Synergistic gaming universe
by Paul Boyle · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 08/27/2001 (8:34 pm) · 3 replies
This isn't really a game idea per se, more of a development & marketing plan.
My idea is to market an online gaming universe built by multiple developers that contribute to a unified gaming experience.
What does that mean? Well, a player would log on with a unique persona, much like an MMORPG style game, but then he'd take on different roles once in the world. He might be a general, mayor, pilot, trader, chess player, gambler. He might just sit in a chat room.
He might play as the pilot being directed by other players playing as the generals, or play as the general being interacting with the politicians. Furthermore, some of the players statistics, rewards, and exploits would be common enough that one game could borrow and use, and upgrade them from another game.
Now you say to yourself, ok, I can do that online now, or just play a bunch of different games on my computer at home. Or you might remember that games that have tried to market themselves as having components from multiple genres haven't worked too well.
Addressing the first point, I say that games often distinguish themselves through tie-ins. In most cases its a tie in to a brand, like Tie Fighter ties into Star Wars. In some cases, a game is tied into a larger game, like the card games in the Final Fantasy series. In both cases, you got something out of the tie in. However, what made the card game work as a positive influence in the series rather than a negative one, was that players could opt out of pursuing it if they didn't like it. Sure, you missed some items, or a couple of side stories. That's part of what caused most multi-genre games to fail, they forced players to play things they didn't want to to advance. Also, you didn't have the same quality since the developers split their efforts up too much.
This is where garage games could step in to make a synergistic gaming environment real. What you need is -
1. Plenty of working members. I notice that most of the garage game developers are teenagers, without much experience, but who want to get out their first game and get it noticed. No one here has name recognition, but if you build a game to fit in the 'gg' universe, not only would you get garage games publishing help, but you'd get a more receptive audience. (of course, that also means you couldn't put out crap)
2. A central authority.
First of all, you want a unified theme and story, otherwise you really are just making a hodgepodge of games, and the central authority would have to decide on this, give designers some background material and help their games fit into the world. Making a sports game? Well, the central authority would help make sure it fits into the tech, the mythos, and culture of the world (ie, no battle bots in a high-fantasy world, no kiddy soccer in world full of bloodlust and darkness)
Second, you have to have a central authority to dole out the resources of the world. You want the chess game to affect a players intelligence stat, or the gambling games to affect their money supply, or the politics game to influence their rank and authority, and all these attributes would have an affect in other games, but if one game's rewards don't scale with other games, it throws off the whole world. The central authority has to make sure that a game doesn't affect the players persona unduly.
Third, the central authority has to set up some of the infrastructure of the world.. login, player-file access permissions, etc.
Garage games mentor system could be such a central authority
3. A back story. Some people might ask, why build games in a restricted creative environment. The answer is, that it helps build a brand, to make your game more popular, both because you're basing it on something larger than itself, and because it contributes to that brand, adding more stories and reality to it.
4. A common technology base. Since the development of such a universe would be decentralized, it would help if each separate component worked with a common network layer, and as many common dll's as possible, so your customer didn't have to switch from one engine to another when switching games. And in would contribute to the possibility of linking games more closely, for example, if someone were to build a linked RTS and simulation. Anyway, V12, nough said.
Anyway, this is the first draft of this idea, comments are welcome, and requested.
My idea is to market an online gaming universe built by multiple developers that contribute to a unified gaming experience.
What does that mean? Well, a player would log on with a unique persona, much like an MMORPG style game, but then he'd take on different roles once in the world. He might be a general, mayor, pilot, trader, chess player, gambler. He might just sit in a chat room.
He might play as the pilot being directed by other players playing as the generals, or play as the general being interacting with the politicians. Furthermore, some of the players statistics, rewards, and exploits would be common enough that one game could borrow and use, and upgrade them from another game.
Now you say to yourself, ok, I can do that online now, or just play a bunch of different games on my computer at home. Or you might remember that games that have tried to market themselves as having components from multiple genres haven't worked too well.
Addressing the first point, I say that games often distinguish themselves through tie-ins. In most cases its a tie in to a brand, like Tie Fighter ties into Star Wars. In some cases, a game is tied into a larger game, like the card games in the Final Fantasy series. In both cases, you got something out of the tie in. However, what made the card game work as a positive influence in the series rather than a negative one, was that players could opt out of pursuing it if they didn't like it. Sure, you missed some items, or a couple of side stories. That's part of what caused most multi-genre games to fail, they forced players to play things they didn't want to to advance. Also, you didn't have the same quality since the developers split their efforts up too much.
This is where garage games could step in to make a synergistic gaming environment real. What you need is -
1. Plenty of working members. I notice that most of the garage game developers are teenagers, without much experience, but who want to get out their first game and get it noticed. No one here has name recognition, but if you build a game to fit in the 'gg' universe, not only would you get garage games publishing help, but you'd get a more receptive audience. (of course, that also means you couldn't put out crap)
2. A central authority.
First of all, you want a unified theme and story, otherwise you really are just making a hodgepodge of games, and the central authority would have to decide on this, give designers some background material and help their games fit into the world. Making a sports game? Well, the central authority would help make sure it fits into the tech, the mythos, and culture of the world (ie, no battle bots in a high-fantasy world, no kiddy soccer in world full of bloodlust and darkness)
Second, you have to have a central authority to dole out the resources of the world. You want the chess game to affect a players intelligence stat, or the gambling games to affect their money supply, or the politics game to influence their rank and authority, and all these attributes would have an affect in other games, but if one game's rewards don't scale with other games, it throws off the whole world. The central authority has to make sure that a game doesn't affect the players persona unduly.
Third, the central authority has to set up some of the infrastructure of the world.. login, player-file access permissions, etc.
Garage games mentor system could be such a central authority
3. A back story. Some people might ask, why build games in a restricted creative environment. The answer is, that it helps build a brand, to make your game more popular, both because you're basing it on something larger than itself, and because it contributes to that brand, adding more stories and reality to it.
4. A common technology base. Since the development of such a universe would be decentralized, it would help if each separate component worked with a common network layer, and as many common dll's as possible, so your customer didn't have to switch from one engine to another when switching games. And in would contribute to the possibility of linking games more closely, for example, if someone were to build a linked RTS and simulation. Anyway, V12, nough said.
Anyway, this is the first draft of this idea, comments are welcome, and requested.
#2
2. Well, yes, a pre existing brand would be best, but it'll never happen, unless some small table-top RPG company out there is willing to license theirs for next to nothing. Thing is, people know they can't get away with being indepedant today, you just can't build a game that's worth anything as a single person, unless you have another Tetris up your sleeve, and if you do, you're not here. So why not join a bigger group, rather than a small one? If you go work in the industry, you're not gonna get creative control anyway, and most people here don't have the credentials to work in the industry.
3. Ok, point I didn't make clear was that along with the software glue that holds the world together, is a thematic one. I don't like doing this, but I'll use some other games to make my point. Let's say garagegames started up in the 80's, and got a license to make D&D based computer games. So first off, every player conforms to a certain set of rules laid out by the D&D books, and all first or third person single player action is dictated by those rules. But now they start adding games. Some might not have much to do with D&D as an RPG, they just borrow from the mythos. So you have commanders leading squads of hobgoblins or bugbears, a simcity-like game of village building, archery contests, dungeon building, etc. Your character would get between towns on horseback, and might pass the towns or battlefields of other players.
However, noone's going to get D&D, so the instead you start out with the germ of world like the D&D universe, a world that has a definite flavor but can still encompass all those genres we know and some that might come out only in such a world (like a real honest to goodness political power struggle game that didn't suck) and use games added to it to flesh it out.
Sorry for the run on sentences :)
08/29/2001 (4:23 am)
1. Yes, you're right, it takes a leader. Not that the garagegames people probably have time for this (after all, this is just the ideas board, we can be a little pie in the sky) but I'm sure if one or two of them got on the board, and said, ok, here's the theme, here's some background material, go for it, people would look seriously at either fitting their pre-existing game idea into it, or coming up with a new variation for it.2. Well, yes, a pre existing brand would be best, but it'll never happen, unless some small table-top RPG company out there is willing to license theirs for next to nothing. Thing is, people know they can't get away with being indepedant today, you just can't build a game that's worth anything as a single person, unless you have another Tetris up your sleeve, and if you do, you're not here. So why not join a bigger group, rather than a small one? If you go work in the industry, you're not gonna get creative control anyway, and most people here don't have the credentials to work in the industry.
3. Ok, point I didn't make clear was that along with the software glue that holds the world together, is a thematic one. I don't like doing this, but I'll use some other games to make my point. Let's say garagegames started up in the 80's, and got a license to make D&D based computer games. So first off, every player conforms to a certain set of rules laid out by the D&D books, and all first or third person single player action is dictated by those rules. But now they start adding games. Some might not have much to do with D&D as an RPG, they just borrow from the mythos. So you have commanders leading squads of hobgoblins or bugbears, a simcity-like game of village building, archery contests, dungeon building, etc. Your character would get between towns on horseback, and might pass the towns or battlefields of other players.
However, noone's going to get D&D, so the instead you start out with the germ of world like the D&D universe, a world that has a definite flavor but can still encompass all those genres we know and some that might come out only in such a world (like a real honest to goodness political power struggle game that didn't suck) and use games added to it to flesh it out.
Sorry for the run on sentences :)
#3
This is a link to an article talking about the game you envision. He calls it a PIG (Player Interaction Game) and later adds Feature Augmention Trend (Fat).
So what you want is a FAT PIG:)
Who doesnt want a FAT PIG? This is the holy grail of the online gaming commuity. And my personal dream.
I have a first draft storyline and game play ideas on paper. Its sci fi cause that truly maximizes this genre. Why there isnt a Star Wars, Star Track, or Battletech FAT PIG is baffling to me.
This game is why I came to this site in the first place and now I know what engine will handle the FPS elements. I just need to know where to go to for info on programing RTS and Sim games.
/start violen music
But alas, I feel Im just wasting my time cause I have no technical knowledge (I got a c in Turbal pascal 7 years ago for what ever thats worth). My only talent is imagintaion and organization and most people that can program and post here have those skills, so dont need me.
/stop violen music
I wish I had FAT CASH cause then I could supervise:)
btw the working title of the game is Imperial Millennium.
09/05/2001 (12:35 pm)
http://www.lumthemad.net/news/1596.phpThis is a link to an article talking about the game you envision. He calls it a PIG (Player Interaction Game) and later adds Feature Augmention Trend (Fat).
So what you want is a FAT PIG:)
Who doesnt want a FAT PIG? This is the holy grail of the online gaming commuity. And my personal dream.
I have a first draft storyline and game play ideas on paper. Its sci fi cause that truly maximizes this genre. Why there isnt a Star Wars, Star Track, or Battletech FAT PIG is baffling to me.
This game is why I came to this site in the first place and now I know what engine will handle the FPS elements. I just need to know where to go to for info on programing RTS and Sim games.
/start violen music
But alas, I feel Im just wasting my time cause I have no technical knowledge (I got a c in Turbal pascal 7 years ago for what ever thats worth). My only talent is imagintaion and organization and most people that can program and post here have those skills, so dont need me.
/stop violen music
I wish I had FAT CASH cause then I could supervise:)
btw the working title of the game is Imperial Millennium.
Torque Owner Bruce R Anderson
1. Getting any group of independant minded people is nearly impossible. Most you will find are here because they feel they have some fresh or new idea, and getting those ideas to work with other people's is not a simple task at all. As you have stated, there are no people with name recognition here - and to get people to work together it takes a leader. Of course this is not an insurmountable problem but it should be considered. Build a popular game title, then move on to a stage such as this perhaps.
2. The requirement of a central authority for something like this to work - essentially a set of "rules" that the developers would have to agree with beforehand. I would just have to see it to believe it when it comes to getting people to agree with such restrictions (granted they are quite necessary and I agree something similar would be required). Perhaps something like star wars or other highly visible could pull this off...
3. Introducing some kind of glue that creates a link between the various gametypes would be almost necessary otherwise what is the point? Playing one gametype should have an affect on the other games you play in some way...
Otherwise what you are describing is just an operating system. Granted one with an attached alias of yourself (a name that follows you around from game to game). This would have some advantages such as decreasing anonymity (and therefore making it intrinsically more difficult cheat), and perhaps (if done properly), would lead to a deeper game experience.
Perhaps what you are envisioning is a game that is basically a massive graphically enhanced browser of other games. "Drivers" for other games could be built by their designers (having the bonus of leaving their game independent) to work with this program - basically just creating a form of currency that could flow from gametype to gametype. A form of cyberspace if you will where players use their combined gaming expertise to measure themselves against eachother.
I am obviously missing some of your vision