My game design discussions

[hallsofvallhalla]

So I thought I would make a topic on just some random game designs I am working on in the new Forsaken Sanctum web game.

Currently I am using Ajax for map pulls. It will be a click and explore type map with no character to have to move around. You see something on the map you want to explore you click on it. A mini game pulls up.

Now for some math. Each map is a 600px wide x 400 px wide pic of terrain with dynamically placed objects characters can click to explore, harvest, or visit. The average map will have 10 clickable objects.
Each zone currently has 3600 maps. That's 36,000 objects. With my method of database storing and querying it will still only be 3600 entries per table.
I have mapped out 12 zones. That equals 43,200 maps and 432,000 objects. All except player built objects and the locations of interest will be dynamically built with code so I will be able to create these objects with no time.
That's 25,920,000 pixels wide X 17,280,000 pixels tall of map. If you were to visit every map for at least 10 seconds it would take you 120 hours or 5 days straight.

Now I am sure when reading this you are saying whoa! Way to much on the database, but it is actually not that bad. After the entire world is built with objects, places, ect... the actual map will only be 12 tables with 3 fields and 3600 entries each. 43,000 entries in a DB is cake, especially when broken up among several tables. The query to pull a map is very small. I can build a map with one pull of one field. I have a DB I use at work that has over 150,000 entries in one table and still works great.
Now the next question is Holy crud who wants to travel that far!! Well don't worry that's what vehicles are for Have a travel system ready to be coded that will allow quick travel...With the the proper amount of gas of course...

If I can pull this off this will be a extremely large game. Massive indeed. i am basing it off of the original FS where players built basically the whole world but in this version the world will still have hundreds of NPCs and NPC build towns and areas. Players will be able to add on and build their own towns and cities.

[62896dude]

This sounds amazing halls! I can't wait to play it when the time comes! (And btw, don't give up this game for a video tutorial, we will survive, just keep it for yourself and astound us )

[Zak Zillion]

I agree with 62896dude on this one! This sounds like a really fun project that you should keep for yourself. Good Luck!

[hallsofvallhalla]

thanks! I do not plan on releasing source. I plan on hosting this one as a playable game.

[Xaleph]

Sounds very cool! Also, don`t worry about databases. Even MySQL databases can handle 10kk+ without a real hassle. Sure looks very cool, keep us updated

[Callan S.]

but in this version the world will still have hundreds of NPCs and NPC build towns and areas.

It sounds massive. But why are there still NPC's and NPC towns? Couldn't a blank slate from the start work out?

[hallsofvallhalla]

could but it is really hard to get a start. I would have to start from a small group of players for a couple months like I did with the first FS. Also I have a ton of lore that needs to go into it and like the first FS the story was long forgotten quickly because players built their own world.

[Jackolantern]

If it was truly a blank slate in the beginning, it would be quite a boring world for the first couple of months. Also, where are the beginning players going to get resources or do trading in the beginning? It would be neat for a 100% player-built world, but the beginning would be hard to get started like Halls said.

[Callan S.]

Why would it be boring, if along with the NPCs your going to have game world? Why isn't it boring even with NPC's?

Also, where are the beginning players going to get resources or do trading in the beginning?

I don't understand the first part? Even wow has you picking flowers and digging ore?

And players could build, from cut wood, their own trading stations.

[Jackolantern]

I mean a totally blank slate, where players are just out in a virtually never-ending sprawl of woods. A game needs some kind of NPCs to talk to, things to do beyond just cutting down trees and making things. I don't know, maybe I am an odd-ball, but if I logged into a game that was miles of nothing but dirt, trees and flowers, I would probably walk around for about 20 minutes looking for something (the mythical "place to go" MMO players always look for when they start), would not find it, think it was lame and quit, never to return. I actually can't see how that wouldn't be boring. Remember, in the beginning there will be a very slow trickle of players coming in who will often be online alone. So players won't have anyone to form trade systems with. They will just cut logs, pick flowers, etc. Over and over until they can build something for some reason they don't even understand (there is no existing civilization, what would drive the players to want to start it?). There really needs to be something in the beginning to start with.