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None of this information is final. These are merely ideas, and could change at any time.
So for a while as I've been developing, I've had an issue adding new content: no adequate rewards. This is something that's been relevant since I worked on the railroads. It's pretty much why loot chests are even a thing. I could add so many secrets, but there was nothing to really reward players with for finding said secrets. Zelda tends to reward players with heart-pieces, but since Classic has no heart containers that wasn't an option. I opted instead for loot chests, as it seemed like the best idea to give the player incentive to replay the area rather than "beating" it once and leaving.
The only other rewards that are viable are just cosmetics. But as Classic is developed, and more substantial content is added there needs to be better rewards. However Classic has been a pretty balanced game. It's extremely forgiving for new players as they are not instantly thrown into a world of veteran players with 20 hearts who can kill them in two hits. So how can I reward the player for their efforts while maintaining that balance?
Hera Hearts
Hera's are a staple of PC Classic, and I think were introduced during Tyhm's reign. They were Graal's counterpart to heart pieces. Instead of gathering 4 heart pieces to create a heart, you gathered Hera's. You took these Hera's and turned them in to claim a new heart. At first I think it only took 2 Hera's to gain a heart. But then it took 4. And then 6 I think... Basically the more you obtained, the more it took to gain the next heart.
But that's just history. Rewarding the player with hearts isn't difficult, it's maintaining balance. So I had an idea to split the players health. As players completed quests, they are rewarded Hera's. These Hera's are then converted into Hera Hearts(name pending). These hearts add to your health, but are only applicable outside of PvP.
Basically, as you obtain Hera Hearts, you can sustain more damage from baddies, traps, and all damage dealt that was not from another player. Damage from other players will always deplete your core, or default hearts. So PvP will still remain identical as it is now, however you will be able to sustain more damage from baddies. This means we can introduce hearts that allow players to traverse more dangerous areas, baddies, and basically introduce a sense of progression.
The downside is that players may not feel a true sense of accomplishment. Classic is mostly about the community, not the content. While content can offer players something to do, it is temporary. So Hera Hearts may not reward players in a sense that they can truly relate/use. But I suppose it's a matter of wanting to keep the balance, or give players power.
New Items
Items are easy to make. But content is not. Adding a new item implies a usage of said item. This is the biggest issue currently. Because Classic is a Live world rather than a game that's under development, this is a tricky thing to approach. I can make a whole new dungeon, and add a new item... but what will the player use that item for? There needs to be purpose, and progression. So... said item will also be used to gain access to a new area! That's two very large pieces of content that need to be done and released together. So it went from a dungeon with a new item, to a dungeon and a new area.
But then you get to the new area... and now what? What purpose does this area have? That's when it starts becoming a sort of horrible cycle. As I add new content, I need to add purpose, and purpose means rewards! Luckily, the Hera's will help with this! But you can still see the issue, yes? New content can't be released by itself, but also needs some sort of expansion on the world to make use of it. That's a lot of work.
And more importantly, how will new items work with player interaction? Yes, a boomerang can be used in creative ways to solve puzzles... but obviously it can also be used against other players. That's also an issue! New items need to be balanced so that they offer an edge on other players, but not be completely overpowered.
So the answer to that is : Magic
It won't be traditional magic though... it will actually be more of a cooldown effect. If you've played Link Between Worlds, it's essentially like the Stamina system... if you haven't, think of it as Magic, but one that refills over time. The goal is to limit items that have a PvP impact so they can't be spammed. This seems like the best solution to keep new items from completely overwhelming players in PvP.
So these are my ideas for expanding Classic into a more quest-oriented server. What are your thoughts?
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