First Person MOBA

Hello All!

I’m a game enthusiast. I love all things video game. I love gameplay, I love design, I love characters, and I love experimenting with ideas that pop into my head as something that could be interesting. Multi Player Battle Arenas, or MOBAs are a game type which has risen to extreme popularity in the competitive field (think League of Legends) as well as the casual gaming community over the last 10 years or so. The game has extreme roots in RTS games, which are some of my favorites. The style of MOBA games can be seen across many popular games today. Battle Royale games are really just large scale MOBAs in a way. Now before you get all pissy and rage on me for comparing Fortnite to DOTA 2, please hear me out: The idea of an even playing field upon entering a multiplayer lobby, as well as accumulating gear and perks along the way is very similar in both genres. Royale games have no respawn option generally, however, and definitely don’t have as strong of an emphasis on strategy, just simply due to the structured “free play” of the game.

If this is your first introduction to the idea of a MOBA, the I highly recommend reading this before continuing. I will also cite that the ideas that follow have been implemented in some games already, google Paragon. But I genuinely feel that they have not been created in a manner that would allow them to be successful on a large scale.

First Person MOBA

The basic schematics of this game would be 2 teams of 5, with 2 bases, and of course bot soldiers on a synchronized release from their respective bases. Unique characters will be chosen by each team. The game would rely heavily on a standard class system:

Tank: Heavily armored, moderate damage, defensively oriented specials.

DPS: Moderately armored, heavy damage, offensively oriented specials.

Support: Low to moderate armor, low to moderate damage, support oriented specials.

The 5 player team system will allow for a vast array of team compositions to arise. Maps will be based around 3 main paths that the AI would follow, and as per most MOBAs, the middle alley will be more heavily pushed by AI than the longer outer ones. Each path will lead to both bases. Each base is protected by 2 tiers of defensive towers, which attack enemies as they invade, with crushing strength. Finally, the base where players respawn is also home to the “heart” of the team, which will fight back, but once destroyed will mark a victory for the attacking team.

This is where the idea deviates most. First person perspective would bring in an entirely unique style of play, sense of mobility, and greatly affect the players awareness to flanks, cover, and strategy. Every character will have a primary attack which will require targeting. No more click & unleash. The speed at which the game is player will require players to know their characters, understand both the primary and specials, and adjust accordingly in the first person. Maps will contain FPS style cover, scalable structures, and players will be able to (and forced to at times) take advantage of vantage points built into the maps.

In addition to this, the game will incorporate a simple leveling system, starting at 1 and maxing out at 15. Each AI kill will gain the player a little XP, whereas each Player kill will yield much greater XP rewards. The player’s level will add to their max health, improve special attacks, and even give a currency boost at levels 5 and 10. While a higher level can still easily be taken out by a lower level player, the odds are not necessarily in the lower level’s favor. Leveling up is easiest at first, progressively requiring more and more XP for the next upgrade, but by the end of a full match, players will generally be around levels 9 – 15, depending on how long the match goes on for.

The in match shop will allow players to purchase items best suited to their style of play, character, and situation within the match. No drops are implemented, and the only thing to be found on the battlefield is currency to help boost the speed at which you may purchase these items. Currency will accrue at a standard rate for all players, unless a player with a passive to expedite currency generation is present. In the shop, players will find armor, items to speed up primary attack/heal speed, items to increase damage/heal strength, items which grant new abilities such as a temporary shield on a cool down, items to increase run speed, items they can use to relieve them of ailments, as well as much more. Players will have a limited inventory based purely in quantity, and, if the player would like to, the same item may be purchased until their inventory is full. Items may be upgraded into better and stronger versions for less currency, destroying the original.

With the basics for this game laid out above, I would like to share some ideas for playable characters that I have thought up, which will continue to be added to.

Characters

Tank

Blarney: A red headed war hero. Fighting on the front lines, this massive bloke flaunts a daunting number of accolades from his time of service. A tactical mastermind, Blarney never goes far without his longsword in hand, which looks a normal when wielded by such a large fella. A non believer in modern war attire, Blarney wears only his trousers and his sheathe. His skin might as well be armor, as this man is truly unbreakable. 

Primary: Swings blade in perfect rhythm, greatly damaging those in front of him, but range is not his strong suit.

Special 1: Blarney rushes forward, stopping once he has flattened an opponent, or is simply too tired to keep running. This move makes up for his lack of range, but he is greatly winded by the end of it and is greatly slowed for a few seconds afterwards.

Special 2: Blarney is a massive man. With this move, he slams his foot to the ground, tripping up nearby enemies, who meet the ground at such force. Perfect time to unleash a few swings of the blade, eh?

Shīrudo: A man at peace with himself, looking to spread a similar awareness amongst his allies, and teach this to his foes. Shīrudo is a large presence. What he lacks in talkativeness, he makes up for with appearance. Wearing the armor of his ancestors, he calls upon their ancient styles of defense and combat to guide enemies to his will. A master in martial arts, the only weapon he wields is his body, and more specifically: his fists.

Primary: Jabs and chops his way through multiple enemies, if present, or simply executes perfect combos upon a singular opponent. Always on the move, Shīrudo knocks back solo opponents when unleashing these combos.

Special 1: With his mind and body as one, Shīrudo is able to stop oncoming projectiles over a large area in their place, and even direct some back towards the enemy.

Special 2: Shīrudo calls upon his ancestors, as they give him life, granting him, or anyone of his choosing, temporary armor. If the armor is destroyed before it expires, a huge shock knocks nearby opponents to the ground.

Muur: Wall building is a generational thing within the family of Sterke. Coming from a town below sea level, the strength of a wall is truly a matter of life and death. Getting his nickname from the countless homes he’s saved from these harsh conditions, Muur is no amateur when it comes to defense. While not the largest man around, he’s built as thick as a fridge and can definitely take a punch… or 7. Light hearted, but with the determination of a hundred men, Muur is a force to be reckoned with. Don’t be fooled by his flatcap and junky overalls, wielding his makeshift shield and work hammer chained to his wrist, the man is ready to fight at a moments notice.

Primary: A hammer to any part of the body doesn’t feel great. Well, unfortunately for the enemies of Muur he’s as accurate as one could be with a hammer on a chain. With powerful blows landing at a moderate speed, and range up to 5 feet, escaping this man is no easy task. His powerful swings lessen in damage the further his foe, but that won’t stop you from being knocked from side to side with each hit.

Secondary: Muur’s shield is one of his proudest builds to date. That being said, it doesn’t look great but it sure as hell gets the job done. Murr can raise his shield at any time during combat and block incoming directional damage completely. While he can still be hit from other directions, a head on strike is not likely to land due to his convenient stature. Raising his shield stops him from being able to swing his hammer, but it doesn’t stop him from dropping it at a moments notice to land a blow.

Special 1: Muur utilizes his background in wall building to quickly put up a barrier which will stand until destroyed. This wall can block both players and AI on the enemy team but, thanks to excellent engineering, has a stair way along its weak side for allied AI and players to quickly hop over. The wall takes no time to build, and can take as much damage as Muur’s current health. If Muur is armored to the teeth, so are his walls!

Special 2: A hammer on a chain is not your typical weapon, but Muur knows this. Utilizing the versatility of his hammer contraption, he swings around his weapon in circles, damaging all near by enemies within his 5 foot range. The move also puts momentum at his whim, and Muur can quickly launch out from this attack to any direction he is looking to land a strong blow, knocking his target to the ground, and throwing him to their location. Any player or AI that gets in his way will take the blow, and he will end up where the strike was interrupted.

DPS

Gen: If stealth is an art, then Gen might as well be Picasso. Or Monet. Or Van Gogh. All in one. From her humble beginnings of simple thievery and practical jokes, Gen has transformed herself into a breathing weapon. And on top of that, she also wields a pair of “breathing” weapons. Her two daggers have a mind of their own, and they often lead her to outwitting her foe. Beneath her hood, not much can be seen, and her get up doesn’t make her any easier to spot.

Primary: With unmatched speed, Gen is able to quickly unleash multiple blows. And if the initial stab doesn’t get you, the bleeding after just may. Slashing and stabbing her opponent, every end to a chain of hits adds to a bleeding effect which reduces the amount you can be healed, as well as some minor damage for some seconds to come.

Special 1: While not in combat, Gen slips to the shadows, only visible to enemies if they directly locate her with their cursor. From here she can attack, flee, or even receive healing. While in combat, Gen can vanish to thin air for a few moments, before returning back to our realm. While in this state, she cannot receive healing, not be located by her enemy.

Special 2: With a flurry of steel, Gen rampages her opponent with flurry of blows, all in an instant. This also enacts a bleed effect, which takes twice as long to heal up.

Passive: Gen is never alone, as her blades tell her, when in the shadows, when a nearby enemy is close to locating her, or when an enemy is behind her.

Rent: RENT IS DUE! Straight out of the swamps, Rent is a “soldier” with no regard for his own safety, let alone that of an enemy. Don’t let the beer belly fool you, Rent is a real cut throat warrior, with scars to prove it! Most he got from fishing, but some definitely seem like real battle scars. With an admirable sense of humor, Rent guns his way through enemies, and his pony tail is sure to keep his vision clear. Trap master, as well as gun enthusiast, there’s not much to protect you from his obsession with self destruction.

Primary: Locked and loaded, Rent uses his automatic rifle to shoot his way through foes near and far. And just when you think he might have to reload-BOOM, he pulls out his double barrel shot gun to finish the job.

Special 1: Rent rigs up his explosive lobster trap, that he found at Dollar Strut (it catches and cooks all in one!!), and places it down, waiting for an enemies foot to trap. Though visible, a quick glance won’t do an enemy justice as there’s not much to see before you’re locked in place and set a blaze. Burning damage occurs for the next couple seconds to ensure a perfect char. Mmmm!

Special 2: Rent is far from the most agile this battle ground has seen, but he’s always been host to the wolf pack mentality. For 10 seconds after activation, all Rent’s teammates are motivated by his rambling on about team work, fast food, and his thoughts on “Organic” zucchini, to get the hell away from the useless banter, increasing their speed by 50%. Meanwhile, Rent moves at his normal pace.

Passive: Rent doesn’t leave the house without both his guns, so in a time of need, he can always switch between the 2!

 

Ayana: There weren’t many books where Ayana came from, but you don’t need books with a mind like this. A story teller, Ayana gained the ability early on to conjure her imagination to reality. Some might call it magic, but to her it’s just all about the moral. Lanky, dark skinned, and quick moving, she soon learned she could use her imagination as a way to fight for what she believes in. It is this power that makes her a fierce warrior.

Primary: Ayana calls upon her mind to summon forth crystals of pure ice, slinging them one by one at the enemy. While the damage is not the heaviest, it’s the after effect which is to be feared. As each crystal hits the same foe slowing occurs and, and stacks. One hit may temporarily knock down an attackers speed by 10%, but by the 5th blow, 50% of movement speed is gone. And with the 6th blow, the enemy is quickly frozen, unable to move for a few seconds. Once the ice snaps, the player is back at normal speed.

Secondary: Ayana believes in balance, and therefore refuses to allow her ice powers to go un-challenged. To compliment her primary, Ayana’s secondary attack harnesses the power of flames. By imagining the energy of all she knows, she brings forth balls of fire. At starting rate slower than her Primary, but also the ability to charge the attack for up to 50% more damage, the flames land a much more devastating blow to enemies. And it only continues to give as enemies burn for a few seconds after. Naturally, this will counteract any chill that the enemy currently has, and the burn effect is lessened the more ice it must burn through.

Special 1: Ayana summons forth a beast which only she could imagine to aide in her attack. The beast charges a nearby enemy (if no player is present, then a bot), and thrashes for 5 seconds, viciously knocking enemies wherever it pleases. If a frozen enemy is charged, the freeze does not break as the beast unleashed upon them.

Special 2: Clouds form all around Ayana as she summons a great and powerful thunderstorm. After a brief cast time, Ayana roams freely as the storm continues to strike randomly, injuring those in the vicinity of each strike. While not incredibly powerful with a single strike, be weary of where you get stuck, for it could be the end of you. Lightning strikes will break through the ice of frozen enemies, freeing them but not before taking amplified damage from the strike.

 

Kuvien: No one truly knows where he has come from, but his allies are sure glad he arrived. Some say he was raised by wolves, others say by monks in the old east. Regardless, Kuvien has grown to be a fierce warrior, unparalleled in his connection with his surroundings. With cartoonishly purple hair, and mythically red eyes, he might as well be a beast himself. Adorned in war paints and tribal beads, he wields a bow and an endless quiver, ready to attack from wherever his enemies aren’t looking. 

Primary: Kuvien is a threat from all distances, but he is especially dangerous from range. A fully drawn bow can send his arrow as far as the eye can see. That being said, with his speed he’s not much easier to take from close range. A quick succession of close range shots from this bow and you might find yourself in a troubling position. Kuvien’s arrows hit for more damage when fully drawn, however his speed to draw the next arrow is un matched, which allows him to send lower damage shots at his foes with incredible speed. That being said, basic laws of physics still apply to his arrows, and shots with less power will not fly nearly as far, or without a drop. 

Special 1: A master from range, Kuvien sends himself flying backwards to avoid oncoming attackers. From the ground, he can reach about 12 feet from launching point, but by using this move on an enemy he can both deal a moderate amount of damage and send himself around 15 feet backwards.

Special 2: Summoning a force we can’t begin to understand, Kuvien seems to defy all laws of this world as he locks on to a target. If an enemy is pinged by this ability, all of Kuvien’s shots in the foe’s general direction will lock on and curve straight for them. While this ability only lasts 5 seconds, the effect can be deadly. 

Passive: Kuvien is incredibly in tune with nature, and it’s this that allows him to easily track foes. Fresh footprints left by enemy players (within the last 7 seconds) will glow red to him, as he hunts his prey. 

Support

Miracle: At a young age Miracle discovered she was different. Small scrapes and bruises would disappear from her skin in a matter of seconds, but she never realized just how powerful this ability was until she broke her leg and was fine within a minute. She soon began a career in the medical field, looking for answers as to why. While she still is not sure, she has found a way to harness this blessing into a device which allows her to help others. This device comes in the form of a full body suit, and leaves her levitating just above the ground. Intelligent, and with an unwavering will to help her allies, Miracle is an excellent person, and an even better team mate.

Primary: With the help of her apparatus, Miracle sends a cascade of healing upon all her team mates in the area in front of her. These beautiful crystals of light continue to fill the air for the next couple moments thereafter, which her team mates may pick up to heal themselves even more. The initial fire of her primary will heal all allies hit slightly, regardless of picking up the residual heals.

Secondary: While her suit has a very strong emphasis on aiding others, it still hurts to get kicked by. Miracle floats quickly forward for up to 5 feet, and any enemy she hits she will deal a quick blows to, and use this force to fly up to 20 feet in the direction of her choosing. It is in the time she is air born that she quickly heals herself 35% of max health.

Special 1: Focusing her energy on a single ally, Miracle sends a flurry of healing to a targeted team mate, healing them to maximum health. This heal does not have the same leftover health left by her primary, but it does also heal her 10% of max health.

Special 2: Miracle’s suit is truly a war machine, but rarely does she use it for anything other than helping others. In this rare occurrence, Miracle overloads her levitation module on her tech, sending a powerful shock to the ground, greatly damaging and briefly stunning enemies. The cooldown on this ability is lengthy, and until fully charged, Miracle must travel by foot. While stunned, these enemies are vulnerable to all forms of damage.

Maldición: Sometimes we refer to something as both a blessing and a curse. Well that idiom is embodied by Maldición, who goes by Mal. With an extensive career in humanitarian efforts, Mal made the decision long ago to go rogue. Since then, there have been sightings of him across the globe. One week he may be helping refugees, the next punishing those responsible. Mal plays by his own rule, but he never lets a friend go without help. With his face covered by what appear to be bandages, and dressed in a black robe, There’s something very peculiar about this hidden warrior.

Primary: An orb is conjured from Mal’s own palm, and he casts it off with speed. Upon hitting an ally, the orb will moderately heal them. However, upon hitting a foe the orb will moderately damage them. This orb will not stop with a single target, however. The orb will pass through up to 3 players or AI before vanishing. The orb dissipates upon contact with any non-living substance.

Special 1: An ally has fallen, and their body lays as a respawn times ticks down. Mal isn’t known to be the patient type. He summons the corpse to pick up where the player left off, and the corpse charges into battle. Stronger and more intelligent than the standard bots of the game, summoned corpses will fight any foe which presents itself along the way, until dead. The corpse can be healed but only by Mal.

Special 2: Mal is a practitioner of the dark arts. While dangerous in nature, they can also yield great reward to the friends of the caster. Mal sends a curse towards an enemy, which will bite away at their health for the next 30 seconds to come. Slowly, but surely the foe will decay. After a full 30 seconds, 25% of the player’s max health will have succumb to the curse, if no preventative measures are taken (see shop description above). Mal can also link this curse up to an ally, who will receive all of the health drained from the enemy.

This is all a work in progress! I’m going to continue to add to this character list, and game description for a while to come!! Thank you SO much for reading! I really do appreciate any feedback! You can always contact me at the email listed here! Please stay tuned! For now, here’s a picture of a great and very proven MOBA! (For those wondering about the images I have been choosing to attach to the end of recent posts, if you scroll through my topic pages on my site, you’ll see that the images make the page much cleaner looking, which is important to me as someone who enjoys design & aesthetic)!