I just had an idea strike me, and I think it’s worth sharing. Forgive me if it’s not the most organized thought, but I hope you wonderful community members and Devs can see where I’m going with this.
What if races in Oort Online aren’t done like so many other games? Instead of having a number of races with core influence from something (elves, cats, humans), Oortians would be the same at the core with many, many differences on the outside. Let me elaborate.
Character creation would be an avatar builder, with many options for each part. Instead of picking that you are a bird or dinosaur, you would start with a core and build on it. The focus would be simplicity, but allowing players to get their uniqueness. Each step would offer players “racial” abilities, based on what they choose.
Step 1: Cores
Players would start with choosing a core. There would be small, medium, and large, and each would offer some type of racial bonus. Small could give the ability to fit in tight spots, medium might offer faster movement, and large may give a larger health boost. I think that’s a good start.
Step 2: Body
Here is where players would pick a type of body. Again, to keep it simple we would keep sliders out for sizes and shape. Choices here would vary from a scaly body to feathery. There could be normal skins along with slimy and furry. Each of these types could be colored from a wide variety choices, but the type that is chosen would offer another small racial perk. Feathers could bring slow-fall, while scales could offer a defensive bonus.
Step 3: Head
The head would have a couple of parts to it, but also keep the same theme. Players could choose ears, which would range from pointy cat ears to antlers. Horns and head spikes would come from this area as well. Faces would be a part of the head options, giving players a chance to choose a beak or animal-like muzzle. Scary reptile mouths or even human faces would all be available here. If a player chose gills for their head, they could be offered under-water breathing. More color choices would be given, letting players add that extra flair. (I haven’t mentioned hair because I’m not sure how to fit it in. I suppose after all head options are chosen, hairstyles could be added on.)
Step 4: Limbs
This step is where hands, feet and tails come in. If so desired, the player could pick hooves for feet and large, scary claws for hands, with a fuzzy bunny tail. The idea would be to offer many options that let people make a unique Oortian. As long as the racials for each choice are minor, adding them together as a whole shouldn’t have a huge impact on creation. Large talons could give a crit bonus while webbed feet offer swim speed. A long tail could give an extra bit of speed.
To me, so many games have concentrated on offering static race types, with customization that stays in a certain realm of what’s okay on that race. Avian creatures would not get bunny ears, and maybe that’s something someone wants. This idea would keep options limited only to imagination. No sliders are necessary, except maybe for colors. The combinations would be amazing, and something that could be added to with time.
Tell me what you think!