Shadowrun MMO announced, who saw THAT coming?! Options

[CanRay]

Pictsies

"The Wee Free Men! Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! We willna be fooled again!" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Stahlseele]

"The Wee Free Men! Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! We willna be fooled again!" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

*nods*
if i ever were to play SR4, that would totally be a character idea i'd be using for a pixie adept . .

[CanRay]

Damn you Stahl... That's number four. FOUR!

Now, if you excuse me, I have to me a borderline-sociopathic troll that names his guns and sleeps with them in rotation like his own personal harem, and a pixie adept.

[Stahlseele]

Damn you Stahl... That's number four. FOUR!

Now, if you excuse me, I have to me a borderline-sociopathic troll that names his guns and sleeps with them in rotation like his own personal harem, and a pixie adept.

Number Four?
Next you'll be Complaining about Number Johnny 5! ^^

[CanRay]

I think I'll use that one in the Shadowrun MMO. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Stahlseele]

But honestly . . Number Four? Four what?

[CanRay]

Four characters now stuck in my head...

The Accountant from Hell, the borderline-sociopathic troll that names his guns and sleeps with them in rotation like his own personal harem, Puppy the Dog Shaman, and that Pixie Adept.

And that doesn't even include the characters I use in my stories (*Points at sig*), and the stuff planned for them...

[Stahlseele]

*snickers* ^^
i've had the idea since i first read about the wee free men and the pixi puncher adept on dumpshock ^^
and now the Mr. Johnny Five idea for a Drone/AI or something like that ^^

[CanadianWolverin...]

yeah, as we said: move in real time and go turn based once combart starts would be my current way to go...

I would ask you to reconsider and go with your slowed down time real time idea instead for one specific reason: Multiplayer.

When we played Fallout 1 & 2, Jagged Alliance 2, Baldur's Gate, and so forth, when we went into turn based mode because we were in single player it didn't matter how much real time we took to select and confirm an action for our characters to attempt based on their stats. In a multiplayer situation, if I take my sweet time selecting where my next chess piece is going to go, the game is not progressing and the other player has to wait on me - social restrictions in meat space indicate pretty quickly that the other player is getting frustrated at not having their turn and if I want to avoid the other player storming off so the game can go on, I better hurry up and make a decision but when online, anonymity as you well know increases the chances I am delaying taking my turn just for shits and giggles, to grief and rage quit the other player.

So, what do you do, put in a timer limit on how long your turn goes? Even that adds up to annoyance if a player just lets the clock run out all the time and the game world just has to wait on them. So, I implore you, reconsider using your real time slowed down "turn based hidden" method. I wonder, since NWN had more mulitplayer focus than previous D&D PC games if that is part of the reason they chose their implementation of the real time "background turns" method, other than just to show off the animations more frequently...

[primetide]

I would ask you to reconsider and go with your slowed down time real time idea instead for one specific reason: Multiplayer.

When we played Fallout 1 & 2, Jagged Alliance 2, Baldur's Gate, and so forth, when we went into turn based mode because we were in single player it didn't matter how much real time we took to select and confirm an action for our characters to attempt based on their stats. In a multiplayer situation, if I take my sweet time selecting where my next chess piece is going to go, the game is not progressing and the other player has to wait on me - social restrictions in meat space indicate pretty quickly that the other player is getting frustrated at not having their turn and if I want to avoid the other player storming off so the game can go on, I better hurry up and make a decision but when online, anonymity as you well know increases the chances I am delaying taking my turn just for shits and giggles, to grief and rage quit the other player.

So, what do you do, put in a timer limit on how long your turn goes? Even that adds up to annoyance if a player just lets the clock run out all the time and the game world just has to wait on them. So, I implore you, reconsider using your real time slowed down "turn based hidden" method. I wonder, since NWN had more mulitplayer focus than previous D&D PC games if that is part of the reason they chose their implementation of the real time "background turns" method, other than just to show off the animations more frequently...

A valid point - we are using a timer as well as an incentive (get extra Action Points) for people finishing their turn earlier. But we will see how that works out and it is indeed the main argument for a "real time" game.

[Blade]

That's why I like the idea of everyone planning their next actions at the same time and then resolving simultaneously. Though in that case "interruptions" should be possible, but I guess they could be dealt with quickly enough.

Another problem you'll face is that if you chose turn-based, you'll have reviewers complaining that turn-based is obsolete and should be dead (I've seen a lot of games get bad reviews just because they were turn-based!) and if you choose real-time you'll have tactical fans complaining that your game is about acting fast rather than being tactical.

[hermit]

@hermit: if you want to see what Unity can do, you can take a look here or there

Well, that looks pretty nice. Textures in the crane game are a bit low-res, but the shooter almost looks like a client-based game. Gives hope for SRO.

[Sengir]

A valid point - we are using a timer as well as an incentive (get extra Action Points) for people finishing their turn earlier. But we will see how that works out and it is indeed the main argument for a "real time" game.

Incentives are nice and well as long as all participants behave themselves...but the question is, how good does the system cope with human failure or griefers? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[CanRay]

Actually, surprised I didn't think of this before, but a browser game that's got a good storyline is CSI: Crime City for FaceBook. Apparently they got the series writers involved.

Now, it's not fine art or anything, but it's the rare video game that is, either. Not every game can be Max Payne or Alan Wake...

[hermit]

Facebook .... how much do you have to pay to actually play it? How much spam does it create?

[CanRay]

Facebook .... how much do you have to pay to actually play it? How much spam does it create?

I've paid nothing, and gotten next to no spam. It's made by UbiSoft, an actual game company, not a company designed to make money from spamming and "Click to extend bar" games. The worst I get is notices that other people share, just like all their other wall posts.

[primetide]

Incentives are nice and well as long as all participants behave themselves...but the question is, how good does the system cope with human failure or griefers? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

The incentive is one part - there will still be a maximum time allowed, then the next player's turn begins.

Facebook .... how much do you have to pay to actually play it? How much spam does it create?

A lot of the FB games have a conversion rate of play to pay of less than 10%, meaning less than 1 in 10 regular players pay for them. While many people seem to be suspicious about free to play, I still think it is the fairest model out there: You don't pay 50 bucks for a game that turns out be crap or only 4 hours long, you don't pay for months when you are not playing anymore (as in subscription based models) to keep your account. Of course many are designed in a way that you have to pay eventually to get full benefit of the game, but at that stage you have invested considerable time into a game - so apparently you liked it in some way. Of course some make up for the decrease in profit per player versus other models by spam, ads etc., but many of them actually don't.

[GreyPawn]

Some of you might remember me, I'm Joe "GreyPawn" Pishgar. I was the project lead of the previous Shadowrun Online attempt, and head of the now defunct Sixth World Games.

primetide here is the real deal, and I have to say that I'm excited about what the Cliffhanger Productions team has put together already. I contacted him awhile ago, and we've been discussing the project and comparing notes for a few weeks now. I was fortunate enough to be privy to some of it already, and it's incredibly exciting. Most likely, several of my former team members and I will be involved. Hopefully some of our experience will be useful towards the culmination of a truly immersive Shadowrun gaming experience. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[CanRay]

That is unofficially a good sign right there.

[Stahlseele]

Some of you might remember me, I'm Joe "GreyPawn" Pishgar. I was the project lead of the previous Shadowrun Online attempt, and head of the now defunct Sixth World Games.

primetide here is the real deal, and I have to say that I'm excited about what the Cliffhanger Productions team has put together already. I contacted him awhile ago, and we've been discussing the project and comparing notes for a few weeks now. I was fortunate enough to be privy to some of it already, and it's incredibly exciting. Most likely, several of my former team members and I will be involved. Hopefully some of our experience will be useful towards the culmination of a truly immersive Shadowrun gaming experience. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Grey!
Where da fuck ya folks been man?
Good to see you back!

[Warlordtheft]

A valid point - we are using a timer as well as an incentive (get extra Action Points) for people finishing their turn earlier. But we will see how that works out and it is indeed the main argument for a "real time" game.

My only concern with real time is how things like wired reflexes, and other IP increasing (initiative so to speak in 2E terms). At those speeds a character is reacting much faster than a real life person would.

Do you plan on designing the game around one-offs or would there be an overarching story arch?

Finally, are you talking to catalyst games about the options?

[primetide]

My only concern with real time is how things like wired reflexes, and other IP increasing (initiative so to speak in 2E terms). At those speeds a character is reacting much faster than a real life person would.

Do you plan on designing the game around one-offs or would there be an overarching story arch?

Finally, are you talking to catalyst games about the options?

We are planning several story arcs for various locations in the world- each location will have its own arc and some may be sharing story elements.
We are talking about a number of ideas...but we cannot reveal more at the current point.

[hermit]

We are planning several story arcs for various locations in the world- each location will have its own arc and some may be sharing story elements.

That indeed sounds promising. Locations? Which locations are you considering, if you can already talk about such things?

[CanRay]

That indeed sounds promising. Locations? Which locations are you considering, if you can already talk about such things?

Denver? Hong Kong? Manhattan? LA? London? Montreal? Winnipeg?

EDIT: Let's stay away from Bogota, for one thing, there's no map of the territory there. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[X-Kalibur]

The only place "real" runners care about is Seattle =P