Currently sitting happily in beta 2 testing the game is your basic planet, mines, turns etc type game. I know its been done before, but I’m not making it to be a “woo brand new game that’s ace!” I’m trying to see if it’s possible to create an virtual world without graphics and with something representing a community. I have realised over time that its very little to do with the mechanics of a game, or the graphics, take chess for example, still a good game even though it has no anime brunette wearing a tiny lion cloth. Admittedly the game still has a way to go until I can say that I have an online community, but I think that, well, I hope that if I can make a game, using only the basic constructs and no graphics (by that I mean using tables for layout) and still create a community where people feel something I will have learnt many of the important things to making games. As I said it is just a hobby of mine, I but if you fancy a look feel free. Though don’t expect anything stunning, I’m no master game maker after all. If anybody knows of any good books, essays or threads on the topics of creating community, good game play etc along the lines of “Theory of Fun” then id be interested to here.

Presumed link from profile: http://wardrox.com/

This looks cool. I gotta check this out in more depth when I have more time to sit down with it. Nice clean looking site! [grin]

thanks, im trying to keep it clear from clutter, i dont fancy a game where you log in and have to juggle 13 types of ore before you can build a building nobody told you about. i want to try to keet it simple, so peopel feel like it putting them in control of "something". also, as im no pro when it comes to designing web pages its probably best to keep things simple.

thanks for the feedback, I havent myself played many MUDS in depth myself, iv never realy had the chance, sadly i think im in the wrong generation, i ended up getting hooked on planetarion and nukezone, but i soon found i got board of them. Im seeing how easy/hard it is to use a simmilar (quite basic) game structure to create a immersive world without graphics. I know from experience that a cleaver game doesnt need graphics, but im trying to not just make a game, but make a real community, whcih shoudl get players much more hooked withich cant be a bad thing. Thanks for the book links, once iv got through my current batch of Raph Koster esssays ill see if i can get hold of them.

Thanks again for the help and feedback, much apreciated.

As i say, im in the wrong generation! I think thats gonna be my next book then. thanks for the info :-)