Suggestion: boundless glory mode

Suggestions
1

Over the last year there has been numerous requests for different boundless features that just dont quite fit into the boundless survival gameplay. Stuff like pvp, dungeons, arenas, bounty hunters, and even the famous reapers trials. All of these game modes and more could be made possible or dramatically better with an alternative game mode I like to call “Glory mode”.

The gist of Glory mode is simple- it’s an alternative set of rules to the standard survival mode of boundless that players can opt-in to for a unique way to play Boundless. This game mode comes complete with it’s own skill pages, unlockables, achievements and interactions. A player would enter glory mode by warping to sanctum and changing their game mode or going to a home beacon. Once in Glory mode, they can return to survival mode the same way.

Glory mode is a mode of play where you give up some basic abilities and mechanics and gain some new ones in their place. In Glory mode, you can not break most blocks or meshes. Certain blocks like (not limited strictly to) standard gravel, foliage, or cobblestones can only be broken with the appropriate tool type or bombs while more refined blocks and solid stone can not be broken at all. Grapple hooks only attach to a limited number of soft blocks or specific target blocks.

Players no longer starve, but still benefit from food buffs. Skill pages are built from the ground up, but attributes like control, luck, crafting skills and item mastery are removed. Players instead build typical RPG stats. Eventually, powerful skills and heroic abilities may be added to the Glory skill tree… eventually.

Players also interact with other entities differently. Typical mobs either do not interact or are entirely invisible to players in Glory mode. Instead, only other glory mode players or creature projections. More on projections later. When in glory mode, a player need only fear death from natural causes- falling from great height, drowning, or falling from great height and drowning in lava. All other direct damage is in the form of “embarrassment” exactly like in the xmas snowball fight event. This normalizes the damage a player can take from both projections, traps, or other players without the threat of death, and makes it considerably easier to balance encounters for high or low level players alike. Beacon settings can warp disgraced to a soft respawn location such as the dungeon of a gladiator pit or a deadbox of an arena. Instead of gaining XP from defeating opponents, players instead gain back glory to offset embarrassment damage. Glory does not regenerate naturally like health and can not be recovered by the usual means. Only defeating enemies or being “healed” by another player in glory mode can recover glory.

The glory skill tree has three mutually exclusive branches as well as general skill trees for a player to choose from, allowing a player to build into the three primary RPG classes of tank, healer, and damage. These trees should also allow for various modifications to allow a player to build a unique class that fits their play style. Tanky melee warriors, ranged bomber alchemist that heals and does area damage, and agile melee rogues just to name a few.

Creature projections are a hologram of a mob that players have encountered and defeated in survival mode, saving a projection of the creature that can be re-summoned at any time. Projections of mobs appear exactly as they appeared in the wild. Other projections are also possible- customized neutral or hostile citizens can be created to act as NPCs or quest givers, guards, or enemies to populate dungeons or guard treasures.

A few other glory mode changes that would be great to have but dont need a whole paragraph to elaborate on them-
Items take no durability damage.
Grapple hooks only connect to soft blocks like wood or foliage, but not harder blocks like brick or metal.
Bombs deal no terrain damage, and have a limited ammo system, but cost no energy to throw.
Slingbow have an ammo system as well, with no energy cost.
Sprinting spends energy.
Melee spends energy.
Ammo based items are replenished on a timer.
Tools like hammers and shovels do no terrain damage except in explicit cases, and must be activated in beacon perms. They do however do melee damage to players and projections.
Energy is recovered by either resting (not spending energy) or drinking energy recovery brews or energy regen bombs. Coming to a full stop or sitting down regenerates energy the fastest.

7 Likes
2

Ok, now I’m finished

I know it’s a long and rambling post, but just think of how many new and interesting ways to play boundless could emerge from stuff like this!

3

It would be cool to be able to enter some sort of instanced “ether” mode. An exact copy of the current world, but with monsters not visible in the real world and the ability to destroy people’s builds in your instance (but it resets when you leave). Although you destroying their builds would be more of a side effect from the battle with monsters than something intentional.

2 Likes
4

I…misread the title as “glory hole” instead of “glory mode”…

This is what I get for checking the forums while falling asleep.

5 Likes
5

A lot of those things do fit in a survival game. I don’t think creating a new menu option just to load up some sort of arena is practical or if you want to jump into a dungeon. Building is a huge aspect and having different points of interest that people have made in the game across the universe is an attractive thing to support. After skimming over what you’re suggesting, it’s almost like you’re wanting the game to be completely overhauled for a different game. Cause that’s basically what you’re asking for is a different game than what we have.

Maybe I am not understanding it that well but I really don’t like the idea you’re suggesting. Just feels like an attempt to suggest the game be redone in a lot of key areas. I do like the idea of slingbows requiring some sort of ammunition in order to be used; mainly cause it makes sense.

Just an opinion I guess. :man_shrugging:

6

I’d say it’s aking to Minecrafts Adventure mode. Basically allowing people to create interactive ‘dungeons’ or puzzles, anything really. And then not have players just destroy their way through them.

Roughly based on. Havok40k’s suggesting an expansion to that allowing people to interact with the whole world and not just peoples dungeons.

7

I guess I always figured this was the rationale behind private planets. To let players et up areas where they could have whatever rules in place they want.

I am not sure I think it is a good idea for players to play by such different rules in the same universe. I can see where it makes programming additional functionality into the game more complicated because now it has to be tested for players playing Boundless Basic and those playing the Glory Mode Boundless. If it is private planets then it is up to the players to adapt their rules to developer game changes and not the developers responsibility. The developers can focus on one game and not what is essentially two.

8

I’d like for beacons to allow something like that as an option, despite the ability for it to be ‘abused’ to mess with people.

I think in a case like this, the positive outweigh the chance for the negative quite a lot.

1 Like
9

Adventure mode is pretty much what I’m going for, but with ways to accommodate boundless’s character levels and allow individual player progression through a skill tree to have meaningful impact in an RPG sense. This would all be geared toward building upon the existing game rather than stand alone gameplay. For example, a player could switch into glory mode a bit like changing a skill tree at will. So for example if a built a dungeon, I could then invite some friends and switch to glory mode to go on a dungeon crawl with them. When you’re done, switch back to classic mode and tweak your build. The idea is to expand the scope of possible content in boundless, not rebuild the game entirely.

2 Likes
10

“This location is intended to be experienced using Glory Mode. Click Accept to enable Glory Mode and remain, or Cancel to be removed to a nearby location.”

Gosh if this existed I would actually build a giant Plinko board with prizes and sell location tokens. X3
OMG and prizes can be in chests soon instead of shop stands YES. X3

11

I just don’t quite understand why those need its own game mode.

PvP could be enabled on select worlds, PvP could be a toggle that is per character, and only chars with PvP on can damage each other.

Dungeons I feel could spawn in as a „System“ plotted area to prevent players from breaking blocks, or most blocks, or they could be instanced.

In my opinion the skill tree is lacking quite an amount in this area, It should be fixed at the base level, not as an fancy game mode.

12

I like it. It seems well thought out and would add some interesting builds to worlds, I think.

13

yea i feel the same what stops someone form entering this glory mode for easy mining,gathering then exit once they are done. it would almost force people to have to use the mode to keep up with the meta shift.

unless pvp was forced on “like WoW warmode” then you could say the trade off would be players spawn camping you vs mobs

14

Resources are not obtainable any capacity.

1 Like
15

yea my bad missed that part in your OP

16

I can certainly see some nice game play coming from this. Overall I would prefer a way to bring it in directly without needing another mode because I want dungeons and a variety of other things available in the current mode we have. If it stayed in the original design them I do fear it might only be used selectively unless there was enough content behind the mode to support it.

I do think this is a good way to do PVP on many levels especially around the embarrassment. It basically feels like old school knight stuff where honor was more important than killing the person. I think a PVP design that follows this would separate Boundless in a new and unique way.

2 Likes