Anyone ever thought of making an MMO?

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ViviTheMage

ViviTheMage

Lifer
Dec 12, 2002
36,190
85
91
madgenius.com
I do not want to make a game to make oodles of money, I'd want to make a game just to roam a world, created by myself...that can have a few people play in.

I had an openGL class back in school, but that isn't really related to an MMO...granted I did code this robot to swing a sword and throw a grenade! haha

I know a lot of good games have a huge staff, but I have some ideas that i'd like to throw into a game, for fun.

Are there any cheap methods of creating your own MMO? That looks OK?
 
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,701
60
91
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I do not want to make a game to make oodles of money, I'd want to make a game just to roam a world, created by myself...that can have a few people play in.

I had an openGL class back in school, but that isn't really related to an MMO...granted I did code this robot to swing a sword and throw a grenade! haha

I know a lot of good games have a huge staff, but I have some ideas that i'd like to throw into a game, for fun.

Are there any cheap methods of creating your own MMO? That looks OK?
Click to expand...

Anytime I make a level with teh SandboxII, I wish I could make in a free-roaming MMO level that I could just have hosted 24x7 and people could jump into it. My friend and I both make levels, and we thought it would be cool to have portals or translocator devices in each level where you could jump to other hosted levels.
 
ViviTheMage

ViviTheMage

Lifer
Dec 12, 2002
36,190
85
91
madgenius.com
That'd be cool Techboy...do you have anywhere someone could start on making an MMO? The basics behind it? Server side, client side? How to actually CREATE the game and whatnot?
 
Aikouka

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
Originally posted by: Anubis
my brother has
Click to expand...

But is it a MMO or a MO? :p

Frankly with some of the player bases out there today, some of the MMOs aren't to M'y.
 
B

brandonb

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2006
3,731
2
0
Anybody with any development skills (artists, programmers, etc) probably have thought about creating a MMO at some point (provided they play them to begin with).

However, when it comes down to it, most people don't get past the fantasizing. When it comes down to doing any sort of work, thats when they stop and give up.

MMO's need a team, and most people who do this stuff can't get motivated to do it in their freetime. Not only that but you need start up costs, such as a T1- or T3 line, an office, servers, and nobody is going to donate that stuff.

There are not any cheap methods. MMO's are not something you can go buy an engine for, or whip something out.

Before you even have a client, you need a server, which doesn't need graphics. It does have to load levels, have AI, have a static database which stores information, among other things. Just think abuot the work that has to be done without any sounds, graphics, gameplay ideas, etc.
 
ViviTheMage

ViviTheMage

Lifer
Dec 12, 2002
36,190
85
91
madgenius.com
i have bandwidth and a server available....but like I said, just for a few people, dont plan on a couple thousand, not even a couple hundred! Just for me and the people I recruit to create it. Before I even 'market' my idea, I want to create something to show off.
 
SunnyD

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
145
106
www.neftastic.com
I have, on numerous occasional. In fact I have several ideas that would be viable, given development time and resources. Unfortunately, I can't quit my day job (software dev).

I am convinced however that I would make a far better game producer than I would a developer. Again, I'm bristling with ideas, but I just don't have the time to make any of them happen myself.
 
ViviTheMage

ViviTheMage

Lifer
Dec 12, 2002
36,190
85
91
madgenius.com
Originally posted by: SunnyD
I have, on numerous occasional. In fact I have several ideas that would be viable, given development time and resources. Unfortunately, I can't quit my day job (software dev).

I am convinced however that I would make a far better game producer than I would a developer. Again, I'm bristling with ideas, but I just don't have the time to make any of them happen myself.
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well, you do it in your freetime ^_^. That's my plan at least.

Originally posted by: Aikouka
Originally posted by: Anubis
wat????????????
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What's the first 'M' in MMO stand for? :p
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MMMMMMMASSIVE!
 
SunnyD

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
145
106
www.neftastic.com
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Originally posted by: SunnyD
I have, on numerous occasional. In fact I have several ideas that would be viable, given development time and resources. Unfortunately, I can't quit my day job (software dev).

I am convinced however that I would make a far better game producer than I would a developer. Again, I'm bristling with ideas, but I just don't have the time to make any of them happen myself.
Click to expand...

well, you do it in your freetime ^_^. That's my plan at least.
Click to expand...

Free time? What's that? Full time work, full time father. By the time I'm done and have my half hour of free time available before I have to close my eyes and recharge for the next day - I really want to just veg. I've been sleep deprived for the last 6 months or so...
 
ViviTheMage

ViviTheMage

Lifer
Dec 12, 2002
36,190
85
91
madgenius.com
very understandable SunnyD, but I think that your kid(s) may be more rewarding then any MMO you could produce on your own time.

My Fiance' knows what I like to do, and if something ocnsumes me, she understands.
 
Modelworks

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Originally posted by: brandonb

MMO's are not something you can go buy an engine for, or whip something out.
Click to expand...


Actually there are lots of commercial MMO engines out there. They are not cheap for the good ones, often starting at $100K. But they do exist.
 
B

brandonb

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2006
3,731
2
0
Originally posted by: Modelworks
Originally posted by: brandonb

MMO's are not something you can go buy an engine for, or whip something out.
Click to expand...


Actually there are lots of commercial MMO engines out there. They are not cheap for the good ones, often starting at $100K. But they do exist.
Click to expand...

True,

I haven't really looked at them closely. I've always been a do it yourself type guy. I think writing a game like EQ1 would not take too long, as its very simple. In a year, someone could probably clone that game on their own if they just stuck to that as a vision and had some help with artwork, level designers, etc. I'd have more fun creating the engine than creating the game. I like creating engines or API's rather than doing the world generation type stuff. But thats just me, not everybody wants to go through that type of work.

I've been working on a .net reliable UDP class that is specifically designed for MMO's the last month from time to time in my freetime, but i've only put in about 8 hours of work so far. I was going to actually try to clone EQ1 just to build a good resume. ;) So I've thought about this type of stuff, but I had no real intention on really creating a real game.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: brandonb
Originally posted by: Modelworks
Originally posted by: brandonb

MMO's are not something you can go buy an engine for, or whip something out.
Click to expand...


Actually there are lots of commercial MMO engines out there. They are not cheap for the good ones, often starting at $100K. But they do exist.
Click to expand...

True,

I haven't really looked at them closely. I've always been a do it yourself type guy. I think writing a game like EQ1 would not take too long, as its very simple. In a year, someone could probably clone that game on their own if they just stuck to that as a vision and had some help with artwork, level designers, etc. I'd have more fun creating the engine than creating the game. I like creating engines or API's rather than doing the world generation type stuff. But thats just me, not everybody wants to go through that type of work.

I've been working on a .net reliable UDP class that is specifically designed for MMO's the last month from time to time in my freetime, but i've only put in about 8 hours of work so far. I was going to actually try to clone EQ1 just to build a good resume. ;) So I've thought about this type of stuff, but I had no real intention on really creating a real game.
Click to expand...

If you can design and optomize a threaded engine that can handle 500+ players in one zone that looks good, you will make a personal fortune in licensing.
 
shortylickens

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
Oh yes. But mine would be deliberately simple. I'd like an old fashioned 2D dungeon crawler. Max of 10 people in a party at once. You could either make a buttload of small server worlds, or a huge one and let people compete against each other. Maybe set them in opposite corners of a huge dungeon and see who can slay the dragon first.
Combat would be turn-based. I think the exploration would be turn-based too.

I'd charge maybe 5 bucks a month. Possibly 10 if it were insanely popular.
Actually, what I described doesnt really sound like an MMO. More like a TBS with matchmaking.
I'd have to figure out how to make it addicting and profitable.
 
N

nixium

Senior member
Aug 25, 2008
919
3
76
Is it required that you code from scratch?

If not, Neverwinter Nights (and NWN2) has a pretty nice toolkit which lots of people have used to create their own 'player worlds'
 
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