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Notch's next game is an MMO

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Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#41

Post by jiggy2011 »

someone13 wrote: post #35
jiggy2011 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? It's just a big switch/case over the instruction set by the looks of it. Those things can get pretty damn large if your are implementing anything close to a proper CPU. It's just very condensed, I imagine so he can change a bunch of values and re-test quickly.

It's not quite as bad as it would be in a program other than an emulator, granted, but I can't imagine that it's easy to notice a bug in a 200-character line of: int pos=(ram[PC++&0xffff]+X)&0xff; byte v=ram[(ram[pos]&0xff)| And so on. It just seems like some sort of code generation would be much easier.

This is true, but it should be easy enough to make a script that can pack/unpack the code as needed.

Most likely when you have a bug in something like this it will be isolated to one specific instruction. So you can just zoom in on the bit you need.

If you followed the standard Java practice for this you would probably have an Instruction class that inherited from several base classes and that would make your project very large and difficult to navigate indeed.

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#42

Post by Zaak »

oflannabhra wrote: post #25
justauser wrote: post #9

I thought Scrolls was his next game?

If I remember correctly, Scrolls is Mojang's next game, but Notch was uninvolved in its developement (aside from hiring everyone).

Notch was at least involved in the original concept for Scrolls. I don't know if he's been involved in the actual development.

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#43

Post by justjimmy »

Hopefully it'll have some sandbox features! MMO Scene has been missing a decent sandbox since UO and SWG (Pre you know what. And dont' say EVE online cause to me, that was just a huge game of stare-at-your-UI-windows)

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#44

Post by philsnow »

someone13 wrote: post #29
lt wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He tweeted this picture while debugging the CPU a couple weeks ago: http://i.imgur.com/DhmFp.png Sounds like fun.

I really hope that code is auto-generated. Because that coding style is ATROCIOUS.

it's just a bunch of (virtual) CPU state changes, really easy to read if you've ever simulated a CPU before. Take the INY instruction for example. it does: increment Y register, set the Z(ero) flag/bit to whether Y is now equal to zero, set the N(egative) flat/bit to whether Y is now less than zero.

Or BNE (branch not equal): if the last instruction (hopefully a compare) set the Z(ero) flag, jump ahead t instructions. otherwise don't do anything.

Maybe notch has asserted that if he can't fit what an instruction does in ~60 characters, that instruction is doing too much

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#45

Post by h2s »

cpeterso wrote: post #23

I was a developer for the ill-fated Perpetual Entertainment's Star Trek Online MMO (which was later sold and successfully launched by Cryptic Studios). Star Trek Online's #1 most common feature request from beta testers was "ship interiors." Players didn't want to play "WoW in Spaaaace " game. They wanted to play "The Sims meet Star Trek" and relive their favorite Star Trek TV episodes. That sounds like a pretty cool…

This is the one thing stopping me from reaching 100% rabid-fanboy-mode about this news. We already have Quake in Space, WoW in Space, and Spreadsheets in Space: I hope this doesn't turn out to be "Assembly Programming in Space". This quote gave me hope:

> A cloaking field, for example, might require almost all the power from the generator, forcing you to turn off all computers and dim all lights in order to successfully cloak.

I'm hoping that "dim lights" means actually dimming the lights inside and being less able to see, and that the fact it's mentioned is a sign that this is their intended direction. I really hope Notch nails this. Give me a chilled-out space MMO that lets me have a friend ride shotgun and take over the controls to check out the awesome spaceship I just bought and then help fight off some attackers Millenium Falcon style. Please.

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#46

Post by samlittlewood »

lt wrote: post #20
endianswap wrote: post #4

Technology of note: "The computer in the game is a fully functioning emulated 16 bit CPU that can be used to control your entire ship, or just to play games on while waiting for a large mining operation to finish. [...] The cost of the game is still undecided, but it's likely there will be a monthly fee for joining the Multiverse as we are going to emulate all computers and physics even when players aren't logged in.…

He tweeted this picture while debugging the CPU a couple weeks ago: http://i.imgur.com/DhmFp.png Sounds like fun.

That looks like 6502! - see http://www.6502.org/tutorials/6502opcodes.html

If he sticks with that, there are good few cross dev. tools. (even C ISTR)

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#47

Post by stephengillie »

jiggy2011 wrote: post #22

I hope this will be like EVE Online but actually fun. When I played EVE, I always thought that a programmable ship would be fun. Although there is a risk that programmers will get an unfair advantage. On the other hand it may get more people interested in programming. I wonder if this will ship with an interpreter/compiler for any language or whether you will have to write ASM? Surely won't be long before there is a…

Will players have to maintain multiple accounts just to remain competitive, as in EVE? Someone will have to make and sell a 16-bit "minesweeper" to play while mining.

What will the first computer virus do?

Will there be "actual" viruses? Can we convince Notch to let our characters get Space Flu?

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#48

Post by samlittlewood »

someone13 wrote: post #29
lt wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He tweeted this picture while debugging the CPU a couple weeks ago: http://i.imgur.com/DhmFp.png Sounds like fun.

I really hope that code is auto-generated. Because that coding style is ATROCIOUS.

There appears to be a 'CpuBuilder.java' on a tab a bit further along, so that code may be generated.

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#49

Post by stephengillie »

justjimmy wrote: post #43

Hopefully it'll have some sandbox features! MMO Scene has been missing a decent sandbox since UO and SWG (Pre you know what. And dont' say EVE online cause to me, that was just a huge game of stare-at-your-UI-windows)

Can it please be "EVE-craft"? If it were just "Minecraft in space" on the EVE scope?

Go mine iron to craft parts for your spaceship!

Re: Notch's next game is an MMO

#50

Post by Splines »

tonfa wrote: post #27
pdelgallego wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and .. "Full specifications of the CPU will be released shortly, so the more programatically advanced of you can get a head start."

Now just have to wait for the llvm and gcc support :)

Someone will inevitable try to get the JVM running on it, and then run minecraft on it.
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