Agree…

         *           *              *             *           *

A more realistic health system. Players were mere mortals, and I loved it. A sense of vulnerability, I believe, is extremely important to a true feeling of adventure. It’s good that a player is able to witness growth in character power, but not that the character is virtually boundless in the extent of that growth.

Most importantly, the health system ensured that NPC society was always comparable to player society, so the two could be one. In cases like EQ, where a level 60 player could stomp on an NPC king or legendary warrior without a problem, the capacity for players to associate with the NPC society (lore) is greatly hindered.

There should also be a sense of constance…that no matter how my character changes or grows, he or she will always fit a particular definition (a wookiee, a druid, an Athenian, etc) which is bound by particular traits and limits. For a world to feel real, it must have limitations. There should be some creatures and some NPCs that will always be beyond my power or reach.

               *         *          *           *          *

An open world. Combined with the health system, this meant that the player would encounter beings far below and far beyond his or her own power. Without both experiences, a world feels very artificial…like you’re just following a paved road with fixed encounters, rather than finding your own path and experiencing some encounters by happenstance.

           *             *            *          *          *

Scripted events and animations. Since SWG, this has been increasingly common, but the creature/NPC animations were wonderful. I didn’t just see a fambaa; I saw a fambaa grazing, wandering with its herd, and occasionally voicing a call or stomping. Animations are vital to making something seem alive (no pun intended). Events? One of my favorite memories is wandering into a firefight between Imperial NPCs and Gungan NPCs. Seeing something happening in the world without player input was captivating.

        *                *              *           *             *

Encouragement of unscripted activities. One of my other favorite memories was the result of player actions, encouraged by game lore and mechanics. Do you remember the scene from the original Star Wars film in which Obi-Wan ends a quarrel in the cantina with a lightsaber? In SWG, I was resting in a cantina, listening to music and watching dancing, when a Stormtrooper and Rebel broke into a shootout. The music, dancing, and conversation stopped during the fight and resumed the moment it was over…just like in the movie. Even without the movie tie-in, this would have been a great moment, because the silence and attention surrounding the fight was so human, so natural. It felt real.

Now, in response to your questions:

Appearance matters, but it’s only viable to opt for appearance over stats (in regard to combat gear) when the health system prevents the stat effects from being overly dramatic. Both SWG and Oblivion permit apparel choices for vanity…Oblivion because the enemies level as you level (thereby somewhat simulating a constant health stat).

Emote animations are probably financially efficient due to their power on player retention. I’ve noticed that players are much more likely to take interest in roleplay and emoting when animations are available, and social play is a strong retention factor.

A run/walk toggle option means nothing to me unless the NPC world responds. If an NPC lady bopped me on the head for running in her house, I would enjoy the option.

Even non-achievement gamers like me need opportunities to struggle and strive, but how and what are unlocked through gameplay should make sense. The example you provided doesn’t. If it only makes sense in terms of mechanical balance, that’s not good enough, because players should not be expected to care about the mechanics underlying their game experience. As with films, the audience should lose themselves in the experience and analyze its delivery only afterward. I’m actually a big fan of unlockable content, but I believe most of that should be unintentional (the player is not aware of what is in store or how to approach it).

I believe most developer-provided content should be non-verbal. Players should experience adventures as the fluid result of player choices, independent NPC activities (not directly in response to player actions), and luck. True adventure comes to you, not you to it. Remember what Bilbo used to say: “It’s a dangerous business going out your door…”.

I think players should be able to offer experiences to one another that are not essentially social. In a gameworld that does not offer experience as a reward for everything, merchants and crafstman, and perhaps other professions, may be encouraged to hire other players for contract work (play). If a crafstman, to acquire particular craft components, can save a significant amount of time at the expense of a few extra coins, he may hire help. Economics is a fun meta-game for many. Where a game could really shine is to empower players to offer quick and easy rewards beyond money. Other possible rewards include knowledge (maps, for example; though spoiler sites are a consideration), skill training, faction (”i’ll put in a good word for you with the [NPC] king”) and items.