Wonder if the whole revolutionary part of this is that there are no NPCs, but instead all roles of the game are players. Including all the scumbag creatures that you venture out to murder. Mobs = players/a guild playing a spider class (think the spiders in Harry Potter) getting stronger and leveling up until becoming a badass named/raid boss. Quest givers = players designing and building quests and leveling up to be better quest givers, unlocking better tools, rewards, and buffs for completing them. Same with crafters, adventurers. .literally everything moving and doing shit in the game is a player character. We aren't fighting NPCs, but other assholes that are leveling up their role, whether they are a traditional humanoid, undead hordes, giant spiders, giants, etc. Essentially all encounters would be PvP; questing, trading, combat, etc. The creatures would want to kill you as much as you want to kill them; not this do the same thing until their life hits 0 stuff we've been accustomed to.
Do this with chivalry-esque combat and you have the best game ever made.
EQ one tested the "control an enemy" thing and it was incredible. It also fits with the "didn't have the technology [Storybricks] to do what we wanted [players designing quests and content]" quote from Brad. The guild/group of spiders above could basically design their lair [guildhouse] which would actually be a dungeon to those who were not spiders. The spiders wouldn't just be pacing around in the grass, but would actively be trying to kill everything else. Maybe they make a peace deal with the guild of wolves or whatever, and they group up and kill any assholes that come around their territory. But adventurers want to come to their territory to get sweet sweet loot.
There's your sandbox.
