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I agree with you Eetee, this thread should have it's own website. Unfortuantly, I do not have a clue on how to put a BB into a web site. I could make a basic web site, but some one else will have to make the BB section.
Another Idea on ships and conflicts surrounding them would be that people can create new star sections. (This assuming we go with the star region methode. This is where each area is controlled by one server, so there would be a UE server, a Voinian/Emalgha, a Miranu, an Azdigari, an gadzra, etc. Of course there would be some stars from other govt in other section (remote outposts, for the most part). Within these star regions, it would be possible to actually fly all the way between stars, if desired, although it would take a while, and you could do hyperjumps within the system. Major hyperjumps, taking 30, 45, 60 secs, depending on the size of your ship (small->30, med->45, large->60) would only be between star systems, and take up that quantity of time to permit switching servers (large ships have more outfits, etc to keep track of). Anyone could make there own starsystem, provided they have a server and a good connection, which they would send the link to the main server, where people would determin if it was acceptable, and if so, co-ordinate the intergration of it into the game. None of these server add-ons would change existing outfits, weapons, or ships, but they could create new ones with similar appearances and/or effects. As always, subject to review by the main server admins.
------------------ Zitchas
Hey kBerg, I noticed in another thread you said you had a build of EVOMP up and running, although you hand't given it a name yet. Could you post a link to it hear, along with, perhaps, a description of what you've done so far? Oh, and how about some braking systems? So that you could slow down without having to spin around.
This is the last build that was publicly distributed: (url="http://"http://cr441186-a.lngly1.bc.wave.home.com/~karl/Downloads/Build_12.sit.hqx")http://cr441186-a.ln...uild_12.sit.hqx(/url)
Everything from there on is no longer public, and unfortunately listing the latest feature set would be giving away too much.
------------------
Thanks, kberg. I noted in the other topic you were wondering what to call it. How about "Termianl Velocity Overdrive" or TVO (eventually, Termianl Velocity OVerdirv Multi Player or TVOMP). Not quite as good a ring to it as EVO, or EVOMP, but still pretty good.
Hey, everybody. I've been reading all of your posts for awhile now. I have to say, why does this have to be multiplayer at all? All of the ideas I've heard would be AWESOME in just a single-player game like EVO. That game itself would be a great success and an instant bestseller. I mean, I know it would be cool to have a multiplayer version, but you could do that too, just have a single-player version of this, too. All the stuff like planets and stations with weapons, using ground troops to take over planets (and ships) and all the other ideas would be great in just a regular single-player game. Of course, you would probably need to create a whole new game engine for that, but it would still be a great success. And if somebody here does decide to do something like this, make the universe as big as possible. Like 500+ systems, okay? More systems and planets makes for more gameplay and less chance that the player will get tired of it. Thanks, everybody, for listening to my rambling.
Yes, all these changes would make for an extremely good game, probably an instant hit with the EVO crowd. It would probably spark intrest in Ares from the EVO crowd, and in EVO fromthe Ares crowd. The bigger the better, as far as the size of the galaxy goes. If we gave each gov. a server of its own, to control its systems (with the exception of outpsts, eg the Azdigari one near the north tip), we would have over a dozen servers. If we made a Linux version too, we could have over 5000 people online at any one time, over 25000 people with pilots total!!!! Ambrosia could get rich selling that much stuff to that many people! We might even sell <GAG> windows :eek: versions if they didn't make enough money on the Macintosh and Linux versions :mad:
(This message has been edited by Zitchas (edited 06-28-2000).)
Ooh! Ooh! I think EV3 should be fully 3D and you can make super fun ships. The interface should project from your screen into real life, and have a telepathic user interface, too. It should be fully multiplayer, run on any OS (including Atari and Game Boy) and make you money while you play. It should also be free, and the tech manual should be candy. After you eat it, you should be able to print out another one. If you don't have a computer capible of playing it, they should give you one, and assign you a personal tech support guy in case you have any problems. Even if you don't, he can write plugs for you. It should be massively multiplayer and if you don't have internet, Ambrosia SW should give you a free 100000000k connection. It should have LOTS of cheat codes so I can win every battle and it shold have MILLIONS of systems.
Hmm.... I like the idea of EVOMP. Maybe its the purist in me, or the fatalist in me, but I think that EVOMP should be......EVO. Not MOOII. Not Starcraft. EVOMP. i.e. EVO like interface w/chat, Moderators, and MP facets, but no ground combat, zooming like ares, or ground strafing. I think you'll have your hands full w/EVOMP :), let alone EVO/SC/MOOII/EVERYTHINGANDANYTHING MP. Add ground combat, and you get a hell of a mess, methinks (I'm not trying to flame anyone, just having visions of servers exploding, etc). If you want to manage an Empire as one of several Emporers, buy MOOII; it's got MP already (though I heard its pretty buggy). If you want ground combat, buy SC from Blizzard. If you want to command a fleet w/scaleable zoom, go Ares. EVOMP is a MP version of EVO. Having EVO w/human opponents is enough for me. You might want to leave a few comps (w/upgraded stats, to be competitive) in case there's only 5 people online. Plus, these moderators probably won't have a full time job w/EVOMP, so maybe it should be made so they can leave a list, i.e. "release misns 1-20 at 12:00 21-40 at 1:00, etc". As for a synchronized player date, just have individual dates. i.e, if I've only been in 1day/jump ships, and have made 20 jumps/landings, then my date is 20 days after my personal starting date. If I did the same in a 3day/jump ship, it would be 60 days after. You could just say "Drop off this cargo in 10 days", not "drop off this cargo before June 22, 5000.
To sum up: I think it would be best if you created EVOMP, not some hybrid. I'm glad somebody's trying to tackle the prob.
Best of luck, Kretschmer
Quote
Originally posted by wraith: **that is a good idea but the programming alone would be enourmous to do this you would have to have a massive galaxy to allow for the possible 3 or 4 million people who might play it. and 1 minute of play thats not enough i find myself occalionaly sitting down and playing for 3 or 4 hours at a time. and how would you manage the missions with thousands of people playing getting a mission is harder thean throwing a rock at the moon and hitting it. and how would you prevent people from having a pilot for each name that they have impossible. i own the shareware version and went into the programming and deleted the shareware pathways. a good idea but it requires more thought **
I doubt there would be milllions rushing to play MPEVO. Judging by the total # of posts on the EV Boards, and accounting for multiple posts, there's probably only 2000 people here max. Add those that don't post and there's maybe 3000 or so. Still a headache, though !!
------------------ To each his own, Kretschmer
(formerly U-99)
Originally posted by Newbie: **I agree with Bubbles when, in the message above, he (she?) suggests that the non-linearity should be limited. I suspect that the best way to do this would be to assign to Gamemasters the task of setting up large-scale plots.
I think it would be worthwhile to explore how one goes from player to Gamemaster. The first Gamemasters should be picked by Ambrosia or whomever makes the EVMP. After that, a player may become a Gamemaster if they are admitted by the other Gamemasters.
There should probably be only about two GMs in game at any one time. This means that they must have relatively simple controls for running the galaxy, and it prevents GMs from being associated with specific governments, etc,. It is probably wise to eliminate aliens and most huge governments altogether: perhaps the only intersystem politics should be between the North, the South, the East, and the West. These four groups would be run by the GMs.
Now, if we have only two GMs, and they run four governments, what are we going to do about other necessary pieces of EV furniture? Who will run the pirates? And what of the shipping fleets? We might simply tell some players that they will be the pirates (any volunteers?). They might be given a good ship and some upgrades. If they recruit some more pirates, they can renounce their ways and go off to something respectable (like military service). As for freighter fleets, I think that cargo pilots would quickly learn to band together for protection.
Minor interplanetary conflicts should probably be done away with: the Lethe-Cydonian thing played out over a dozen systems would drive the GMs nuts. However, perhaps a bunch of GMs would like to set up a suprise for the players on a dark and stormy night...
The GMs should be allowed to create fleets at will and have all sorts of incredible powers. Their identity should be broadcast to all on the network, so that people can get in touch with them if there are complaints.
In general, my priciple on matters of AI is cut, cut, cut: as much of the game as possible ought to be handled by human intellect. The computer allows for fancy graphics and awesome physics, but it's not much of a storyteller. **
If you let people do what they want, and don't script their actions, you won't need to assign roles. Some people want to haul cargo to slow down the pace. Others want quick money and decide to raid the ships of others. Others want to take a stint at GM, and controll a gov and hand out missions.
One catylist for missions is for the GM of a planet (one per planet, or sys would be advisable) would have to use their parts to create ships. So if a GM runs out of, say, guns, then he would have to ask someone to buy some from another planet and haul them there. Or maybe each GM would have to pick their gov/ tech group, and have the appropriate outfs created at their planets. So if, say, a GM is part of the UE alliance. Then his planet(s) create blaze cannons/turrets. If he sells phase turrets on the side, then he hires freightors to buy them, and the freightors hire escorts to protect them, and so on. Meanwhile, the pirates are forming their own groups to raid the freightors. Thus, there would be trade in outfs between separate groups. Also, if one player called Bob is harried by Joe, then Bob might hire **** to kill Joe. No GM needed. Ditto for govts. Govts could be people loosly bandd together for mutual protection. Wealthiest/best armed members dictate policy by force. So, the most powerful could independantly call for an invasion. Plus, there could be a tax on misns, or commerace, or loot. A constant stream of cash. Maybe each planet/govt could only have certain outfs, so you'd have to choose what you want.
Or planets/govts could each have a GM, yet be automated most of the time. So, for example, a planet could dole out transport missions on its own, and would automatically ask those in port to help if a group invades and asks for tribute. Less strain on GMs, and you don't need a full time staff.
Just a few suggestions, Kretschmer
Originally posted by Kretschmer: **Hmm.... I like the idea of EVOMP. Maybe its the purist in me, or the fatalist in me, but I think that EVOMP should be......EVO. Not MOOII. Not Starcraft. EVOMP. i.e. EVO like interface w/chat, Moderators, and MP facets, but no ground combat, zooming like ares, or ground strafing. I think you'll have your hands full w/EVOMP:) , let alone EVO/SC/MOOII/EVERYTHINGANDANYTHING MP. Add ground combat, and you get a hell of a mess, methinks (I'm not trying to flame anyone, just having visions of servers exploding, etc). If you want to manage an Empire as one of several Emporers, buy MOOII; it's got MP already (though I heard its pretty buggy). If you want ground combat, buy SC from Blizzard. If you want to command a fleet w/scaleable zoom, go Ares. EVOMP is a MP version of EVO. Having EVO w/human opponents is enough for me. You might want to leave a few comps (w/upgraded stats, to be competitive) in case there's only 5 people online. Plus, these moderators probably won't have a full time job w/EVOMP, so maybe it should be made so they can leave a list, i.e. "release misns 1-20 at 12:00 21-40 at 1:00, etc". As for a synchronized player date, just have individual dates. i.e, if I've only been in 1day/jump ships, and have made 20 jumps/landings, then my date is 20 days after my personal starting date. If I did the same in a 3day/jump ship, it would be 60 days after. You could just say "Drop off this cargo in 10 days", not "drop off this cargo before June 22, 5000.
Best of luck, Kretschmer**
I believe we solved the hyperjump problems by changing the time it takes to acomplish inter-sevtion (inter-server) hyperjumps.10-15 secs for a small ship, 20-30 secs for a medium ship, 40-60 for a large ship, and 80-120 for absoltutly huge ships. This also gives the servers more time to transfer data on those ships, since a large ship has more room for upgrades, weapons, etc, etc than a small ship. If a ship had absolutly no outfits or cargo, he would be at the lower numer on the above times in his category. If he was maxed out, he would be at the upper end. If he had some stuff, he would be somewhere in between. You would be able to send messages to those ships with that you know the com numbers for while in hyperspace.
Dates would be something like 1 min real time equals a day game time, so that would keep the dates constant.
Ideally, the only comps in the game would be fighters that you lanch from your ship, an planet defence fleets, since I won't think anyone want s to sit on a planet/ship for days and days without doing anything. When a planet gets attacked, though, all players on that planet get a request to defend the planet against the invaders for x1000 credits, depending on how serious the threat.
One little Question: Is anyone actually developing some kinda NetEV?
sebek
Originally posted by Kretschmer: ** Also, if one player called Bob is harried by Joe, then Bob might hire **** to kill Joe. Just a few suggestions, Kretschmer**
Oops, was trying to use a fairly common name, not trying to be obscene (well, it WAS a common name, a while ago). Sorry 'bou the problems caused.
I beleive kberg (see above) is working on an Alpha version of EVOMP. I think that, at the moment, he is developing a version for one player with all the mods we decided on in the previous 4 pages worth of posts. He hasn't posted lately so I don't know the status of his project.
The concept of being able to offer/create missions for other players is a key one. We can accomplish this by making it possible to transfer credits from one player account to another. So player 1 can tell player 2 that if he destroys ship x player 1 will give player 2 this many credits. player 2 thinks back on the last time he met ship x, remembers that it was a big cruiser, and tells player 1 that it will have to be a fair bit more than so many credits, say, this many. So they dicker back and forth untill a price is accomplished.
That scenario is likely to be the most common, however you could conceivably do the same thing for almost anything. Asking a fighter to escort you to planet X in exchange for fuel and so many credits, to be payed on landing. Or carrying a cargo for player 1 to somewhere, so player 1 gets the cash for mission completion, so player 2 goes back to player1 and gets payed for doing it.
You could also have much broader mission too. Like placing a notice every mission BB or mission center you come across saying that you'll pay so many credits to watch a specific ship get destroyed.Players can deal directly with each other to reach any sort of agreement they desire, for any goal in the game that they are attempting to accomplish.
Originally posted by sebek: **One little Question: Is anyone actually developing some kinda NetEV?
sebek**
Kberg said he was one of a group of developers working on a EVMP. Gosh, I hope they have a lot of people... so it'll be done sooner
------------------ tear it down / AIM: G2uidehatr