Hey all, I just have a simple question (Yeah right) about non-commercial games development. I realize that everyone and their little brother are trying to make 'the next big MMORPG', and thus become the next new Everquest, but is there any room any more for projects to develop MORPGs (Multiplayer, vs Massively Multiplayer)? Games which are not intended to rake in lots of cash, but are intended to be fun to play and free? Is there anyone interested in working on these kinds of projects without the promise of monetary compensation anymore? I'm asking because I have recently started (Back in January) a project to make an online game (expected a max of a couple hundred players most likely). I'm not trying to be the next Everquest, in fact I personally can't stand EQ and the half-dozen fantasy clones it has spawned. Lost Wastelands is first off a sci-fi game, which mixes several different gameplay types including adventure (killing stuff for loot, sorry), economic (building cities, factories, vehicles and equipment), and strategy (hiring or building units to defend your cities or wage war on enemies). Well, I'll close up here cause I can feel the flames rising allready. :) However, if there is anyone out there who might actually like to hear more about Lost Wastelands, or better yet might want to help, drop me a line at TraceFox@hotmail.com with the subject 'Lost Wastelands', and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Later!

The number of people interested in working on an MMORPG or MORPG for free is going to be much less than those willing to do the same for an offline project.

When you create an offline CRPG, once it's finished most of your work is done. You'd need to offer some sort of support and release patches, but it wouldn't eat up all of your time.

When you create an online CRPG (of whatever size), once the program is complete, your work is just beginning. Very few people want to spend 2 to 3 years creating a program and then have to spend at least that amount of time afterwards maintaining it and adding new features, especially at short notice and/or whilst the server is still running.

If they aren't being paid, then most likely they will need to have a full-time job doing something else so they can afford to eat.

Potential volunteers are also going to need more reassurance that the project is actually going to be completed, as the failure rate for online projects is a lot higher than for offline equivalents.

If the software and the server(s) are going to be supplied free of charge to players, how are you going to pay for the resources you would be using 24/7?

Online advertising is nowhere as lucrative as it once was, and many free services have been forced to transition to being paid only.