AuthorTopic: Would an online web-based RPG builder appeal to you?  (Read 3813 times)

Offline WarrenWilkinson

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Hi,

I plan to form an online community around making SNES-style RPGs,
but only if people find the concept appealing.

   * An SNES style rpg looks like this: http://www.dreamviews.com/f23/lucid-dream-snes-style-rpg-5637/
     (basically, he is making a game, with his own story and characters).

By "community", I mean a lot more than a forum, but I'll get into that. Please read over the
idea and ask yourself if any of it would appeal to you. Everything is hypothetical (and therefore changeable). If you hate the idea, please let me know now before I invest a lot of time.


CONCEPT:

I can make an RPG builder that works in your browser. It would let you paint scenes, plop down your characters and
bring your stories to life.  Your game is playable from a web browser. You could share it on facebook, email it to
friends, or post it on a forum.

Groups of people could work together to produce a game; some would write, others would pitch in with the art and programming.
The community website would help you find groups to contribute too.

Members can share plot outlines, locations and characters. Shared things would be showcased for discussion and you can grab a copy of these things to put into your own game world.

Facebook integration would keep jerks out. You'd actually know the people you're working with (not just their online nickname), and you can easily share your cool game with your friends on facebook.

All of it free. The games you produce would also be free to play. The site would be ad-supported.

BOTTOM LINE:

Would something like this appeal to you?

Offline lithander

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Re: Would an online web-based RPG builder appeal to you?

Reply #1 on: May 16, 2011, 05:48:33 pm
While I always feel restricted by "Game-making" software I think your idea is generally pretty interesting. It's not the first time i hear an idea like this (http://www.makeyourflashgame.com/) but I guess its the first time it's so specifically tied to one sub-genre. That could be a good thing...

What technology would you plan to use? And how do you plan to aid collaboration? When different people work on the same project at the same time things tend to get messy. Do you plan to build/use some kind of revision control system and communication channels. (Forum, Wiki, Issue tracker...) Are there plans to support sharing assets between different groups or even make assets libraries that are free for all? That might make the daunting task of making a full game from scratch a little less scary!^^

Anyway: Good luck with your project!

Offline WarrenWilkinson

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Re: Would an online web-based RPG builder appeal to you?

Reply #2 on: May 16, 2011, 06:18:42 pm
Hey thanks for the link!  I'm trying to figure out how big the market for this is; so this helps.

Technology is Canvas and javascript.  But more specifically, I've got a prototype engine that runs a bytecode.   All of the game graphics, code, maps, sprites and animations, are delivered as a single game-rom.  This game-rom is broken into blocks, and each block can hold one type of thing.

The server knows about the block format.  So it is easy for the server to list the contents of the game.  You'd be able to drag and drop things from the community's shared asset library.    Everything you drag into your game gets imported. Everything you drag to the library becomes a shared asset.  In theory the community website  would have discussion threads, like buttons, ratings, categorization, 1-click import button, etc for each shared asset.

Collaboration:  I'm still thinking this over. But so far I imagine the project would show a time line containing all versions of your game-rom.  The project would also have a private discussion area, and private asset library.    People would work off the mainline version.  Simultaneous edits would create a fork; the projects maintainer would have to export the assets of one fork, and reimport them in the other.

Offline WarrenWilkinson

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Re: Would an online web-based RPG builder appeal to you?

Reply #3 on: May 24, 2011, 10:41:58 pm
I've put a prototype online: http://sites.google.com/site/worthgamemaker/. It works in Opera and Firefox, and demonstrates a walkabout. I'm working towards GUI stuff like a tile editor. :)

Offline yrizoud

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Re: Would an online web-based RPG builder appeal to you?

Reply #4 on: May 26, 2011, 10:34:04 am
I've played hack-and-slash MUDs where the world is made up of areas. Authors of areas build them and then inter-connect with existing areas, though the transition is totally seamless for players. The very nice part is that when new areas open to public, an existing place gets changed to involve more exits: for example an old road travelling east-to-west in the woods now has a path branching north. You can even put things in advance, like a mountain pass blocked by snow, or a barred door next to a sign : "Opening soon: the dungeon of horrors."

With multiple authors for areas however, game balance is an important issue. A single over-powered item can make several existing areas totally useless. So, some authority has to enforce game balance.

Still, I find the idea pretty good for a tile-based world...

Offline lithander

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Re: Would an online web-based RPG builder appeal to you?

Reply #5 on: May 26, 2011, 02:31:08 pm
This reminded me of what you were planning to do! Looks pretty nice on first glance...
http://rpgjs.com/