Zombie Apocalypse

[ashadocat]

I suggest we use the quake source to make a clone (with plenty of creative liberties) of Zombie Master . it's a really fun game, if we implement our ideas too it will make an original and fun game. we don't copy it but we make a similar game. I would love anyone who did this. I can probably talk them into giving us the low-poly models the have as reskins.

I know we don't want to rip them off but we could work with them to make both better.

 

[plopperz]

You have good ideas, but I don't think this should be an MMORPG, but a MMOFPS.

I propose the following: We start by implementing the deathmatch aspect of the game, with static characters. Like Team Fortress, however, there will be classes. Once the action and multiplayer aspect of the game is working smoothly, if we feel up to the task, we start adding more RPG options, like the ability to improve attributes/skills and making a nice Dungeon Master interface.

QUOTE
It would also make it too complicated to code, if it isn't already. Commercial games like this are made by huge teams of coders working for months fulltime. This is why I think we should start with a simple 2D topdown or angled camera game, or even just a chatroom.


Using simple graphics and physics should make the task a little easier, but very true. And don't forget the enourmes effort that goes into making all the art and levels!

I'm sorry, but I think adding regular RPG elements (like classes) to this game would ruin it, but I love the deathmatch idea. Would be fun with a large map and lots of buildings and things to hide behind. As for graphics I don't think we'll be at a loss for artists, there are plenty of people (including myself) that would be willing to help out.

EDIT:
QUOTE

I suggest we use the quake source to make a clone (with plenty of creative liberties) of Zombie Master . it's a really fun game, if we implement our ideas too it will make an original and fun game. we don't copy it but we make a similar game. I would love anyone who did this. I can probably talk them into giving us the low-poly models the have as reskins.

I know we don't want to rip them off but we could work with them to make both better.


We should use our own ideas and make this game really good and very original.

 

[___]

@Hiroe: sounds really nice!
Just had another idea: How about incorporating game modes like I suggested into an mmo? Players could take part in everyone of those games running at the same time except on different scenes of the worldmap. Imagine racing into a city with your party, then stumbling over another group of people trying to find the artifact causing the outbreak and jumping into play with them. Or you find a lonely mansion somewhere on the country side, where people are barricading and you jump in to help. Zombie players could chose where to respawn after having their flock of zombies killed.

 

[Dutch_Cap]

We should use our own ideas and make this game really good and very original.

We have a saying in Dutch: It's better to steal well, than to invent poorly. (Beter goed gejat dan slecht bedacht.)

Zombie Master, being similar to our ideas, might give us a rough idea of what does (not) work in a game like this. I'm definitely going to convince my flatmate to install it on his Windows machine!

 

[ashadocat]

Ive played with it a bit so if you have any questions then ask me.

 

[Dutch_Cap]

Ive played with it a bit so if you have any questions then ask me.

What was it like? Did you play with other players? What aspects of the game did you enjoy? What didn't work for you?

 

[ashadocat]

I played with other players. I really enjoyed making barricades out of things I found lying around the map. I remember on one map I could make an almost unbreakable barricade out of 2 crates and a dresser. I also really enjoyed the fact that a human controls the zombies. one guy would make deals with us. we where trapped in a building, hopelessly outnumbered when he said "if 1 of you kills yourself i'll call of the zeds" he was always true to his word so I suicided and my friends rushed outside (the path was clear now) only to have a bunch of zombies fall on top of them a few blocks away.

this type of game tends to bring out the best in people. we shared ammo and weapens and lived by the mantra "live together die alone"
unfortunately I fried my windows partisan and haven't played it since

 

[Dutch_Cap]

FIFE looks like the perfect isometric engine! Except I couldn't find anything about multiplayer. But it's open source and it runs on Linux.

From their forums:

[...] networking is not high on the priority list of any active FIFE developer that I know of. So if you would like to see network support as soon as possible you'll prolly end up integrating it on your own.

 

[plopperz]

What about the Lightfeather 3D Engine(lightfeather.de). Don't know about networking, but it looks pretty good from the glance I took at it. Also Linux and opensource. Though the Quake engine still looks the best to me.

 

[Holokauston]

Sounds like there are two versions coming out? ;D

 

[plopperz]

Sounds like there are two versions coming out? ;D

More like 20 at the rate we're going

 

[Dutch_Cap]

Oh well, at least some of the artwork can be re-used.

 

[plopperz]

He has a point though, we need to find some things that we can agree on, and work from there

 

[Dutch_Cap]

Well, at the very least we agree on multiplayer.

 

[plopperz]

Oh, Oh, and Zombies

 

[Dutch_Cap]

I guess the discussion boils down to:
Shooter VS RPG Shooter

As I proposed earlier, we could start with a shooter with a few RPG elements, and add *optional* more hardcore RPG elements when the action and networking is working well.

A couple of people (including yours truly) seem to be interested in big roaming worlds. This should be much easier to achieve with a 2D engine.

 

[plopperz]

I think we're all for the sandbox style gameplay. As much as I would love to have a 3D game, it's not very realistic. As for the RPG Shooter, I would really like to have a game where I could run around a shoot shit. I really don't want to worry about what my stats are or anything. As long as the RPG element doesn't get in the way of me shooting zombies, the I guess it would work.

 

[___]

Any comments on the suggestions I made? I kinda feel a little ignored here
If this is going to happen, it will surely be a killer app for the pandora. I think it doesn't need to stay an exclusive though... there would be way more players if it was also released for pc but it should still be optimized for pandora and sort of have a promotional aspect. I think it would just be good to actually have enough players for a mmo game!

 

[icurafu]

Sauerbraten already has a Monster Invasion mode. This would be the quickest way to get one of this type of games together.

Just wait for a port, and create an invasion map custom for zombie armies. Use scipts to add anything special out of the ordinary. Then host it on a server that can handel the AI of hundreds of simutaneous monsters.

Just classify it a Mod. Get a level designer, a few modelling gurus, texture people and a bunch of script kids. You can just cut a bunch of corners for the first iteration. Use one zombie model with very low polygon count and use a script to increase their walking speed and respawn rate over time.

Either way, whatever you guys choose, I'll help out with some scripting if it starts to look a little golden.

 

[plopperz]

Any comments on the suggestions I made? I kinda feel a little ignored here
If this is going to happen, it will surely be a killer app for the pandora. I think it doesn't need to stay an exclusive though... there would be way more players if it was also released for pc but it should still be optimized for pandora and sort of have a promotional aspect. I think it would just be good to actually have enough players for a mmo game!

Whoops, I missed your comments and gave credit for them to someone else I would live on Deathmach. I would like to see it as exclusive, since we all sortof know each other it, we could play in groups and actually talk to each other, rather than play alone like I have in almost every MMO I've played. If we made the map smaller that it would be for a game with 10000+ it would seem like more players and make it much easier to code.
Sorry, I'm not intentionally disagreeing with everyone.