[MUD-Dev] SMOG - small multiuser online game

[Frank Crowell]

From: "Crosbie Fitch" <crosbie at cyberspaceengineers.org>
> From: Frank Crowell

>> SMOG will get its kick start by using an existing 3D game engine
>> and it-doesn't-suck-that-much network technology. The intent is
>> to build as little as possible - not as easy as I think it is.

> I've been thinking along similar lines.  >

And I have lifted one of your concepts and used it for my
bigworld/smallworld model (in my head only).  Unlike the solar
system, I have visualized one fantastic planet, where sectors from
the bigworld are mapped into the individual smallworlds.  I am weak
on the implemention model here except for some fuzzy think stuff
floating around and trying to find out more about the world cells
that BigWorld (tm) uses.

> It may even be possible to do zero coding.

> The ingredients I'm looking at:

>   1) P2P transport - Gnutella, FreeNet, etc.

I am not entirely sold on P2P, but at the same time I see a need to
move to at least multiple node servers.

>   2) 3D front end - Quake, Unreal, or other moddable game with
>   scenery editor

Lots of candidates so I won't highlight any except to mention
Unreal.  There are three approaches to doing a project with Unreal.
First, there is the Unreal 2 runtime that includes Unrealscript
source and is free for non-game use.  Epic games also hints that
they might license the header files, but good luck in actually
getting those files if your project even sniffs like a game. The
other approach is modding Unreal Tournament 2003.  Lots of good
stuff in the Unrealscript.  Finally, if you have $750K-850K AND a
solid development team, Epic Games may give you a full license.

> Think of it as a better way of cataloguing all the maps for
> Quake/Unreal.  Instead of umpteen websites with lists of maps, we
> can now start arranging maps as if they represented a contiguous
> topography of a virtual world.

Could also have navigation aids such as earcons for audio feedback
or beacons that light up in certain regions based on searches.  For
example at a high level, I could search for "orcs" and see which
part of the landscape contains orcs.  Or I could move my mouse over
an orc region and hear orc sounds.

frank
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