This site was created by a game developer, Steelshine, who was extremely interested in MMO's. His life took him in other directions, but he is hoping that this site can benefit the MMO community and game development as a whole. Please feel free to use any of this anywhere, it is not copyrighted or protected. It is free for all to use. It is not finished, and he will not be finishing it. Feel free to comment on the forums, he can't guarantee he'll look at it. He hopes it leads to a better MMO genre, or a better game in the genre, or at least a better feature in a game in the genre. Enjoy.
Heroes Never Die(HND) is an MMO set in Veshnin, a world in which many warring people groups from history exist simultaneously in conflict, regardless of when they existed in our world. This allows players to form strong bonds to their chosen people group, and to experience many aspects of history in a new and interesting way. HND combines elements of sandbox and theme park MMOs in a massively engaging world, every inch of which can be conquered in the name of a player’s chosen “race.” As each player takes over a small portion of the world for their race, they are contributing to their race’s ultimate goal of worldwide control.
HND is a game for the PC exclusively, with AI that can fight side by side with players and occasionally even be confused for a player. It also contains a unique “no respawn” system.
The challenge and complexity of HND will most likely appeal to MMO fans who are tired of easy games and looking for something that will challenge them, and in that challenge be fun. It will also appeal to history fans, sandbox MMO fans, players who have tired of the grind and repeat of current themepark MMOs, and RTS fans looking for a little more persistence to their gameplay.
The world of Veshnin is a world of choices, freedom, and conquest. It is about changing the genre towards player freedom and realism, and about returning challenge to video games. Heroes Never Die is about giving the player a world where they can create stories that they will never forget. It is about forging alliances, and breaking them. It's also about racial loyalty, and about joining a team and working together to try and accomplish things unavailable in modern MMOs. Most of all, HND is about having fun in a world where players can do things that matter, things that change the game forever.
Author's Note: All the "races" listed throughout this document are referred to by their real-world race to help everyone understand. The real race names will be based on words in the language of each people group. The races are listed below.
Celts: Daoine
Greek: Laos
Persian: Keshvar
Chinese: Méng
Norse: Firar
Franks: Léode
Aztec: Tlacatl
Zulu: Watu
Indian: Avam
Muslim: Salaf
Table of Contents
The World of Veshnin
Combat
- Traditional Combat
- Mythological Warfare
- Morale
Items and Crafting
NPCs and AI
- AI and Its Interaction with Players
- Characters
- New NPC Soldiers and Their Equipment
- Spirits and Their Island
- Loyalty System
Game Mechanics
- The Economy and its Resources
- The Changing World
- Mechanics to Create a Harsh World
Skills and Stats
Technology and Starting Out
- Starting Out
- Technology