breakdown

Dissertation 102

I’ve been pondering about Warhammer Online. Which is silly really because I should be pondering about my dissertation, but either way there are a few things i’ll be specifically looking for when I get my rear end within the beta doors.

1. Tank (stamina) mechanics
   • Threat (attention)
   • Avoidance (weaving)
     
2. Melee DPS (power) mechanics
   • Placement within the group (interaction)
   • Moves/Combinations (dynamics)
     
3. Caster DPS (intelligence) mechanics
   • Spells (vocabulary)
   • Additionals e.g. Pets, Conjured items (peripherals)
4. Healer (health) mechanics
   • Group Immersion (awareness)
   • Variety within the architype (patterns)
     
5. Solo (singular performance) mechanics
   
6. Group (mass(group) performance) mechanics
   
7. PvP (improvisation) mechanics
   
8. PvE (technique) mechanics

There are a few other things that are not included within this, because I feel they’re not needed because of the already known setting, such as the

• background/lore (history),
• type of MMORPG (style/genre)
• the world the game is placed into (spacing)

These will no doubt be included within other specifics, because of how MMORPGs are developed and ‘grown’, thus they don’t need to be singular sections of themselves but instead can be included into other ‘things’. Eitherway, they ‘rely’ upon the ‘core’, from which they can then be applied into the ‘specific/s’ and then are they used to ‘mould/shape’ as a tertiary part of the development. Below is a very basic example - upon which could be built many sections/layers.

Example;

• Order of Destruction (history)
  • Chaos Marauder (placement)
    
    • Melee DPS (type)
      

Now on its own, it’s not using ‘directly’ the placement, history or type to it’s fullness, but it’s drawing from it to direct it’s personal shape. Within the ‘history’, the order of destruction is just ‘evil’. Without a placement, the Chaos Marauder in it’s simplest form is a ‘foot soldier’ and without a type, melee DPS can simply mean ‘cannon fodder’.

Some things though won’t be working ‘properly’ until the game gets into full swing, so i’ll be looking out for how they’re handled specifically when people start flooding the servers.These ar emore widestream because I won’t have a direct impression of what I’m ‘exactly’ looking for, until I understand the ‘core’. That being the list detailed above.

1. Economy core
   
   • Grinders ~ Crafters ~ Auction House (development)
     
2. Crafting core
   
   • Professions ~ Recipes ~ Product (analysis)
     
   • Demand ~ Supply (repetition)
     
3. Realm core
   • Solo ~ Open Group ~ Closed Group ~ Raid (composition)
   • Architype ~ Race ~ Class ~ Talents/Feats (structure)
     

I’m interested I think, because of having experienced a variety of different systems, mechanics and (non)working gameplay settings, to see how Cryptic pull this off (or fail to) and more, how I could (maybe) do better. More so, I might actually be able to see and analyze exactly what is going wrong, where it is and why, and prehaps include that into my dissertation, because of the current direction i’m thinking of taking it.

To anyone curious about my dissertation, once I get photoshop loaded up I will be including several diagrams onto this blog which will be using game based work in representation of my dance study. Virtual gaming and the world of dance - who would of thought they could come together, eh?