MMORPG Poll
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hirch duckfinder
SOC-13
on reflection ....
the question for me is- how would it be possible to structure what you do in the game?
what makes sense to me is to build (e.g) "a military sim built in the trav universe" or a "building" game
like civ set in the t.u. or ........ trading ... or .... etc
you cant play traveller on a computer. you can put a game genre which works on a computer in the traveller setting. unless you think you have a new type of computer game which, lets face it, only happens about once every two years.
the question for me is- how would it be possible to structure what you do in the game?
what makes sense to me is to build (e.g) "a military sim built in the trav universe" or a "building" game
like civ set in the t.u. or ........ trading ... or .... etc
you cant play traveller on a computer. you can put a game genre which works on a computer in the traveller setting. unless you think you have a new type of computer game which, lets face it, only happens about once every two years.
wordserpent
SOC-9
I can't seem to access the survey.
But I would LOVE a Traveller MMORPG. There would have to be Starship Combat as well as Vehicle Combat and Man-to-man.
There should be an organization of referees that would run adventures for the PC's.
There should be Hundreds of options for appearance, heads, torsos, limbs, ect. as well body types, fat, thin, muscular and Standard (think SIMS in space)
The setting should be someplace exciting like Diaspora or Gateway with lots of factions and potential for intrigue.
There should be a well-stocked Bestiary of Animals.
The Option to play other races should be included in expansions, along with new ship types and new equipment.
Skills should be in groups like they are in Megatraveller. Character Generation should include the option to pick skills based on the character's profession and possibly a point-buy system for stats.
Traveller, being a skill-based system, should allow for a wide variety of character professions.
It should be relatively easy to die due to stupidity (like taking on a company of Imperial Marines in Battle Dress and FGMP-15's with only an Auto-Pistol). Hack-and slash style of play should be discouraged.
Armor should absorb damage and not prevent a character from being hit.
But I would LOVE a Traveller MMORPG. There would have to be Starship Combat as well as Vehicle Combat and Man-to-man.
There should be an organization of referees that would run adventures for the PC's.
There should be Hundreds of options for appearance, heads, torsos, limbs, ect. as well body types, fat, thin, muscular and Standard (think SIMS in space)
The setting should be someplace exciting like Diaspora or Gateway with lots of factions and potential for intrigue.
There should be a well-stocked Bestiary of Animals.
The Option to play other races should be included in expansions, along with new ship types and new equipment.
Skills should be in groups like they are in Megatraveller. Character Generation should include the option to pick skills based on the character's profession and possibly a point-buy system for stats.
Traveller, being a skill-based system, should allow for a wide variety of character professions.
It should be relatively easy to die due to stupidity (like taking on a company of Imperial Marines in Battle Dress and FGMP-15's with only an Auto-Pistol). Hack-and slash style of play should be discouraged.
Armor should absorb damage and not prevent a character from being hit.
polypterus
SOC-8
I've actually started working on the damned thing now. Don't expect to see anything for a long time though. I'm mainly working on the fractal planet generator at the moment. However before this becomes a game I would have to get a lot more people in on it, to do 3D models, artwork, MOB design etc. Right now I just want to be able to build a full sized planet with the push of a button and real time terrain refinement during character walk around. I'm using OpenGL and Qt graphics toolkit so at least I should have something that will run on almost any computer when it's done.
polypterus
SOC-8
I'm writing in C++. It's what I know best and in any case I'm not sure what else I would use given the performance and platform requirements of this kind of game.
wordserpent
SOC-9
I think NWN is a great starting point for this system. However, it does not cover starship combat at all.
There are lots of free MMORPG engines available on Source Forge
The Hinterworlds Rambler
SOC-14 5K
Traveller needs its Identity Crisis fixed before this even starts. To do it this way would make the MMPorg define Traveller to new players. Anything before that becomes "So?" Though they may buy more rpg books if the game is popular.
The MMPORG should be AFTER there is a Wider, more solid Market Presence of Traveller, Worldwide. It would produce more funds, so that it could insure game is cutting edge.
I think as a goal we should go for immersion, not with silly helmets, but work on/find out who is making an engine that can transition from a Spaceflight situation to First Person seamlessly, or with a little lag time between "levels"
In City of Heroes, they are experimenting with it with Super Bases, They are Player set, and Immobile. I am talking about PCs running up to a Starport, jumping in a ship and taking off into possible combat with other ships.
Must also find a method to make level progression less like D&D and more like true experience.
This will be hard, but we are all smart.
The MMPORG should be AFTER there is a Wider, more solid Market Presence of Traveller, Worldwide. It would produce more funds, so that it could insure game is cutting edge.
I think as a goal we should go for immersion, not with silly helmets, but work on/find out who is making an engine that can transition from a Spaceflight situation to First Person seamlessly, or with a little lag time between "levels"
In City of Heroes, they are experimenting with it with Super Bases, They are Player set, and Immobile. I am talking about PCs running up to a Starport, jumping in a ship and taking off into possible combat with other ships.
Must also find a method to make level progression less like D&D and more like true experience.
This will be hard, but we are all smart.
I agree partially with the Baron. I belive that they should put out a few more books before they do the MMORPG. The reason behind this is simple: When D&D Online came out, sales of Eberon setting materials went up. Now of course D&D is much more widely known then Traveller, but I think it would work out similarly if people like it.
For a level progression that is less like D&D, I suggest possibly a modification to the one in Vampire the Masquarde: Bloodlines. like Bloodlines, make it so you gain experiance (generally 1 to 3 points) and you save up to buy increases to skills. However one of the differances would be that you would have a much higher cap then 5 levels. Also you would have skills based off of the former occupation tables.
I don't really understand what the problem is with ship to person transferance(if thats even the right word) is. I'd think it would be as easy as setting the hsip up as another area... like say a town. Like it you have various points that you could interact with and possibly take control of it with to fly it, though some people might not like you flying their ship while they have it on auto pilot to go to the tiolet.
For combat, simply have it similar to ground combat. The weapons are based off of the ship and your station on it, the screen similarly, and the data tables from the actual books converted over and fed through a proccessing alogrithem of some sort. Those on board the ship but not nesscarly involved directly in the ship-to-ship combat would still feel the effects I would think and would be involved if the ship they are on is boreded.
Space around a system would just be like another area as well... but the encounters would be all ship based unless there is some sort of space creature about.
I wonder though why no one has brought up Star Wars Galaxies to look at for certain elements for ideas?
For a level progression that is less like D&D, I suggest possibly a modification to the one in Vampire the Masquarde: Bloodlines. like Bloodlines, make it so you gain experiance (generally 1 to 3 points) and you save up to buy increases to skills. However one of the differances would be that you would have a much higher cap then 5 levels. Also you would have skills based off of the former occupation tables.
I don't really understand what the problem is with ship to person transferance(if thats even the right word) is. I'd think it would be as easy as setting the hsip up as another area... like say a town. Like it you have various points that you could interact with and possibly take control of it with to fly it, though some people might not like you flying their ship while they have it on auto pilot to go to the tiolet.
For combat, simply have it similar to ground combat. The weapons are based off of the ship and your station on it, the screen similarly, and the data tables from the actual books converted over and fed through a proccessing alogrithem of some sort. Those on board the ship but not nesscarly involved directly in the ship-to-ship combat would still feel the effects I would think and would be involved if the ship they are on is boreded.
Space around a system would just be like another area as well... but the encounters would be all ship based unless there is some sort of space creature about.
I wonder though why no one has brought up Star Wars Galaxies to look at for certain elements for ideas?
For the space part the 'X2' and 'X3' games on the PC give you some idea of the way to go. All of the 'X' games are based on the classic 'Elite' game, which in turn was based on Traveller. The trade tables and workd classifications in Elite were almost verbatim the classic Traveller trade tables.
Yeah but the original, 20 odd year old Elite is still far better than any of these wannabe's.
Check out oolite.aegidian.org for proof.
Nobody has yet produced a game where it combines third or first person combat/exploration in an environment and space combat and it been anything but crap!. It is still a holy grail of gaming. (The GTA series comes close, but is not a true role player, and the onfoot stuff is widely regarded as barely acceptable).
Traveller cannot afford a crap game presence - any MMORPG has to be excellent, rather than satisfactory.
SW Galaxies is not regarded as a good game, merely adequate, and SW fans will lap anything up. It should not be our role model. Sales to not equate to quality. The Da Vinci Code proves that!
Lets see what Mass Effect by Bioware is like. After all, they're the only ones to produce excellent video games based on pnp rpg's.
Check out oolite.aegidian.org for proof.
Nobody has yet produced a game where it combines third or first person combat/exploration in an environment and space combat and it been anything but crap!. It is still a holy grail of gaming. (The GTA series comes close, but is not a true role player, and the onfoot stuff is widely regarded as barely acceptable).
Traveller cannot afford a crap game presence - any MMORPG has to be excellent, rather than satisfactory.
SW Galaxies is not regarded as a good game, merely adequate, and SW fans will lap anything up. It should not be our role model. Sales to not equate to quality. The Da Vinci Code proves that!
Lets see what Mass Effect by Bioware is like. After all, they're the only ones to produce excellent video games based on pnp rpg's.
Not surprising as Elite's designers were hardcore Traveller players. No matter, how you dress up current computer programs, I have come to the conclusion that they remain rooted in the problem of logic. Until we get the holodeck or projected screens for huge indoor LARPs, I fear no computer program is going to change what a pen & pencil or keyboard plus an active imagination will accomplish.
No it is possible to get something like it. Obviously not exactly like tabletop play without a ref to moderate the imagination, but KOTOR did come close (even though it was based on SW d20 which made it feel a bit like DnD with blasters).
It is possible but it takes time and love, and most games makers lack the love; they just want money.
Only Bioware and Bathesda have a good track record on the kind of game we're after, and Bathesda are up to the eyeballs in their own thing.
I've got some designs for a no-3D solitaire adventure for Traveller. I know it's doable, including character interactions and space combat; I proved that on my MA. It will take time, as its only me making it.
I'd prefer a console/pc based one player rpg, as MMORPG's are-just-glorified-chat-rooms-full-of-munchkins!
BTW, Mac users check out Escape Velocity from Ambrosia: shareware 2D top down fun, space trading and space combat with a plot that is rather good!
Hey, we could do the shareware route, a combo of EV described above with Rebelstar (need a Speccy emulator) for the on foot moments (as Rebelstar is based on Snapshot it would seem appropriate)
It is possible but it takes time and love, and most games makers lack the love; they just want money.
Only Bioware and Bathesda have a good track record on the kind of game we're after, and Bathesda are up to the eyeballs in their own thing.
I've got some designs for a no-3D solitaire adventure for Traveller. I know it's doable, including character interactions and space combat; I proved that on my MA. It will take time, as its only me making it.
I'd prefer a console/pc based one player rpg, as MMORPG's are-just-glorified-chat-rooms-full-of-munchkins!
BTW, Mac users check out Escape Velocity from Ambrosia: shareware 2D top down fun, space trading and space combat with a plot that is rather good!
Hey, we could do the shareware route, a combo of EV described above with Rebelstar (need a Speccy emulator) for the on foot moments (as Rebelstar is based on Snapshot it would seem appropriate)
I can vouch for the Escape Velocity series as I sadly had gotten addicted many a year ago, in fact I think it was shortly before Override came out that I first played.
I generally also perfer one player consle/pc based games, though it gets tiring to go through the same thing over and over. Perhaps make it similar to Neverwinter Nights as mentioned before or so? You know, single player with an online multiplayer?
I generally also perfer one player consle/pc based games, though it gets tiring to go through the same thing over and over. Perhaps make it similar to Neverwinter Nights as mentioned before or so? You know, single player with an online multiplayer?
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