Yes, I'm new here, and I'd like to take a shot at this. I have read the "read this before posting" thread, and I understand people may frown upon any idea for an MMO game because of the time and resources required to complete a project. Unfortunately for this game, I've been dreaming it up for the past five years, and it's not going away quite that easily. Don't worry, though, I don't intend to take up much of the bandwidth here with this post. I've already written the idea down somewhere else: Fleet: Online Warfare My idea is for a MMO First-Person Shooter experience where players fight against other players almost constantly. The game is a war between two major Empires in the distant future, with the players as the soldiers. Each player acts as a mercenary, though, taking on jobs for money, including assault, escort, defense, resource gathering, etc. Furthermore, being part of a military force, a player gains points towards rank with each completed task. Higher ranks allow a player to control other players with combat orders and waypoints, as well as use much larger spaceships than lower-rank players. There's a lot more to the idea than I want to waste space explaining in this post. Everything I've thought up so far is detailed in the website at the link above. I'm in college now working on a degree in Human Computer Interaction, which is basically a combination of computer science and psychology that may help me come up with game concepts in the future. I've tried to put what I've learned in the past two years to good use in this idea. I'll be working hard to understand more about programming and game design while I'm here at school and during my stay at this fascinating website. :) So, if you don't like my idea because you don't think I can ever get it done, that's just dandy. I've got plenty of time to learn the things I need to learn to make games, and I will finish this game some day. Imagine one game you could never wait to get home to play every day after school or work. Now imagine that it hasn't yet been made, and you've got me. It hurts, it does. ;) I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism on this idea. The design, I would say, is still a work in progress, so any suggestions you may have for me, I have open ears and an open mind. If you just want to flame me, I won't hold it against you. Thanks for your time and your reading glasses. I'll be checking back from time to time, I'll answer any questions, etc. etc. P.S. I've dabbled a bit in 3D modeling as well using an older version of Rhinoceros. At the bottom of the page are a few of the models I've made for spacecraft I can see in the game. One of them even details an added concept for balance with high-ranking players. Take care. :) P.S.2 One last thing I'd like to make clear: this won't be the traditional MMORPG game. I really don't like those, anyway. So no stat points or complicated development systems other than the most necessary. No defined skills, either: just the abilities any FPS player should be used to using on their own. :) EDIT: fixed the link. [Edited by - NecroSen on June 17, 2005 1:54:15 PM]

That's a pretty cool idea, for some reason I thought I remember reading in some magazine about a MMO fps but maybe I'm remembering wrong.

Quote:Original post by Dancin_Fool
That's a pretty cool idea, for some reason I thought I remember reading in some magazine about a MMO fps but maybe I'm remembering wrong.

You're probably thinking of planetside. This idea has much in common with planetside, actually. I wouldn't call it a copy though, as it certainly is original.

The quests you're probably refering to aren't the same kind I'd be using. The jobs would be handed out by other players for the most part. The only jobs handed out by the environment, persay, would take place within both Empires simultaneously and coordinate combat missions on a large scale. The events that take place in games like Monster Hunter are a good example, just more in-depth. This is all thanks to the game's very nature: a player's strengths aren't automatically defined by rank the same way they are in MMORPGs. Thus, quests for players would be limited by rank because of access to technology or simple trust in the abilities of the employee, but the quests of a low-rank player wouldn't be too dissimilar from the quests of a high-rank one. There'd most likely be fewer combat missions and a lot more involvement with larger groups of friendly players at lower levels, but that simply opens up the community aspect of the game even further.

Items is a tricky one. I can't for the life of me decide which item abilities a player would want more, or even which ones are necessary. I don't want to bog down the player in a sea of items where only a few gems exist, but I don't want to make everything the absolute definition of necessity.

Of course, that applies to every aspect of a design, but the truth is I just haven't considered it yet. :)

It does make a good question I can ask you folks, though. Which items would you want to see in this environment?

As for the rest: I've recently found it hard to stick with ideas for modeling of new ships. I never read any books or other tutorials before picking up on Rhino, so there's probably about half or more of the program I still don't understand. Programming I'll definitely work on, with the help of some of the old lecture notes in my earlier C++ classes and a few references around these parts.

I'm glad you folks like it. Means a lot to me. :)

EDIT: You know, it just so happens I had made up a ship class list years ago and printed it out back home. Oh, I hope I didn't throw that one out, could give a good idea of the scale of things...

Hmm.. It also would be quite cool with a starship troopers like game, but with teams as well.. That is, pretty much your idea, but with some neutral creatures attacking you at the same time.. It's not too unrealistic to come up with your own creatures.. Just think about dinosaurs.. They existed once.. :p

I suggest this short scheme (?)

money flow
empire leaders
=>erect new buildings in controlled zones and charge money (lo amounts) for each service (build ships,personal effects)
=>pay for conquest-defense missions the army leaders(large sums)
Think this as a builder sim..this is what you need the planet number(or whatever resource) to be productive (so that the number of conquests reflects on empire leader's income).Think in a builder-type of game

army leaders
=>get paid for defense-conquest missions
=>establish (and pay) small prices for different local combat tasks=missions

players
=>register(if missions require that) and carry to fullfillment different missions getting paid in return
=>pay for their personal effects (armour,ship,weapons,terrain vechicles)

Interesting part:
Any player can get to any position if money are plentiful.And everything becomes dynamic=>new factions can and will arise(as people gain more money)

Observation:
There should exist a level of money injection in the game(to accomodate new players and destruction of equipment).I think a personal base wage(paid by the hour of play)

[Edited by - vallentin on June 16, 2005 6:37:43 AM]

Quote:Original post by Dancin_Fool
That's a pretty cool idea, for some reason I thought I remember reading in some magazine about a MMO fps but maybe I'm remembering wrong.

Was WW2 Online a FPS ??? or was it an over the shoulder view???

One proplem with FPS -- you need rear view mirrors and wide vision so you dont have to spend alot of time spinning like a top to see if someone is sneaking up on you.