MMO Design: Allies and Contacts

Allies, as mentioned in the previous post, are going to be a vital mechanic to the game. Star Wars: The Old Republic is employing NPC sidekicks as a core element to the game, so that a character always has someone by their side to influence and react to the player's decisions. It's a great tool for storytelling, and in this game I want it to also be a great tool for world-building.

Every player will be able to have one Ally traveling with them and fighting by their side. Additional NPCs that the player befriends along the way will become Contacts, and the player will be able to visit them wherever they reside to talk, trade or recruit them as a traveling Ally. Increasing the size of your number of Contacts will be a way to expand your power base in the game, giving you more options of Allies to accompany you, and NPCs to influence. These Contacts you befriend are a major resource as they are used to shape the game world as well as to provide perks and combat ability.

Contacts are acquired through a variety of means - they may be won over through questing, purchased from Slavers, or met in random encounters. They may have personality requirements, so if you have the wrong kind of reputation they may not be available to join your network of Contacts. And of course once a member of one player's network they wouldn't join another's.

Through conversation with your Contacts you can get them to perform a number of tasks - changing their place of residence, enlisting in local law enforcement or crime syndicates, set up a shop, or even run for public office to name a few. Depending on their skills and influence you can use them as a valuable resource through which to control events in the game world. If the gunsmith we rescued from Slavers moves to a town where he joins the local law enforcment and eventually becomes the Sheriff, your past history with him can be leveraged to get special perks, like influencing the laws of the town. Of course that also puts him in a position to be assassinated by bandits, so it has its risks as well. In essence your Contacts are a resource that you build up and can be depleted if they die, but are a powerful way to effect change in the world without direct action. A player with a large Contact list who uses them in effective ways can be a major force in game without ever firing a shot.