26 replies to this topic

[SpleenBeGone]

So I've been discussing with Diabolical_Jazz how interesting it would be to have an indie MMO that puts some unique features together. It's really just in the very starting idea stage, but here's some of the basic features we were discussing.

• Post apocalyptic future. Think a massively advanced civilization destroyed by natural events.
• A day/night system
• Large scale. Buildings will actually take time to explore, and traveling across the planet won't take 10 minutes.
• Interactive puzzles as vault locks and such.
• 90* planet rotation
• Player controllable cities

We also discussed the planet being mostly desert and tundra, as that would make it easier to do large landscapes and such, as well as a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head that hopefully he'll fill in on. I really like the idea, and would like to have at least a partial version of it one day. Games take a ton of work, not just from programming, but moreso having good features and story, so I'm looking to the community for ideas.

[Calvary]

If it's a game you want to put together, especially an MMO, it can be a multi million pound investment, you need to put together a team and buy server space, such an extensive world will set you back a lot and take a few years to produce. All the same, if there's a will there's a way, so I wish you the best of luck, if you need writers to get this thing off the ground you know my line of field. =)

[SpleenBeGone]

It's not going to be a big A title, just a bit of fun really. For now though, it just needs a basis.

Thanks.

[Calvary]

Hrmm, what specifically would you like the community to help with? Do you want help to build the world from the roots up and flesh it out? Or are you looking for people with knowledge of programming and model making? Unfortunately I can only help with writing and ideas right now, give me five years, and I'll be a programmer if the winds are in my sails. =)

[SpleenBeGone]

Just fleshing everything out for now.

[Calvary]

Hrmm, well, after Friday, I can actually offer a lot of help, if you want it that is, but I'd prefer it if you PM'd me so I could give you some contact details, it's easier to do projects like this (I have some experience) in a combination of real time and email, and I'm relatively certain I can trust you with my details. =)

[Wolf]

As a wannabe consultant, I would be glad to help you achieve this.

First, a few of these principals have already been implemented in MMO or other type games, we can take some notes from them [what works, doesnt work, etc] and, just because they've been done doesnt mean we cant do them originally.

First, I would recommend, even if you werent working on a game, watching Extra Credits. Basically game theory, and practice, with good information for people who want to get involved but dont know how. Im started on my third watching of all the eps, didnt feel like i retained enough. Good start : http://penny-arcade....a-game-designer

Preproduction is going to be our longest, and most purposeful phase being the group we are. It will give us time to iron out all the mechanics before we start coding them [trust me, they are alot easier to make, than to make, destroy, rebuild.]. This will also give us time to find people to fill the roles we will inevitably need, or train ourselves to fill them. Not having a budget or deadline means we can take advantage of no production cycle, we can just fiddle around with shit, if it doesnt work then we are out nothing but time.

As much as we all would like to just jump to, and completely work on every mechanic, we also have to realize there are limitations based on what engine we use [or, make].

Anyone can make a game, it takes method to make a good game, it takes spirit to make a great game.

Thank jeebus we have all three right?

[SpleenBeGone]

Hrmm, well, after Friday, I can actually offer a lot of help, if you want it that is, but I'd prefer it if you PM'd me so I could give you some contact details, it's easier to do projects like this (I have some experience) in a combination of real time and email, and I'm relatively certain I can trust you with my details. =)

Sure, we can do that.

As a wannabe consultant, I would be glad to help you achieve this.

First, a few of these principals have already been implemented in MMO or other type games, we can take some notes from them [what works, doesnt work, etc] and, just because they've been done doesnt mean we cant do them originally.

First, I would recommend, even if you werent working on a game, watching Extra Credits. Basically game theory, and practice, with good information for people who want to get involved but dont know how. Im started on my third watching of all the eps, didnt feel like i retained enough. Good start : http://penny-arcade....a-game-designer

Preproduction is going to be our longest, and most purposeful phase being the group we are. It will give us time to iron out all the mechanics before we start coding them [trust me, they are alot easier to make, than to make, destroy, rebuild.]. This will also give us time to find people to fill the roles we will inevitably need, or train ourselves to fill them. Not having a budget or deadline means we can take advantage of no production cycle, we can just fiddle around with shit, if it doesnt work then we are out nothing but time.

As much as we all would like to just jump to, and completely work on every mechanic, we also have to realize there are limitations based on what engine we use [or, make].

Anyone can make a game, it takes method to make a good game, it takes spirit to make a great game.

Thank jeebus we have all three right?

You pretty much nailed it. It's all about figuring everything out for now.

[Diabolical_Jazz]

OH HAY. ^__^

I've just been getting back to thinking about this, after all the chaos.
Still needs moar races.

[SpleenBeGone]

Yeah it does. >.>

[Wolf]

So, in keeping with your aforementioned gameplay decisions, I have an idea vomit

take/leave/discard whichever ones you want, lemme know which ones interest you so I can flesh out the systems more

Futuristic World destroyed by Natural Disasters:

After much though, I had to get my hands dirty with the story, something I didnt want to do

A great, natural disaster in which we can pull out the "Magic" card of unexplainable events

Solar EMP: Gamma radiation from the sun fucks up the earths magnetic field, and it takes a while to recover

This would destroy most complicated or fragile electronics. It would also set off the detonators for certain types of missiles [nuclear included].

In this, we would have an MMO where the remaining technology plays a huge role, which I wanted to represent through gameplay

I was thinking, most future tech was destroyed, leaving the remaining future technology extremely valuable. But one common, unused thing that made it:

Smart Phones

small enough to not take too much gamma radiation from the EMP, and sturdy enough to handle the amount that they got, without the internal components being completely trashed. After some work, though, the phones are re-purposed for survival tools. Im thinking your smart phone could be your map, your friends list, Geiger counter, etc. All the interface things could be through your cell, and unless you have your weapon sheathed and your phone out, you can't see your minimap or blips or stuff. This pushes the game more towards realism, but I think we can do realism with the gameplay, stylized with the graphics, and create a living stark contrast between what people think the end of the world will be like [stylized graphics] vs what it will be like [realistic gameplay]

I was thinking, we need central hubs for players to gather in. This will give them places to be social and form parties and whatnot. In a post apoc scenario the only thing we are going to be able to do, to get ALL types of players in a central area, is resources. I was thinking rare, but valued "Infinitum vendors", machines containing a futuristic mass called Infinitum [named for it's odd ability to yield far more mass than it has, it's discovering scientists named it Infinitum because they thought it could be a source of infinite mass.] which can produce for you... well anything. In exchange for useless money [as various resources become the new form of currency] the vendors can make you various supplies you will need, health kits, food, water, etc and by having variety in the machines [health vendor, ammo vendor, weapon vendor, etc], we can have towns have dependencies on eachother. Also, due to the fact that the infinitum ISNT infinite, I was thinking we could have players trying to collect it, letting them decide, through which machines they feed the Infinitum to, which cities become booming, prosperous places. And which ones just kinda fade away, temporarily.[ And for the love of god, someone think of a more creative name than Infinitum -.-]

We could easily create a dynamic world by having "Wandering storms", combinations of solar radiation and radiation from our own nuclear machinery, randomly move about the world creating high level areas where technology is useless. This could play a number of roles, from cutting off supplies between towns, to being places that high level fighters search out, to find rare gear and get good XP.

Another thought: A mix of fighting and non-fighting classes. We will, of course, have to have gunslingers and snipers, etc [and warriors if you think it fits] but I think we could also use "Techie" classes. Classes that are more of a production type class than a fighting type class. I want them to be a good thing to have in a party, but they should be leaning more towards staying in civilized areas, searching buildings for scrap electronics to make things out of. I think it should branch out, like a skill tree, into Hacker, Engineer, and whatever else. Hackers for things like getting past locked doors, shutting down security systems for a party to easily get through, etc. While Engineers look for scrap electronics to upgrade his smart phone, make better smart phones for players to use, upgrade drivers on Infinium vendors to produce more mass yield [high level end-game stuff, but it still sounds fun] create shops for players to visit [by making a vendor robot] and help fix any future tech that players may come across [Our version of Legendary items?]

Some things we need to consider:

Scarcity of bullets, from a story standpoint. I'll let you decide, more bullets can have us design a more "ranged fighting" system, where if bullets are a relatively rare thing, there will be a fair combination of melee and ranged, and i'll have to take both into consideration.

Enemies: I have no idea what you want us to fight, please have it be a little more creative than "Mutant monsters/people"

Area: Are we going to try to create a whole world, or just a huge playable area?

Buildings: We can have them be one time deals, where once it's searched, it's done, or we can have them reset randomly, and refresh with new loot. I was thinking maybe having different keycards for different instances. EX: You enter the building with an A keycard, you will play with everyone else [if there is anyone else] who entered with an A keycard. You won't even be in the same instance as people who have entered with a B keycard.

Like I said, Idea vomit, I have... so many more ideas, I just want your thoughts on these

Also: GIVE ME SOME GAD DAMNED STORY TO WORK OFF OF, GUYS

>.>

[SpleenBeGone]

Those are actually some pretty awesome ideas. We were just going to go with an asteroid. >.>

I like the smart phone idea especially, I think a lot could be done with that.

Starting with a huge playable area, eventually an entire world. Also, I think a mix on the buildings. Some like dungeons, others just simple areas.

[Wolf]

getting to design a dusty/grimey black sky would be pretty cool, and the people would all have to have dust masks on >.>

And all the lighting would be from actual lights xD

Why not both? Lets say, our advanced society knew of the impending asteroid [even being as simple as we are, they would see it coming]. They then spend a couples years crunch period developing a defense system, using high powered magnets to change the asteroids path, without any collision or danger from the human standpoint. The system, however, causes a geomagnetic storm [the human made equivalent of a solar EMP] when it is started for it's inaugural test run, ruining humanity and leaving us open for the asteroid, anyway. The company responsible for the defense system, General Mechanical, then goes ahead with their backup plan, shoehorning paying citizens into a huge underground society, built and run on Infinitum resources. With no worries about resources, money , social status, etc, humanity thrives and a truly peaceful economy is built. When the supposedly infinite Infinitum begins to run dry, though, the facade of a perfect civilization breaks, once more. Those who do not wish do deal with the extremely harsh underground wars for the last remaining bits of Infinitum look outward, to the outside world that was once uninhabitable, and given their choice: Die in a horrible, bloody, gruesome war, or try to live life in an uninhabitable wasteland.

The world up top, I want to be almost a shadowey mirror of our nature. I think there should be trees, but because there is no sunlight, they do not produce leaves, they have evolved to use the radiation as their food source, and as such, have turned black, limp, and barren. Green plants no longer produce chlorophyll, but a cholophyll- like substance that lets then turn radiation into trace amounts of nutrients, not enought to thrive, just enough to survive. As a result, the plants will be just as depressing

Of course, when storyboarders get ahold of it, it will be a little more fleshed out, but I think we may have an original premise

[SpleenBeGone]

I like the way you think. >.>

[Wolf]

*tailwag* Thanks

I just hope Jazz likes them as much...

And whenever I get some other ideas a little more coherent, then I'll pitch em

[SpleenBeGone]

I'm sure he will.

[Calvary]

Some sort of atmospheric escape would probably be caused by a solar EMP, but I considered a minor alteration which would render not only the same results as described by Wolfie, but additional ones that would cause life on Earth to become apocalyptic. A star, about 50 light years away - we'd have to make one up - goes supernova, the resultant blast would tear away much of our ozone and weaken, if not destroy the magnetic field, allowing more gamma radiation to blast the planet's surface. This would cause mutation in creatures that didn't die, which might add something to the list of enemies, however pseudo-sciency that may sound. It would also make Wolfie's idea about the phones not working so well, really good, most phones wouldn't work outright, perhaps you can have phones or a sort of PDA device, and organisation that maintain the connections would have immense power in this sort of world. Think of British Telecom or Virgin Media, then add them guns, perimeter fences, and guards at each fucking transmitter! =D

I'd really like to get on board with this, if someone wants to collaborate on writing up some story and stuff, PM me? =)

E: Only sturdy phones would survive, perhaps there should be a pun in-game, the player's phone or PDA device is named something akin to Nokia?

[Wolf]

Actually, seeing as General Mechanical "just happened" to fail with the defense system, and "just happened" to have to Infinitum backup plan, I figured they would be the shadowey figurehead type deal in this, having a huge advantage in the underground world, and being the pioneers of some kinda "Back to the top!" kinda propaganda thing that is the main force in humanity starting to go above ground again. But I want them to have a cold corporate approach to it, as they really only want to get some people to farm more Infinitum. The Infinitum [god we need another word for that, its so cheesy] Machines are spread out and concentrated in areas that would be of interest for General Mechanical [near working Future Tech, Infinitum Reserves, etc] and, aside from getting you above ground [in a hazardous fashion, like a giant, destructive, elevator?] and making sure you have a breathing apparatus, do not help you at all, players and maybe NPCs take part in your intro after that. They could be the ones running the phone service, and would theoretically have NPCs half-assed protecting the Infinitum Machines, which would further the machines becoming the social areas because there would be a lot of players, and some geared out NPCs protecting you. In the above ground world, human v human combat is highly frowned upon, too, making so the Infinitum Machines arent just a place to ambush hungry/dying people.

As far as going pseudo-sciencey about it, you would have to ask Danny or Jazz, I'm just kinda pitching gameplay mechanics that are tied up in the post apocalypse story, and I have somehow gotten myself caught up in storyboarding >.>. But I think since we are doing the graphics stylized, we should do the gameplay and story realistic.

[SpleenBeGone]

A supernova that close would look pretty epic in the sky. >.>

I like the nokia thing too. I wonder if we could get paid for product placement. <.<

[Wolf]

Virgin Mobile would go balls out and steal our game from us >.>