The gods are back and they are looking for a fight.

Abstract
A multiplayer mod concept, with loose historical references and a novel way of managing respawning

Over 3000 years ago Zeus and the other Gods caused the death of thousands of warriors in a siege of Troy.

The year is 2879 and New Troy is once again the site of pure carnage.

I first consciously thought of this idea when I was corresponding with a mod developer about another MP idea. I started thinking about how spawning could be incorporated into a game or mod design from the outset rather than designers and players simply accepting the fact it happens.

I have little doubt that it has been done and maybe even this idea too, but as regular readers will know I don´t play MP games or mods.

Of course, we all suspend a certain amount of belief when we plays games and accept things that we wouldn´t normally e.g. how can Gordon Freeman carry so many weapons?. However, the respawning feature has been one that always bugged me.

Basically, the player is a hero from Homer´s The Illiad and fights against other humans and bots at the same time. Various Gods protect them, depending on the hero they play as.

The setting is obviously Sci-Fi and doesn´t have to be limited to one particular location. The idea of a New Troy could produce a wide range of locations within the city, so that shouldn´t be a problem. Open plaza areas, underground transit tunnels, spires with spiral staircases, industrial sections etc etc.

Just as the player is about to die, the God or Goddess that favours them performs some miracle and plucks them to safety. They will effectively have die as far as the mod’s stats are concerned but they will be transported to a new area and return after a few moments. Since dying and being respawnined is so ingrained within gaming, maybe the player is actually killed but brought back to life. The effect is the same, the player “killing” them gets their kill and any other benefit the mod transfers.

The mod would feature both human players and bots. The stories of old, including The Illiad, mention the heroes as well as the soldiers. The soldiers always outnumber the heroes by hundreds to one and this might work in this setting. The bots would be slower and much easier to kill than humans but provide “Honor” that could be redeemed for extra amour or stronger weapons.

They would also be a tactical element because you may have limited control over some soldiers near you and they can be used as defensive items or even distraction against your true enemies; the other heroes.

I am not suggesting a mod with spears and shields. New Troy is set in the future and the artistic design and be interpreted in many interesting ways. The same for the weapons. The Illiad and Troy should be used as subtle inspiration not accurate historical references. The only thing I would say is that long distance kills should be very rare, this should be an up-close-and-personal mod.

Well, there you have it. Do what you will with it.