Andrew: if you had the capacity to fund a video game, right now Andrew: what would it look like? me: it would be sandboxy with an open world yet with simple graphics so as to allow for Dwarf Fortess-esque detail in a sort of Morrowind format me: as in, most of the processing power would go to detail and AI me: that's what a lot of people want and which they don't get from any major publishers Andrew: I'm going to build a game me: good Andrew: that game Andrew: that you just said me: perfect Andrew: name? me: also, I just signed a contract with a major literary agent to do the book on Anonymous, which he thinks he can get sold next month me: so I'll be getting somewhere between 15 and 20 k for first round of advance and then another 15 or 20 a few months later upon delivery of manuscript Andrew: swell, you should get health insurance me: and we've already got production companies asking for movie rights me: I have health insurance, my mom put me on her plan again me: I just didn't have it for a few months this year and for a slightly longer time a couple years ago Andrew: says the big time hollywood screenwriter me: also me: got me an xbox me: again me: and Just Cause 2 me: which you should get Andrew: no possible chance Andrew: my game time budget is exhausted with hypotheticals me: oh, and I have to go to Boston to do some work on this book at some point soon so I'll drop by NYC as well Andrew: don't forget to bring a towel Andrew: you should always bring a towel me: you're the worst character ever, Towlie Andrew: give me 5 minutes of game description Andrew: simple how? me: simple as in graphically, it should be no more demanding than Morrowind me: while having the detail of Dwarf Fortress me: and the NPCs should be on par with what was promised with Oblivion me: perhaps even less graphically demanding than Morrowind so as to better accommodate detail and AI Andrew: I cant do morrowind me: and it shouldn't have a fixed world Andrew: or even close, really Andrew: good, I cant do that either me: good, then go with Minecraft level graphics or less me: have the world generate in way similar to Dwarf Fortress me: I really recommend you read through Legends mode on latest DF release Andrew: Im going to start with very simple terrain generation Andrew: ill come back to it when I have a working core me: and when the new release comes out, play a couple of rounds of adventure mode to see how the world shapes up me: okay Andrew: http://mrdoob.github.com/three.js/examples/webgl_geometry_terrain.html Andrew: is pretty much teh exact terrain algorithm I'll use, with less volatility and a colormap me: I'll provide any content that can be handled without programming skills, etc me: nice, gotcha me: random attributes involving relationships between NPCs, social entities, etc me: should be generated as well in world creation me: DF does this to an extent me: but he simply hasn't gotten around to adding more complexity to it me: because of course he won't accept help other than from his bro me: also he'll clearly die of diabetes in ten years Andrew: yeah, he seemed alittle nuts from the interview me: and he doesn't drink water me: just soda me: and no vegetables me: and obviously gets little exercise Andrew: ok, ok Andrew: setting? Andrew: jsut give me a direction to go in with simple art Andrew: brown? futuristic? Andrew: meta? me: I say in terms of era, make it be akin to 18th century style and tech me: except with biological enhancements produced by alchemists me: or some such things Andrew: arcanum? me: yeah, that's kind of close to that me: except arcanum is more late 19th century me: this would have less tech Andrew: i never played it me: I did for a bit me: anyway, the real key is to have a dynamic working economy me: starting off with just food in terms of what you program, then go from there me: have individuals farm and hunt and have their ability to contribute cultural/tech/etc points to their town, and in turn their kingdom, be based on getting enough of two different kinds of food me: meat and produce me: that will start to provide for varying degrees of sophistication within a kingdom and to a lesser degree within its various towns Andrew: this is all great stuff me: and have taxation Andrew: but I cant do any of this myself - I can really jsut make the engine and will have to come back to world modelling later me: later you can add in potters, weavers, etc, all of whom both sell their goods to farmers and each other as well as to the town Andrew: basically - i need an open world engine with procedural world Andrew: with lots of npcs that allow compelx social modelling me: and also soldiers who are payed from taxes and who vary from civ to civ based on the technology level and ability to equip them based on the kingdom's stores of metal, etc Andrew: as well as a dynamically modelled economy and such me: yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking for me: I can give you a number of easily-implemented ideas on relationships me: and attributes that would inform individual actions Andrew: combat? me: would be handled based on statistics in world gen and also in game to some degree, I imagine Andrew: so, what does that mean? Andrew: first person Andrew: you see another player Andrew: you … ? me: handle it like morrowind or daggerfall or anything else me: stats, rolls, etc Andrew: run up to the other player and click me: yeah, you probably won't be able to institute physics or anything Andrew: thats easier than world modelling me: oic Andrew: I was thinking some simple melee fighting system based on bushido blade or jed knoght 2 or prince of persia or such Andrew: very limited moves, available in sets of simple stances Andrew: basically, something I can do in a week Andrew: because as I havent mentioned yet Andrew: Im only alloting myself a week for this project me: sounds reasonable Andrew: I went to a 24hr game hack day at union sq Andrew: and me and qunt from work spent 18hrs there Andrew: and the two of us managed to program and 3d copy of star control 2 melee mode really easily Andrew: with shitter design and sound, of course Andrew: but the mechanics were trivial and I have lots of experience with 3d graphics now Andrew: so I have to learn this new language for work Andrew: and I have abotu 2 weeks to learn it and do nothing else Andrew: so Im goign to make an opengl based multiplayer game as an excuse to learn this language me: so you're off work for those two weeks? me: so, this game will be multiplayer? Andrew: but i only have 2 weeks, which means I have 1 week because it will take 2x what i estimate Andrew: the lang is for a server based opengl graphics application ill be building Andrew: so I want to make a server-based opengl graphics app Andrew: which means mmo in a browser with opengl Andrew: hi concurrency / opengl / near-realtime communication Andrew: so basically Andrew: I can make a world you can walk around in with npcs Andrew: and do one feature Andrew: and use art from somethign like this Andrew: http://www.turbosquid.com/ Andrew: and ive got about $500 I can probably pour at art under the excuse of learning materials