SANDPARK -- It could be a very cool experience, especially if it is open-ended enough to allow the development of scientific breakthroughs, inventions, religions, and whole civilizations trading and in conflict. Hell yeah. I would play that for a long time.

I'd mix prehistoric and modern themes, like the mixed mesozoic/western mashup of Dino Storm.

Damn I have been wanting to do this game for years. Community ideas are great. I'm bookmarking this thread.

I'm currently trying Ogre 3D, If anyone feels like participating, send me a message :)

Oooh! :D

I like the imagery of this idea.

In my opinion this would have to focus on essential tools and resources in order to survive the harsh wilderness... Depending on how far back we're talking, I see basic items such as rock-hammers, flint and steel, and the like... Resource gathering, things like skins, wood, stone, bone.

I don't envision a traditional quest system, more of a "sandboxy" approach in the sense that, you're in this world, you join or start your little hunter-gatherer clans, and you fight to survive.

Take over other clans, make huts, build huge bonfires.

Hunt wildlife...

This sounds really fun!

Of course, everything I just said has probably already been mentioned, but there you have it.

Regardless, a great MMO that just drops you into the middle of the pre-historic wilderness, finding other players...

I wouldn't see the use for NPCs, either.

Awww... I'm pumped now...

Originally posted by twstdstrange

Oooh! :D

I like the imagery of this idea.

In my opinion this would have to focus on essential tools and resources in order to survive the harsh wilderness... Depending on how far back we're talking, I see basic items such as rock-hammers, flint and steel, and the like... Resource gathering, things like skins, wood, stone, bone.

I don't envision a traditional quest system, more of a "sandboxy" approach in the sense that, you're in this world, you join or start your little hunter-gatherer clans, and you fight to survive.

Take over other clans, make huts, build huge bonfires.

Hunt wildlife...

This sounds really fun!

Of course, everything I just said has probably already been mentioned, but there you have it.

Regardless, a great MMO that just drops you into the middle of the pre-historic wilderness, finding other players...

I wouldn't see the use for NPCs, either.

Awww... I'm pumped now...

This is somewhat like what Xsyon attempted/is attempting, only in a post-apocolyptic scenario. I'm not sure how successful they've been since their launch with hammering out bugs, etc. But you might like some of the concepts.

Not sure if it's been said but i would do it as BC was supposed to be.

Ooohh!  I played for two months and just figured out how to cook a pig!  FIRE!  Wooo! 

At level 57 you might get lucky enough to get an epic drop.  Which is the legendary "sharp stick".  Which is better than the regular stick you got at level 45.  And much better than the twig you used at level 20. 

Other weapons include such epic things as "a rock", "another rock", and " sharp fingernails ".  

Originally posted by Corehaven

Ooohh!  I played for two months and just figured out how to cook a pig!  FIRE!  Wooo! 

 

At level 57 you might get lucky enough to get an epic drop.  Which is the legendary "sharp stick".  Which is better than the regular stick you got at level 45.  And much better than the twig you used at level 20. 

 

Other weapons include such epic things as "a rock", "another rock", and " sharp fingernails ".  

This is actually funny :D

Originally posted by twstdstrange

Oooh! :D

I like the imagery of this idea.

In my opinion this would have to focus on essential tools and resources in order to survive the harsh wilderness... Depending on how far back we're talking, I see basic items such as rock-hammers, flint and steel, and the like... Resource gathering, things like skins, wood, stone, bone.

I don't envision a traditional quest system, more of a "sandboxy" approach in the sense that, you're in this world, you join or start your little hunter-gatherer clans, and you fight to survive.

Take over other clans, make huts, build huge bonfires.

Hunt wildlife...

This sounds really fun!

Of course, everything I just said has probably already been mentioned, but there you have it.

Regardless, a great MMO that just drops you into the middle of the pre-historic wilderness, finding other players...

I wouldn't see the use for NPCs, either.

Awww... I'm pumped now...

So what would the players be? Homo Sapien, Neanderthal, Erectus?

I was reading about Homo Erectus the other day. Those guys were studs. They measured the speed of some footprints running and found that the guy was running faster than the current world record, and pointed out that it was unlikely that these footprints belonged to anyone who was above average for them. They were a tall Neanderthal, basically. 6 foot tall on average. Same structure except as modern man except for the skull/face but more powerfully built than modern man.
They'd make for a great MMO race as far as athletic ability.

Alley Oop Online, only without the time travel.

I would make it like ARMA of operation flashpoint for combat and production or similiar to Mount and blade warband

it would go something like this

You are ..."Uklangor" you start with your cave tribe of ... cave people say 3 to start with you have a map of the surrounding area and a world map (fog of war over the map unexplored) you need wood etc you could take out the hunters or bods you want to level on hunting trips around your territory you start with basic weapons clubs close attack spears and flaming torches etc

you command you bods to do various things with grunting ( i dont mean they shout shilka at 12 oclock) but they generally can flank enemies/beasties for various furs, skins bones etc a full gathering thing going on

certain technologies and territory upgrades will basically turn your settlement into some sort of bronze age log defended dwelling but there is no cap apart from character level to how many bods you can command, a certain amount of leige or tax must be paid to a player who has vat amounts fo troops and land or you can just up and move the whole tribe then exact your vengeance later on them if you so please

it would be nice to have a structure for hand reared animals like sabretooths or riding a wooly rhino into battle

the world could be conquered eventually but a general alliance and grouping could be formed

pvp is open and running into opposing territories

a browser version woudl link into the game so i could play at work or get people to harvest or prduce while away from my main computer (satisfying two player types the first person and the browser game) the mount and blade raid styles would need more tactics and waypoints having your sling units pelt some players ot buffalo using various hunting techniques.

central meeting points for purchasing bod slaves for trade goods

to summarise the initial game would be exploratory and niche building for your followers followed by resource gathering and leveling contact with players and diplomacy

players could use the browser version to name their favourite cave man and get them to explore the map whislt aways travian stylee i guess would be simplist seasonal conditions would play a large part and having stored and prepared for winters and developing your area.

mobs free ranging and using the other prey animals to migrate from Dinos to Sabretooths throw in a few raptors and mamoths depending on where you move your tribe to, knowledge could be shared with other players about hunting and farming also weapon tech and armour from hides not the extent of ryzom where you fashion everything from a radio alarm clock from a crab shell but a good production tech

it would be a wholly sandbox game from player commanding tribes of cannibals to people trying to build the hanging gardens of babylon

Any setting can work, it depends on how the gameplay is implemented.

*Dons Sandbox Hat*

It's a good chance with this setting for players to really make their mark in an unoccupied game world.  No preestablished villages and such.  From Day 1, players start at a certain point, and its up to them to get together and work with each other and MAKE their villages as well as all the things required to survive as a community.  Mutual protection, resource gathering, making tools / weapons / etc.  None of that is made available easily for the player.  Everything comes from another player.

On the same token, players can establish their homes and villages anywhere.

The countryside can be altered.

And eventually, I'd like to see power come into play.  Namely where groups of players / villages will start fighting each other for  resources or better lands, if trade isn't enough for them.

Etc., etc.

Basically, give the kids a playground and toys to play with, and they will make their own story, their own drama together.

Originally posted by Amaranthar

Originally posted by twstdstrange

Oooh! :D

I like the imagery of this idea.

In my opinion this would have to focus on essential tools and resources in order to survive the harsh wilderness... Depending on how far back we're talking, I see basic items such as rock-hammers, flint and steel, and the like... Resource gathering, things like skins, wood, stone, bone.

I don't envision a traditional quest system, more of a "sandboxy" approach in the sense that, you're in this world, you join or start your little hunter-gatherer clans, and you fight to survive.

Take over other clans, make huts, build huge bonfires.

Hunt wildlife...

This sounds really fun!

Of course, everything I just said has probably already been mentioned, but there you have it.

Regardless, a great MMO that just drops you into the middle of the pre-historic wilderness, finding other players...

I wouldn't see the use for NPCs, either.

Awww... I'm pumped now...

So what would the players be? Homo Sapien, Neanderthal, Erectus?

I was reading about Homo Erectus the other day. Those guys were studs. They measured the speed of some footprints running and found that the guy was running faster than the current world record, and pointed out that it was unlikely that these footprints belonged to anyone who was above average for them. They were a tall Neanderthal, basically. 6 foot tall on average. Same structure except as modern man except for the skull/face but more powerfully built than modern man.
They'd make for a great MMO race as far as athletic ability.

Alley Oop Online, only without the time travel.

Unless those types of humanoids mixed and matched, which I doubt, then I think the notion of "Races" in this setting should be avoided. It would force players of the same races to be in similar clans, otherwise it wouldn't make much sense, I believe.

In that regard, there'd probably be just one "race". Generic cave man, or the closest thing to it. You know what I mean.

I'm more interested in the actual survival gameplay, however, more so than what type of sub human species my character happens to be.

I got one, I called it Primeval (though, that's prolly not going to work)

I like these discussions because it forces me to paraphrase a grand idea to as little wording as possible. It's good practice.

World / Art Design

• Consider it a "sexy prehistoric fantasy game", characters all have rock-hard abs and they glisten in sweat, all that goodness from the cover of a Danielle Steel book. (never open those past the cover) To sum up what the ESRB rating would say; M for Violence, Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes and Partial Nudity.

• Since it's an action game, the world is split into public hubs, fairly expansive exterior zones leading to other hubs, and then mission instances. Think Guild Wars 1 in the way zones work, when it comes to other players, only the areas directly outside the hubs are used for player-villages (each one instanced per guild). Mission instances are a lot like Monster Hunter, you have a set of goals that can determine what is in the hunting ground.

• Players will have to wear clothes (or not) based on the local temperatures as there is a threshold in how hot/cold the area is vs your clothing. Wear furs in the snow, but wear grass skirts in the desert, or nothing! I would like to consider sunburns and tanlines to this as well.

Character

• Choose from 6 flavors of Sapiens, as well as Cro Magnon and Neanderthal. The latter two are varied on the layers of civil barbarity. Later on; Gigantopithicus and Australopithicus. Though that's a balancing nightmare right there.

• Classes are 'castes', and there are only 3; Hunter, Warrior and Shaman. Hunters have special PvE abilities and traps, Warriors specialize in PvP abilities and melee, Shamans are the best at identifying items to find in the environment and can craft special items for combat. All three have a need for each other in extensive hunts, but can go it alone solo, if need be - just know what you can and can't handle. Learn to hide and/or flee, this game is about survival.

Combat

• PvE mainly happens in instances, and is based on a hunt. You have a set of tasks, and are to aquire those items and drop them off at your camp before nightfall (depends on the time your tasks assigned). When you kill something bigger than a man, in order to harvest it you must do so from multiple sides of the corpse. Each usage will further denude the model, showing the relative parts taken. Larger parts must be carried on your shoulder. All animals can be hunted, regardless of size, and their goods' price is proportional to the difficulty in catching and/or killing them.

• PvP is purely in tribal war, and tribes are guilds. So in order to even have at it, you have to join a group and start a village on the outskirts of the hubs. You can then enter 'raid' versions of any outskirts map, which act like a zone-wide game of capture the flag, etc. Nobody actually destroys each others villages, but since it can take place in your zone, it can simulate your village being burned. With that said, placement to the buildings is static, and the resources needed to build it all come from PvE.

Crafting

• With the spirit of the original making of tools in mind, you can make your weapons and armor on the spot using items gained immediately from combat, or out of the environment. A "search" hotkey is something you will get used to using. Pop it near a tree, find a branch. Walk over to the riverbanks where the ground visually shows a texture of river stones, that is what you will get. Combine the two, you get a club. This mentality goes into everything from food, to clothing and even building new campsites in the mission, in order to have less of a journey for the dropoff.

How about as you level you change from Neanderthals into Homo Erectus.