why not a tree that only grows when 5 different people have petted it?
why not a home that is constructed or purchased and then owned by multiple players?
why not devices that require multiple players to operate?
why not bake collectivism into the foundation of the game?
playing the alpha last night, the lack of interaction between players was striking. i think this interaction will be the key to the ultimate success and unique character of this game. though there was a lot of kissing, a lot of mooning and a lot soaking - this seemed to end up being a stream of hit and run, ultimately antisocial interaction.
item gathering and trade could ultimately create an economy that necessitates communication and a commerce .. and that is very good .. but isn't the kind of direct collaboration that provides its own reward.
while i don't play world of warcraft, i do know that guilds and raiding are a big part of its appeal to many. i also know that raids require direct collaboration and teamwork to accomplish discrete tasks. there's something compelling about that, more so than interaction through or surrounding trade.
"round up a gang of 5 to do x" sounds a lot more fun to me than "do x to 5 different people". this collaborative structure can be applied from everything to planting a tree, operating a device, building a house, building a city etc. etc.
i feel kind of stoopid though, i must admit, suggesting this. like there's something already in the game that i'm missing that makes this suggestion irrelevant or that people will have zero interest in working together in the game in the way i've articulated here : [