Game Design Music and Art

XMMOPG – CEMRATH

CEMRATH
Junior Member

Posts: 2
From: kansas city kansas USA
Registered: 03-06-2002
I messed up ... the post shoulda been titled XMMORPG
Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus.
I cant yet consider myself a fullfledged programmer (though ive studdied and love C+ at Devry), but this post is just a question.
Out of all games that ive ever played my favorites have alwasy been those that are online. I mean hey.. fun only goes so far when your playing against AI. There are no other games that compare to the fun and adventure of MMORPG's.
My question is "WHERE ARE THE CHRISTIAN ONES"?.
Are there none out yet.
There are many secular ones out that are kind of cool, but i have more of a desire to be amongst my spiritual family.
I mean hey... we got:
Asherons Call
Ultima Online
EverQuest
to name a just a few.
These games are the BEST (i think) to play online. And this new upcomming game Shadowbane (http://shadowbane.com) will change the way that MMORPG's are played.
Are there "ANY" christian coders or game designers working on a Xtian MMORPG?
I myself have NO idea where to even start with creating a game. But i do have basic skills in 3d Studio Max, Bryce, & Poser, Im a good pencil artist and dreamer , that would be very willing to help with the creation of a XMMORPG.
Either hit me back up here on the post or email me at
drunkindaspirit@hotmail.com
SUBJECT: XMMORPG


[This message has been edited by CEMRATH (edited March 06, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by CEMRATH (edited March 06, 2002).]

Gift
Member

Posts: 85
From: Palatine, IL, USA
Registered: 02-11-2001
Your right man,
MMORPG are cool, the best will be Star Wars: Galixies.
I am allready addicted to it and it hasn't come out yet.
I think I might quit my job to play it full time. And
there would still be the 12 year olds beating me. Life's
not fair. I would like to encourage you in your quest to
make a game. I don't know how you could work PKing into
a Christian game "Lets pray before I murder you then steal
all your stuf". Maybe if it was just robots or something...

Love in Christ
Gift

Angel

Member

Posts: 699
From: The Blissful State Of Me?
Registered: 05-21-2001
I think you would get into to many religuse argments if you did such a game. Thats why I dropped the idea. Then you gatta think about fonding such an idea. Good luck getting the cash for a server alone if your in the fix that most people are in. Anyways then people come to the think small bit too. I did that and it wasnt worth it. I have a full set for a Tetris game and a programer told me it was the biggist Tetris game that he has ever seen. Anyways to stick to what you were asking. There are Christians inside of all sortsa RPG games and others. Diablo even has Christians in it that minnister to others who are lost. I resently quit playing black & white thow. Found out that I could sacrifice babies in the game and thats enough for me to delete it. Diablo two is way cleaner if you ask me.

Anyways if you are looking at working on a project there are some people here trying. Including myself but im probably a pain in the kneck to work with and very demanding for excelence and qulity. In short im a head ake.

God Bless
Azariah "Angel"

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2Samuel C6 V14, Psalm C149-150, Ecclesiastes C9 V5, Ezekiel C2-3&C39, Matthew C6 V25, Luke C19 V11, 1Corinthians C13, Galatians C5 V22, Ephesians C3 V9, Colossians C1 V16, 1Peter C3 V3, Revelations C10

Klumsy

Administrator

Posts: 1061
From: Port Angeles, WA, USA
Registered: 10-25-2001
to make such a game would require a huge resources and
dedication, and also without a company structure making even a simple game requires discipline , which is hard

i think a game like that could work..
there doesn't Need to be religious arguments.. i mean if all the team members are mature christians, there is no need for arguments..
I believe that if God calls people to such a project, and they follow him in their everyday lives, abiding in HIm, dying to themselves, then God will make the project succcess, He will build the house himself.. sure we got to do our parts.. but as we abide in Him we can keep focus and direction (and the primary focus is on CHrist, not on the game) , and overcome personality conflicts, doctrinal issues between team members, financial setbacks, disappointments, failures of this or that..

However to make such a game would require thousands of man hours, with different christians working togeather on it..
for a project of that scale.. wisdom would have you spend at least a few good 10's of hours on your knees, praying about it, asking God about it, asking for his leading, his Yes/No, his wisdom and guidance...

Karl

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Karl /GODCENTRIC
Husband of my amazing wife Aleshia
Klumsy@xtra.co.nz

Veritech

Member

Posts: 208
From: Lockport, NY
Registered: 01-20-2001
I think it's quite doable to make a MMORPG. sveral things could hinder it tho.

1. Server: they are kind of expensive, and you need a very good one, with fast conection, otherwise there will be lag. Expect to be paying alot a month: even if you own the server, you need to pay for the lines.

2. MMORPGs have trouble in the area of PVP. A different system would have to be created, so that players wouldn't kill each other. I have always liked the UO arena idea.

3. About man hours: i think initially, there is LESS time put into a MMORPG verses a SP rpg. the reason for this is you don't have to animate a whole storyline, just initial introductions to the world and groups, and modeling everything in the game, and the game systems. thats alot less then making a story. but where the time is made up is that you have to do continual maintenance on the servers: you goota make sure it works, and you need to give players new things to do ocassionally, as well as the general events (see point 4). Also, you need admins on all the time to answer questions, or fix bugged items, ect. so at least 2 people will have to do that all the time.

4. the biggest hurtle to me is this simple truth: Storyline in MMORPGS is hard to do. The simple idea of many people liveing out virtual lives makes for an ongoing story, always developing, and therefore hard to have a story from the outset. What if someone joins in half way through? Here are some possible solutions:
- make a storyline based on one characters life. it is ectremly hard to make a multiplayer game where the story centers on one character. I'd go so far as to say its impossible. There is only one exception: if a non-player-character is that character, or its an admin (someone would have to play him all the time). This would not be worth the trouble it causes IMO.
- A much better way would be to make strong factions, kingdons, groups, whatever, strongly done groups, whatever those groups may be. Make up complicated politics between all groups, ratial distrust, comerce, ect. Then you can build a generic ongoing story: have a bunch of planed events to do over a set period of time: make the leaders of the groups admins or npcs. Some such events could be trade wars, wars of succession, joining of groups through diplomatic means or marige, attacks of invaders, ect. Of course the main prefrece of this type would be that when a character starts to play, they must pick a group to join. They might be able to change aligence later, but by starting them with loyalty to a cause will push them right into the action. IMO this is the best way to do a MMORPG's storyline: general events that are developed by the characters.

Forgot to mention what kind of groups (the ideas in my head you see, i forget to mention things cause there obvious to me). The groups could consist of:
A. political groups: kingdoms, nations, villiges
B. Economic guilds: woodcarvers, masons, smiths
C. fighting groups: mercenarys, users of mystic energy
D. races: elves, humans, dwarves
e. in case of a more futuristic view, maybe groups based on what types of robots they fight in, space stations they protect, groups of hackers, and programers, ect

Thats my opinion. I think its quite doable, if you can come up with a good storyline. I am makeing a futuristic RPG right now (along with the Mideval RPG i'm doing with Angel & others), and am still deciding on wether to make it MMORPG. If i did, it would be very complex, because of the various combats i intend to have in the game. Not to give much away, i intend to have at least 3 very different forms of combat, and in massivly varied environments. Also making a massive data network... Well, like i said, still deciding. Still am working on exact factions and power groups for my worlds, but have alot of ideas on the game systems end (making the scripts, if not in code, in a code-friendly way)

All told, it's doable, but you'll need plently of capital to start the thing, and it will be an ongoing thing once its started: you'll have to garenty your server for a few years at least. so it something to consider well before it's begun.

God bless you guys, and may he give us all wisdom and ideas
Veritech, New Data Provider (Idea Rat)

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"If you even breathe a word of what you've heard here, I hope Gandalf will turn you into a spotted toad, and fill the garden full of grass-snakes" - "Fellowship of the Ring" by JRR Tolkien (p91)

Lucas

Member

Posts: 65
From: Utah, USA (non-Mormon)
Registered: 08-02-2001
Hey, Cemrath I'm making a Christian MMORPG which is also to be played offline as well. I know its gonna be very hard but I have the dedication and endurance to do it! And nobody, I mean nobody, is gonna stop me! Whooyeah! So if you'd like to help me Cemrath drop me a line at ichthustek@hotmail.com !


In Christ,
Joshua

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With God anything is possible!

Jeremy
Junior Member

Posts: 3
From: Marietta, GA
Registered: 06-04-2002
You make happen what you believe. If God has called you to make a MMORPG make it and don't EVER give up.

I feel I've been called to make a game. I guess it would be a RPG but I was thinking more along Action lines. Anyways its a big task as a lone person but it is possible. Very possible.


MMORPGs do require a good server and fast connection. You'd get support if the product is good enough. I doubt all of the players of the secular games would really flock to anything like that. Whats sad is some Christian gamers flock to the secular games like wildfire. Yay since I can't blow up people being a Christian I'll do it in a game. I'm waiting for some real games to come out with Christian titles. Not these cheap NES looking 8-bit video games I was used to playing back in 1985.


Anyways you can do it. Keep the faith and don't let anyone talk you out of it. You know if its from God or not, so only you can decide how far you'll take it. You'll always have opposition from others in anything you try to do in Christ. Even by people who are only 'trying to help'. Listen to God and follow your dreams. Climb whatever obstacles get in your way but never let go.

BlazeQ

Member

Posts: 260
From: USA
Registered: 05-11-2002
Here's a Christian MMORPG in the planning that I ran accross. Looks pretty old though (1999)...

http://www.christiangaming.com/ProjectX.html

BTW, welcome to the boards Jeremy & Cemrath!

BlazeQ

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I'm out of my mind... and into the mind of Christ -G.S. Megaphone