Traveller Computer game Intrest?

[Chuck Anumia]

Robject inspired me to start this thread to find out how much intrest might be generated in a computer version of a Traveller game?

What Roles would you want open to build your character?

Which systems would you want it to represent? (PC, Xbox, PS2, Game Cube, ETC.)

Where would you want the game to take place?

Which timeline would be the most open in your opinion? Why?

And the everlasting final question of all, CT (993+)or MT, or TNE, or 1248?

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Well, duh, it would have to be CT! And, I'm betting the majority would want Spinward Marches, and the ability to be a Merchie or Mercs.

And, I think PC would be the most ubiquitous, and most easily programmed.

 

[robject]

I imagine folks would want something like Elite or Privateer, with some degree of personal interaction (read: personal combat) thrown in as well. A combo of Elite and Starflight, perhaps with some M.U.L.E. or SimCity thrown in for good measure. All things to all people. Fnord.

 

[Hemdian]

Originally posted by Baron W. The PreacherMan:
Robject inspired me to start this thread to find out how much intrest might be generated in a computer version of a Traveller game?

On a slightly different approach, I'm currently looking into the feasability of doing a Traveller mod for Homeworld2. Relic provide tools and documentation for mods ... and the idea of a player-v-player LAN or Internet game with Ghalalks, Gionetties, Atlantics, Winds, etc, does somewhat appeal to me.

Regards PLST

 

[Falkayn]

I am surprised there isn't a FSP for Legacy of the Aldenata ... perhaps we could see an RPG like Neverwinter Nights developed for one of the current licensed systems, using T20 as a rules base. Then we could all modify it to heck and back and play Traveller using it!

 

[veltyen]

*cough*KOTOR*cough*

It has the advantage of already being built on SW20. Something a bit snazzier for the ship combat, with more of a submarine paradigm, rather then the early WWII flying fortress feel.

 

[Chaos]

KotoR. I´d definitely start off with KotoR.

As for what I´d want to do - I´d like to see something like the old Megatraveller computer games.
On the other hand, "Elite Traveller" would be nice, too. Or... does anyone remember that age-old computer game "Mercenaries"? On second thought, forget Elite - how about "X - Beyond the Frontier"?

As for where an when, I´d play anything, anywhere, as long as it is Traveller. I´d prefer somewhere along a frontier, like the Spinward Marches or Gateway, with the possibility of travelling to non-Imperial space, too. Classic (1100-odd) or Gateway (993+) eta, I don´t mind - but, on second thought, Milieu 0 might be cool, too. I don´t care for New Era or 1248 so much, but if it came to that, I´d buy it, too.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

I'd like a Travellerised Neverwinter Nights.

 

[Chuck Anumia]

I believe that the PC based version would allow more freedom of Character developement as well as freedom of movement across space.

Perhaps the story line would restrict movement (go from point Z on planet A to point A on Planet B.)

Perhaps it would be more like Diablo II LOD for choosing and developing a character (and following the story line).

I would like to see more towns with interactions within the towns at bars and shops.

Is that asking too much?

 

[robject]

Diablo II-style adventures are easier to do in some ways than Ultima Online-style adventures -- you don't have to code for very many interactions. You trade flexibility for depth of story.

It's asking a lot... otherwise it'd already be done. But it would be pretty cool.

 

[Falkayn]

Originally posted by Baron W. The PreacherMan:
I would like to see more towns with interactions within the towns at bars and shops.

Is that asking too much?

You ought to look into Neverwinter Nights (NWN) - it has some of the best aspects of party/team games like Diablo, whilst maintaining an online world where character interaction can be as much (or more) a part of the game as killing stuff.

In fact you could probably do it right now with NWN - the possibilities exist for custom classes, weapons etc. The main hassle would be getting enough graphic artists together who could create stuff for NWN to make it feel like Traveller. Of course it doesn't have anything like starship combat, but that might be a good thing ...

 

[Klaus]

Should talk to Obsidian Knights (?) I think, made the KoToR sequel (tho it was broken).
Problem with Kotor is that it was really D&D with lightsabers - just change force powers for magic. The gun combat was a touch underwhelming. It's making that system run without magic to make it tactical.

There was an rpg creator for mac produced (Coldstone), but it was buggy and the fixes haven't been done (going on for 18 months since any word now...vapourware).

Elite basically was CT - definitely inspired by it. There's an open source remake - http://oolite.aegidian.org/
for Mac, but there are pc and linux versions on the way. btw this is fantastic - just like the original, but with better graphics, and it runs beautifully cuz today's machines are a squillion times more powerful. ie: instead of only 7 vessels being on screen at once (on my ZX Spectrum 48k), there's whole fleets of traders or doing battle, often so far away that you can't see it, until you come across the aftermath, in the form of wreckage and cargo pods.

Also, Rebelstar Raiders, just released on GBA, a remake of an old Speccy game (again) that was directly inspired by Snapshot (Action Points anyone?). Only available in the US and Japan (and derived from a British game only found in Europe!) so far, and apparently the GBA struggles a little bit, so perhaps better on a DS.

I've toyed with making some kind of Flash rpg, as it's entirely feasible (poss even with isometric viewpoints!), tho it wouldn't exactly be Traveller as the rules would have to be drastically simplified.

As for an official game, I'd say somewhat Kotor like rpg on Xbox etc as well as pc, but not a MMORPG, as they're nothing more than glorified chatrooms. Adding some space travel would be cool, but perhaps more like astrogation plotting and ship operations rather than trying to shoehorn a flight sim into an RPG.

 

[Berg]

There is work on a d20 Modern Module for NWN...

http://d20mm.net/

 

[Berg]

And there is a Fire Fly Module out...

 

[sinistral]

imho KOTOR is unacceptable for the above stated reasons.

A candidate for modding should allow

Personal combat
Vehicle combat
NPC's with stats
Large out-door areas
Planetary systems
Jump travel
Trading
Multiplayer capability

Deep Shadows are working on a game called Precursors that sounds a bit Traveller with a fan site at http://www.xenus-hq.net/precursors/

An amateur re-code of the MT2 PC game would be fun but I lack the wit and time to even attempt it.

 

[Klaus]

but then is NWN any better? I'm biased anyway, as they aren't porting the Auraura engine to mac.

But with NWN basically the precursor to KOTOR and Jade Empire etc, doesn't it still have the same issues? NWN depends a bit less on magic to enhance the tactical play, but I got it after playing Kotor and to be honest prefer Baldur's Gate II as looking and playing nicer.

Looked at Precursor..... Not optimistic: who're the developers??? No track record, and all the screenshots look like sets from Kotor with guns from Half-Life etc etc. And I reckon rpg's should be third person, so you can see your character, Deus Ex 2 and ThiefS notwithstanding.

Bioware have a new sf rpg on the go for Xbox 360 called Mass Effect... Wait and see what game engine they have for that (and I hope they change the main voice actors from BG, NWN, Kotor and Jade Empire - I'm sick of that angsty Carth guy)

 

[kafka47]

I am not sure that I would want to see a Neverwinter Nights Traveller project. As much it would be fun to sit around the world wide web and varciously play out my power fantasies, there is something about computer games that both enhances and destroys the imagination.

Therefore, what I would rather see is a wholesale toolkit that might make online gaming/table top gaming much easier. I know there is GrIp out there but something that I could scan maps and mount them somewhere and then just use clipart or a computer to get rid of the boring bits (through a mini movie) like the week in jumpspace and then get on with the adventure. And, then, have something like a bulletin board for adventures/flights/cargo.

 

[robject]

Good idea, kafka.


I'd personally like a persistent environment where I could jump from system to system, trade, fight pirates, Zhodani, Vargr, skim for fuel, dock at starports, land on planets, and somehow meaningfully interact with other people in the game all the while.

I'd like to be able to land at a downport, walk my character down the concourse, enter a pub, chat for awhile, check into a TAS hostel, walk over to the commodity exchange for some fierce inter-player trading sessions, then walk over to the shipyard and haggle with other freelancers to swap parts -- or just buy them at full price from the yards themselves -- head back to TAS and turn in for the night.

I'd like to be able to go to a ticket counter and see what ships are bound for where [if any] and buy a ticket for any open seats, including those on ships owned by other players. I'd like to be able to wander about a starship while it's in transit and interact with other passengers and crew.

I'd like to be hired onto another ship for a particular crew position, and serve aboard it, probably only for a jump or two, but that's up to me and the one who hired me.

I'd like to be able to buy low passage, and risk the 15% casualty rate... and show up one game-week later at the destination starport.

 

[Berg]

So would people prefer a computer run universe to interact in ala...NWN, Eve Online etc. or a Human run universe like grip, klooge or even irc, play by post.

Each would have its pro's and cons, but I find something missing in all the glamour of the "Bot" universe(or is that "Bought" )

Both could have interaction with other players, just who creates the enviroment is the question...

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by robject:

I'd personally like a persistent environment where I could jump from system to system, trade, fight pirates, Zhodani, Vargr, skim for fuel, dock at starports, land on planets, and somehow meaningfully interact with other people in the game all the while.

I'd like to be able to land at a downport, walk my character down the concourse, enter a pub, chat for awhile, check into a TAS hostel, walk over to the commodity exchange for some fierce inter-player trading sessions, then walk over to the shipyard and haggle with other freelancers to swap parts -- or just buy them at full price from the yards themselves -- head back to TAS and turn in for the night..

Everything you ask for here can already be done in a modern Massively Multiplayer Online RPG such as Star Wars Galaxies or EQ2.

In fact, everything you just asked for above... I have done similar things with my Star Wars character on SWG back in 2004.

My SWG character has piloted an Imperial TIE fighter. He has gunned down a few Rebel Y-Wings in realtime space combat. He has walked into a cantina and watched half naked Twilek dancers gyrate. He also is in the same cantina chatting with other fellow guildmates (an Imperial guild) and players while "having a drink".

He has docked at Corellia Starport, and then proceeded to the terminal to make repairs on his damaged ship. He has docked and launched off from Mos Entha Imperial Starport. He has gotten into a few gun-fights with scummy Rebel Alliance players... and lost. He wasn't such a great Carbineer

My character has also browsed the live ingame Bazaar and Trading terminals... so that he purchased or bartered for items he needed. All of these items were "player crafted items".... created by other player-characters who were masters of some tradeskill. This is the so-called "in-game economy" in MMORPG speak.

My character also has owned a modest "virtual home" in the planet of Naboo. He has purchased in-game furniture to decorate his home in Naboo.

And lastly, using the SWG ingame promotion system, he was the first "alien" (a Rodian!) Imperial Loyalist in his gameworld-server to have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Imperial Armed Forces. Quite an achievement, since the Evil Empire of Palpatine tends to be racist and makes it very very hard for aliens to serve and advance in the ranks of the Imperial military.