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The server is the body and the players are the blood; the heart is always congested because there is no use to travel abroad, and players see the congestion and the vacancy and quickly know where to stay to socialize. Make the boots exchangeable; make the trident and sword exchangeable somewhere; make different gloves that pick up different items and a shop to exchange them with important fun areas that are blocked by different items including throughout various main passageways; put unstick me points in each town and relative calculations to promote realism and reduce centralizing the cast of the server; let players exchange various items at various shops for different items that do equally different things; make sure all towns have a bed somewhere for refilling; let players exchange bodies and shields and stuff at different points (maybe, I know it's radical); once you create movement, the players will fall in love with their own travels and places—and the exchange points have to be unique and not every kind available in every town. Until there is movement, without going into superiority: which do I prefer this moment, the trident, the Axe, the sword, the hammer (they each do different things), which boots do I want or need right now, which shield (maybe shields that mirror things, deflect, can be swung, are bigger but heavier, etc.) ... The game's heart will remain collapsed and so will the player's heart. Make them dance ... Make the heart beat and the blood flow. I'd throw in a second playable race to toggle from (players get two "profiles") just to add depth, diversity, and a second entirely different gameplay experience.
As long as players are able to toggle any and all items at anytime, anywhere, you have failed. Swords (different types with different swing patterns and functions, not just looks or damage points unless it has a disadvantage), shields, gloves, boots, capes, belts, shirts ... Any basic item. Exchange points. Make me need to visit these places again and again to use different types of items for a while.
"Collect-em-all" is the death of movement, including economically. It's not just about obtaining, but dancing (moving back and forth throughout the world).
And a less congested game will be more popular, lag less, etc.
It might be even smart to make players collect map pieces to see the whole map ... Make them explore from the get-go. They can see names but clouds cover places not mapped. Give bigger use to the mercatory.
Just little stuff. Nothing crazy. I'd love to see clothes come back as racks throughout the game so I have to travel to play dress up forever, maybe request and reexplore dungeons and towers to access them ... Pay for some ... Quests designed specifically to get some .. Achieve certain items or use different boots and gloves to get to some ... Then every expression of the players take a little bit of work, and everyone would always be moving making the whole world meaningful and the heart more sacred and less clustered, and give some extra oomf and pride to the expressions of clothes, heads, shields, items, etc. You have to make them travel to access (change) the things they love or they'll sit in Graal city, PK for a minute and get bored.
That being said, the "exchange points" for items and vanity items can be anything; maybe a quest, a shop, a salesman, a house. Make them replay quests to change items and costumes. Put secret spots everywhere with different exchange items (in quests, houses, fields).
A man can dream.
... I realize it will most likely never happen, because players have spent real money on stuff. It's the solution, it was the solution then and it is now; it may have to be used sparingly at first. Anyway, again, I realize it may never happen.
Also warpzones should only be proximity unstick me zones. Just to clarify. Warp rings ruin the adventure
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