bishop: You seem to already have a wealth of knowledge with regards to the era and various related subjects that I don''t come close to, but I''d like to do some research and contribute in some way if I can, if there is going to be a project here.

My skills are pretty much in the area of concept and 2-D art. Game design is something everyone can contribute to, and something I''ve been interested in and researching for a couple of years. So, doing research and design in areas like props, costumes, architecture, and transportation with accompanying concept sketches and possibly textures would be possible for me. I could also contribute to system and culture design, with maybe a limited role in map and terrain generation.

On to the subject.

Weapons and Fighting Mechanics:

Are you thinking strictly RPG-style turn/round-based, or more of a hybrid between FPS and RPG skills? Here''s what I think regarding the latter.

A large and diverse set of weapons that are as accurate as possible for the time frame is spot on. Realism would be the general tone governing all areas of system design, but fun first if it comes down to it.

Caliber, velocity, range, and accuracy with regards to firearms could depend solely on the type and quality of item, or be additionally governed further by player skills that are gained. An aiming reticle could exist, and it''s size would vary depending upon a gun''s caliber, quality (which could also affect accuracy and firing rate etc.). The more shoddy a gun is in quality, the wider the reticle, simulating the less-accurate spread of fired rounds, and in turn a better (more expensive) quality gun would have a tighter reticle.

The reticle could also be taken a step further to simulate realism and widen while running, jumping, moving, and becoming tighter when prone, kneeling, or just standing still.

Gained player skills could also control accuracy, firing rate, rate of decay, etc. Initially though, it seems like some of this overlaps, and may enter into an area of diminishing returns. More thought needed.

Hand-wielded and thrown weapons could do varying damage based on type, quality, and trained player skill as well, but the matter of actually hitting a target would again be ultimately controlled in real-time by the player.

Map and Terrain Generation:

The use of DEMs is a good idea. I don''t own it, but I''ve done a lot of research on the Torque engine, which would seem to be a good choice here for a couple reasons. Many people have contributed code sources like a foliage replicator, grass replicator (with swaying grass =), day/night cycle resources, starfields etc. Obviously some of this would probably have to be modified and/or optimized, but a lot of the groundwork has been laid due to the nature of the community. I like the idea of being able to design and "plug in" area-correct vegetation and paint the terrain. I''m not trying to sell anything though, and I''m the farthest thing from a coder, so take that as you will.

Props, Costumes, Architecture:

The links you''ve already provided are cool. A specific time frame would probably have to be nailed down before serious research begins and concept sketches are churned out.

Your description of the architecture makes it sound much more interesting than I had initially conceived. Sounds neat. It''s all in the details.

Various culture designs:

Would be extremely important to creating a believable dialog, and the primary asset of the writer/quest designers.

Horse System:

In my mind extremely important. The system should be simple and intuitive, but based on the cost/quality (breed, training etc.) of the animal and trained player skill.

I think at base level skill the horse should not ever be unresponsive totally, but will respond less-quickly to turning, running, etc. As player skill and animal cost/quality rise, so does responsiveness, higher jumps, more accuracy when using firearms, stopping speed, top speed. Some of the more intricate actions, such as cutting and pirouetting might be unattainable without the proper skill or quality/type of animals.

Different types of horses for different uses. Pack mule, work horse, speedy roan, another breed known for it''s jumping ability maybe, who knows. Some with less carrying capacity, some demand less upkeep (which ulitmately translates to money). Item decay could cause it to eventually break a leg, and have to be put down. =)

smiley: Your enthusiasm is inspiring, keep it up man.

Iron Chef absolutely nailed it on his last post. I totally agree.

I think the possibilities are enormous, and I''m clueless on why the genre has been effectively untapped so far. I think it also lends itself well to a MORPG type of format as well.

I don''t have many drawings scanned yet, but I could produce some random stuff if pressed. I have a couple images from another game project I worked on months ago.