Multi-user adventure game over Internet

[elFer]

Hi, I'm writing specifications to develop a multi-user adventure game over Internet. Users can play with standard web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, etc), using ajax to interact with the server-game. The Philosophy is the same that standard adventure games. I will use google maps to view users logged. Users can walk, talk with other users, take objects, use objects, etc...with the background of gogle maps.
Any sugestions???
Thanks in advanced:
F.Z

[i stole your car]

I would probably say hold off on the posting until you've got some content to show for it. I mean I guess it sounds interesting but what will you actually be able to do in the game other than walk around and talk to people? Also I have to let you know, google maps is big so uh, you're probably letting yourself in for a lot of work there if you are actually aiming to make any kind of interactive world.

[elFer]

I want to make virtual world over physical real world. It's a Gis Adventure Game, virtual users over real scenario. I work in GIS (Geographical Information System), and I use gis functions to make the game real. You can talk with other user only when the user is near you. Users have objects, can use this objects, borrow to other users. There are virtual users that walk arround the virtual world. Normal users can talk with virtual users with answers and questions pre-writted. Virtual users can create objects to give to the normal users (internet users). All information are saved into data base.
The beta version will available about summer 2009. I will post here the url of the beta game....
I need more ideas to implement to make the game more interesting...
Bye...

[i stole your car]

So it's like a Habbo Hotel-esque game over google maps? Well I think you have a lot of work ahead of you and you should probably look into the legality of that as well. Also I think it's pretty poor form to ask for suggestions at such an early stage of development because as a designer it's your job to come up with the essence of the game rather than asking other people to design it for you.

Your game doesn't seem to have much substance going for it other than a concept which seems a little flakey in itself, but best of luck with your project anyway.

[elFer]

O.K. Ihope Ihaven't caused any inconvenience.
Thank you
Bye

[i stole your car]

No no, that's just my opinion. I'm sure other people are more than happy to throw some suggestions at you.

[Khris]

The problem lies in the choice of genre. A setup like this is perfect for an RPG, where users have to fulfill quests, with the whole online thing enabling the users to exchange items or even fight monsters in groups.
But it just doesn't work for a classic adventure game. This topic resurfaces here every few months, usually in connection with a request to update the tcp/ip plugin made for the now obsolete AGS 2.something.

[Darth Mandarb]

I don't see this working well as an RPG either ... Google maps is great and all that but useful as game backgrounds?  I think not!  I mean, a lot of places can't zoom in all the way (don't have detail at this level, blah blah blah) you can't go into any of the buildings, etc.  Making characters walk around that would be problematic I think.

So I just don't see it working very well as a 'game' ... now if you wanted to make some kind of chat program I suppose it could be interesting.  I downloaded an app for my iphone the other day where you can login to it and see where other users are on the globe and that's pretty cool.

[elFer]

Of course, there is a history for de adventure. But now I studing the technical part of the project. I remember adventure games like Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and I want to create a similar game using internet, any web browser and a real scenario for the adventure. The project include an web administrator to create virtual users, conversations, objetcs, restricted areas, etc. You can create all the game history from web administrator. Using ajax/javascript you can do everything in a web browser.
But the development is begining...
I select an map area where google maps is well defined. The adventure exits in one real village, you can see the buildings o.k. There are a second part of the project where I define the interior of the buildings, organizated by floors. Users can't walk anywhere, I define streets to validate the movements of de users, but users only see maps of google. When users start the game, have a map image object of the village, with the name of the streets and special buildings (like monkey island). Users have to use this map to orientation into the real village of google maps.

Thanks for your suggestions...

[RickJ]

I think it's pretty poor form to ask for suggestions at such an early stage of development because as a designer it's your job to come up with the essence of the game rather than asking other people to design it for you.

Not at all?  People come here to brain storm all the time.   

elFer has said that he works in GIS, presumably this is his day job where earns a living.   So he has the skills and knowledge to work with google maps, ajax, etc, etc, and is contemplating using the same to create a game.   I don't see any problem with him coming here and asking folks what they think about his idea  and asking for suggestion and opinions. 

Personally I think it's am interesting idea and hope he is able to formulate an interesting game around the concept.   

[Khris]

The only reasonable concept for an online adventure game I can see is having rooms the players can join, start them as soon as maybe three players have entered and then let them solve the room, Gobliiins style. Using this concept, people could then be restricted to play the rooms in order (i.e. they are allowed to join only puzzle room Nr. 5 after having solved Nr. 4).
Integrating a story similar to Monkey Island in a multiplayer adventure game (let alone google maps based) is simply impossible, IMO.

[Ryan Timothy B]

Worst thing about google maps, is once the camera is zoomed in so far, you can't even check out a large city block without the perspective going insane.  The buildings in the one block will appear to fall NW, and the buildings in the corresponding block will appear to fall SE.  Etc.  Check out Manhattan for an example.  It seriously sends your mind on a crazy acid trip due to the location of the satellite and where the google people chose to crop and merge.

[Ghost]

The idea sounds thrilling enough- can you, however, create a "classic" adventure with this concept? I mean, let's take the Monkey Island example; there are basically a lot of small situations (puzzles or steps of puzzles) that need to be solved exactly once. As soon as one player managed to get rid of Largo, what would all the other players do? Or, more general: Will there be "one adventure game", with a lot of people working together to solve it, or will it be a bit like a "dungen master mode", with a few people creating plots/puzzles for others?

Hey... now that could be fun indeed; take a city, make two teams, and play an adventure version of fox hunt... sorta like Spy Vs. Spy...

[elFer]

I continue with the development, now I making the database structure for the navigation inside the buildings. The idea is make "one adventure game" where people can work together. How can I post an screen capture of the web page?
All the configuration of the game can make via web page using forms and maps. When user is "outside" views the google map and icon with their position, and the other users that are near. The zoom of this maps is blocked (users can't change zoom). I make the game in one place (village) that have good resolution in google maps.
The number of users that can play simultaneusly depends of the server machine. May be around one hundred users...
Regars...

[Khris]

So did you come with a concept of how to integrate adventure game puzzles into this? Because I still can't see it happening.

[elFer]

The puzzles are individual for every user. Each user is playing in one level of the game. To pass to the following level, the player must do  "something". The behavior of the virtual users is different for each level of the game. I'm working on objects now, players can take objects from the map, every object class has its own methods and properties.
There are to king of users: not registered (one user can play with only one user name) with limited functionality (the take functionality is not available, but they can walk, view, talk), and registered user with all user functions.
Regards....

[Radiant]

I suppose what would work is a random puzzle generator. You take a number of rooms, and in room <X>, you have a random character <Y> walk around that tells you he needs an item <Z>. Procedural generation can get you far with this.

Problem is, I see no technical issues here, but I doubt a randomly generated adventure game would actually be fun, so that would have to come mainly from the interaction with the other users. (then again, I also have trouble envisioning why a MUD would be fun, and people play those anyway).

[elFer]

The virtual users has tree's of conversations. Virtual user says something, and the user can select one of the answers (max of 4), like the traditional conversational games. When the user clicks on the answer, two things can happen: the virtual user show the next question of the tree (with their 4 answer) , or the virtual user create one predefined object and give to the user. There are another kind of question without predefined answers, that requires to user to write the response.
To pass to the next level, the user need to have one concrete object, and give to the virtual user. The virtual user evaluate the object, and if it is correct, the user go to the next level.
There are not randomly puzzles on the game, to pass to the next level you must do something, but always is the same for all users.
Regards...

[elFer]

Hello, I create a blog to talk about the project. The link is http://pueblovirtual.blogspot.com. Actualy is only in spanish, but you can see screen captures of the internet portal of the game. The real game has texts in spanish and english.
The beta version of the game will come available soon (December 2009).
Regards...

[elFer]

Last night Virtual Village adventure has started in beta version. The link is http://pv2.homelinux.com.
Enjoy and send me your comments.
Regards...