Zombie Apocalypse

[plopperz]

Found something that might be of use sometime in the future: http://www.devmaster.net/articles/building-mmorpg/
don't know how much of this applies to us
(EDIT: I guess not really since we'd all be using the same graphics card, maybe I should read more carefully )but I found this intereseting:
QUOTE

Do you plan to make a 2D or 3D game? Some would argue that it's easier to make a 2D game. I've done both, and I tend to believe that 3D is easier. Allow me to explain.

In 2D, you usually have a frame buffer, which is a big array of pixels. The format of those pixels can differ, from video card to video card. Some have RGB modes, other have BGR modes, etc. The number of bits for each color can differ as well. This happens only for 16bpp video modes. 8-bit and 24-bit video modes are easier, but with their problems (8-bits gives you few colors (256), while 24-bit modes are slower). Also, you will need to make your sprite routines, and you have to sort your objects yourself, so they will be drawn in the right order. Of course, you can use OpenGL or D3D for 2D games, but it's usually not worth it. Not everyone has a 3D accelerated video card, so using a 3D library for a 2D game usually gives you the disadvantages of both worlds: Not everyone will be able to play it, and you won't be able to rotate the camera, have nice shadows, and various other eye candies specific to the 3D applications.

 

[Gilrad]

I don't know if anybody has played it before, but there is a (was free, then pay-to-play, now free again) game called Infantry that basically embodies the kind of structure I would like to see in a game like this (though for the other aspects such as controls and pacing, I would take a page from the book of Soldat).

oh, and I also really like the idea of using the second analog stick for weapon aiming.

 

[SharQueDo]

I think there are enough ideas going on now. I suggest we make a Wiki page out of it. Lets start on the talk page (http://pandorawiki.org/Talk:Zombie_Apocalypse) where everyone plots their idea and eventually a role in the project (team) they want to fill in (if it even comes to one, we're not even sure of that yet).

Afterwards, we vote for the best idea (or try mixing some ideas to a final global idea) and start working that out in a detailed concept.

CODE

== Your username ==
[Global idea for the Zombie Apocalypse project, describe the gameplay (goals, features) and graphics (3d/2d) of what you think would be a good idea. Maybe you can even show some concept work if you already have it, or examples (links/screenshots) from other games.]

[Also write here what you expect of the game, and your motivation, why _you_ should be a good addition to the project team.]

Role in project: [Describe what role you want to fill in (designer, lead/co- programmer, musician, artist/spriter/texturer, modeller (if we're going 3d), script writer, level designer, sound engineer, (dedicated) testers (important!! often overlooked at), level designer, etc]
Experience with said role: [Fill in what you have made already (or what you can do), show some of your work if you can]

 

[plopperz]

Lets leave it here for now. We'll get more ideas here.

 

[Prometheus]

I've been following the thread so far, and I have a bit of a query about the art side of things. Regardless of whether it's 2D or 3D, what sort of style would be used? If it gets somewhere and becomes a killer app (it certainly sounds like it has the potential to be one), a unique look that people recognise as "That's Zombie Apocalypse!", as opposed to "That's a ripoff of <whatever>.", could help get it additional notice among the more "mainstream" types, or those who might not otherwise have heard of the Pandora.

That is to say, would it be "realistically" gruesome ala Resident Evil, or tongue-in-cheek and somewhat exaggerated in its style, or...?

 

[plopperz]

I don't know about the rest if us, but I like the stereotypical classic green movie zombies.

 

[Prometheus]

That just gives me an excuse for another question, as I do tend to lean toward the stereotypical form myself, also; Those in a serious modern style, or those in a (potentially cheesy?) classic movie style?

 

[Dutch_Cap]

Any comments on the suggestions I made? I kinda feel a little ignored here

My apologies, I agreed with your suggestions too much to dwell on them very long.

I agree the preacher should see or sense somehow where the zombies are coming from. Not just where they're spawning, but also a rough indication of how many are in each direction and how far away. The preacher could tell his party where to best build a barricade. When the zombies started approaching he might start praying to increase the luck of his party, or start preaching to increase the morale or something.

You're also right that an MMORPG is likely to prove too big a project. While we should keep dreaming about chocolate covered clouds, development-wise we should start by aiming small. Get a handfull of players into a small map with a few basic weapons, some simple RPG element, and items to make barricades. Finding clever ways to have lots of zombies while using as little bandwidth as possible between server and clients.

Once we have the basics down, we might start thinking about adding more elements. Finding ways to scale to as many players as possible, adding vehicles, adding more RPG elements.

Getting as many zombies as possible into a map should prove to be an interesting project. Rather than modeling every single zombie in the world, the ones that aren't near players could maybe be represented as clusters, or in terms of zombie population density per area.

 

[plopperz]

Zombies will also have to continually respawn. I'm curious to see how well they do porting Q3. If they do it well with networking that could make it alot easier on us.

 

[Dutch_Cap]

Lets leave it here for now. We'll get more ideas here.

I think we should keep the ideas in this thread, at least for now. But it'd be a good idea to let people fill in the role they're willing to play. A lot of design decisions will probably depend on the numbers and types of programmers, artists and level designers willing to work on the project.

Fore example, the decision on whether we go 2D or 3D may depend on how many 2D and 3D artists we can convince to join. If we can't get a lot of level designers, but we do have a lot of programmers, we may consider some sort of random world generation.

 

[___]

You know what? Why not open a wiki to gather ideas like this so that they are sorted and easier to access. Maybe even a Wiki for community projects and efforts and not just for our little Zombie Project. Discussion happens here, but the ideas that we've gathered should be made accessible for more people. Also I think this would give the project some sort of sophisticated structure. It will be easier to overlook and work from there. I think there are already enough suggestions to open up a kind of mind map.

 

[SharQueDo]

You know what? Why not open a wiki to gather ideas like this so that they are sorted and easier to access. Maybe even a Wiki for community projects and efforts and not just for our little Zombie Project. Discussion happens here, but the ideas that we've gathered should be made accessible for more people. Also I think this would give the project some sort of sophisticated structure. It will be easier to overlook and work from there. I think there are already enough suggestions to open up a kind of mind map.

*cough*

 

[ashadocat]

we seem to be having a bit of a debate over rpg elements. I have 2 solutions
PASSIVE PROGRESSION
your stats and skills progress over time by using them ie: you use a pistol to kill 100 zombies and you get better with a pistil.

I find that in some types of games skill progression leaves it incredibly unbalanced. my second suggestion is SKILL BALANCE
you have a number of points you can assign to stats and skills. you do not get more points.

 

[craigix]

The fastest way to do this is just to make a quake map full of zombies (and forever spawning zombies) and make a 'town' in it, Then just join the multiplayer game. V0.1 is up and running, now start to code mods

 

[ashadocat]

you may be right... I'll see about getting us some zombie models.

 

[ashadocat]

The Wiki

 

[Dutch_Cap]

On the topic of Topdown Shooter versus FPS, the Pandora's controls are arguably better suited for a topdown shooter than for an FPS. (Though the pandora has better FPS controls than any other handheld I know of.)

 

[ashadocat]

the xbox 360 is the fps console, our controls are as good as its'. the more I think about it the more it makes sense. we already have quake and no doubt some zombie models/textures. if we could get some artists on the team that would sway my opinion. more 3d artists mean fps, while more 2d means tds

 

[fusion_power]

While shortly flying over this Thread, I think the Idea itself is interesting. Sounds like an interesting Mix between Action and RPG.
I would like to see a good and detailed 2D Engine, maybe "2,5D", isometric Diablo-like or Top-Down GTA1-like. ^_^ FPS feels not right in my Opinion and you can make much more detailed and matching RPG-Style Graphics with 2D Pixel Art, IF you find a Artist for this of Course.
I could imagine the Feeling of this Game, "Alien Shooter 2" comes in my mind, there you have a Isometric Perspective realized with a (AFAIK) 3D Engine, could be interesting.
Classes are a good Idea to, I would play it if it has Engineers. Give me an Engineer and a Sentry like in "Team Fortress" and I'm happy.
RPG Elements could be basic, nothing complicated, just the right juice to have the famous Diablo2 feeling for collecting Items and gain experience. "PASSIVE PROGRESSION" is great, I think this is meant like in "Dungeon Siege", makes alot things more easy.

Respawning Enemies? No, I hate this. It's always frustrating to "clean" a Area and a few seconds later, you are surrounded with Enemies. The System like in Diablo is better, respawning only after logout and login or switching Map....maybe...

 

[ashadocat]

Alright, i'm talking to someone about giving us low poly zombies. there in whatever format hl2 uses, but they can be converted. let me tell you he was hard as hell to track down. I really hope he responds.