I have 35,000 site members, want to help us make a game?
by Chris Adkins · in Jobs · 03/11/2007 (1:41 pm) · 10 replies
My adult social networking site has more than 35,000 members and we've been open for about 7 months now. :) I would say that a lot of our members are between the ages of 18 - 35. I'm not going to spam the thread with the name of the site, but if you're interested send me a message or email me, etc. I apologize in advance for the lengthy message. (cadkins23@yahoo.com)
I would like to create some multiplayer games like chess, poker, backgammon, blackjack, etc. I think this may be possible with TGB, but that's not why I'm here. While researching all of this stuff for the past few months all over the internet, I realized that I wanted to offer something more than just chess, backgammon, etc.
I want to create an MMORPG. ;) I haven't played Ultima Online in a while, but before I stopped playing it I had played it for a total of 6 years. I loved it a lot and sometimes go back to reactivate my old account. :) UO has been around for 10 years now!! World of Warcraft has really seen success however with millions of paying members worldwide.
I want to create a similar type of multiplayer game (MMORPG) which will allow the users on my social networking site to more or less get involved in an online world. :) I am not a programmer, although I have written small scripts and made code modifications to the php code on my site. :) I did manage to use the Tutorial documentation and followed along to create the game. I was surprised how easy that was. Our site programmer is relatively good with C++ he says, and our designer says he will practice with 3DS. We would like to have more team members help with the project. I have to find out if my Indie license is good only for me, or also for me, my programmer, and designer to use. I have a feeling just myself. :)
Here is what I would like:
A combat/magic system like in most RPGs. In order to make it work, we will of course need to create a range of weapons and armor for different skill levels, etc. Also the same for spell casting.
Transportation methods. I saw driving graphics, so I imagine it is possible to have the players driving around in vehicles. This alone would make our game more fun than WOW in some ways. :) How about flying in a hellicopter? Sounds like fun.
Houses. In Ultima Online, one of the things that I enjoyed the most was being able to own a house and to decorate it and also use it for storage by locking down items or making containers secure to owners of the house, or even friends of the house if you specify this upon securing the container. Of course you could perform other duties like banning someone from your house (perhaps they attacked you), etc. I would like for users to be able to own 1 house per account. Just like UO, they can either buy/sell a house that exists from another player, or buy a deed and when they double click the deed an outline of the house appears. As long as there is space for the house and it is in a house zone, they can place the house. Only 1 house per account.
When we recently setup our Nintendo Wii, we had to create Mii characters which resembled ourselves. We spent much time laughing after that because we were able to make characters that resemble eachother. Would it be possible to do something similar where the user can select the way their eyes look, eye color, nose types, lips type, hair type, hair color, skin color, clothing, height, weight, piercings, glasses, facial hair, etc.??? We could make it where almost everyone in the game looks unique in someway!!
What I would love to do in the future is make the world or another world similar to our real world. If I had the resources I would love to make it exactly how earth is where there are large stretches of emptiness followed by cramped cities, etc. I think it would be cool to go somewhere and say whoa that's how LA actually looks!! Or on the other hand "fly" to Iraq or Afghanistan or something and say oh I didn't realize it looked like that. Obviously people aren't going to want to fly for hours without seeing anything new, lol.
Chris
I would like to create some multiplayer games like chess, poker, backgammon, blackjack, etc. I think this may be possible with TGB, but that's not why I'm here. While researching all of this stuff for the past few months all over the internet, I realized that I wanted to offer something more than just chess, backgammon, etc.
I want to create an MMORPG. ;) I haven't played Ultima Online in a while, but before I stopped playing it I had played it for a total of 6 years. I loved it a lot and sometimes go back to reactivate my old account. :) UO has been around for 10 years now!! World of Warcraft has really seen success however with millions of paying members worldwide.
I want to create a similar type of multiplayer game (MMORPG) which will allow the users on my social networking site to more or less get involved in an online world. :) I am not a programmer, although I have written small scripts and made code modifications to the php code on my site. :) I did manage to use the Tutorial documentation and followed along to create the game. I was surprised how easy that was. Our site programmer is relatively good with C++ he says, and our designer says he will practice with 3DS. We would like to have more team members help with the project. I have to find out if my Indie license is good only for me, or also for me, my programmer, and designer to use. I have a feeling just myself. :)
Here is what I would like:
A combat/magic system like in most RPGs. In order to make it work, we will of course need to create a range of weapons and armor for different skill levels, etc. Also the same for spell casting.
Transportation methods. I saw driving graphics, so I imagine it is possible to have the players driving around in vehicles. This alone would make our game more fun than WOW in some ways. :) How about flying in a hellicopter? Sounds like fun.
Houses. In Ultima Online, one of the things that I enjoyed the most was being able to own a house and to decorate it and also use it for storage by locking down items or making containers secure to owners of the house, or even friends of the house if you specify this upon securing the container. Of course you could perform other duties like banning someone from your house (perhaps they attacked you), etc. I would like for users to be able to own 1 house per account. Just like UO, they can either buy/sell a house that exists from another player, or buy a deed and when they double click the deed an outline of the house appears. As long as there is space for the house and it is in a house zone, they can place the house. Only 1 house per account.
When we recently setup our Nintendo Wii, we had to create Mii characters which resembled ourselves. We spent much time laughing after that because we were able to make characters that resemble eachother. Would it be possible to do something similar where the user can select the way their eyes look, eye color, nose types, lips type, hair type, hair color, skin color, clothing, height, weight, piercings, glasses, facial hair, etc.??? We could make it where almost everyone in the game looks unique in someway!!
What I would love to do in the future is make the world or another world similar to our real world. If I had the resources I would love to make it exactly how earth is where there are large stretches of emptiness followed by cramped cities, etc. I think it would be cool to go somewhere and say whoa that's how LA actually looks!! Or on the other hand "fly" to Iraq or Afghanistan or something and say oh I didn't realize it looked like that. Obviously people aren't going to want to fly for hours without seeing anything new, lol.
Chris
#2
A simple MMO isn't simple...
And what you are asking for isnt a simple MMO.
Seriously though. This would take years with an untrained team.
03/11/2007 (2:29 pm)
How many years do you have?...A simple MMO isn't simple...
And what you are asking for isnt a simple MMO.
Seriously though. This would take years with an untrained team.
#3
You say untrained team. I'm here looking for help because I know the 3 of us can't do this alone. Do you mean that even if others with experience want to help it will still take us years?
Thanks again. Not the response I was hoping for, but nonetheless I appreciate it.
Chris
03/11/2007 (4:29 pm)
This would take years even using an existing engine (TGE)? You say untrained team. I'm here looking for help because I know the 3 of us can't do this alone. Do you mean that even if others with experience want to help it will still take us years?
Thanks again. Not the response I was hoping for, but nonetheless I appreciate it.
Chris
#4
03/11/2007 (4:44 pm)
First things first, Chris, you will probably need to look into the MMOKIT at www.mydreamrpg it will get you a starter block for what your asking for. As a prior 4 year vet of UO online i feel your pain. But, while you cant make a MMO right out of the box, it is possible and doable, but start small, your ideas are all doable, with time and a bit of learning. If you have never used TGE before, then you have your team take some time and get used tothe client and server features. some arent as easy as it sounds. As for making the backgammon and poker games, all very doable, id advice using TGB, though it is possible to intergrate TGB into TGE and use it to make ingame minigames :). just like UO :) but feel free to browse though the forum, most of your questions have been asked at least once by someone. 
#5
Once you've done that, before taking the leap into a large 3D game, it may be worth taking one of the above games and re-making it in TGE, for example Chess with a 3D board and animated pieces.
After you've done all that, not only will you have rapidly increased the number of games available on your website, but you'll have gained significant experience as to the time/effort required for simple games and hopefully overcome many of the initial stumbling blocks that can bite you with TGE.
With that experience you should then be able to down scope your dream MMO project to a point where it's a achievable in a reasonable amount of time with the team you have to hand. You can always add more at a later date.
Don't underestimate the buzz you'll get from compleating small games, especially since you'll have the added buzz factor of getting these games onto your existing website and seeing an active community playing them.
03/12/2007 (6:05 am)
I'd snag TGB and make the games you initially thought about, Chess, Poker, Backgammon and perhaps a few others such as Battleships, Connect4 etc Make each of these and make them multiplayer. Add in a chat lobby that is shared amongst all the games so that your site members can chat and arrange to go play a game.Once you've done that, before taking the leap into a large 3D game, it may be worth taking one of the above games and re-making it in TGE, for example Chess with a 3D board and animated pieces.
After you've done all that, not only will you have rapidly increased the number of games available on your website, but you'll have gained significant experience as to the time/effort required for simple games and hopefully overcome many of the initial stumbling blocks that can bite you with TGE.
With that experience you should then be able to down scope your dream MMO project to a point where it's a achievable in a reasonable amount of time with the team you have to hand. You can always add more at a later date.
Don't underestimate the buzz you'll get from compleating small games, especially since you'll have the added buzz factor of getting these games onto your existing website and seeing an active community playing them.
#6
03/12/2007 (2:57 pm)
Yes thanks for the advice guys. I'm definitely listening to your advice and will get the TGB for sure. I've even been eyeing the Adventure kit, although I'm not sure if that is something that is a multiplayer type game. I can find out though. :) 
#7
I'd love to help out if you want to start small and SLOWLY expand to add in features. I'd suggest starting with a single small village, and let it grow.
If you want to discuss things, e-mail me at infinitum3d (at) h o t m a i l (dot) com
If you already have three dedicated, long-term team members, you are doing better than most.
Good luck!
Tony
By the way, I'm no expert with Torque. I've had it about 6 months. I'm a 3D artist (primarily architechture), and I have VERY LITTLE programming experience, but I was part of an indie team for seven years, so I have a little experience in that sense.
03/12/2007 (3:38 pm)
Chris, This is possible, and it's what the Torque Game Engine was designed for, however, it will take time. Lots of time. And patience. Yes this will take years, but so did WOW and UO and Asheron's Call and EverQuest, etc. They all took years from initial concept to develop into hugely popular.I'd love to help out if you want to start small and SLOWLY expand to add in features. I'd suggest starting with a single small village, and let it grow.
If you want to discuss things, e-mail me at infinitum3d (at) h o t m a i l (dot) com
If you already have three dedicated, long-term team members, you are doing better than most.
Good luck!
Tony
By the way, I'm no expert with Torque. I've had it about 6 months. I'm a 3D artist (primarily architechture), and I have VERY LITTLE programming experience, but I was part of an indie team for seven years, so I have a little experience in that sense.
#8
I would like to start small, perhaps with 1 village. I came across the mydreamrpg site and was considering making the purchase since it promises to alleviate so much of the already written coding.
When I mentioned having a house above, that is maybe in a couple of years after the game launches. Pretty much everything I said up there as far as having vehicles, custom character clothes, eyes, noses, etc. is far in the future. How cool would it be to have my members use their virtual money to buy a tattoo, and upload the image or something like that? :) How about buying one of many cars and paying for gas, insurance, etc.? Your car can get stolen if you're not in it, maybe an alarm will deter the thief.
A lot of these ideas I'm sure will never happen, but sometimes I feel the need to blurb them all out. haha :)
What I would like to launch in the begining is even a single race, perhaps no magic only weapon fighting, and no vehicles. The world can be just a small village. :) As time goes on new features come in and the world expands, etc.
Thanks again everyone for taking the time to read and respond.
Chris
03/12/2007 (4:08 pm)
Thanks for your message Tony. I just sent you off an email. :) I would like to start small, perhaps with 1 village. I came across the mydreamrpg site and was considering making the purchase since it promises to alleviate so much of the already written coding.
When I mentioned having a house above, that is maybe in a couple of years after the game launches. Pretty much everything I said up there as far as having vehicles, custom character clothes, eyes, noses, etc. is far in the future. How cool would it be to have my members use their virtual money to buy a tattoo, and upload the image or something like that? :) How about buying one of many cars and paying for gas, insurance, etc.? Your car can get stolen if you're not in it, maybe an alarm will deter the thief.
A lot of these ideas I'm sure will never happen, but sometimes I feel the need to blurb them all out. haha :)
What I would like to launch in the begining is even a single race, perhaps no magic only weapon fighting, and no vehicles. The world can be just a small village. :) As time goes on new features come in and the world expands, etc.
Thanks again everyone for taking the time to read and respond.
Chris
#9
03/17/2007 (3:22 pm)
Personally I'd go for a 2D MMO if you're looking to have a huge array of avatar customizations and you don't have any experienced 3D artists. Check out Gaia Online and Neopets - these are two free 2D MMOs. Gaia Online is built around a messageboard with associated minigames (like the chess, poker, etc. you are talking about) and has beautiful relatively customizable avatars. Neopets does't have a good avatar or messageboard system but it has a much better array of minigames (including different combat styles, while GO doesn't have combat). In both examples your players would earn gold for playing the minigames, then spend the gold to buy customizations for their avatars. If you're interested in this kind of thing I'd be happy to design it - I have an existing idea for an MMO with a focus on personal ads, matchmaking, and dating sim gameplay, which seems like it would be highly compatible with an adult social networking site.
#10
There is quite a bit of emerging work in the MMOKits for Torque. You might like to check out Minions of Mirth. They have opened up their mod-kit and have forked off a project over at MMOWorkshop. With some planning and patience, I believe you can realize your vision. But don't rush it and don't cut corners in your planning. :-)
I really wish you luck in your efforts!
Cheers,
Rich Wermske
05/03/2007 (8:13 pm)
Your tone and manner seem appropriate for the challenge. I believe there is room for some scoping and boundaries. A roadmap with success metrics will go along way towards building the momentum you need to achieve your dream. Get a couple of quick wins under your belt. You can do that with your initial 2D offerings. This will also give you an opportunity to team build. The trust and confidence that results from a quick win success can catapult you into bigger projects that require deeper and broader skillsets.There is quite a bit of emerging work in the MMOKits for Torque. You might like to check out Minions of Mirth. They have opened up their mod-kit and have forked off a project over at MMOWorkshop. With some planning and patience, I believe you can realize your vision. But don't rush it and don't cut corners in your planning. :-)
I really wish you luck in your efforts!
Cheers,
Rich Wermske
Torque Owner Chris Adkins
Please be kind in your responses. I'm interested in hearing your constructive criticism. There's no need to write if you simply want to tell us that you think this project is too big for us, etc. We can start small, release the game for our member community to enjoy, and work on the game as time goes on.
Thanks in advance to anyone who is interested in helping with the project. Again my email is cadkins23 at yahoo.com.
Chris
Ps. So far I've only purchased TGE 1.5. I am trying to find out if my programmer also needs to purchase a copy for himself to use along with our designer. Thanks