Traveller MMO
- Thread starter T6O
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mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
If it isn't set in the OTU it's not worth playing for me.
So history and gears must be correct. Rules should be close.
Don't care about playabel monster races, humans are enough.
So history and gears must be correct. Rules should be close.
Don't care about playabel monster races, humans are enough.
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Week-long jumps are a killer.
Major B
SOC-14 1K
I couldn't pick "accurate rules implementation" for two reasons: there are too many versions for any choice to be called "accurate" plus the programmer is going to have to make some modifications to keep the game playable.
"Available skills" is also version-dependent. Not as markedly as "rules implementation" though.
"Playable races" would be nice but not critical to me. "Newtonian physics" are more important but just in the context of my last point.
"Doesn't matter" is a spurious choice for me. Yes it has to be a good MMO or there is no point to investing the resources in creating the game but if it "doesn't matter" then we could see a game called Traveller that has nothing of Traveller in it.
What is important are the things that will make it Traveller. "Character creation" uses different machanics across the versions but still retains the prior career fundamental concept. And the setting must include what is familiar from the OTU - the maps and the history and all the stuff every version has in common. Take all of that, and make a good MMO with it. Please.
"Available skills" is also version-dependent. Not as markedly as "rules implementation" though.
"Playable races" would be nice but not critical to me. "Newtonian physics" are more important but just in the context of my last point.
"Doesn't matter" is a spurious choice for me. Yes it has to be a good MMO or there is no point to investing the resources in creating the game but if it "doesn't matter" then we could see a game called Traveller that has nothing of Traveller in it.
What is important are the things that will make it Traveller. "Character creation" uses different machanics across the versions but still retains the prior career fundamental concept. And the setting must include what is familiar from the OTU - the maps and the history and all the stuff every version has in common. Take all of that, and make a good MMO with it. Please.
FreeTrav
SOC-14 1K
Massively Multiplayer Online
√ Character Creation Mini-Game
√ Traveller History
√ Accurate rules implementation (stats, damage, etc)
— Playable races
√ Available skills
— Astrometry (accurate galactic maps)
√ Newtonian physics
√ Same gear, starships, vehicles
— As much as possible
— Doesn't matter, just make a good MMO
It must be a good MMO. Under accurate, I would say attribute damage (CT/MT/MGT/T4/T5), and the 6-8 key atts (STR, DEX, END, INT, EDU, SOC, CHR, PSR), in the 1-15 range).
√ Traveller History
√ Accurate rules implementation (stats, damage, etc)
— Playable races
√ Available skills
— Astrometry (accurate galactic maps)
√ Newtonian physics
√ Same gear, starships, vehicles
— As much as possible
— Doesn't matter, just make a good MMO
It must be a good MMO. Under accurate, I would say attribute damage (CT/MT/MGT/T4/T5), and the 6-8 key atts (STR, DEX, END, INT, EDU, SOC, CHR, PSR), in the 1-15 range).
Deliberatus
SOC-2
Traveller `MMOD
I want to be a beta tester! Woohoo!
-Kirk
I want to be a beta tester! Woohoo!
-Kirk
Madarin Dude
SOC-13
I would want a similar character creation engine. Prior service and terms and survival rolls. Same gear overall and similar effects to things but the underlying numbers can be different but I don't want to be there and empty four belts from a heavy machine gun into some unarmored dude and see him say hey still ready to fight.
Make it cool and fun and usable by players and make it so you can fail at it too. Also make it so it is fair and as unhackable as you can make it.
Make it cool and fun and usable by players and make it so you can fail at it too. Also make it so it is fair and as unhackable as you can make it.
snapshotbygdw
SOC-12
Mmo content
For me Character generation has always been key to the traveller experience I woud really like that retained.
For me Character generation has always been key to the traveller experience I woud really like that retained.
I wouldn't play an online traveller game.
My concern would be for "downtime" and communicating if you are in different star systems. It's all good if you are playing on one planet or simply one star system, but what if you are in jumpspace or actually in a another system from another player?
Communication:
Will players be prevented from communicating with each other if they are in different star systems? I could see that players want to communicate, maybe in a lounge/offline chat, but I would not like to see them talking to each other if they are in different star systems within the playing console/interface. That to me would closer to the feel of Traveller
If I am lucky enough to have a scout or trader ship:
How long does it take in real time to get to another system? Would I the player and/or other players on the same ship be out for around 168 hours due to jump? If not for how long? This of course impacts amount of play time.
How would trade be impacted within the MMO? Travel time would impact how much money I make and how quickly I make my ship payment. If you compress the time for jump, you should compress the time for the payment. Oh, and of course, if I skip with my ship, how long does it take for the new system I am in have the repo men come after me?
Communication:
Will players be prevented from communicating with each other if they are in different star systems? I could see that players want to communicate, maybe in a lounge/offline chat, but I would not like to see them talking to each other if they are in different star systems within the playing console/interface. That to me would closer to the feel of Traveller
If I am lucky enough to have a scout or trader ship:
How long does it take in real time to get to another system? Would I the player and/or other players on the same ship be out for around 168 hours due to jump? If not for how long? This of course impacts amount of play time.
How would trade be impacted within the MMO? Travel time would impact how much money I make and how quickly I make my ship payment. If you compress the time for jump, you should compress the time for the payment. Oh, and of course, if I skip with my ship, how long does it take for the new system I am in have the repo men come after me?
In-game communication shouldn't be allowed by players in different systems. But, players will communicate between each other no matter what you do in-game with other modes of online commo. In-game it would be nice if communications were determined by what gear you actually pick up. As in if you have a certain TL radio you can communicate with other people on the surface of the planet, not in orbit. Something better and larger gives you communication to orbit or even beyond.
I don't see players wanting to wait 168 hours since their ship made a jump. A Traveller mmo would have to make several concessions.
What if jump time was an hour of real time? This would still give a feel that a jump takes a long time so players aren't constantly hopping around spoiling the feel of the Traveller universe. It would give an hour of time for players riding together on a ship to chit chat, explore the ship, trade with each other, train with each other, organize cargo, make plans for the next system....or go eat lunch, use the restroom, make phone calls, run to the store, etc in the real world.
No matter what you do, a reduced trip time would have the effect that friends waiting in another adjacent system could have you arrive in an hour (in this example) of real time instead of 2 weeks. I don't think this would be too much of a problem since mmo players are used to the quickened state of time in-game. Most mmo's will have several night-day cycles in-game for each real day of time. If you are really concerned about time being in sync, perhaps make an hour of real time be a day in-game. Thus, a week in jump would be 7 real hours. This would mean most people would log out after setting themselves for a jump. This could be a good idea also, limiting too much travelling.
Friends Sharing a Ship and Logging
A Traveller mmo would quickly lead to groups of friends crewing a ship. But, what happens when people log out at different times. As in me and three friends own a Scout Ship. I don't play one day, but my friends do. They jump to a nearby system. I log back in the next day to find myself stranded at the starport where I logged out.
A nice solution would be to have players log out in their stateroom aboard a starship. They may not be around for adventuring with friends, but when they log back in they will find themselves aboard their starship no matter where their friends took them.
I went with Traveller History (otherwise it's not a Traveller MMO) and As much as possible (as in as much Traveller rules, equipment, etc. as possible).
This is an interesting poll since I was just searching for any computer games that might give a Traveller feel. Opportunities for tabletop RPGing is getting very few and far between, I do most of my "gaming" on consoles (Playstation, X-box) nowadays. Computer gaming isn't better, but it's better than nothing.
I haven't tried any online "multiplayer" type games yet, but I'd try a Traveller game.
This is an interesting poll since I was just searching for any computer games that might give a Traveller feel. Opportunities for tabletop RPGing is getting very few and far between, I do most of my "gaming" on consoles (Playstation, X-box) nowadays. Computer gaming isn't better, but it's better than nothing.
I haven't tried any online "multiplayer" type games yet, but I'd try a Traveller game.
I would like to see a travelelr based MMO. However, i don't think the rules would be easy to convey. Especially when most MMO players want some sort of reward. Most MMO uses levels.
I would love to see a MMo without levels, but where constant use of a skill will earn you skill increments over time. If a skill isn't used it should drop. Regaining lost skill levels should be easier than expanding beyond the limit.
one thing that drives many MMO is crafting, and Traveller should not be an exception. However, I would like to see a twist. For instance designing a powerplant there should be possible to set up design variables that makes each fabrication somewhat different. For instance amount of radiation shielding, power output, volume/tonnage and so on. When a blueprint is researched all powerplant made on that blueprint will be equal.
Same thing with weapons.
When it comes to combat I want it to be fps like. And ranged weapons should outclass melee weapons. I hate it when I fire a shot, the enemy get the chance of closing the gap and knock you down before s second or third shot can be fired. yes Conan, I look at you (Anarchy Online too for that matter).
Space flight should be without jump gates and it should be possible to fly freely like in Freelancer and Elite.
Traveller space combat won't port unless you want a really boring combat like Eve. I want players (or NPC crew) to mann turrets and fire at foes. Combat would then be close range and not thousands of kilometers away to the nearest target.
And most importantly, I want to explore worlds. Not just seeing them from orbit.
I want to smell the air, feel the soil between my toes and the sun on my eyes....
I would love to see a MMo without levels, but where constant use of a skill will earn you skill increments over time. If a skill isn't used it should drop. Regaining lost skill levels should be easier than expanding beyond the limit.
one thing that drives many MMO is crafting, and Traveller should not be an exception. However, I would like to see a twist. For instance designing a powerplant there should be possible to set up design variables that makes each fabrication somewhat different. For instance amount of radiation shielding, power output, volume/tonnage and so on. When a blueprint is researched all powerplant made on that blueprint will be equal.
Same thing with weapons.
When it comes to combat I want it to be fps like. And ranged weapons should outclass melee weapons. I hate it when I fire a shot, the enemy get the chance of closing the gap and knock you down before s second or third shot can be fired. yes Conan, I look at you (Anarchy Online too for that matter).
Space flight should be without jump gates and it should be possible to fly freely like in Freelancer and Elite.
Traveller space combat won't port unless you want a really boring combat like Eve. I want players (or NPC crew) to mann turrets and fire at foes. Combat would then be close range and not thousands of kilometers away to the nearest target.
And most importantly, I want to explore worlds. Not just seeing them from orbit.
I want to smell the air, feel the soil between my toes and the sun on my eyes....
CosmicGamer
SOC-14 1K
I like to repeat the question "what is a MMO". I know the acronym stands for massively multiplayer online game. But what attributes do you think are required to make a game a MMO. (not what attributes do you want)
Aren't those text based games MMO's? [You are in your stateroom. There is a bunk, a trunk, a com panel, a door to the fresher and a door to the passageway. What do you do?]
Does a PbP game qualify if there are enough players?
BTW, when doing some quick research on what a MMO is I found something interesting: UltraCorps is an online, multi-player, turn-based space strategy game. In 2006, the game was redeveloped by Steve Jackson Games.
Aren't those text based games MMO's? [You are in your stateroom. There is a bunk, a trunk, a com panel, a door to the fresher and a door to the passageway. What do you do?]
Does a PbP game qualify if there are enough players?
BTW, when doing some quick research on what a MMO is I found something interesting: UltraCorps is an online, multi-player, turn-based space strategy game. In 2006, the game was redeveloped by Steve Jackson Games.
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