Guild Wars 2

Shriketalon.1937:

Chris Whiteside.6102:

Lets keep coming up with some awesome Horizontal Progression systemic ideas and also reward ideas?

Well, since Evee already brought up the skill customization most adeptly, I’ll throw Home Instance Improvement into the mix.

You have the code for "if X condition is met, item Y appears in the home instance* as demonstrated by the quartz node. This is a gold mine for rewarding achievements and activities in a more vibrant manner. Use several buildings or locations within each home instance as designated spots to transform based on the player’s completed objectives.

For instance, a hunting lodge area might reflect the Slayer achievements. If I gain Drake Slayer, a mounted broodmother’s head is added to the wall as a trophy. The community achievements could by the tavern growing and improving with new furnishings and new products. When you implement the skin wardrobe, an Armory might contain copies of all the weapons and armor the player owns, thus allowing a collector to view they massive armament ensemble stretching from wall to wall.

It can also serve as an economic incentive. You might construct a garden to let players plant different harvesting nodes, but the amount of space each one takes up is directly related to their rarity. Thus, I could add lots of Herbal Seedlings or Gummo Saplings, but only one Ghost Pepper or Mithril Node for a block of space.

And finally, it could be an excellent way to sell convenience in a simple format. With a “Return to my Home Instance” and “Leave my Home Instance” button that functions just like the Heart of the Mists trigger, you could allow players to use their home as a hub for their activities without losing their current adventuring location. Meanwhile, you add Merchant, Repair, Trade Post, and Grocer (sells all unlocked karma food bundles) to the gem store, giving people a permanent service access for a nice price. Oh, and sell an Unlimited Total Makeover Contract in the store there as well, because if you’re willing to give people an unlimited contract selling for the price of a legendary via holiday-only RNG, you might as well use the same tech to pay rent.

Just had to come on to say that I absolutely love this idea.