Resurrecting an old idea

I don't normally have much time for putting up blogs in this space with my other duties in Adellion. We have a couple websites over there where I am expected to do postings and I don't like to repeat stuff it feels too much like spamming.

However, since I have something to talk about that is not Adellion related and is torque related I thought I would share it here.

When I first got the torque engine it was with the goal of making a different kind of game. I had a vision for a 3D Adventure Game that would combine elements of Myst, MMO gameplay and would allow players to create their own content and add it to the MMO world for everyone to experience. Players would be able to make their own worlds and then, using a tiered system, add them into a growing circle of game worlds that players could adventure in.

Paying work on Adellion took precedence, of course, but I always gave myself a little time each week to fiddle with the idea.

Dreamer's recent work with the MMO Kit made me revisit the idea and realize that if I took it to the public up front, I could make a lot more progress, a lot faster, and perhaps even bring in a little cash with which to help pay the bills.

So, I have decided to make this an ongoing project. I'll start by posting some info about it on my website, www.pariahgames.com over the next few days. And I will post here including screenies as I go.

A bit of background...

The first order of business was deciding between TGE and TSE.

After consideration, this proved to be one case where the older technology wins out. One of the deciding elements for me was time. A key factor in adventure games is the environment. Environmental immersiveness is king. And while TSE is capable of incredible effects with programming, there are tons of resources and Kits out there to help you improve the TGE environment. Those were all things that could be added in - now. They didn't need to be rewritten, and when you are operating on a spare time that's a big plus.

A second factor was that one of the truly great features of TSE Atlas terrain actually works against me in this case. Giant terrains where you can wander forever are not what you want in an adventure game. You need to have tight areas with interesting things and the feeling that there is lots more out there. I could have skipped using Atlas, or even allowed it in some levels but not others. But that would significantly increase the amount of time I would need for testing and debugging.

The third factor was cross-platform capability. Adventure games have wide appeal in the Mac World and while I don't expect to be able to retire on this little side project, I see no reason to throw that market away if it can be included. Linux interest in Adventure games does not appear to be that strong, but it is still extra cash if it can be brought along. TSE is still a ways from cross-platform and I am quite a ways from interest in an XBOX kit.

Besides, if it works then a sequel in TSE would be all the more appealing to write.

So, to get started I decided to go with the proven engine, TGE.

The present... a plan.

I plan two pieces to the development. The first is an ongoing development effort to create a working single player core game. That game will be available with a book to instruct you on how to add your own content and levels. When that is completed, I will make it available in a compiled version with the appropriate compiled tools to let players expand the game.

The second phase will be to take the cash from the sales of the first game and book and push it back into the creation of a MMO back end so that teams of players can adventure together. I plan on bringing over the content of the first game into the second game and adding to it. In addition, players will be allowed to add their levels into a "second ring" of fan created worlds.

I am also considering making an Adventure Game source code SDK available to people who have purchased both the TGE and TLK kits. It would probably follow the same pattern being used by Dreamer at mydreamrpg.com. That is, people who have purchased both kits could gain access to the source code during its development to make changes, enhancements, and contribute to the final product before it is released. They could also use the sources to go on and make their own adventure games.

The market for adventure games is not as big as for FPS, RPG, or RTS games. However, it is a good market for budding indies to hone their skills and for new artists to gain exposure. In many ways it is a good, next step, for those moving from 2D games to 3D. The coding requirements are low, and the art team and sound people really get to stretch their skills.

Anyway, that's the plan. Next blog I'll show what I have ready so far. I've had lots of this in pieces for a long time now, so I'm just pulling them together and polishing up the code for the first version.