I, too, have my own ideas about how bashing could be improved, but it would require a few changes in player abilities and level design.
First, both players and mobiles would need to be able to push eachother out of rooms. Resisting this push, either through mass salve or some new means, would cause damage. Naturally, some or all mobiles would have the ability to block.
Secondly, areas would be redesigned around concentrating the fight into a few battles rather than the current homogenous distribution we have now. Essentially, it would be building each area like a fortress and forcing players to push back/kill mobiles in order to progress. This would build the sort of mindless bash that some people enjoy which could then be spiced up with certain, "elite," mobiles show up to force players to put their efforts elsewhere.
I don't find this too revolutionary as most areas keep the unprepared out by killing them on the spot. With this, you could have areas built for people of varying levels, and coordination between different players could greatly affect the outcome.
You could have a siege on an orc encampment. Players level 50-70 would be busy raiding goblin skirmishers and stealing supply crates to trade for gold with a friendly quest NPC. Then players 71-99 would have a much easier time with the orc front lines who would have fairly regular gold drops. Then Aspects could engage the Ogre berserkers who come to reinforce places of particularly heated battle on the front line. This would reduce the great clot of Ogres defending the general, who could then be killed for some kind of fantastic prize.
It's not simple, I know, but I do think it provides people with that sort of interactivity that they want based on a simple principle : the mobiles are pushing you out of their territory.
Comments
First, both players and mobiles would need to be able to push eachother out of rooms. Resisting this push, either through mass salve or some new means, would cause damage. Naturally, some or all mobiles would have the ability to block.
Secondly, areas would be redesigned around concentrating the fight into a few battles rather than the current homogenous distribution we have now. Essentially, it would be building each area like a fortress and forcing players to push back/kill mobiles in order to progress. This would build the sort of mindless bash that some people enjoy which could then be spiced up with certain, "elite," mobiles show up to force players to put their efforts elsewhere.
I don't find this too revolutionary as most areas keep the unprepared out by killing them on the spot. With this, you could have areas built for people of varying levels, and coordination between different players could greatly affect the outcome.
You could have a siege on an orc encampment. Players level 50-70 would be busy raiding goblin skirmishers and stealing supply crates to trade for gold with a friendly quest NPC. Then players 71-99 would have a much easier time with the orc front lines who would have fairly regular gold drops. Then Aspects could engage the Ogre berserkers who come to reinforce places of particularly heated battle on the front line. This would reduce the great clot of Ogres defending the general, who could then be killed for some kind of fantastic prize.
It's not simple, I know, but I do think it provides people with that sort of interactivity that they want based on a simple principle : the mobiles are pushing you out of their territory.