This game is already ground breaking on some points, but I think it could be ground breaking even more, and let's say, WAY more for an MMO, with this idea.
Currently, you got soft and hard hp ; Soft = consciousness and Hard = Vitality. You can guess what each does when they reach 0.
I'm okay with Soft HP, and think it should stay as it is, but Hard HP, I don't really like it.. But with the current wound system, I got this idea ,
Remove the HARD HP bar
"But, how will people die then ?" may you ask. Well, good question ! I think you should only be able to die (in a matter of seconds), if you receive a severe enough wound to vital body part (upper torso, belly, head), or if you starve, get too cold / hot. Wound system would be used to its maximum; make ALL the wounds give you a debuff ..
Wounds in the leg (cuts, fractures) make you slower, attack slower (Less overall balance), and that kind of stuff for all the body parts.
Fighting someone to death would basically be like in real life (when you think of it). Disable / "debuff" him until you can manage to land a strong enough hit that is gonna disable a vital organ, or make him bleed to death internally / externally.
For example, it could be like that in the game ; Two Two-handers with plate armor charge eachother, one eventually lands a devastating cut to his foe's leg, slowing in down, maybe even putting him on his knee. The one who hit him takes advantage of that, and aim for a killing hit ! He winds up and hit his foe's head so hard, he decaps him (and THEN the guy is dead, no matter if he was healthy or not before). Or maybe he could stab him in the heart, I dunno.
What would this change, in everyday combat ? Well, would make armor actually useful (hits have to be stronger to actually harm a body part, easy to "theorize" it), and also, combat would be better in general ! What sense does it make, when you don't kill someone when you slashed him in his head, but finish him off by putting an arrow in his foot ??
Also, there would be an actual way to slow people down, and being in combat naked would be far more dangerous, because a hit would likely debuff you horribly, making you an easy target. People with armor would thus have less risk for that, and would be able to sustain hits in the non-vital body parts, and have less chance to have their vital parts hurt enough.
But two questions remain .. how would bleeding be handled ? Well, think it would decrease your soft HP, and when you faint, if the bleeding doesn't stop naturally after a short period, you would have to be healed urgently, or you end up dying.
And, what would be difference between blunt and slash wounds ? Vital organs, if hit by blunt or slash / piercing damage, would provoke death anyway (no difference between piercing ribcage than breaking all the ribs when you want someone to die). But for non-vital body parts, slash would make you bleed, and fracture would make the normal debuff a lot worst (you are slowed a lot more when you got your leg bone broken than when you just got a cut), or maybe they could have a chance to provoke internal bleeding..
What do you guys think ? I think combat would be more enjoyable, and would favor more skilled fighters.