19 replies to this topic

[Goldbott]

Well to explain illinc I gotta explain a LOT so if you want to skip this part just scroll down.
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About three years ago (give or take a month) I played an awesome game and quickly got addicted (in a good way :D) but it didn't last - the game went off the air about a month after I joined the game. After that I decided I wanted to make a game exactly like that (before I know crap about development) and set out to find out everything about computers.

Since then I've drawn hundreds of pages of designs and ideas and learn all kinds of things I never knew (like that making a game was actually very difficult).
After so long I've revised the idea a LOT and in the end many things are similar to my old favorite but at the same time very much different.
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Illinc is the result of all my ideas and time - its a big project but I have many of the skills to finally get started on the actual code and artwork.

The main outline - illinc is in a nut skill a large scale (but not massive) multiplayer online shooter (first and third person alternating with a button press) game with certain rpg elements

The world - Altus is a beatiful planet ranging from amazing to horrifying and much more - miles of explorable area and surprises around every corner

The races -

Humans - Well you knew this before I said anything about it. I've given this some thought but in the end I decided that a Human race is a great "meter" of balance. Fossil fuels have become so scarce that their price could rival that of gold and rising everyday. Oil is nothing but a memory at this point and coal is lacking. Electricity is only available to the rich and though solar and hydroelectric power sources and solar power sources are being used increasingly nuclear power is still classified as too dangerous giving business owners have very little energy to use for production. After many years the Illinc Project allowed humans to "travel" huge distances by transferring consciousness to clones in other galaxies created by the Facility created by transferring the entire building thorough the matter transporter (through which no organic matter can survive). Upon arriving the humans can make use of various facilities to craft equipment and other important items.

Titians - From Titian Zero the Titans are know for their astounding technology and easily recognizable by their large metal bodies. Titian Zero is made entirely of an alien metal and covered in generator and various other devices essential for the Titian race. Their original planet is rumored to be so heavily polluted that everything on it has been completely destroyed however new advances in the titans technology allows for zero pollution making Titian Zero clean and efficient. The Titians believe that nature is nothing but a nuisance to be eliminated in favor of a mechanical environment.

Shadren - From Shadraux the Shadren are known for their love of nature and their need for darkness. Its said that Shadraux is full of massive trees that cover all sunlight and also that it is a planet of unrivaled natural beauty. They came to Altus looking for an ancient race who's history is intertwined with their own. Their bodies can change form to adapt to their surrounding - often resembling the local fauna (or even flora). They have a deep hatred for technology and use elements of nature for all of their needs.

War - The Crusade of technology the Search for energy and the Discovery of ancient heritage - conflicting goals that lead to a great conflict.
Some choose not the serve their original purpose but to aid others in their missions. Some will be loyal till death. How you play is up to you.

Fighting - In illinc you'd better know how to aim cause you'll be doing a lot more than clicking and pointing - real time action is an important part of illinc and these days is quite unique in large or massive scale online games. Their are many weapons to discover as you progress and the weapon customization will allow you to have a gun that is crafted for you alone. Humans using different modules to build or modify weapons - titians crafting circuitry - Shadren using ancient methods to produce entire new bodies. Armor will determine how many hits you can take before you "die" but your skill will be the true meter of your fighting ability.

Exploring - You'd be surprised at all the amazing things you can simply find - that doesn't mean it'll be easy to find them.

Player versus Player - In a war your only targets will not be towers and tanks you'll go toe to toe with the other players for many reasons the most common being the war all around you (unless you just like killing people). Killing members of other armies and tearing down their structures and stronghold will earn you great prestige but just killing will earn you the tag of a murderer. The bounty system will allow other players to make a good deal of money off those who seek others money.

Economy - Though some of the economy will be dominated but NPC's players will have a large control over the economy as well via the auction market and many in depth "manufacturing" class tradeskill kits that allow for creation of large amounts of product.

Tradeskills - Tradeskills vary among the races but all of them are in depth processes that require time to master but can yield amazing items not found anywhere else. Exploration will reveal new recipes or instructions and practice will allow you to perfect them.

Death - After dieing you will be required to the items you had equipped and any in your backpack (other than your main inventory) from where you lost it - any items stolen can be retrieved by killing your murderer or by activating a "safety" - an item that is disguised as something else that will allow you to cause a fatal blow to your killer - the more powerful the greater chance of killing them and the more complex the less chance of them being able to use Tools to find out if you have a safety or which item it is. Certain items, armors and other equipment will not be dropped at any time.

Progression - In illinc your character will learn new techniques use new guns and armor by doing different quests and completing certain tasks rather than earning points slowly by doing the same things constantly.

And much more - This is all I can think of off my head (I'm not consulting my note right now) but there is still more to the Illinc design and more to be added as well.

If anyone would like to help please just submit an idea or even just tell me what you think. If you would like to help in this project by providing 3D art or programming services please e-mail me ( Zephir@thegame.com )

The more technical specifications of this game will be added soon (such as the software I'm using and the operating system) but I'm done typing for right now.

[Nerd_Skywalker]

I assume that there is much more story than whats shown here, because good games need a VERY in-depth storyline.

Anyway, I like the idea, but it reminds me a lot of a multiplayer oblivion.

[Goldbott]

Well the details of the storyline are saved for the game (only stuff you'd find on a website will appear here) plus I didn't elaborate too much on the story in this post because I'd like to focus on gameplay details. I've never played multiplayer oblivion so I cant really reply to that.

[rouncer]

That sounds good, id like to play it... i dont think it would be much like oblivion if youve got guns in it, oblivion was just swords and shields remember!

What kind of system do you plan on putting together for the game world?

[starstutter]

rouncer said:

I dont think it would be much like oblivion if youve got guns in it, oblivion was just swords and shields remember!

Ever play Fallout 3?
AKA - Elder Scrolls IV: Fallout

[rouncer]

not bad, thats a good game... future oblivion - i get it.

you should see my game now - i just cant decide... guns or swords??

[alphadog]

So, to sum up, it's a multiplayer, first-person RPG with three races, set in a futuristic economic dystopia.

Not to rain on the parade, you better hone your execution to a sharp edge, because you won't win on originality alone.

[Goldbott]

Well the idea may not be original but how many people with a similar idea have actually went through with said idea? Right now I plan to use DX Studio and SQL Express - I'm working on setting up the database atm then I'll begin the work on the Tech Demo/Test

Update-DX may not work for me so right now I'm looking at other game engines - any suggestions would be helpful. The database is set up but since it's not connected to anything right now thats not really that big of a milestone.

[rouncer]

i just use c for the whole thing, just binary files for database work.

Hey thats right man, if you finish a game, youll get fans dont worry about it, its nearly guaranteed.

[Goldbott]

Right now I'm thinking Unity - mainly because my skill in C++ is intermediate at best and I don't know too much about network programming right now (I'm still learning though)

[rouncer]

networking isnt that hard, i just use windows sockets... you do have to learn a little bit tho.
client server is the way to go, its even easier than p2p, p2p is harder to implement!

[rouncer]

if you didnt bother to go to my other thread, youll see ive got an fps thing going, i could turn this into an mmo if i wanted - and had the time.

[Goldbott]

Cool - it looks nice I hope your project goes well - I think im going to go for Unity though - its both impressive and easy to use.

[rouncer]

Just make it action packed!
mmos are usually too slow for me, i prefer counterstrike or call of duty 4 modern warfare (which i am totally copying)... its way more dangerous like that. :)

[Goldbott]

Yah thats one of the things I dont like about most mmos - way to slow. I'd like illinc to feel like a FPS but have the features and depth of a MMO. Currently I'm debating weather or not to add blood to living mob and characters.

[Goldbott]

I apologize for drudging up such an old post but I (finally) have a stable development environment and have begun work on the actual game. Right now there is still much to do but I have already set up the network to connect clients to the server (still no player interaction as the synchronization for the players hasn't been completed yet) and I've set up a basic FPS style combat system - right now I'm working on getting the database tied in to the log-in system - from there ill begin cleaning up some of the code (it can get messy when trying random solutions to various problems and theres quite a few things that need revision - such as the odd moon-like gravity) and implementing player sync and basic combat - from there I think ill move onto the mob synchronization and AI. I have recruited a few 3d artists to help out but theres still a lot to do. I've made some big changes to the concept since I posted this, I'll try to list all the revisions if anyone is still interested in this idea. My target systems are Windows, Mac , and Linux PCs and also a portable version for the Pandora (I'm still trying to figure out what would need to be changed to have Linux ARM compatibility but right now all i know for sure is that the graphics will be of lower quality for the portable version). Right now I'm the only programmer on the team so updates will take some time but I'm still at it.

A small list of revisions -

The Titans are now renamed Positronics (thank Asimov for that one) and their appearance has changed from entirely robotic to a combination of synthetic material and mechanical components. Their intentions in the war have also changed.

The Shadren have been renamed the Atrakoid (literally meaning "dark form"). Their storyline is still the same but more detail has been added concerning their methods of space travel and how they discovered Altus.

The Human storyline now includes a massive war on earth sparked by the lack of fuel, the repercussions of this war now define the main storyline.

[Nerd_Skywalker]

Nice to see a good idea actually getting along! Way to go!

[Goldbott]

Site is now open - altus.cz.cc

Right now the only content in the public forums is a small update topic but I hope to have that change as soon as possible.

[Goldbott]

Once again I've neglected this thread so I'll just put a quick summery of what goes on with my project.

Basic connection and combat systems are in place

The basic database server is almost ready for testing

I've almost completely rewritten the storyline and I've begun to improve the gameplay design.

The team currently has a composer, concept artist, and programmer (me) but we still need a 3d artist for the early stages of development.

I've begun to develop the business plan further.

This site is down and will remain so until I have the time to code up something decent or I find someone willing to do it.

[Goldbott]

This is a rather old thread but I didn't really want to start a new one just yet - I might soon though to advertise our Proof Of Concept demonstration coming this summer. The design (both storyline and gameplay) have changed a lot since I made this thread - the base concept is still the same but a few elements have been revised or removed.

Log-in works so now I'm onto character creation which is close to completion. The Positron base character model is being worked on, we're also working on the first area of the game - the Landfall Region - (name subject to change) and our team has grown to a decent size. We'll have a site up and running when we can recruit a web designer. Our blog and forums are almost operation (the blog was made to post updates for interested parities, the forums are in place to be used for the POC demonstration)