multiverse: mmorpg kit?

[tjac]

http://www.multiverse.net/

http://www.kothuria.com/

^^^ This concept, the MMORPG kit, is something I've wanted to see. . .

I sorta wonder if this is vaporware, though...

[Big W Powah!]

Personally, I signed up--we'll see if I get into the beta program (will be posting info on game beta if I manage to get in here)

[Lenardo]

what sorta gameplay is the mmo based on, while the graphics engine is key, the most important part of the game is the gameplay itself..

do you do a diku derivitive like eq/wow is like?

do you do one based on D20?

do you do one similar to warhammer etc.

graphically i'd get the unreal 3 engine and for gameplay i'd go research and find a good game system.

shrug but that is me, unless i win like 100 million dollars t here is no way i'd be able to make an mmo...and if i DID win 100 million+, i'd sure give it a shot though.

[tjac]

Originally Posted by Lenardo

what sorta gameplay is the mmo based on, while the graphics engine is key, the most important part of the game is the gameplay itself..

i would do one based on http://www.starmud.com/ and graphics would be secondary until i felt comfortable with the rest of the game.

Originally Posted by lenardo

shrug but that is me, unless i win like 100 million dollars t here is no way i'd be able to make an mmo...and if i DID win 100 million+, i'd sure give it a shot though.

Dawntide (formerly Winter's Roar) seems to be doing it for a lot less. . .might just take a good long while...

[Cadrid]

Originally Posted by Lenardo

graphically i'd get the unreal 3 engine and for gameplay i'd go research and find a good game system.

I'd much rather use the Offset Engine. The Unreal guys already have enough money to keep making sub-par games forever from liscensing their engine.

[Thug]

Looks good on paper, but putting up a pretty website saying one thing and actually following through with what is said/promised is another.

www.futur-e-scape.com aimed to do the same thing but that site hasn't had any developer/user activity on it since April of 2005.

Only time will tell..


-=[ Thug ]=-

[Big W Powah!]

Originally Posted by Lenardo

what sorta gameplay is the mmo based on, while the graphics engine is key, the most important part of the game is the gameplay itself..

do you do a diku derivitive like eq/wow is like?

do you do one based on D20?

do you do one similar to warhammer etc.

graphically i'd get the unreal 3 engine and for gameplay i'd go research and find a good game system.

shrug but that is me, unless i win like 100 million dollars t here is no way i'd be able to make an mmo...and if i DID win 100 million+, i'd sure give it a shot though.

Well, graphics are taking a secondary-role currently. We're still working out a lot of things in house (and I do mean in house, currently, assuming I get accepted into this beta, the design team is my sister and I, however we've been toying with ideas for years, and have a LOT of lore, and a LOT of game world mapping done--a big enough world so far that it could easily support a decent player base, but we've still got an entire side of the globe to flesh out more, its there, but not as finalized as the rest--starting to work on more detailed class descriptions, etc...)..

The thing to keep in mind, however, is that we're gamers making a game, we started with DnD back in the day (my sister moreso than I), did a LOT of text based roleplaying, and have done a lot of MMO playing over the years.

When we get a playable alpha up, we'll likely accept a few board members (those whom have been seen to give actual analysis instead of blind flaming), as well as close friends, and once we get past that, we'll begin accepting more and more as the game grows, likely adding to our "staff" (however, this is being done as a labor of love, crrently)..

As far as what its based on? Well, I'm not sure what you'd really classify it as, as so far its ideas..I'm not promising anything here, just letting you guys know that if we manage to get the tools we need from multiverse, then we will begin building upon that.

Expect to see some MMO staples, as well as a few new ones (a couple I'm especially excited about are the Rune Caster, an almost manaless shaman as it were who uses certain runes, of six elements: Earth-Water-Wind-Fire-Spirit-Shadow (as it stands currently) each element group having its own uses, however only one of each element type can be up at any given time. This'll be a Jack of All Trades Casterish type..and the Guardian, a cloth wearing melee/support caster class. Dual Weild, and casts wards ala EQ2 style, has some decent hp buffs, and reverse proc buffs, such as when the person with the buff is struck, theres a N% chance that the attacker is damaged.)....

But, as I said, no promises are being made, and we've still got a ways to go until we've even got the most rudamentary playable version up--but once we've got the tools, I will be working long nights to get one up, and will do what I can to keep the FoH community up to date on it.

[Lenardo]

you know what's funny i know my old DnD group would come up with an awesome world and lore...

one guy is a systems level programmer - did alot of work on voice to computer technology- he was our main GM and also made up the world we played in

one guy is an ordained baptist priest with a doctorate in religion- our 2ndry gm- a rules nut and has designed a couple of gameworlds and games (unreleased- school projects)

the priests wife is an artist (doesn't do it full time) with a degree in fine arts/illustration
the programmers wife is a part time writer for a local newspaper

me- i'm a good topography guy my main work is land survey working with autocad..for under 2 thousand dollars you/i/anyone with the cash can get the world's geodetic information in an integrated triangular network coordinates accurate to within - think its 100 meters vertically- for a bit more cash you can get almost all of the US/canada and europe accurate vertically to 5 meters for a few grand more

think about it, in under a day anyone could have an entire PLANET'S worth of topography done...(nontextured of course)

[Big W Powah!]

Well Len, I wish we had a huge budget to do everything, but once again, we're two people with an idea just trying to make something happen with meager resources, heh. As we get more done, we'll probably attempt to get some funding, and perhaps port from the multiverse engine to a new one, but as for now--we're just trying to get what we can done with what we have.

But, as far as things go, if we need a topography guy--we'll defiantely look into you.

(Having played a monk extensively in EQ1, assuming you're the Lenardo from Monkly-Business, once we get to the point of inviting past out small group of people we've played with since EQ1, I'll definately get in touch and atleast give you an in game tour)

EDIT:This is under the assumption we manage this beta program, for this to happen in a timely manner--it'll happen eventually, but its time frame is definately up in the air.

[Camerous]

My team is in the same boat. We have the world mapped to the last tree. We have the history of every race back 3000 years. We have all the character classes listed and balanced aguinst each other, or so we think hehe. We have the main antagonist and the protagnist. We have enough conflict and action to keep a smaller community, say 50000 or so, occupied for over a year just from what we have worked up atm.

I have been looking at buying this engine and doing it from there but I don't think it is robust enough for all that I would want to do. I have been asking for several years for suggestions but seems no one has any. *shrugs*

So this project has been sitting in a suitcase in a walkin style vault for the past year or so. Perhaps some people will actually reply to this thread and help get some ideas flowing on how to do this on a budge of around 5 - 10k.

[splok]

I know there have been alot of vaporish products claiming similar things, but check out the management page for Multiverse. This one might actually have some teeth.

[Torrid]

I seriously cannot wait to play with this.

bookmarked!

[Lenardo]

TORQUE engine- hmm lets see 2000 dollars gets you a good starting base for stuff...(including all model packs castle packs etc etc etc....

[Big W Powah!]

Yeah, but Multiverse is free, which is a HUGE plus.

EDIT: They also include servers for beta testing (atleast), it sounds like, from their web page, which saves big bucks until you hit retail (if you do), and decide to charge per month.

[tjac]

what skills are required to use these packages? are these something an amateur can hobby with?