I predict that future Games will provide game worlds in which several genres co-exist with multiple client interfaces (that caters to a particular genre). Role-Players will play Game X as a 3rd Person RPG. Strategist will play Game X as a Top Down RTS. People who enjoy blowing things effing up with BFGs will play Game X as a FPS. This is an inspiration going into the design the Super 3D Game Platform (S3GP). I'm aiming for a 3D Client offers a configurable interface which caters to a particular genre and each genre can be be played in 5 popular game-perspectives: First-Person, Third-Person, Top-down, Isometric, and Side-Scroll.

Firstly, my strategy towards accomplishing this goal is to institute a Moderated Open Repositor (MOR). MOR is a centralized Data Repository in which Developers and Players can collaborate and share game content between themselves and their products. The goal of MOR is to simplify the management for Developers/Players to get their content into the game, and providing a layer of protection from malicious damage to games in production. MOR operation is straight forward. Contributors upload their Media Files to the MOR Host Server for review and approval. Moderators inspect files for damage, compromise, obscenities, etc. Approved files are moved to the Closed Repository (Production) for use in game.

I believe there could be a benefit to utilizing a High Level Architecture (HLA) which is a general purpose architecture for distributed computer simulation systems. Using HLA, Games can interact (that is, to communicate data, and to synchronize actions) to other Games regardless of the computing platforms. The interaction between Games is managed by a Run-Time Infrastructure (RTI). Hypothetically speaking, HLA could support two separate Games Server/Clients fused together in cyberspace to create a new game experience, sharing players and resources.

While I think this to be a really cool game, there are a number of issues. Specifically the player interactions between the two.

Also, I do not particularly consider genre to be "FPS" or "RPG" as often there is no difference between the two. Role Playing Game simply implies you are taking on a new role.

Instead of genre(which implies, to me, scifi and fantasy and so on) think of it as the preferential style.

Now I reread what I just wrote and find it entirely bland and without purpose.

Onward ho!

I like your technical thinking on the server side of all of this, but you may need to think out the client side a bit more. Especially, like I said earlier, with interactions between players. How can the RTS players have relationships with the First Person players and so on.

Again, sorry if this is unrelated.

Now, as to content sharing, how do you plan to stream that to the other players? Are we talking downloadable maps and such? Or additions to the world? Either way, you will have to be careful with any PC game that can upload content to your entire architecture. Made need isolation during approval process (I.e entirely separate from anything involving the game serving).

This is really interesting me. Never quite thought of it that way. Continue?

How can the RTS players have relationships with the First Person players and so on. [/quote]

This has been brainstormed here but the illustration gives a better picture.

Oh man, it would be sweet if the RTS players could draft their "player units" from a selected pool as a way to try and maintain some semblance of balance.

MUCH more clear, good sir. I love the idea!

It has been tried before. Games like allegiance or battlefield2 combines fps/rts elements.

The biggest issues in allegiance was,that the (fps) players doesn't listen to the rts/commanders (rts layer). That's it ,it failed, because a commanders wanted to attack a fleet and commands his units to planet X, but 80% of the fleet just roamed the space to fight something else.

When you design a multiplayer game, always consider the psyche of the players first. Players aren't any programable bots, they are chaotic humans who want to have some fun, often resulting in some single individuals destroying the fun of a whole game session, a commander disconnecting to have dinner during a fiercy battle etc.. And when you want to force them into a certain direction, they just start to play some other games...


The life of a game designer is really hard sometimes

It has been tried before. Games like allegiance or battlefield2 combines fps/rts elements. The biggest issues in allegiance was,that the (fps) players doesn't listen to the rts/commanders (rts layer). That's it ,it failed, because a commanders wanted to attack a fleet and commands his units to planet X, but 80% of the fleet just roamed the space to fight something else.[/quote]That is definitely a design caveat to keep in mind when developing such a game. A possible solution could be to generate quest/missions based on Commanders commands/objectives? There are other games that used the RTS Commander/FPS Soldier format (ie: ZombieMaster), however, what I propose is broader in application. The genres I mention are just examples and are unusually associated to a particular point-of-view: FPS/First-Person, RPG/3rd Person, RTS/Isometric & Top-down. Other Genres could be Racers, Fighters, Puzzles, etc. The underlining concepts are 1) to provide multiple ways of gameplay in single game world 1b) which each having a significance on each other in that game world. 2) Provide an GUI that accommodates the gameplay.

Next time, please make your pics higher res. Some things cannot be read. And perhaps less color fades, but that's my opinion.

I honestly think this is very, very complicated. I'd have serious trouble in stuffing this in my current system.

But can you design an RPG that can be played as RTS without sacrifacing/dumbing down several aspects of a great RPG? I don't recall even one instance of a designer achieving this. I guess this concept could used as an engine, so the developer can decide which client to use for his game. But all these in one game is probably an overkill.