Idea Info Name: Western Online Index: Primary Category: Online Submitted: 10/4/2002 4:45:39 PM Written By: Etaren Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition Book Highly Recommended !

Western Online is planned as a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) in the old 17^th Century Western with classes like bounty hunter, gunman, gambler, doctor and so on… Not crafting classes though. It’s going to be 3^rd person shooter like, but more tactics and strategy then ordinary shooter games, not just CS like jump around and shoot like a maniac, but roll around corners and alike to get away or ambush the ones you have to kill/neutralize. There should be a huge selection of time-proper weapons, a lot of different revolvers and rifles, together with a selection of close combat weapons like tomahawks, sabres, pipes and such, maybe even bows. There should be possible to play Indian. Sioux, Cherokee, Apache, whatever available for the time, but those different tribes also are different in the behaviour, some of the tribes might be a very aggressive and blood thirsting tribe whilst another tribe might even trade with the white people. There should also be possible to be from another country then the US. The Yankees and the Confederates might be quicker to draw, but the sturdy north-landers from Europe might have more raw strength and are therefore better fitted to do the dirty work and fight in close combat. Also if you want to play as African or Asian that would be possible, Africans should be both strong and intelligent, but not über in some of them. The Asians have better mind then the other ‘races’ and are therefore fitted for jobs as doctors and such. The Americans would be the most dexterous ones if we were going to create a balanced game. If we use stats, the higher DEX, the quicker you can draw, the higher STR, the harder you can punch and you can carry more, the higher INT, the better you are at doing stuff that requires intelligence, like healing wounds and debating and such. Naturally, there is possible to be intelligent and come from the northern European countries, but it’s just that you get a small STR bonus when coming from there.

 When you have chose your class and race you will choose your home state, it would be advised that you only could choose between the southern states + Mexico and there you start the game!

 Gunmen: Can be contracted by people who wants to get rid of someone, quick and without making a mess of it. Gunmen are quick to draw and (mostly) accurate shooters. They prefer revolvers but can have rifle as back-up on longer range. Gunmen are often on the less lawful side of the law…

 Bounty Hunters: Bounty Hunters have no real law enforcement powers, but they don’t care… The real law enforcement use them to catch criminals that are outside their county, a really effective solution to problems, and the hunters get their precious money! There aren’t many honest or honourable bounty hunters, they always prefer the wanted people that are “Dead or Alive”, and a shot in the back never hurt anyone? Except the victim of course… A bounty hunter is a skilled rifleman, but also knows how to handle the gun! They are adept at both rifles and guns.

 Soldiers: Soldiers that either deserted, got kicked out or resigned from the army, the deserters aren’t really liked around the country, but they are often in packs, and are really skilled with their rifles. The ones who got kicked out just wasn’t good enough… They are often not as good as the deserters or the resigned with the rifles, but still better then the bounty hunter, they have the age and are not hunted by the army, the resigned are almost only old officers, they are very skilled with both the rifle and lighter close combat weapons as sabres and such, but they do have the age against them…

 Doctors: They are not half as good as the other classes with guns and rifles, but their medical skills compensate that. They’re also considered ‘better’ then the others and begins with more money and the NPCs are nicer to a doctor. A doctor is pledged to help everyone wounded.

 More to come…

 (I know this sounds more or less like some RPG… But it can easily be modified, and I will make more versions later on. Hope you won’t mind ;) )