

The Universe Project [video] - Emperorlou
http://launch2.universeprojects.com

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Negitivefrags
There is a tendency for wannabe game designers who are not programmers to
"design" this game.

"It's the MMO where you can do anything" is something I have heard so many
times.

The interesting thing is that a lot of these people think that the idea is
somehow original. As if the concept of modelling reality hasn't been
considered before.

I'm not necessarily accusing this particular project of not being programmers
or thinking that the idea is original because I don't know that, but it's
something I have observed so many times.

~~~
Emperorlou
Thats fair. I haven't even hinted at anything particularly new or novel
because I'm afraid we're a bit too early in the project to go to that depth.
The video is meant to find those interested in the concept. We'll be revealing
more about how it works when we're closer to a release.

Sorry I can't divulge more just yet. :/

~~~
huhtenberg
But you can divulge how many people are in "we" and what your backgrounds and
past experience are like. That should help bringing some credibility to the
project.

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habosa
I almost never respond negatively to a proposal on HN, but this seems like a
bunch of BS. They're claiming to build a full-world simulation, and all they
have to show are some doodles and a voiceover. MAYBE if I heard that the
world's 5 biggest game studios were working together on this I'd believe they
might get close, but as a indie project this is not possible.

~~~
Emperorlou
You're right, the purpose of the video is to garner interest while the game is
still in development. We're releasing this video as a means to find those
interested in such a game early so that when we have something more to show in
a year or so, we'll be in a much better position.

As for whether or not we're capable of doing it, I time will tell. :)

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lalc
_What if_ you had unlimited budget, programming talent, art assets,
scalability, _and_ an infinite supply of fun/novelty/etc without even needing
NPCs.

Wouldn't that be _awesome?_

~~~
Emperorlou
heh

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whatshisface
The biggest problem with games like these is the fact that people aren't on
enough to guard their creations. I have played on and helped construct many
minecraft servers trying to do this, and one-man midnight raids supported by
deeply hidden bases quickly become the only viable strategy.

The only reason civilization was able to arise in real life is the fact that
people can be "exploited" by moral obligation and imbalanced fear to put the
common good above their own. This doesn't work in a video game.

~~~
walrus
Having control of a group of semi-automated characters (think Age of Empires)
could be one way to guard your creations when you're not playing.

~~~
Emperorlou
Exactly.

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es92
Ambitious? How about impossible?

How do you create a truly dynamic ecological environment? The only option in
video games is to program in each and every option. Lets say I wanted to make
a bow and arrow. Game engines are not nearly as far along to make that
organically available. Someone has to program it in. And that's the problem
with ideas like these - for the time being, you can't just get a universe
filled with tools, structures, and skills for free. You have to build them.
And this is very hard, especially if you're trying to make the game balanced.
So I don't see what's advertised in this video coming out of a kickstarter
campaign

~~~
Emperorlou
I understand what you're saying but its not nearly as difficult as you make it
out to be. The exact mechanic we plan on using for inventions like the one in
your example is a novel one and I'll have to be vague until I'm farther along
in the project.

As for balance issues, IMO, that's a silly notion that have evolved from
poorly constructed MMOs; MMOs that have been constructed from obsolete
mechanics and limitations. There wont be balance issues (of that sort) in this
game. Just to step back a bit, I still like playing MMOs of today, they're
great fun, but balance issues are a natural issue in their design, not ours.

There will certainly be shifts in power as technology breaks a barrier in one
place and not the other. But equally, shifts in power can emerge in other ways
like, via a well controlled government or army.

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vectorpush
Three possibilities for this project:

1\. Vaporware.

2\. A project pivot that retains a few qualities resembling the original idea.

3\. A software prodigy achieves the holy grail of MMOs.

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Dtelm
Will technological progression necessarily follow what a historically similar
path as our own? Or are there multiple directions that technology could
take...

Ex. Perhaps we develop more steam punked tech, develop alternative fuel
sources, etc

So. Short question. Can technology progress in different ways than it
historically did?

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dsjoerg
This would be more interesting if the authors provided anything to suggest
they were capable of making more than a video.

~~~
Emperorlou
You're right, the purpose of the video is to garner interest while the game is
still in development. We're releasing this video as a means to find those
interested in such a game early so that when we have something more to show in
a year or so, we'll be in a much better position.

------
semisight
Was this not what Spore was intended to be? You evolve a life form into a
civilization. It seems as though the OP is going for something a little more
open (and therefore ambitious) than Spore's rigid 5 stage structure.

Good luck! You're going to need it. If this game gets finished, I'll be first
in line.

~~~
Emperorlou
Yea I would hesitate to draw any resemblance to spore. Spore seemed more about
the evolution of a species than a simulation of humanity.

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splatzone
How will time progress? Are the first people in the game going to be playing
in a primitive era, and people who join later on (2+ years down the line)
playing in a high tech future world?

Very interesting and highly ambitious. Looking forward to seeing how this
goes.

~~~
Emperorlou
Yes, it would be as you say. Although "high-tech" likely wouldn't happen for
more like 10 years, maybe more.

And if you think that is a long time, consider how long we've been getting
expansions for WoW. :)

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andmarios
What is ambitious, is the thought that any tab (which I usually open in the
background) starts playing automatically video and/or sound won't get closed
immediately.

Sorry but you got to respect your visitors.

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c16
What I find would be interesting is how the virtual world would differ to ours
today. Would we still have world wars, would we have different social
expectations in the game?

~~~
Emperorlou
Mechanics would be in place to assist with the organizing of players to make
large scale wars possible. Although, especially at the beginning, the
logistics of doing so are still a feat in itself.

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dEnigma
I'll stick with Xsyon, until this project has some real content to show.
<http://www.xsyon.com/content.php>

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huhtenberg
It sounds exactly like real life. It sounds boring, for a game.

~~~
Emperorlou
Well it depends on your life I guess. :p

Everyone plays games for different reasons because everyone gets a kick out of
different things in life. Theres no reason why one game can't satisfy all and
the best way to accomplish that is by creating a game based on the one
environment we know _can_ be enjoyed by all personality types -- real life.
(note: not that everyone _does_ enjoy real life, those who generally dislike
everything have other issues and probably wont like my game either :p).

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javajosh
I think that a game in 1000 years is not going to be like this - its going to
be basically the same games we have now only fully immersive - plugging into
our brain etc. A virtual parallel universe is great, but it's not a game. It
seems like _within_ this universe you'll have an opportunity to start a game
company. But why start a game company in world1 when you can start one in
world0?

~~~
Emperorlou
I definitely agree with you regarding the fully immersible quality of games in
1000 years. :) But how frustrating would it be to be in such an amazing
experience where the gameplay is limited like MMOs are today? I would simply
be unnecessary to cap game mechanics at where they're at today.

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Qeltek
lol, that is ambitious.

