I was at work when it dawned on me how to make team play. It was a eureka moment.
Ok... how players access the challenge zones is another thread. Currently, I want to focus on what a challenge zone is and the ideas for them.
A challenge zone is akin to the Rook Egg smash quest. It's an instanced area where players are given a challenge to complete. Additionally, there are going to be debuffs which present further challenges to the players. There will be puzzles. The area will be huge, have a time limit, a 1 per game day per try limit (plus it's repeatable). The area will have obstacles, pitfalls, etc just like any platforming game. The challenges will require players to use their skills to make things. Severe energy loss, for example, could occur instead of death requiring a chef handy. Let me go on about this by making a list of debuffs.
The debuffs would be horribly inhibiting. The cause of these debuffs would be zone to zone, but here are a few ideas I have on the effects.
Agonizing Memories - Severe mood loss over time. When mood becomes red, player goes into fetal position and can't move til mood is back to normal.
Shrunk - Avatar actually shrinks. Takes double energy loss from any energy affect. Can't make anything. Jumps are shorter.
Rapid Food Decay - The rotting food becomes something for challenge zones! In these zones, food decays almost after making it. This would prevent players from bringing their own food.
Weakness - Players can't carry bags or toolboxes. Suddenly players are limited to 16 item slots and whatever is in them to bring. If players enter the zone with bags/toolboxes, the bags are mailed to their house.
Memory Lapse - Players lose some random number of skills while in the zone or for a time.
Muted/Deaf - Player cannot use chat or player cannot read chat.
These are just a few ideas. So players have to work together to complete these challenges. Completion should grant great rewards. The quest line should become harder and harder with each step. Players are required to have previous quests done in order to team-up with one another.
So the zones are filled with things to figure out, and the players must complete the challenge in spite of horrid limitations. Having players specialized in different skills would be useful. Also, players being designated for certain tasks such as making food, or repairing tools, or whatever. Could be really interesting.
Let me know what you think.