Its officially been more than ten years since mabinogi was released, a little less for NA. I think its time for a mabinogi rebirth, much like maplestory's, not the half-assed one they're doing now. (Although I do enjoy the changes they are making, but I thought of those changes five years ago...) I mean a complete rework, it instead of added partial fix over partial fix over a dusty foundation. The game's foundation was based an extremely ambitious premise, in many ways that's what still holds it back today, despite efforts over the years to fix it. I want to hold the things that keep mabinogi special in more importance, but bury its flaws.

I suggest a three part update:

• Visual Update

• Combat Update (To simplify and add more variance and challenge in combat, and bring it closer to the category of "action" we have today, while keeping precedence to strategy)

• Theory Update (Change how we as players approach mabinogi from start to finish, the game's mechanics when it comes to living our fantasy life and growing ingame, and the importance on certain concepts)

Visual Upgrade

I'm not asking to change the models or anything, mabinogi's unique art style is one of its main selling points. But have you seen the grass tiling? It's literally horrible, and extremely outdated for 2013. So let's start from there. I want to do what they basically did with Wind Waker to Wind Waker HD,

More colors and gradients, sharp shadows, and light and shading

This is a simple fix design wise, but it takes time I know but I can only imagine the cel-shade enviroment of mabinogi getting intensely beautified. There's no reason that any piece of a character's design should be one single color, that's poor design, even the cheapest robe should employ a gradient of some sort, only utilize vibrant or bright colors, and sharp shadows.

I really want us to do away with every 2D image in mabinogi gameplay, starting with the sky, as you can always measure a game's level of design by its sky.

colorful skies, 3D clouds, screen flares, and perfect moonlit lighting, filters

I mean a screen-flare that occurs when the sun is in view, the sky doesn't have to be green or something just employ several varying shades of blue, purple, red, pink, and orange. When I refer to nice moonlit lighting I refer to the design idea of BnS at night You see the sharp outlining of light around the character's body, with a pale overtone that distinguishes the player from the environment. I want filters because I want mabi to look like it does in its trailers, and cutscenes all the time. A subtle set of filters that varies the vibrance of certain colors over the course of the day so that every image is always beautiful in its own way.

More weather events, and weather particles

More snow in wintry areas, with snow particles the fall down the screen. The splashing of water against the screen during the rain. The flash of the screen at a nearby lightning strike. A orange tint over the screen at the appearance of fire. And the flight of leaves past your characters on a windy day all contribute towards a game's beauty. Mabinogi was the first in my opinion to employ weather, we should excel at it. Windy weather event can even be used to employ other elements like long hair and scarves by putting up an illusion of cloth physics.

All textures should be updated, 3D Grass

I think all textures should get a revisit and addition to detail, that includes the bricks, the walls, the wood, the dirt, the water. But instead of going towards ambitious realism lets aim for anime-esque color, instead of a near real field of hay, lets have an indistinguishable high rise of yellows and oranges swaying in the wind. Its easier on the system and eyes. I believe all transformations and demigods should get a new more current model. But the grass tiling should be replaced by 3D grass no exceptions.

Flashiness & Water

What you guys did with guns was great, a little too much, but on the right track. So how about we do the same for all the old skills. For god's sake why do we still have 2D bolts, firebolt is ridiculously flat and uninspiring, we charge lightning bolt from the air around us yet fire from the ground. Sword strokes seem so much better with a trail of light after them, a visual impact with blunts can help players with spacing, wind trails on skills like windmill and magnums will tell players the range and splash of their skills while improving the look. Sheathed positions for most weapons for all races would made to more similarly match giants', dual swords would cross the back, lances would rest at the tailbone fully extended, the alchemy turret would rest fully extended across the back diagonally, shield doesnt sheathe unless the player is switching to a two handed weapon, guns cross at the tailbone. For water in mabinogi, many mmos try to revisit water later in their prime add a little more particle and color but ultimately fall short, to me that's because they fail to see the biggest fault with this approach, water is not a flat mirror. Replacing lakes and ponds with a transparent blue and filling it with an animated ecosystem underneath it would be a great idea, and give life to the old blue tarps. For seas and oceans, a highly detailed blue mirror would suffice.

GUI Suggestion

I think Windows Charm menus and Apple's Finder Folder view were great design ideas for their OS for viewing large amount of data at a time. With the great volume of skills, talents, and items players have to view nowadays a colorful, sideways progressive menu can easily solve problems with clutter while keeping great design. And for god's sakes update character creation and the character loading areas, you're probably losing 50% of potential new players on that alone.

Tell me what you guys think, I want to bring these ideas up in mabi forums next, and even work on mod examples of these ideas. I'll talk about my suggestions for combat and game mechanics later.