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Game concept and game dev discussion (Forums : Development Banter : Game concept and game dev discussion) Locked
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Jan 28 2015 Anchor

It takes a lot of effort to sort of "figure out" the architecture that you build inside of the editor. But once you already understand that architecture I think its absolutely plausible to begin working with copy/paste hierarchies to make your own content. Game development is the compiling of graphics/scripts/actors/blueprints inside of an editor followed by the creation and distribution of applications to run the game on a server in tandem with a database and website. I believe it can be done mathematically one step at a time. Game development can be done modularly(based on templates) and in a scientific fashion.

I think content creation should be limitless(that's my main point). If you wanted to make content from an existing hierarchy for anything in my content creation outline you could. You would just need to edit scripts a little and import graphics. As well as construct everything from the template correctly.

I'm never going to learn to program games. The reason I'm never going to learn is because I would need someone to show me exactly how to do what I want to do step by step from scratch. Meaning that there would need to be some sort of community that would share my views to the tee.

My main views are that:

1. 2000 total hours from an individual not a team is plenty of time to create an MMO worthy of playing.

2. There is absolutely no limit to how much content you can create. Content can be created via copy/paste hierarchies and
modifying scripts and importing graphics.

I would love to be able to put together a few things inside an editor and build a nice little game application. But what I want is obviously very complicated. A huge game with tons of features.

My game concept ...(Pastebin.com)...

Everyone on the internet says making an MMO requires a large team. Taking a multiplayer FPS and adding MMO features(equipment, leveling etc) then making it run on a larger server and connect to more clients and save their progress is possible for an individual. I believe someone could demonstrate the foundation for a FPSMMO inside of an editor in a few hours... especially if they already had everything built and they were just trying to show you how to make content.

I think it would be very interesting to see companies release project files for games. You could begin creating content with the help of a video. I don't think you should have to read the manual, or use youtube and forums. I think there should be official tutorials(from the engine company) showing you how to create content and distribute and run clones of games.

Building the game mechanics will be a difficult task. The client/server/database/website relationship has to work. The physics and AI have to be good. The auctionhouse, trading, and mailbox all have to work. The criminal system and city takeover system have to work. As do all of the classes, equipment, monsters, guards, and loot nodes.

Once the architecture for the whole game is done it should be very easy to add content. I'll list literally the only content you could possibly create for my game concept. Granted its still a lot... and creating enough content for this game to be good would take some work.

Content creation outline ...(Pastebin.com)...

Two more posts that are part of this document
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For a much simpler project, I wanted to make models for characters and skin them to bones and make simple animation clips with move/rotate keyframes. Then make a simple multiplayer shooter based off of character controllers and projectiles and individually triggered animation clips. Then add simple MMO features.

But everyone says that multiplayer is amazingly complex. If I already know how to code a character in unity shooting projectiles... then what is so amazingly complex about doing this on a server? It is such bullcrap that no matter what your idea is, even if its ridiculously simple, the people on the forums lie that its "complex" just because its multiplayer. I'm sure they could tell you in 20 minutes how to make a simple server.

Everyone tells you it takes years to learn. While I think all you need is project files, game making software, 3d design software, and official(from the software company) tutorial videos. But whenever I mention official comprehensive tutorial videos... people say that they would have to be 1000 hours long in order to teach you everything... so they therefore don't exist. So what does that mean... in order for someone to teach you how to make an MMO they would need your attention full time(40 hours) for six months?

There is nothing amazingly complex about an inventory/class/ability system with scripts and a database in client/server format. There is nothing complex about character controllers with projectiles and collision. Nor anything complex about models animated with keyframe clips. A game could easily be made and with very expansive content using just the limited features in this paragraph. I even think it would be fun with thousands of players. But, it would still take 2000 hours to produce... regardless, the mechanics could be built in a matter of hours.

And even if everything in the previous paragraph has elements of complexity... there are tons of people who would know exactly how to put it together.

Technology is amazingly difficult to manufacture, but is easy enough to use. I believe the games can be put together quickly. Personally I don't even think 2000 hours is fast... but everyone on game dev forums thinks its ridiculously fast. The notion that there are actually dedicated hobbyists and professionals on these forums willing to spend years on games much much less complex than an MMO is insane. Who would want to work in this field if even a professional who is supposed to know exactly what he's doing can't even put together a simple MMO? A simple MMO would be one without AI, physics beyond character controllers and projectiles, or animation beyond individually triggered clips.

Additional pastes about this document
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Two other important points that are so important I decided to separate them:

1. There are no sticky posts with instructions on how to build an MMO or forum members making MMOs.
2. The majority of the work is graphics and everything else is very theoretical.

Edited by: bigl2369

Nightshade
Nightshade Senior Technical Artist
Feb 4 2015 Anchor

So a 10 man team have 5 weeks to make an MMO? (that is 2000 hours)
I find that very optimistic.

Edited by: Nightshade

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Senior Technical Artist @ Massive - a Ubisoft studio
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Feb 5 2015 Anchor

I would start making small games first and work way up. Making games is hard and takes a lot of practice.

Feb 8 2015 Anchor

What I meant by its theoretical is you can construct it step by step and it could all be modular. So once its done you can start creating content from templates. For example... the graphics and stats on the items could all be different, but the mechanics would always be the same... and the game features don't need to be reinvented(or even changed at all) every time you make a new piece of content.

So if I'm looking for someone to make a blank MMO and then give me instructions on how to make content for it and run it on a server... people argue it would take months to build a blank MMO. Well I don't think it would take months to set up an MMORPG with a database and a server without any content... I think it would take a matter of hours.

And I think its a conspiracy that you can't download a blank MMO project file with supplementary videos about how to make your own content and run your own server.

I simply do not believe that MMO's with expansive content are complicated.

Edited by: bigl2369

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