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Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game Research Project

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Welcome to the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game Research Project (MMORPGRP - pronounced Morp-Group)

There are currently a variety of open source massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) projects in existence over at Sourceforge.

This research project may attempt to discover how to integrate the most appropriate technologies to develop an MMORPG that is:

  • Flexible
  • Fun
  • Fast
  • Decentralized
  • Secure
  • Light
  • Portable
  • Open

Questions to answer

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What is the corporate appeal of projects like Second Life?

  • Second life has over 8 million users.

What has contributed to World of Warcraft's ongoing success?

  • The Blizzard name, purposely addictive game mechanics, the previous Warcraft titles.
  • A large user base

What has contributed to other large-scale MMORPG successes? (EverQuest, RuneScape, GuildWars, Neverwinter Nights, etc.)

  • Word-of-Mouth
  • Ability to host private servers and dungeons (Ultima Online and Dungeons & Dragons, for example)
  • Ease of Access

How can custom scripting be implemented into an MMORPG?

  • addons (e.g. WoW using LUA)
  • This can be done by programming the server to control some objects' behavior using an internal scripting language.

What would be a more specific and appropriate name for this project?

  • OMP (Open MMORPG Project)
  • OpenWorld
  • WikiVerse
  • FreeGameVerse?

How could security be implemented in a decentralized MMORPG while still keeping the integrity of character abilities and powers?

  • Check abilities/powers etc. against a database record and check for increases or decreases according to items or beneficial effects and check where they came from and block "bad" ones.
  • How could this question be worded more succinctly and clearly?
  • Before you can discuss security, you need to know how the "decentralized" model works.

How does the "decentralized" model work?

What is meant by decentralized? What will be centralized in the game?

  • Player finding, how will other players/clients be found?

Will there be a true decentralized network, or will there still be a server?

  • If there is a server then what will be done with Peer to Peer and what will be done on the server?

What will be special in this game? Will there be unique features?

Brainstorming

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Tentatively, the structure will be as follows: A central server will act as a placeholder for the "world". The "world" could be designed to encompass any scenario set to any scale (i.e. this "world" could be an aquatic planet roughly the size of the Atlantic, or an entire solar system comparative to our own.) This "world" could even be a clone of present reality in a rough vector-based form (so that one server could initially handle the load). Perhaps all this could be accomplished with 500MB - 1GB of hard drive space.

Considering Lunar Boom Town's current approach, perhaps a symbolic interface to logical analog and digital control circuity designed via defined zones, initial conditions, restriction condition sets, etc. could take the place of the server. This may work initially for prototyping or until a better method can be implemented. With the "worlds" asynchronously updating to each other's statuses, holds, releases, automatic rule checking, implementation of filters, wormholes, etc. it would quickly grow into fairly accurate overview of our perceived reality. When participation picks up, it should not take much to trigger blooms in resolution within densely trafficked regions. There could also be unique one-offs, each starting a sequence of versions as the known cases are slowly incremented to other cases which need to be examined.

Mirwin 14:40, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Dekenet 02:12, 10 January 2008 (UTC) (simple edits for clarity)

How about this: should the game be real-time all the time? De-centralizing could work in a way like wiki works. Inside the game universe is created an adventure module/project/room that only some people know of (and have the rights to drive as some kind of mini-servers). Everybody has basically a change to be part of the adventure module, but not necessarily so.

Here a short concept of game I've been pondering about. It is role playing in a sense of Nethack or Elite, where lone adventurer enters the dungeon/space/new continent and starts stockpiling as usual. This part is done independently on the client side. Random generation is the key here, we just might need to check the status of created items min/max from the server. Adventuring goes on, but there are certain locations/wormholes/magic fields that connect to other plains. On these plains the player interacts with the server or other players real-time. These interactions can be mini-games, information feeds, challenges etc. but the main idea here is that there is a higher goal. Personal stockpiling and colonialist thinking won't win the game. One's equipment might make of some use, but more important is to get other characters' support. Player is encouraged to work together with others in order to advance. Maybe they need some energy crystals to open up a new portal that only one can be carried per character or maybe people should join to give sufficient energy to one of the group to get to the next level/another planet/selected as president etc..

A few characters can meet in a small portal and get a few connections elsewhere in the universe. More advanced players have more options like this. These actions should somehow affect the universe. Not in a sense of just having separate economy of just buying selling stuff, but adventures played should have an organic way of materializing new modules in the game universe. For example, if a group of players can invoke magic that summons some monster, that monster should stay active until dispelled. Or if a group of adventures create a kingdom that kingdom starts to live on its own. Or starting some support group which eventually could be supporting somebody else. Basic idea is, however, that not all the players are in contact with everybody all the time but they adventure in a seemingly endless universe that has portals here and there to jump elsewhere. The most important thing is to create a strive for something that is constructive not destructive in nature.

Most of the actions should be able to be driven offline and then update to the game universe. This way the decentralization could work. This kind of approaches are used on smaller scale in several tactics games but without the common changing universe or common goals.

--JJ 15:38, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Do not limit research and data-gathering to one or two key sources (SourceForge & FreshMeat seem to be the only ones used as references). The MMORPG world is vast and diverse; make sure sources, reference materials, data, and all research and artifacts come from all available sources...not just favorites or preferred locations.

The key to getting and keeping a long-term MMORPG player's attention is to provide a game that encompasses what THEY want, not what the developer wants to achieve. For example: EverQuest had a long life in terms of keeping a player's attention, but had some very critical flaws in design that were, unfortunately, addressed too late to retain the long-term player base that had since shifted to "greener" pastures. Gaming might be a 'social' activity, but some people do not want to be forced to join groups, find companions, or have lists of friends to advance, explore, or conquer. The ability to successfully solo your way to the same level as a group-oriented player should be one of the highest priorities in game development, regardless of your choice in class/function/race, etc.

While the idea of an open-source plane where characters can leave a lasting impression (i.e. - the summoning of a monster) is enticing, it poses serious risks as far as game balance, security, hackers, game-spoilers and the like. This topic would have to be addressed in order to successfully integrate real-time player integration with environment.

--MC 17:15, 15 January 2013

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Open source

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