whether MMOs are good or bad is another story.

 

Good point chap . You are a wise man aren't you!

 

Still, what's wrong with simply racing to the finish? Racing is fun and that's all that matters!

 

SONIC = MASTER OF FUN

[a mystery]

You have Grand Chase, for instance (I'm sure CoN is familiar with it), which is based on levels, but is a MMO nevertheless. Sonic would work like that, I suppose.

I'm sorry what

Is it a Korean MMO- *googles* Oh.

Oh no.

Oh, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

Jokes aside, yeah, that's what I mean. There's a lot of MMOs that aren't Massive in the strictest sense, like racing games, PvP fighting games or... *shudder* Bomberman clones. The thing is though, it's still online, and it's multiplayer, usually both competitive and cooperative. This is what I'm taking influence from - maybe after giving Sonic a bit of a nerf, (imagine... a medium between Colors and Lost World, I guess.)  there could be some puzzle-esque (but not necessarily blocky or vertical) levels based around cooperation, as well as some race-to-the-finishy levels (though other goals could be set, such as a set amount of rings or chao) that are built for competition. If we're going to stretch this even further, we could have a few set 'rival' fight patterns (Shadow, Metal Sonic and Silver from Gens and Blaze from Rush, for instance) and allow for PvP battles, giving the 'host' a custom moveset (the 'challenger' keeps his or her usual one) based on the fight pattern and the 'challenger's' play style.

 

 

Recolors will rise in prominence even more than before due to character customization.

 

I honestly doubt that unless it gets way too much flac, Sega would even care - they're getting more players, that's more important to them. However, this is an ideal Sonic Team that Can Toot Toot Sonic Warrior- er, Do Anything we're talking about, so...

Heard of BnB Crazy Arcade or KartRider? Both (set in the same series) have a cast of set characters, but you can customize them to an extent. This could prevent the issue in my opinion - besides, both games are relative hits back in Korea.

[ultimatemasteremerald96]

I was thinking maybe a Sonic Heroes type of game. Have three different classes(speed, power, and flight). XP throughout levels. Have open hub worlds and endless levels. Let there be some customization. Fun Bosses. Lastly, let it play like Sonic Heroes.

 

[FromASloth]

It's a little hard to imagine an MMORPG for Sonic. How many character designs would you even need to set up for multiple players anyway? There definitely isn't enough Sonic character to satisfy that need, despite the Sonic franchise's plethora of characters.

[Alice Twilight]

If SEGA made it a P2P MMORPG it'll save their money problems. Just imagine all the OC creators wanting to play as their own hedgehog in a 3D world!? SEGA is sitting on a goldmine.

[Terri Drygun]

Is this topic dead? I literally registered, just so that I could put my own ideas down in here.

 

A long time ago, when Sonic Heroes first came out, I considered possibilities for a, what I called at the time, a 'Mobius Online'. It took the fancharacter creation approach, as described earlier in here, though it would be possible to encounter official characters as NPCs in-world.

 

Character creation didn't exactly have customized skills, so much as they had move combinations. Certain species had one or two moves that they came default with, and a 'class' choice would determine the makeup of the rest of their moveset. Classes included involved 'Speedster', 'Hunter', 'Smasher', 'Heavy', 'Chao Handler', 'Gunner', and 'Psychic' (Which had a completely different moveset from Silver as 2006 was still three years away.) With that, one would be able to make a 'Heavy Hedgehog', someone who would be able to 'roll out' as hedgehogs do, but instead of being able to spindash, he would be able to perform belly flops and move heavy obstacles.

 

The Overworld would essentially be made up out of hub levels, that were all interconnected by actual 'Zone' levels. Going from town A to town B made you play Act 1, and going from town B back to town A gave you Act 2 of that zone. Each act would have its own Top 10 leaderboard, ranking players the same way you're ranked currently at the ends of levels in regular sonic games. These levels would be single-player as well, with the level hubs being the only places you could really 'mingle'. Rings, as always, would be the currency, but a possible twist would be that you could enter and start levels with the rings you allready had on-hand. Ring banks would thusly, becomes a cornerstone of the game.

 

Competition would mainly involve two players entering a level at the same time, and selecting the 'race' option. I had thoughts on adding an actual 'PvP Arena' that treated both players as bosses, allowing them to see who would get knocked out first. There would also be various minigames, but almost every MMO has minigames.

 

For the size of the world? This was pre-Generations, so the thought was to simply take each and every level from every key Sonic game in the past, and make them 3D (With SA2B-level graphics, as that was the standard I was used to at the time.) Spanning across multiple games, including Station Square and the ARK, Angel Island, the works. Maybe a little too overarching, looking back at it now.

 

Story? I gave thought to having an original story, with spesific bosses for it. But then there's also the thought of re-enacting the major plots from some of the more noteworthy games, like SA and SA2.

 

Extras? Chao. Bringing back the chao, and chao gardens, Chao races, Chao sumo, and if you're a Chao Handler class, taking a spesific chao out of the gardens to accompany you and do as you direct in the levels, its stats determining how well it does certain actions.

 

So yeah, there's what I had cooked up, long ago. Don't suppose there's any thoughts, huh?