I’m not sure how many of these features are already in place, or were considered and determined to be unfeasible, but I just figured I’d post everything I’ve got for your reference. By the way, please get your shop up and running ASAP I missed the kickstarter but have been waiting to donate for some time now!
Also, stay tuned for a massive post from me about marketing and search engine optimization! I think i’ve got some great ideas for you to take a look at there, but for now, here are my gameplay and systems suggestions:
- Hair & fur physics (AMD TressFX, NVIDIA HairWorks)
- Liquid physics - blood, water, soup, beer/wine, etc.
- Dispersion (I.e. blood dispersion in water)
- Realistic grass rendering & collision
- NaturalMotion middleware (or similar)
- High detail blood and gore + physical effects
- Cuts, scrapes, etc. (benchmark GTA 5 bullet effects)
- Include fist fight effects – black eye, fat lip, bruise, etc.
- Take time to heal – at least 2-4 hours, change over time (scab, swell up, etc.) & fade over time
- Blood washes off in water or during rain (show blood dispersion in water)
- Include force of impact effects on environments/objects – dents, cracks, craters, etc.
- Dirt/mud (also washes off in water and during rain)
- Dynamic weather types and effects - wet environments/characters, snow accumulation & melting, etc.
- Smooth weather transitions (regional weather patterns)
- Actual consequences (i.e. heavy snow fall realistically blocks long-range view)
- Changing seasons - autumn, winter, spring, summer (effects weather, temperature, color of leaves, etc.)
- 24-hour day/night cycle (sync time to player’s console/computer if possible)
- Immersive Dark Nights (not so dark as to be obnoxious but enough to be consequential)
- Temperature drops at night time (more likely to snow instead of rain, visible cold breath, etc.)
- Full environmental destruction (benchmark Battlefield 4)
- Fully animated restoration - NPCs rebuild, grass/foliage regrows over time, etc.
- Immersive crime and jail system (actual prison level design)
- NPCs can also commit crimes and be imprisoned
- Joinable factions – guards, bandits, gangs, etc.
- Animated arrests and transport to prison
- Animated object interaction – all items, static, bodies, etc. (Benchmark The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption)
- Tap & Release E (once): Hold/Drag
- Tap & Release E (again): Pickup/Use
– Items that are being dragged, such as bodies, become picked up either over shoulder or in arms (based on weight & item, some items cannot be picked up)
– Using misc. and junk objects/items causes items like tree branches or beer bottles to be equipped in hand and used as weapons (able to use for melee & range – throw) - Hold E (at any time): Place in inventory
– Add option in inventory interface to bring out and re-hold the item as well as to use. - Tap & Release Alt (at any time): Drop/Release
- Directional Arrows (while holding): Rotate object
– Objects that are too heavy to be carried can only be dragged
- Immersive vendor/purchasing system
- Items selected are pulled out from either beneath the desk or the merchant’s chest
- Food/drink items are actually cooked and brewed, then brought to the player
- Able to walk around stores and purchase items directly (Tap E to call over the shopkeeper who will then confirm the sale, or Hold E to steal the item)
- Combat styles and stances – Actual benefits, specific idles and animations (based on real medieval combat styles)
- Full 3rd person combat support (benchmark Grand Theft Auto 5, Red Dead Redemption, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
- Customizable camera angles
- Ability to command forces and utilize real tactics (benchmark Arma 3, Ryse: Son of Rome, and Total War: Rome II – but all in 1st/3rd person)
- Must be promoted based on effort and choices in order to command troops (not just thrown a leadership position out of the blue)
- Realistic weapon and armor coverage + damage (i.e. Areas of the body covered by armor can help save your life, armor/weapons break based on realistic speed, pressure, and angles struck – as realistic as possible)
- Immersive repair system – in-depth “mini-game” style, just like crafting
- Locational Damage and Animations (i.e. struck in leg = limp + reduced movement speed, head = stumbling + radial blur, etc.)
- Head: Radial blur, stagger then brief stumbling, chance to be knocked down if hit hard, slightly slumped idle, shake head on recovery
- Arms: Reduced attack speed, reduced bow draw speed, unsteady aiming, blocks break on hit and cause short stumble, reduced bash speed and damage, roll shoulder and flex forearm up on recovery
- Legs: 25% reduced movement speed each, limping animation, chance to be staggered on hit, chance to be knocked down if hit hard (i.e. critical hit)
- If hit on stumble then stagger, if hit on stagger then knockdown
- If hit in head or arms during attack then attack is interrupted, if hit in legs while running then trip and fall
- Hold side and slouch when in weapon sheathed and at low health (i.e. below 50%)
- At extremely low health (i.e. below 10%) low chance to become severely injured (Ability to crawl away, but doing so may alert enemies that you are still alive - bleed out over time unless bandaged or struck down)
- Realistic reactions, impacts, and force + Ragdolls (more realistic than usual ragdoll effects)
- Add locational damage for mounts as well
- Tessellation & limb severing at the precise location struck
- Player housing/real-estate, farming, shop keeping, etc.
- Realistic NPC schedules and behaviors (i.e. eat lunch at certain times, go to sleep at certain times, etc.)
- Slight variation of times for each NPC (i.e. not everyone goes to bed at the EXACT same time)
- Braziers, torches, candles, and other light sources must be lit physically by player or NPCs
- Part of the guards’ behavior schedule at night time
- Modify/Override schedules and behaviors depending on the NPCs situation (i.e. if the city is being sieged, NPCs wake up or flee for cover)
- Making noise can alert nearby enemies + realistic line of sight agro (benchmark GTA 5)
- Ability to surrender and be taken prisoner
- NPCs can also surrender (players choose to accept or reject - can take prisoner, kill, or let go)
- Realistic naval combat system
- Map size of approximately 100 sq. miles (the more the merrier, though!)
- Controversial story elements: religion, politics, corruption, etc.
- NPCs can/should mention legends, myth, monsters, etc. (even if they don’t exist in game, NPCs should be superstitious like they were in the old times!)
- All NPCs should have names & all major NPCs should have personalities & families
- NPCs should recognize and mourn when family/friends are killed and may come after you or hire someone to come after you to avenge fallen friends/family
- NPC and creature appearance variation - child, teen, adult, old, fat, skinny, muscular, healthy, sick, etc.
- Strength, skill, speed, and other stats should correspond to NPC/creature’s physical appearance
- NPC/creature’s background story should also correspond to appearance and stats (i.e. experienced soldier, hot headed youth, elderly scholar, etc.)
- Ability to mount/dismount while horse is still in motion (benchmark Red Dead Redemption)
- High Resolution Monitor/TV Support (1440p & 2160p UHD)
- Linux, OpenGL, Mantle, and Directx12 Support
- PC controller and Oculus Rift/Sony Morpheus support
- Full Mod Support (Benchmark Skyrim/Creation Engine)
Please note these are just basic suggestions, so if some things seem a bit odd like when I mention movement speed reduction and critical hits, it’s because these were basic ideas I had saved on a massive file if I ever decided to make an indie game, but I’m still in college, can’t program, and have no where near the resources to make a game, so I figured you guys could probably make better use of them than me. You already figured out my best suggestion on your own - realistic in-depth crafting that ISN’T based on a boring interface menu (which is how I figured out about this game actually), thus, you now have my full support! BTW I totally read that post about being afraid of “extreme” suggestions…Sorry if some of these qualify as extreme!