An idea I am tinkering with

[Jackolantern]

I am thinking about making a web-based, real-time web game. It would be a multiplayer, semi-persistent RPG-ish game. Basically, when the server is started, the world is procedurally created. When players log in, they go through a fairly simple character creation process and enter the world at an "HQ" of sorts. The players can scrounge for items to help them, must eat and drink, with the over-arching goal to secure the game world, rescue NPCs hidden throughout the world by bringing them back to the HQ. All the while, players must hold NPCs enemies back from overrunning the HQ. If the enemies overrun it, the game instance is lost, and a new instance is spawned procedurally. If the players rescue all of the NPCs, they win the instance. The "semi-persistent" part comes in at the fact that a single game instance could take as long as a month to play out. The amount of enemies going after the HQ would be adjusted based on how many players are online, and warnings could go out if the HQ is being threatened. This could hopefully keep players from feeling like they always need a force at the HQ defending it (which could get boring).

Any players who survive to a win situation will be able to keep everything they collected from the previous game into the new game. But if a player dies, they must re-roll a new character to enter the fray again. And due to this permadeath, character advancement will be rather shallow, possibly held to picking up some new skills, or improving existing ones, to keep players from feeling that they have lost too much.

So what do you think? Any glaring flaws I am missing? Does it sound fun?

[vitinho444]

You say web-based, but is it graphical or text-based? If it's graphical then i think the idea is good, although like you said, it can get boring since the only goal is to retrieve NPC's to the HQ... Are there multiple ways of doing that?

Taking that out, it sounds good to me

[Jackolantern]

You say web-based, but is it graphical or text-based? If it's graphical then i think the idea is good, although like you said, it can get boring since the only goal is to retrieve NPC's to the HQ... Are there multiple ways of doing that?

Taking that out, it sounds good to me

It would be graphical, with kind of an old-school feel.

And that is just the main objective. There will be many other things to do, enemies to fight, etc.

[vitinho444]

Ahh right, then i think it's a good project

By "eating" you meant something like survival?

[Jackolantern]

Ahh right, then i think it's a good project

By "eating" you meant something like survival?

Yep! You have to find edible food and water and eat and drink to survive.

[a_bertrand]

Seems a good project, and... large one too

[vitinho444]

large one too

Agreed!!!

[Jackolantern]

Seems a good project, and... large one too

True, but the GUI I am thinking of may not be as complex as what you are picturing. The maps would be all tile-based since they will be procedurally created. The tile layouts won't be that complex. And movement will be tile-based as well, capable of requesting the server for each move. It is really closer to a browser game than a full-on animated MMO style game.

Still, I understand all the parts this would take, and it would still be a huge project. But I believe a doable one for one person with some graphic assets and motivation due to the more simple client

[a_bertrand]

Certainly doable. See cubicverse is actually running so if I manage to do it, you can certainly do it too. Not saying you are doing a clone of my project because you are aiming for something completely different. Just that the complexity can be somewhat compared, I do have procedural maps too, and multiple players on the maps too. Even if currently I have a limited interaction between the players.

[Jackolantern]

Certainly doable. See cubicverse is actually running so if I manage to do it, you can certainly do it too. Not saying you are doing a clone of my project because you are aiming for something completely different. Just that the complexity can be somewhat compared, I do have procedural maps too, and multiple players on the maps too. Even if currently I have a limited interaction between the players.

I'll be honest with you: I would have filed away Cubicverse as not doable personally. The fact that you actually have it running and playable is incredible and very inspiring. I don't think this idea is anywhere near that kind of scope lol.