31–40 of 48 posts
This is amazing. Anyone know of any other text-based trading style games? I think there could be a market for this, as even Eve Online is nicknamed "Spreadsheets in Space", and I wonder if there are other games that have embraced that and left out the quasi-dogfighting mechanics.
I'm working on a spaceflight game that features trading and can be operated from a text interface, though it features graphics by default. My vision is to be a bit more story-based than the procedurally-generated or MMO-type games would be, but it might be what you're looking for: https://technomancy.itch.io/bussard It features programming as one of its core mechanics on top of the piloting features. I made a trailer…
I've always wondered if there is scope for a MMO version of Elite that is less ambitious (especially graphically) in some ways than the current Elite: Dangerous but still has the essence of Elite; I'm thinking 3D graphics with a retro vibe, maybe primarily text based menus for in-station activities (and certainly no desire for on-planet or first person shooter components). Even keep the generative universe of the ori…
Privateer would be fun transformed into a MMO, but I don't think graphics are much of an issue these days as you can pretty much scale for need. The issue I see with Elite/Privateer/etc is that its hard to encourage group play which tends to be a near requirement for most MMOs to succeed. If ships are the primary draw how do you group people up? Surely many would not want to just play a specific role or share a ship…
I don't think it would have to be "massive", multiplayer with a dozen of players or so could be just fine if we talk about coop (aka PvE) only: you could form convoys with escorts, attack/defend bigger objectives than in solo play, etc.
Competitive multiplayer (PvP) brings a lot of issues, compromises and downsides; one of them being the ability to customize your game. I casually play Oolite, and it's key feature is precisely the ability to modify almost anything in the game. Those mods for instance let you escort an AI ship or be escorted by AI wingmen, which compensates a bit for the lack of multiplayer.
> If ships are the primary draw how do you group people up
When you look at it, this genre is not very different from an ARPG: you upgrade your ship just like to equip your character; your ship can be a freighter or a light fighter and it is similar to character classes. If you need more variety you can for instance introduce distinct damage types (energy damage with lasers and kinetic damage for missile) with specific defences (shields vs lasers and armour vs missiles). Or you can reserve certain capabilities like interstellar jumps to certain ships.
I've always wondered if there is scope for a MMO version of Elite that is less ambitious (especially graphically) in some ways than the current Elite: Dangerous but still has the essence of Elite; I'm thinking 3D graphics with a retro vibe, maybe primarily text based menus for in-station activities (and certainly no desire for on-planet or first person shooter components). Even keep the generative universe of the ori…
The project is called "Emergence Vector."
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not MMO, OOlite can be "retro" with the right options on. Extensions (aka "OXP" or "OXZ" in Oolite lingo) can give you in-station text based activities (the extension is named "Life in the Frontier" IIRC) and planet descriptions, among other things (there are about 400 extensions available from the integrated package manager, not counting older ones that haven't been ported). Extensions are written mostly in Javascri…
I second Oolite. And in terms of adding networking, a game following the original Elite model should be fairly "MMO friendly" in that each system is basically closed - players can jump in and out, but there's no continuous flight between systems (unless they've added that to Oolite since I last checked it out), so e.g. scaling it to multiple servers can be done on the star-system level up until there's quite a lot of…
I'm working on a game in the spirit of Elite, but with continuous flight between systems, in the spirit of Star Control 2.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I second Oolite. And in terms of adding networking, a game following the original Elite model should be fairly "MMO friendly" in that each system is basically closed - players can jump in and out, but there's no continuous flight between systems (unless they've added that to Oolite since I last checked it out), so e.g. scaling it to multiple servers can be done on the star-system level up until there's quite a lot of…
but there's no continuous flight between systems I'm working on a game in the spirit of Elite, but with continuous flight between systems, in the spirit of Star Control 2. https://www.reddit.com/r/gogamedev
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I played that version in 1985.
You did? There was a MMO space trading/combat game in 1985? What was it called?
It started on Compunet, moved to GEnie, then AOL, then the web. The guy behind it - Alan Lenton - is a really interesting character.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
but there's no continuous flight between systems I'm working on a game in the spirit of Elite, but with continuous flight between systems, in the spirit of Star Control 2. https://www.reddit.com/r/gogamedev
I actually don't really like the continuous flight between systems. I prefer the simplicity of Elite. The massive increase in complexity is one of the reasons I never liked the sequels. But don't pay attention to me - I'm unlikely to be representative when it comes to a gamer audience.
Are you familiar with Star Control 2's "hyperspace?" It's really not all that more involved than flying into stargates or using the map in Elite, especially for short hops. I wanted to get away from point to point stargates in order to avoid the creation of choke points. I wanted to eliminate "gate camping."