If you could make a game...

[Russell of Los Angeles]

...what would it be like?

I want to make a massively multiplayer persistent browser based space colonization roleplaying game (mmpbbscrpg).

The premise is that a spaceship arrives at an alien world, terraforms it, and then starts sending down people that have been kept in stasis. A result of the stasis is substantial memory loss, so the people will not recognize each other when they land. Also, the ship sends people down in small random groups spread over a wide area for some reason. The ship could supply some handy things like basic tools, food, and maybe some written instructions for meeting other survival needs. The ship does not supply any laws or suggestions for creating governments. At some point, the ship will stop sending people (but may save some in stasis for later) so the people will need to increase their population the old fashion way.

Turns out the planet is alive, a single super-organism that evolved from technology of an intelligent species that transcended themselves. The planet didn't mind being terraformed. In fact, it was able to read the intentions of the AI of the colonizing ship, communicate with it, and even facilitate in the tarraforming process.

The technological powers of the planet are extensive. It has the ability to read minds, create items, make people disappear, slow aging, and (handily enough) accelerate people to maturity. Basically, it's powers can serve as explanations for apparent anomalies caused by the game design, such as bugs or rule changes, inactive players, players being able to play mature characters born to PCs without undue delay, etc.

That's my concept for the mmpbbscrpg. I call it Intergalantr. Who wants to program it?

[SekoETC]

I would make a game that would most likely start from the stone age and people could develop more and more advanced technology. There would be a difference between using a stone hammer and an iron hammer, so people wouldn't stick to using primitive tools if they can afford something better. Also people could create custom items by combining a wide range of components. It would be a system that supports and encourages innovation and diversity. If the system was flexible enough, staff wouldn't have to spend time on designing items because the characters would do that in-game, using the resources they have available. In addition to items, people could also create food recipes, games and maybe even choreographies.
People would be born to parents but people could also choose to have NPC parents if they don't care about bonding. People could be born as a baby or a child or a young adult. In small communities NPCs would be treated as individuals but in large communities they would be regarded as a mass, although some individuals could be separated from it. The same thing would go for animals, and actually why not objects as well.

[chase02]

If I were making a game, it would be more of a world than a game. More of a platform for creative writing and roleplay, really.

It would start with a heightmap with overlays of climate and rainfall. Then add water, climate and height-dependent vegetation and animals that roam and spread. Add finite resources, located realistically based on the terrain and climate models. Add weather patterns that move across time zones. Add a sun. Add the starter human population (no NPCs) and the ability to breed. Add animal domestication. Add separate object descriptions - sight, sound and touch. Add movement in any direction. Add item degradation based on environmental exposure. Add some interesting manufacturing and thieving options. Add SMS alerts with custom triggers. Add a whole heap of AJAX.

But then again.. I'm not making a game.

[Doug R.]

I'd just fix Cantr.



Besides that, I have detailed write-ups for three games, a boxing game, a mafia game, and a cantr-like game with support for NPCs and armies. If I knew how to code, I coulda got in on the mafia-game craze and made money. Hell, I could have been the first. Thought of it years ago. I'm like a car with no engine.

[chase02]

If I knew how to code, I coulda got in on the mafia-game craze and made money.

I know (IRL) a guy that did that years ago, he's laughing now. Gives away the latest consoles and stuff each month as prizes for each round. Crazy.

[joo]

Intergalantr

Laaawl

[SekoETC]

Chase, I'd play that game.

[Rebma]

Shiny pretty game. Honestly...If I had a game, it'd be more like a chatroom, where only I had the power to boot people out whenever I wanted. Sooo much fun.

[joo]

Shiny pretty game. Honestly...If I had a game, it'd be more like a chatroom, where only I had the power to boot people out whenever I wanted. Sooo much fun.

Are you thinking of an MMOCC?

[Rebma]

Shiny pretty game. Honestly...If I had a game, it'd be more like a chatroom, where only I had the power to boot people out whenever I wanted. Sooo much fun.

Are you thinking of an MMOCC?

LOL basically.

[Gran]

What I want is to make a online survivalist multiplayer world simulation (OSMWS), in a world constructed with the support of terrain and climatic generators to simulate the construction of the world itself and the support for free technological and structural development for the players, allowing them to build whatever they need to survive. There would also be the support of NPCs to help mantain a constant population and a AI to take over in case the player is not online and his creatures are in need, like under the attack of strangers, so that they would be capable of running away or, with adequate mind training, unite under a active chief to fight them off.

But what I really have always wanted is to build the Matrix, but turns out Will Wright is alredy working on it.

[BlueNine]

I think most of our games are recreating the world, just virtually.


The spawning system would have a set number of "seed locations" to start off (maybe 6 or so) that would be almost impossible to reach from each other in the early days (think continental divides) so that the population is divided into groups/tribes. Birth would be available from the onset (with a waiting time) but there is also the option to "wander into the location" (instant spawn, suggested for new players). That way brand new people to the game are most likely to "wander in" and since some of these will be "crazy newspawns" it would create a slight fear of outsiders compared to the born chars (i'd expect people who have played the game somewhat to eventually want to be born), which would be a nice touch of realism.

Technology would start off in the stone age with the bare minimum (bone/flint tools,writing(for rp's sake), fire) and have technology advance dependant on player population (so eventually as the player base increased (hopefully) technology would start progressing faster and faster, like it has in RL). How this would work is that each person would provide say 1 point per day to their location research pool and once this has reached a score given for a particular technology (eg: 500pts for "The Wheel") they would gain the technology. I would also make it so that once a person has moved from one location with a technology to an area without one whilst carrying an object which requires that technology, it decreases the price of that technology for them. (eg: location A is super advanced and has guns, location B is still in the stone-age. Char A travels to location B carrying a gun, location B can now get to the "gun" technology easier).


That'll do for now!

[Dudel]

I GUESS if I were to create a game it wouldn't involve much of what Cantr is.

Mine is simple to describe, take a little Elder Scrolls III Morrowind, add a bit of MMO and remove SOME, not all, of the NPCs and nerf the magic (A SHMIT LOAD).

Put it on a popular console, not a PC, sell it for $80 and then let the players do what they want to the giant landmass.

Add some more landmass later if need be but prevent any cross island transportation for some time.

Guess it would be FTO 3D minus the birthing system with just a dash of already established religion, politics, etc.

Some things need an OOC push some place or they NEVER happen in game.

[chase02]

Chase, I'd play that game.

Me too.. hehe.

[frenchfisher]

Historical Linguistics: the Game!!!!!!!!!!!11111!~!`111!~!`1~1!!!`!

...what, it would be more exciting than Developmental Psycholinguistics: the Game (your neural synapses have grown!...you now understand WH-MOVEMENT! Gain 50 XP!)