General Discussion

Hey guys,

I read this forum quite a bit but never created an account.  Despite that in the years I've been lurking, I can't help but notice the lingering sensation that everyone is burned out on traditional mmo's ( myself included ).

So, more to the point, I have been developing an MMOTPS engine for a couple years and am pretty much done.  So now comes the content stage.  So I figure I'd go directly to the players.

My request is simple,  I'm gonna write out a general game description for what we're building, and you guys can tell me what you like / hate about it.


Would you play a game where:

-Sci-Fi
-Your character is a modable tank.
-Combat actually requires real time precision ( non automated ).
-If there is grind it's generally against other human players.
-Territory can be won / lost, which actually changes the mob spawns etc.
-The inventory system is comprised of hardware components for your tank.
-Inventory spec is primarily responsible for how a character plays.
-Inventory spec cannot be changed out of city.
-Inventory spec is based off managing heat, power and weight rather than attribute requirements.
-Attributes help enhance specific areas of play rather than create requirements.
-Three factions blow each other to pieces to pursue their ideals.
-Mobs can be affiliated to a faction and help defend.
-Time invested widens the gap but does not completely shut out players from killing you if you're sloppy.
-Quests deal more with current needs and random encounters than predefined pickup.
-Combat consists primarily of 'RvR'


As an indie developer with a full time non game job, it's getting harder and harder to motivate, so I feel that getting people involved would push me to finish it.

So, thoughts, comments, suggestions?

Looking forward to your feedback.

 

First of all GRATZ dude! Can't believe you actually made an engine must of been tough solo. I like your ideas it's really great stuff. You asked for suggestions and didn't know what I should put so I'm just telling you what I would like in a game and maybe you might consider some of them. I like the Sci-fi based plan you have too it hasn't really been explored all that much in games.

Ok, if your even considering this stuff or you may not be there yet but a game with a well balance of classes and skill based mmo would be awesome. Now some people say you can't have classes and be skill based but you can if you think about just think about CoH/V or SWG pre-CU, or CU. Also a game that has a good balance of PvP and PvE for both audiences. Alot of people would prolly just tell you "I want a sandbox!" but alot of people don't really realize what a sandbox is. If you ask me a Sandbox is a game were I am not forced to do anything and I can still progress, lots of creativity, and Freedom to roam anywere and explore everywere. If that makes any sense. of course there are restrictions to a sandbox their like the walls but I don't want to get too side tracked.

Also I know this would be hard but try not to make the game repetitive because I think thats what gets alot of people. I suggest looking at the LFG section of the Forums to see what people are wanting if you haven't already done that.

Gratz again on the Engine,

Deck.

P.S. A game that is also strongly player based would be nice to if it isn't too risky.

The op is talking about the game EVE right ??

Originally posted by damond5031

The op is talking about the game EVE right ??

The fasted thing in EvE is a webbed frigate getting blown up.

Sounds like Jumpgate except with tanks instead of space ship fighters.

I actually thought it sounded sort of like Auto Duel.

Originally posted by damond5031

The op is talking about the game EVE right ??

Eve does not use real time aiming.  The only Pay to Play game that does that right now is Jumpgate Classic and once released Jumpgate Evolution and on the human avatar side DDO to some extent.  But DDo still has to hit rolls.  If you swing and the guys jumps out of the way you get not roll at all if you swing and make contact you get to roll.  Jumpgate has no rolls if you manage to hit the guy it does something.

Neocron and Tabula Rasa have FPS=like action, but its automated aiming and , in the case of Neocron, to hit rolls as well.  These games are not real time aiming they simply limit targetting and play around with selection and interface to have a more "shooter" feel.  I think its a fun thing but its limited.

The biggest thing that would turn me off on this game is the same thing that turned me off with Eve online.  I can not get into the role of playing an inanimate object whether it be a tank, a spaceship, a car, a flower, a rock, a grain of sand, etc etc etc etc.  There is no emotional attachment for me to an inanimate object, there is nothign that I can more readily empathize with, if that makes sense.

Originally posted by grimfall

I actually thought it sounded sort of like Auto Duel.

Well technically Auto Assault was a lot like this, but it also did not have real time aiming.  A lot of people called AA Auto Duel as an MMO.  But AA was not real time aiming although its sticking targeting was slightly collision based and you could sort of manual aim turrets it wass essentially sticky targeting or a sort of catchall target if you used a cone based manual aim target.

However AA also had classes like DAOC with class powers and those interacted with the loadout via power useage or weapons so that is not really a great comparison even if people made it a lot.

Load outs themselves are a very common thing in vehicle based games really.  They all follow similar trends in how they handle them and what they do.

For example in Jumpgate you can change your Capacitor and your Power generator.  This affects your power cap and power regen rate.  In addition your throttle affects your regen rate.  So if you want to fire a lot of lasers really fast you need a great generator or you need a mediocre generator and slow down some.  Conversely you would need a big capacitor to shoot a slow firing powerful laser.

I am sure I could come up with 10 different vehicle games this is similar to.  Eve also has a Power cap versus power usage/regen dynamic.  Elite, X-wing (kind of), etc etc

I would say though that if you take Eve versus Jumpgate these dynamics mean something kind of different.  In Eve power management is a sort of stategic resource useage.  In Jumpgate its more tactical because of the realtime fighting.  By that I mean if you are pretty accurate and a good pilot you might go for the one big hit type configuration, other people might like to harry the enemy and fly ships that fire often.

In Eve its about the math behind it.  You might fly a Crow and get to a certain distance and out fly the eneimies turret rotation.   In Jumpgate there are good and bad tactics and loadout depending on ability.  There is still a backing math behind it but you have the added consideration of whether or not you can pull it off.  You can make a ship that flies like an Eve Crow, but some people may can't fly that evasively or fire in a devastating enough way.  And other may be great at it.

In Eve if I am flying a certain type of ship and I see a Crow if it has the right loadout and I have the wrong loadout, I'm probably screwed.  In Jumpgate its not so simple because in a similar situation the fast. delicate, hard hittin