If I may be blunt, perhaps this project is beyond your current skillset? Not everybody is equipped to write an MMORPG, particularly among hobbyists.

Well if I were to do this in Shockwave, I have the skills to do so (I have built grid-based, 3d, and collision-detection-based games). I know it would take much work but it is something I would invest some time into. Granted, I still need a design doc and more ideas but I''m starting slowly (first big game project). I figured I could maybe get suggestions from people who have developed many games or even developed for a long time, so I could get a generic idea of what to look into or what obstacles I could encounter.

You mentioned before that it doesent have to be an MMORPG, that it could be any kind of multiplayer game. Why dont you go that direction and make a MOG rather than an MMORPG. Here is a really great idea I thought about but never implemented. A game centered around Final Fantasy tactics style battles, limit the artwork a bit, remove the 3d esque ness, and remove any essence of npc''s. Battles are about gold, you have a central town where you can purchase things (just a menu system). That MAY be within your grasps, and would be quite entertaining.

Well first I suggest you do a requirments analysis, determine, the functional, nonFunctional, and constraints you plan on having for this projects. Afterwards begin working on a detailed design, there are some helpful design templates in the resource section. After you''ve done that you should have a firm idea of what you''re trying develop, then come back here and will provide critisisim based on what you have come up with.

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Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project: Ambitions Slave

Thank you very much. That was probably the best advice I''ve gotten about this. Will do.

quote: Original post by Oluseyi
Whoa!

Sorry, but Director is not appropriate for developing MMO-anything. There''s a reason Macromedia provides JRun (besides being a generic J2EE server). Of course, if you can point to any examples that refute my assertion, I''ll be glad to change my opinion.

Weird post. It doesn''t fit neatly in any particular forum.

Actually there is this. I came across it recently. Unfortunately it''s in Japanese but you can get the general gist of it using a translator. It''s still in the early stages of development but it''s certainly one of the most impressive uses of Shockwave I''ve seen. I''m not sure if it uses Director alone, although it would seem so.

The offline demo can be found by clicking on the orange button in the top right corner below the morphing screenshots. There''s also loads more screen shots in the logs below that.

quote: Original post by Kaijin
Actually there is this. I came across it recently. Unfortunately it''s in Japanese but you can get the general gist of it using a translator. It''s still in the early stages of development but it''s certainly one of the most impressive uses of Shockwave I''ve seen. I''m not sure if it uses Director alone, although it would seem so.

It''s definitely impressive (and stylish), but is it an MMORPG? From what I could see and gather (translating through Babelfish), it''s "just" an RPG.

Remarkable achievement nevertheless.

My comments, though, were focused more on the network infrastructure necessary for an MMO game, and on my belief that Shockwave/Flash/Director simply isn''t capable of such heavy lifting.

Well, a while back I had to make an Shockwave MP game and while the MUS has a limit of 50 connections, if you code correctly and leave out non-essentially processing, you can have a smooth network playing game. Give it a shot, if you know how to play hex:

Hex

[edit]I know it looks just like a chat room but when more people are in it you click on their name to invite them into a game. And click the tabs to see the Lobby, Who's Busy, and Who's Playing.[/edit]

[edited by - syphen on April 5, 2004 7:44:47 PM]

quote: Original post by Oluseyi
It''s definitely impressive (and stylish), but is it an MMORPG? From what I could see and gather (translating through Babelfish), it''s "just" an RPG.

Remarkable achievement nevertheless.

My comments, though, were focused more on the network infrastructure necessary for an MMO game, and on my belief that Shockwave/Flash/Director simply isn''t capable of such heavy lifting.

Indeed it is. There''s some discussion in the first log about the server technology he''s going to use. From what I can make out he will be using Flash Communication Server. It''ll be interesting to see whether it''ll turn out to be suitable. Like you I have my doubts, but it''s definitely one to keep an eye on. It''s nice to see a one man amateur MMORPG with a chance of completion.