Something that would be a really good idea, I think.

[The Green Man]

Shadowrun as an MMORPG. Could be really, really cool if it managed to minimize the lame, power-levelled characters that go around with more money than a dragon's hoard and twice as many magic items. Thank heavens magic items per se are rare in Shadowrun unless they're artifacts.

Core gameset would, of course, be for Seattle, with expansions for other cities or even countries (like Tir na nOg or Aztlan *drool*). Or possibly, they could do a thing like DAOC where different servers, etc. place you in a different city or region.

I'm not sure how they would implement the thing with magic weakening as you get more cyber, though.

And you'd finally get to see what 3 levels of dermal plating, a smartgun linkup, 2 cyberarms, and full muscle replacement would look like. Not to mention the coolness of a jacked-in decker (speaking of which, the Matrix would be another tricky thing to implement - not for the decker so much as the other characters who simply see him standing there).

Just a random thought I got at work today.

 

[Darklance]

They had a SNES and Genesis version.

 

[SonOfLilith]

May I be the first to say, hell yes!
there used to be one, and it was alright, though it wasn't really a MMRPG, it was the genisis rom that was modified to have multiple people on, but it was still pretty fun.
The way i see it would be like GTA3 as an RPG, and with buildings you go through. It would be in real time, and have a Deus-exish feel to it with the skills ( aimer s arround if you are not skilled in it, get's better and better as you put new skill points into it.) good stuff.

Viva Shadowrun!

 

[rounser]

Shadowrun definitely deserves more pop culture exposure. I remember reading somewhere that the Matrix was originally a Shadowrun license, but someone thought all the fantasy elements were a bit wack and they went in a different direction with it. Can anyone confirm this?

On a related note, an updated, improved version of Autoduel (which was Car Wars on an Apple ][) would make an excellent online game, IMO. Combat, travel, trade, gangs, cars and guns, with a smattering of roleplaying - great multiplayer online game material, IMO.

 

[Gargoyle]

It occurs to me that if you put real world advertisements into a modern day or futuristic MMORPG it would help pay for it.

Even though it would be an anachronism (No Pepsi or Coca-cola in the world of Shadowrun), a real-world billboard wouldn't stand out like it would on Everquest, and would help pay for the MMORPG, driving the costs down and making it more palatable to investors.

Sorry if I'm threadjacking, but this isn't too off-topic, and maybe it'll spark the imagination of some big shot PC game company...

 

[2WS-Steve]

Adverts in MMORPGS

That's a pretty cool idea Gargoyle; I wouldn't even find it intrusive since it would make the game feel more real. I imagine the lack of some brand names in Shadowrun has more to do with FASA's worry about litigation than anything else.

You could even purchase Nike Wired Reflexes. Perhaps advertisers would bid on getting the Gamma Grade cyberware signatures.

 

[Piratecat]

Hey Steven - welcome to the boards!

 

[Kamard]

The way i see it would be like GTA3 as an RPG, and with buildings you go through. It would be in real time, and have a Deus-exish feel to it with the skills ( aimer s arround if you are not skilled in it, get's better and better as you put new skill points into it.) good stuff.

Viva Shadowrun!

This is exactly...and I mean EXACTLY, what I was telling my buddies the other day.

Its eerie.

The only thing that would be needed in this is morphable terrain.

Then it would be freaking perfect.

 

[Tsyr]

I agree. I play Anarchy Online because it's close in some ways. Not really exact or anything, but close... and you could sorta equate some of the races with SR races... there is a "magic system" of sorts... the cool guns... there are even similar classes to some of the SR archetypes... in places (Engineer is sorta like a rigger, Metaphysacist is sorta like a mage, Enforcers are sorta like street samurai, monks are sorta like adepts... heck, there is even a class called "fixer")... add in a healthy dose of cybernetics, sprinkle a little "evil corporation" motif in, throw in some fantastic creatures, a noteable japanese influence (although the money isn't called nuyen...)... it's not exact, but it's not bad either.

The biggest thing I think would happen is a toneing down of the letheality of combat. I don't think it would work in an online MMORPG (Which are prone to lag even on the best connections).

My suggestion: Play Anarchy Online. Keep hoping and bugging the right people for a SR MMORPG, but in the mean time, do yourself a favor and try AO.

 

[hong]

Re: Adverts in MMORPGS

That's a pretty cool idea Gargoyle; I wouldn't even find it intrusive since it would make the game feel more real. I imagine the lack of some brand names in Shadowrun has more to do with FASA's worry about litigation than anything else.

You could even purchase Nike Wired Reflexes. Perhaps advertisers would bid on getting the Gamma Grade cyberware signatures.

I haven't played Shadowrun. Does it have anything like cyberpsychosis? It could be quite funny to have a character flip out due to overloading on sponsors' messages.