What about natural disasters?

[Eareilia]

So I was thinking as the title says, perhaps a tornado, and people have players coming together to save that city, it's people, and even property. I know this may be asking a lot and I feel it would add a positive dynamic to the game, and make it unique in that there is nothing else out there like it. I apologize if this was discussed before, I did not do a search for this topic. 

[Honorbridge]

We sort of have something like this in the Steel Canyon fires.  I’m not sure how often they get run, but my gut says not much.  It probably doesn’t help that badges are the only reward.

[biostem]

From a thematic perspective, it makes perfect sense, but from a gameplay perspective, you have to figure out a reward/incentive structure that would make players want to participate in such an event.  To that end, I have a few ideas:

 

1. If we take your tornado idea as an example, you could make the tornado itself targetable, and perhaps attacking it can lessen its size or otherwise weaken the repel or other effects it may generate.  You could also have people trapped under rubble and allow players to destroy the debris to free them, with each such successful rescue rewarding XP.  Further, you could have some villains taking advantage of the disaster to loot stores, so you could defeat them as well.

 

2. We could do a similar implementation with an earthquake or landslide, where the epicenter of the disaster can be attacked to disburse or weaken it, while others can rescue trapped victims and you fight off looters.

 

3. You could have a flood, perhaps accompanied by waves of Coralax, and maybe the Leviathan makes an appearance that you have to repel.  There could be civilians trapped on pieces of debris in the water, and you have to defeat some surrounding spirit sharks to free them.

[Rudra]

15 minutes ago, biostem said:

From a thematic perspective, it makes perfect sense, but from a gameplay perspective, you have to figure out a reward/incentive structure that would make players want to participate in such an event.  To that end, I have a few ideas:

 

1. If we take your tornado idea as an example, you could make the tornado itself targetable, and perhaps attacking it can lessen its size or otherwise weaken the repel or other effects it may generate.  You could also have people trapped under rubble and allow players to destroy the debris to free them, with each such successful rescue rewarding XP.  Further, you could have some villains taking advantage of the disaster to loot stores, so you could defeat them as well.

 

2. We could do a similar implementation with an earthquake or landslide, where the epicenter of the disaster can be attacked to disburse or weaken it, while others can rescue trapped victims and you fight off looters.

 

3. You could have a flood, perhaps accompanied by waves of Coralax, and maybe the Leviathan makes an appearance that you have to repel.  There could be civilians trapped on pieces of debris in the water, and you have to defeat some surrounding spirit sharks to free them.

If the Leviathan awakens, pretty much everyone dies.

[biostem]

10 minutes ago, Rudra said:

If the Leviathan awakens, pretty much everyone dies.

Then maybe just a giant spirit shark or something.