Key design principles
Individuality, personal progression, community integration, focus on online experience
New players
Tutorials to teach new players the complexity is a must.
There needs to be a tutorial map for each vehichle and each weapon.
The tutorial gets woven into the fabric of the game - it's an online thing so you will play a map that is a rocket launcher or shock rifle arena. After sufficcient experience online, you get to progress. You can also do this offline if you wnat, but it'll be a lot less fun.
The general concept is that you start off as cannon fodder in a massive Unreal Tournament universe. Think of roman gladiators - you will be at the very bottom of the rungs, will not be given permission to risk breaking any of the decent weapons let alone vehichles.
By doing your own job well - staying alive, not getting fragged too much, you gain credits.
Also key to this is that the objectives at the start is not to win a map. Just doing a small defined job reasonably well e.g. defending a flag, supporting a better player in a TDM is all you'd want to do. You get credits and progress a little if you loose, but get more credits for doing even better.
You get to buy access to new arenas that use and teach you new weapons, then vehichles as you get enough credit. This is the tutorial phase and should be a good game in it's own right. One weapon maps are good fun.
Character customisation
You should be able to identify key players from a distance - simplified but more distinct characters.
Vehichles also get customised decals to make them uniquely identifiable.
You get to unlock these features as you gain in game experience and complete objectives. This starts after you've finished the early arena stages
As well as gaining customisation experience gives you
-An in game rank, that will be a factor in picking teams, and creating equal teams.
-An in game profile that contains both your own information about yourself, and key statistics about how you play the game. Key unlocks will allow modified decals etc.
Landgrab and online tournaments
THe last bit I haven't thought through but players with enough cash get their own bits of land. The land corresponds to their real geographical location as mapped by their average pings to various servers.
Players buy other players services to play online Warfare, CTF and TDM. Players get paid in game cash for playing, and will be able to be called from other servers playing regular games into these key matches - abit like how PUG's work. THese will be fights over bits of territory between you and people that challenge you or that you challenge. You can opt out of challenges, and just have your own quiet uncontested corner if you want, that grows as you buy influence.
Custom content
Mapmakers, and server admins get some extra impressive custoimisation options. If a mapmaker is playing his own map online he should get a halo or something! There should be levels of maps
1. any map that's made and hosted
2. A map that's made and gets rated well by players
3. A map that's top rated
4. A map that gets Epic's seal of approval.
Epic should host redirects, and players should be able to upload any maps that are on their server favourites in-game, when they aren't actively playing online. Level 4 maps should be automatically uploaded onto all PC's unless players opt out. Level 3's should automatically be uploaded if a player checks the box.
That's it really. I'm not asking too much am I?!