A traveller rpg game...

[rsksmiles]

Well hi and happy New year to you all.

I am recently retired and now have the time to do what I want .

I used to play traveller in the late 70s and early 80s and loved it. I still have my original gdw books.

I have been thinking about how possible would it be to write a turn based traveller computer game?

So far some of my thoughts are as follows...

1 The game would be modular so that players or rather referees could build their own adventures.
- define deckplans, floor plans etc
- define and locate interactive objects

2 event driven adventures
- can be made up of a chain of quests which would be work flow based
e.g. recruitment of a team member:

Goto a recruitment office
Interview candidates
Choose a candidate
Arrange rdv
Meet and candidate joins the team

3 trade

- map out flows of goods between planet types
- define a tonnage per week per level of population as a level of demand
- create NPC's who would be buyers sellers and freight handlers
All this to create an ambience of valid people in a starport or space station. Add on top of this customs checks pirates and naval protection forces

4 all the character creation, encounters etc which can be ""easily" automated.

Does this sound like a non starter i.e would or wouldn't be of use?

What platform? Unreal engine - I have some knowledge of that but it could also be web based.

What are your thoughts?

Oh and it would all be open source ... I don't need the money.

Be gentle with your replies and comments.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Writing apps for Traveller is great stuff!

 

[Leitz]

Soo.....yes and no.

If you want something sci-fi, look at Tau Station. If you want to see how community driven build capability works, check out what Neverwinter Nights did. NWN came with the programming back-end to run your own server and build community content.

There are a lot of things to think about, and really the underlying ruleset is not even an issue. Are you thinking on user computer, web? Single or multiplayer? Text, 2D graphics, or that intense cool stuff? Follow 3I canon or your own universe?

From your post, personally, Unreal engine would be a way to go if you have any artistic talent at all. The other big need would be leadership, doing something like this needs others, and your ability to coordinate, encourage, and communicate will heavily impact project success.

Personally, I'd say play with the idea and see how it flows for you. It's your vision, use the tools that resonate with you. That's the only thing that will give you strength to keep going.

 

[agorski]

Oh and it would all be open source ... I don't need the money.

Marc Miller's Fair Use Policy says you are free to use the Traveller IP as long as you don't charge for it and give Far Future Enterprises a mention.

 

[rsksmiles]

Soo.....yes and no.

If you want something sci-fi, look at Tau Station. If you want to see how community driven build capability works, check out what Neverwinter Nights did. NWN came with the programming back-end to run your own server and build community content.

There are a lot of things to think about, and really the underlying ruleset is not even an issue. Are you thinking on user computer, web? Single or multiplayer? Text, 2D graphics, or that intense cool stuff? Follow 3I canon or your own universe?

From your post, personally, Unreal engine would be a way to go if you have any artistic talent at all. The other big need would be leadership, doing something like this needs others, and your ability to coordinate, encourage, and communicate will heavily impact project success.

Personally, I'd say play with the idea and see how it flows for you. It's your vision, use the tools that resonate with you. That's the only thing that will give you strength to keep going.

Thanks for the reply....

I would like to use unreal engine as it is the game engine that I am most comfortable with. This would mean a large download but not as large as some of the modern FPS games.

I would follow 3I.

I would like it to be modular and moddable to allow for community content.

Multiplayer yes but also single player using ai NPC's in your team. Not MMO as I don't really like the way those games get subverted (not trolling just an opinion).

I am working on a prototype building it up slowly..
.. point and click
.. top down but not isometric
.. 1 player character
.. player skills being used on interactive objects
.. becomes turn based when in combat

I will have a look at tau station. I look at other games for inspiration and ideas .... Like stellar tactics.

 

[rsksmiles]

Marc Miller's Fair Use Policy says you are free to use the Traveller IP as long as you don't charge for it and give Far Future Enterprises a mention.

Good news and thanks for the input.

 

[Spinward Flow]

I look at other games for inspiration and ideas .... Like stellar tactics.

In that case, you might want to watch some youtube videos of gameplay in Starsector for harvesting of ideas and inspirations.