In a given MMORPG, how many different types of each equipment class (i.e. counting swords, bow&arrow, shield, armor, hats etc. separately from each other) is the ideal number (i.e. 8, 20, 100)?
Wouldn’t that depend on a million different factors besides the fact that it’s an MMORPG? I mean, the question of what genre it is ALONE would change the generic number.
Well … let’s say in the style of Final Fantasy XI, then, to take an example at random. Or maybe something Ragnarok Online-ish.
RO had 15:
- Axes
- Books
- Bows
- Claws
- Daggers
- Katars
- Maces
- Musical instruments
- Spears
- Staffs
- Swords
- Two-handed axes
- Two-handed staffs
- Two-handed swords
- Whips
FFXI had the following:
<ol><li>Hand-to-Hand</li>
<li>Dagger</li>
<li>Sword</li>
<li>Great Sword</li>
<li>Axe</li>
<li>Great Axe</li>
<li>Scythe</li>
<li>Spear</li>
<li>Katana</li>
<li>Great Katana</li>
<li>Club</li>
<li>Staff</li>
<li>Archery (bows)</li>
<li>Marksmanship (guns)</li>
<li>Throwing</li></ol>
Then there are tons of different armour classes etc.
Don’t bother making your own MMO, won’t work.
FFXI has subclasses of all said weapon classes as well.
I meant more number of each. Like Sword, Jaded Sword, Fire Sword, Excalibur, etc. And who says I’m making my own MMO? I’m just curious. 
That would depend on the game itself, how many players you intend to have, whether its all taken off enemies, or made by players themselves, etc. I’d say start small and add a many as you can after that while staying ‘balanced’ while not having them seem too similar in nature.
what is this for, anyways?
Really, this would depend on the graphical interface of the game, such as do all the swords/axes/bows/etc look alike but have different stats, or does each individual weapon have its own unique graphic?
If the game will be Diablo-ish (or Helbreath-ish), meaning that the graphics are not a static thing, then a very large selection within each class is a must, but it’s equally important to not throw everything out at once. No matter how cool your Two-Handed Bastard Sword Of Virility is, people will eventually get bored by seeing and using the same stuff over and over. Save some stuff for later updates, to give people something new to look at.
A simple, effective way to do things is to base the number of weapons in each class off of the maximum level/stat limit that a player can hit. If you’re going to be traditional, then the better weapons will probably be for characters with higher strength, dexterity, and so on.
Ideally, there would be three ‘tiers’ of weapons, the lower, middle, and superior, where the requirements and effectiveness of each weapon are raised respectively. It’s important to give players something to train for (“I can’t wait until level 100, when I get that badass sword/helmet/plate mail! Then it’s only 50 more levels until the Horned Helmet of Yoo-Hoo!”), but you cannot leave out the beginners or those who remain at a low level on purpose, either.
Of course, this all depends on the type of game we’re looking at. The amount of character customization (for example, are weapons the only way to fight, or is there magic?), the amount of supported players, and the way the game will actually play are important factors.
The best way to do it would be to use YOUR best judgement, throw in what looks good and fun to YOU, and then do some closed alpha once this model of the game is playable. Have some friends playtest it. It’s best to have people that are actually friends, because friends won’t hesitate to tell you something sucks, is unnecessary, or needs improvement; they know you trust their judgement.
Hope that helps.
EDIT: If you need help selecting some items, use this strangely arousing item generator.
Well, really it’s more a long-term thing I had in mind, but I’d been toying with the notion of making a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon – basically a text-based MMO, roleplay-free, “gameplay” consists of whacking stuff until they stop moving) using code designed for a MUSH (Multi-User Shared Hallucination – roleplay oriented, some MUSHes don’t even allow combat). This bastard offspring would be called a MUSCRAT (Multi-User Systemic Combat, Roleplay, And Thtuff).
EDIT: Oh, and one of the items I got with that generator was a Refrigerator (8-9 damage), and another was the:
<center><font size=+1>Half Believed Badger of the Mind</font>
8 - 9 Damage
Ignore Monster defense
10% decreased attack speed
All attacks contemplated for worth and value and purpose</center>
Why don’t you come make a Discworld game in RPGMaker 2k3 or XP with me? I am planning to make a game out of The Colour of Magic.
Funnily, that Badger of the Mind’s stats are worded the same way as diablo 2 items. The generator must be based off it.
Because, frankly, the nature of the characters and the story precludes any possibility of, well, working within an RPG. A text adventure, now, that’d be different.
There’s already a discworld mud which’s been running for years, so you’ll start with heavy copetition.
Didn’t say it’d be Discworld themed. In fact, I’m not quite sure about the theme yet (the idea I have right now is a sort of cross between Ragnarok Online and Final Fantasy X) …
That…ROCKS. XD
Thank you. Another idea I had was Multi-User Systemic Combat/Roleplay Activity Thingummy. 
Ro had a much smaller selection of equipment than FFXI because of its stat point system. Because of FFXI’s static point gain system, it needs a much bigger selection of equipment to make up for that so players will at least have SOME sort of customizability. The only things that set your character (ie disregarding your personal skill) are subjob and its level, and the equipment you wear, and subjob’s not such a big factor.
The amount of weapons that you have isn’t based on the graphics, it should be based on how much freedom players have in making their character different in other areas. RO has weapon sprites, and there aren’t really that many weapons.
And FFXI’s subcategory of weapons doesn’t do anything. You’ll find different types of weapons in larger category in almost any RPG.