My reply was to the thread as a whole.


Kressilac

My reply was to the thread as a whole.


Kressilac

Ahhh genovov. I''m happy that you mentionned the AI. This is, in my opinion, the next major improvement in the next generation of games. I would put it in the category of "dynamics". Take a rpg. Everything is static. The storyline is static. The quests are static (or, improved a little, generic). The world is static (plants don''t grow, houses are stuck on the ground, no way to destroy a wall or to build something). The NPCs are static (or, improved a little, they have a life cycle, but it''s still static). If you want some specials events to happen, they have to be designed by the developpers (ie, the events are static). See my point ? Everything is static in nowaday''s games. At the beginning, you may not notice it. But after some time, you will become bored. Why ? One word: "static". I''m sure most of EQ''s fans know it (camp,level,camp,level..).
Now.. imagine in the future (not that far) a game where everything is dynamic (ie, a meta-system). NPCs don''t spawn, since they''re unique. They have their own motivations, behave as any player, can talk maybe ? The "objects" of the world are not static..you can move them, break them, put them on other objects. Laws of physics applys to everything. Same for laws of nature. Anything can happen. Quests are not designed, they are indirectly created by the rumors/motivations of NPCs.. THIS is, in my opinion, the future of online gaming. A world where surprize is a dominant factor...

Y.

As to future technologies...

http://www.vm3.com/MotionWare/option01.html

I''ve been really thinking about this one. What could set my games apart from everything else? The first thing I can think of is plot. Maybe some game someday will have a plot worth repeating (actually, Battlezone came close). But, really, if you made your games completely modular, you could just ''plug in'' each genre and play in the same universe. Bear with me, I''m going to throw some buzzwords around...but everybody likes those anyway, right?

Now, let''s say you had a ''world'' program that would manage your maps, your physics, and other ''physical'' things. This would interact with different ''AI'' programs; some of them would be computer-controlled, others would be player-controlled. The more you extend this model, the more exciting it gets. For example, the ''AI'' program for the player could interface with another program, the ''UI'' (User Interface) program, which would be resposible for drawing to the screen.

Here come the buzzwords: if you used something like COM (or maybe ActiveX--same thing but different), you could really expand your game. You could give all your ''AI'' programs the same interface to the ''world'' program and bingo--instant multiplayer. Also, you could update just your world or just one AI by replacing the program and keeping the same interface. It''s hard to explain; maybe I''ll write something up about it... Also, I know I''m not the most experienced or intelligent developer out there, but this system is my dream. If this system could actually be made, I''d give almost anything to see it done. Ah well...such sweet dreams...

Just e-mail me if you want to hear more on this. I''ve got this whole, complex system being worked out...

2mikes.com

FEE

Ok , now I''m going to tell you about my wildest dreams about 3D-worlds.

Putting many genres for one game is so mad / crazy idea that it''s not going to become standard just yet. Later on, when competition goes REALLY HARD with comp.games, and the internet bandwith is high quality, I believe, that there will rise company over every other company, that is going to have almost monopoly posission, as Microsoft. Then this company is going to start most of the engine creating, like ID did, and start to sell lisence for other creators. This engine becomes standard, that can be expanded with external libraries, and it''s compatible with new versions of engine.

The reason why I believe that this is going to happen, is that it''s the only way to create COMPLICATED engine, and world. Even if programmers would have whole technology to create whatever kind of game they want to create, they don''t have time to model everything ultrarealistic way. Just for example, wind: wind blows and causes trees to tilt. This is way too complicated to create everytime when new engine is going to be developed, because there simply is no time to do it as "extra".

There needs to be standard, that can be easily Lisenced for commercial use, and it''s going to be something like Quake 5 -engine, or so

Heh, just my visions.

Another thing that I believe, is new coming of old style adventure games. When public realizes that shooting becomes boring, they start to look for games like "clue", detective games, adventure games and so on. This games probaply are not like old ones, but maybe more like Outcast. Still, this is coming... I think... I hope... I really hope
One reason why I believe this, is that developers probaply are looking ALL THE TIME way to create "intelligent" AI, and one step is the time, when computer starts to "act". If I''m right, we have good example which is Erasmator 2.0, but I cannot confirm this because the creator COULDN''T EXPLAIN enought what this program is !

I just believe, that this program can create computer actors, that can act to different happenings in real time, and "communicate" with player... If someone knows more about this, tell me, I''m really interested !

I like Quake3. Jumping around, falling, blasting people into mists of blood and gibs can be good, (clean?) fun. But...

I had a look at the link MikeD posted, and the technology they''re developing. I also had a look at another company''s web site about a week ago, who are developing a computer peripheral that emits smells. Unfortunatly, I don''t have the link, and don''t remember the name of the company. They appearently have a database of several 1000 smells that they plan to licence to developers, to include in thier games/simulations.

Then I read what Paladin wrote about wishing for the rebirth of the adventure games, and asked myself a question:

Would I enjoy Quake3 if everytime I fell into the void I FELT the vertigo? If every time I wasted someone with the plasma gun I could SMELL the melting, searing flesh? The answer is no. I think games whose primary (or only) form of interaction is violence will disappear as technologies to increase emersiveness become more accessable and refined.

So what then? What kind of ''games'' are going to take advantage of these new technologies? Adventure games would be a great candidate.

So maybe you''ll get your wish afterall.

To comment on what Ysaneya said. I can only agree. Static is boring. The trick is to create a simulation of life and intelligence in such a way that intersting ''plots'' and situations will emerge.

For instance: In the elite type game I''ve started, I want to create an economic model based on supply and demand. Various planets, space stations, factories ect. create and consume different resources. Without trade between the stations, they''d all eventually die out. I''m going to have various trade corporations that ferry goods between stations, and thereby make a profit. Pirate bands will feed off the merchants. All of these group''s behaviour will be controled through AI, not scripts. Now enter the player. The ''missions'' the player is offered will be determined by the current situation. Perhaps a factory will post an ad requesting a shipment of food, as they are running low. Merchants may ask for escort if they are losing ships to the pirates. The player could take these missions, or create his/her own. Why not stockpile a resource, to drive prices up?

Then you make it massivly multiplayer, with a persistant world . Groups of humans building bases, conducting trade, forming alliances, and waging war.

But you have to create the simulation is such a way that your world doesn''t die. It''s quite possible that, if the pirates destroy the majority of the merchant ships, and they can''t produce new ones, that the planets, factories and bases would all burn out. Then you''ve got a pretty crappy game. I think that''s going to the be the trickiest part of all.

- genovov

P.S. No one interested in working on this project with me, eh? ; )

That really sounds like during the beginning of Project DUST. When we were creating the engine (which is again at starting point... dang), we were going to do this kind of dynamic system, that causes that town / cities can die if there is no supply ways, but I have to say that it''s pretty big job

I would recommend that you are going to do that project with 2D, because it''s much less math, and games like Star Control 2 have proved, that 2D games can be much fun and complicated, because it''s faster to produce (even by a single user).

I wish best luck for your project, and I hope that you are going to finish it someday.

-Paladin

I have to agree with Paladin''s post (the one before last). I think internet bandwidth will be highly responsible for a leap in gaming. Persistant universes (worlds, whatever) will become attainable with leaps in technology, and they will be able to be broadcast across the globe in amazing detail once we all enjoy the bandwidth we would like to.

Furthermore I also agree that there will become a supreme power at this stage of gaming. Someone who has not neccessarily the best idea, but the desire and the money to set up a very large, very ambitious project and actually puts out a product that entices the biggest range of gamers ever.

I think by the time this happens though display technologies will have moved on somewhat and the idea of playing via keyboard and monitor will have long since passed.

Try voice/thought activation and direct cerebral stimulation.

I wish games would start supporting VR glasses. I don''t mean interactive glasses (looking around by turning your head) I just mean those cheap ones that you send it two different views to to get the 3D look. Programming wise it''d be easy, just redraw the screen from two different positions, one about 4-5 inches from the other.

E:cb woof!