Forum:Ideas for the Sequel

As many of you know, GearBox and 2K Games are planning to release a sequel to Borderlands, which may be called Borderworlds. I just wanted to run a few ideas past you guys and see if we can come with agreement on features we would like. Then, if possible, we can transfer this to the official GearBox & Borderlands Forums in hopes of a developer seeing it. Please comment on the ideas, as I think we all want the best possible experience for the sequel. This is my list so far (in no particular order):

1. A widely varied environment. These could include deserts, forests, islands, a canyon with a flowing river, industrialized cities, war-torn cities, mountains, valleys, caves, swamps, and a siberia. Some of these areas are included in Borderlands, but only in a small degree.

2. More Enemies. The current line-up of enemies are fine, but every game can always turn it up to eleven. New enemies could be mutant bears, snake-like creatures, and giant amphibious creatures (frogs, lizards?). Of course, there would always be BadAss versions, along with the varying Elemental Types. The gameplay could also become very intense if some of Pandora's ancient wildlife (the skeletons lying around) were resurrected.

3. A weapon creator. This wouldn't be so much as grab a weapon, take it to a store, and edit it, as it would be your player starts with their specific weapon type, and as the game progresses, you are able to edit it. For instance, if your player's specific weapon type was SMGs, when the game starts you would be able to make basic edits and new additions to it. As you play through the game, you would be able to find random accessories for your gun and pre-scripted accessories to help increase the stats and better design choices. Even the possibility to add your own paint/camo could be added. Now some may not want to carry this gun with them. If that's the case, you can sell the gun and free up backpack inventory. But maybe later in the game you wish to have that gun back. You could go to a weapon store and buy it back as it last was, except with a 5% decrease in all stats. Depending on your loot, this gun could be the ultimate killing machine, or it could be stowed away in your backpack collecting dust.

4. Melee Weapons. This is an easy one, the addition of 5-10 melee weapons to create a more unique gaming experience. This could range from Plasma Swords to massive Gauntlets. The items in between could be normal Swords, Combat Knives, Lead Pipes, and Energy Blasts. Each would have their own pros and cons and would suit each player's play style. There could also be 1-3 specific slots in your Inventory just for Melee Weapons, thus not taking up any of your vital backpack space.

5. Secondary Grenades. These grenades wouldn't be new grenades with a minor effect, but just a secondary grenade of your choice. So if you want, you could throw Corrosive Bouncing Betties, but as your Health began to deplete, you could press another button and throw a Transfusion to heal your player. The entire point of this addition is to cut down on the time it takes to go through your Inventory just to switch grenades for a quick battle.

6. Company Loyalty. The more you use a company's weapons, the better you become with them. Also, it would make it more likely that the Item of the Day in a store would be of your favorite brand. Say all you use is Jakobs, and you never use Torgue. When using Jakobs' weapons, the stats would be boosted, but if you used a Torgue weapon, the stats would be nerfed. If you went to store, it would be very likely that the Item of the Day is a Jakobs, and it would be extremely rare for it to be Torgue. These affects wouldn't be permanent, so it could constantly change. An easy way to determine the loyalty is to keep track of the player's weapon usage out of 100%, and depending on the percentage, the stats would either be boosted or nerfed. Weapons above 50% would have stat increase and weapons below 50% would have stat decreases. These percentages would also determine the probability of the Item of the Day Company.

7. Extra Weapon Profiencies. The Profiency System is fine as is, but there should be more of each weapon type. Have additional slots for Repeaters and Revolvers, along with Combat Rifles and Machine Guns. Add Profiences for Melee Weapons and Grenades. There could even be Profiencies for each Elemental Type.

8. More Vehicles. The extra vehicles in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx was very much needed, but sometimes more is better. Another 4 player vehicle would be cool along with motorcycles. If the areas where a player must travers over water, add in 2-3 types of boats/ships.

9. A more varied and in-depth Skill Tree. I am a fan of the players not being able to fill up their entire Skill Tree, but having a greater variety of Skills between players is a must, along with the addition of the Skill Tree going into 5 to 6 tiers. This game does a great mix of a FPS and a RPG, but many crucial RPG elements are left out. Force players to make game-changing decisions. The decisions in the Skill Tree could completely change the playstyle of a character and make the gameplay an entire new experience.

10. Cutscenes and Storytelling. Anyone who has played Borderlands knows there is very little storytelling. Add more cutscenes that explain what has and is currently happening so players don't feel completely lost. There doesn't need to be an overhaul in the game with cutscenes everywhere, but when the story becomes fuzzy and hard to follow, there should be a cutscene.

11. Greater NPC interaction. Give the NPCs standing around something to say. Maybe there is a good deal at a store, then have the NPC tell the player. Give certain NPCs hidden quests. In some cities, have a couple NPCs establish a trading post. The player can talk to the NPC and they will give the minimum specs of a weapon they want, and in return, they will give the player a weapon of some rarity (mostly purples, but occasionally oranges, and very rarely, pearlescents).

12. Co-Op Freedom. Allow players when in Co-Op to be in separate areas. Keep restrictions if it is needed. This could be something as the players can only be in two different areas at a time. If there are four players active, each player would not be allowed to be in their own area. Also, allow any player to host, but they can choose which player's story to follow. Say you are playing with three of your friends. The player who hasn't progressed as far in the story is the player you want to follow. But they have horrible connection, causing the gameplay to be unbearable. You, on the other hand, have excellent connection and the gameplay is lag-free. You would be able to host, then choose to follow the story of your friend who hasn't progressed as far in the story.

13. Armor. Randomized armor could be hidden all throughout Pandora to boost player's Health along with new appealing visuals. To keep it simple, the armor is not interchangeable and comes as an entire unit. Each specific player class would have between 20-30 different kinds of armor each with their own bonuses.

14. A Home. Give the characters a place to store weapons and armor. Just a place to sit back, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Give the player the choice to buy stores and have them placed in their home. Your home wouldn't be the only place to store weapons and armor, there can also be multiple banks to store weapons on the go (These banks would all share the same stored items, the purpose of multiple banks is to cut down on traveling).

15. MORE WEAPONS!!!

Sorry for the long post, please tell me what you think. -- Pwnage19 02:48, March 15, 2010 (UTC)