Well, I am making a game, whose name has not yet been released.. It is a first person medieval RPG, with a huge world, and there are no limits- you can do whatever you want. If you have played Everquest or Asheron''s Call, it is going to be sort of like those games, except not massively multiplayer and not as good looking :-) My game''s genere could only be classified as ''TRUE'' adventure. The whole world is all yours to explore. No storyline. It could almost be called a hobby, or another life. There will be a very in-depth quest system, you can talk to NPC''s to find quests, and then take on the challenge. New quests will be added frequently, and I am planning on a ''Quest Editor'' where you can create your own quest and then distribute them online. I will also offer a multiplayer option, but I have no money, so at first I will charge some money for you to create your own servers, and when I get some money, I''ll get a server and we can get a Closed Account system going.. Besides, don''t you think a full 3D game is worth $15? You can play 1P for free, but to create servers/play over the modem, you gotta register. I could probably give out my in-house 3D editor, but I could probably make some money off of that too.. maybe.. Anyways, it''s called "WorldEdit 3D", and I made it just for my game engine. Perhaps in the future you could create your own maps! More about the True Adventure stuff. I thought that you might like some examples, so here: The sun is just rizing in Aberistia, a prosporous trade/port city. You rize from your sitting position in the dark alleys of the dock area and continue your plan to become a wealthy thief. You walk through the gate and into the market area, where your target comes into view. You plan to be the first thief in history to successfully rob the Aberistia Vault. You look for any possible witnesses, and whistle to your partners to begin the distraction- The male rogue will act as he is holding the other female rogue, cleverly disquised as a cleric, hostage, while you sneek in, the banker, and get out with the cash. The vault is upstairs, but you can safely get past the guards on the first floor by throwing a grappling hook through the window. You begin the attempt. (male theive is Renkaal, female is Sheelka) Renkaal shouts, ''Stupid naive! Give me your gold!'' Sheelka says, ''Guards! Guards!'' (the guards run outside, while you are climbing up through the windowseal, and the guards are chasing Renkaal, thinking he has her money. Renkaal leaps into the sewers... meanwhile..) You backstab Bankkeep Renolds for 450 points of damage! Bankkeep Renolds says, ''Guards, guards!'' You pierce Bankkeep Renolds for 45 points of damage! You slash Bankkeep Renolds for 62 points of damage! Sheelka backstabs Bankkeep Renolds for 424 pints of damage! Sheelka has slain Bankkeep Renolds! You examine Bankkeep Renolds'' corpse.. You gain 767,000 gold! (todays equivalent of buying North America) * So far, so good. You walk out the bank''s front door, and no one suspects a thing at all. Sheelka takes her share, and you both ditch Renkaal on the ship to the eastern continent, where you will live your lives as husband and wive, and perhaps build a rogue''s guild. Renkaal is now banished from Aberistia.. with no eyes, and is eaten alive by forest migits. Was that a good one? I''m sorry, but I have to get back to finishing WorldEdit. Please post your feedback, with any comments, etc! Thanks!

My advice:

Hang out here for awhile. Learn all you can. Start asking yourself a lot of questions.

Why is your game fun? Why are other similar games fun?

Why is your game different? What makes your game the same as what''s out there? Why is this good, or bad?

What, exactly, can you do in the game? Don''t say everything, because I know you probably weren''t thinking about allowing the player the ability to research chemistry, invent rockets, go into space, and found an intergalactic empire. Nor can they become a schoolteacher for troubled Gnomes. So list __EVERYTHING__ that they can do, and how they do it, and how it affects the world, events, characters, etc.

Here''s what I mean: Got rope? Can you climb with it? Hang yourself? Set a trap? Make a pulley? You need to write all this down.

You might think to avoid this step, btw, ''cause it''s a lot of work. But it''s what game design is all about, and your idea will end up vaporware if you don''t get serious about it.

How hard is it to design a game like this? What''s involved? How much work is involved? What graphics do you have? How many? How much code? Who can help you?

One last thing: Think about the scope of your game, and why it is so big. Often times I think people make __REALLY__ big designs as a way to stand out, not as a way to make a better game. It''s like saying "my dog''s bigger than your dog."

Try to avoid that. If you __REALLY__ __REALLY__ __REALLY__ *need* a big world, then fine, but make sure you know what you''re in for. Have fun, and good luck!


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Just waiting for the mothership...