New Worlds

[TedTheDog]

Look! Its me!

I have a question. I'm currently looking at the more diverse online gaming communities (its my job) and I'd like to ask if anyone here knows of anything "bleeding edge".

For example, I'm a World of Warcraft player (thats where I am these days, hence few posts here) and thats a new take on an old world, MMORPG.

I'm talking about new ways of doing it. Like:

Project Entropia

and

Second Life

Ok, they might look like the standard MMO with a shiney face lift, but they are new in that they actively embrace and facilitate real money being used in transactions, whereas the old style WoW actively discourages it.

So I'm looking for new ways of doing online gaming communities. Note "gaming". I'm aware of MySpace and the like, but they're community rather than gaming community.

Ya dig?
By the way.... hi!

 

[Dukat]

what about that deer thing someone was on about not long ago in daoc offtopic? sec and i'll get the link...

EDIT:
here's the thread:
https://forums.freddyshouse.com/showthread.php?p=2783444#post2783444

here's the link:
http://www.gamershell.com/news/29789.html

Tale of Tales has released an updated client of The Endless Forest, an online multiplayer game where everyone plays a deer. Non-violent and chat-free, The Endless Forest is an ongoing exploration of non-competitive and non-goal-oriented interaction in a tranquil environment. All communication happens through deer-body-language. You can roar, you can sniff, you can rub a tree. As a screensaver, The Endless Forest offers a peaceful oasis where you can be your (deer) self for a moment, sleeping in the forest or engaging with other players. Press 'read more' for details about the updated client.

non-chat, non-competitive, non-goal-oriented MMO seems interesting and overly simplistic to me - you get simple emotes but you cannot directly chat to anyone else. not sure exactly if there is any more to it but its something different atleast

 

[JingleBells]

Endless Forest is a "social screensaver", not really a game surely.

 

[Dukat]

Endless Forest is a "social screensaver", not really a game surely.

dont call me shirley!

I guess it might not be a game as such, but I would say its near the fuzzy edge of a "game", in the same way that you could argue that Project entropia is not a game (they say as much on thier website) because it goes too indepth to be "just a game". Endless Forest could be said to be at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum - being so simplistic that its not enough to be a game.

I just meant that its something different, might fall into the category of what Ted was looking for.

 

[DaGaffer]

Hi Ben,

Activeworlds is a similar idea to Second Life (although Activeworlds came first), and they're both modelled on the "Metaverse" idea from Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash (funny, that's the second time I've mentioned that in the last couple of days).

I'm also pretty sure Google are up to something similar; they've bought 'Sketchup' (a 3D modelling tool) and are giving away a free version with a view to somehow integrating it into Google Earth so you create buildings etc and drop them into the program. Its no great leap to see the community angle grafted on top of that...

Are you just looking at alternate community models or are you looking at all the revenue models that are out there? I've got a bit of info on that and some payment and transactional models if you want to PM me. I can also give you a walk through on why Second Life's signup process sucks

 

[pez]

how about instead of forums where you post topics you leave sound bites!

i dunno, new online gaming communities aren't something you can plan imo.

much more interactive and informative avatars and player information maybe?

 

[TedTheDog]

Ooh, interesting replies, ta chaps.

Dave, I'm trying to show the breadth of PC online communities. Most ppl at work, including the bosses, have little appreciation of where online gaming has been and where its going outside of the console world. I'm trying to broaden their horizons. Bit of where its been, where it is now with things like WoW and the more forward things like Entropia, and then try and predict the future (Spore perhaps? (although theres all the possibility that'll be another Black & White, to quote my immediate boss)

 

[Athena]

I don’t really understand what PapaT is talking about here (surprise surprise!!) but I read this yesterday which sounded pretty cool.

linkeh - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4953620.stm

Btw hi PapaT

 

[Sharma]

Project Entropia is still running!??!

I remember playing the beta for that, and in all honesty it was the single worst game I have ever trialled ever.

Graphics, poor.
Amount of players, poor.
Being able to run from one side of the planet to the other in your boxers = fun for a short while.

 

[ECA]

Project Entropia is at least five years old and has had the money conversion aspect in from the beginning the only thing thats new is the cash card.

As sharma says, its a drivelling pile of poo.

 

[Sepraku]

http://www.seedthegame.com/

no spanish speaking support.

 

[haarewin]

that's amazing. i'd love to see someone accumulate a virtual fortune and bankrupt them - just because it would entertain me.

 

[WPKenny]

So you have a plain old virtual world online? Like nothing to do but exactly what you do in the real world? And people waste real cash on these things? I don't get it.

 

[`mongoose]

There's something a bit similar going on here

http://www.perplexcity.com

The top players win financial rewards obviously but it looks to me like a massive money pit. I've always stayed away from games that combine persistant world and real money expenditure.

I am one of those sad geeks that will get totally hooked and end up throwing good money after bad on virtual goods that you never see and don't truly own.

M

 

[bigbb]

Ooh, interesting replies, ta chaps.

Dave, I'm trying to show the breadth of PC online communities. Most ppl at work, including the bosses, have little appreciation of where online gaming has been and where its going outside of the console world.

Sounds familiar

Hi Ben!

I will make a more constructive contribution towards this thread at a later stage.

 

[TedTheDog]

The Endless Forest is very interesting actually, I shall investigate that one. Of course, once I'm allowed to. Work pc locked down tighter than a gnats chuff, as an old mate of mine would say.
And perplexcity. I'd seen a programme on that ages ago on tv and forgot all about that. Very interesting this one, well, for my purposes anyway. Its not about whether I like them or not, or whether they're done well, its very much about the concepts involved.

I'll have a look at Seed too. Not sure that ones breaking new ground or not, but worth investigating.

And I'm kicking myself for forgetting about activeworlds, I met the devs of that ages ago, although why, where and when I met them escapes me completely. Ta Dave!

Thanks very much for this, more always welcome

PS Lo kerrykins & Bbbbbbb

 

[TdC]

(Spore perhaps? (although theres all the possibility that'll be another Black & White, to quote my immediate boss)

Spore rocks!!

 

[rynnor]

I'm talking about new ways of doing it. Like:

Project Entropia

Entropia raises a lot of issues - the game engine itself is very poor - like an mmo from a decade ago.

The game concept is quite clever but extremely cynical - its an attempt to use the addictive nature of an mmo (and players who are addiction prone) to procure real world money from more than just a monthly subscription.

The game mechanics prevent you from being able to come out ahead unless you exploit other players - if you just play the game you'll always spend more on maintenance than its possible to make - thats why they allow you to convert game money back to real world credits since they cannot lose.

Its basically a scam - if it became too popular I think the authorities would come down hard on it - at the moment it exists on the margins.

Watchdog would have a field day on it...

It should be licensed in the same way as other gambling sites.

 

[tRoG]

One word: Eve.

 

[TedTheDog]

One word: Eve.

Morning!
Yeah, been looking at Eve. Not sure its anything really different socially though. Got a mate totally obsessed with it and spent some time having it all explained to me. The magazine idea was interesting though.

 

[Guest]

what about a game about REAL LIFE, cept you can choose to be who ever you really weanted to be when you grew up, rather than a fantasy / sci fi game where you level up and ding and get to be a lvl 60 ultra vorlon or whatever it is you want to be, a RLG real life game would surely be better, you interact in real life situations but you are safe behind the pc / console, so its a mmorlg.
i mean you could be leveld up (get older, more experience points etc for passing exams like at school) its endless.

 

[DaGaffer]

what about a game about REAL LIFE, cept you can choose to be who ever you really weanted to be when you grew up, rather than a fantasy / sci fi game where you level up and ding and get to be a lvl 60 ultra vorlon or whatever it is you want to be, a RLG real life game would surely be better, you interact in real life situations but you are safe behind the pc / console, so its a mmorlg.
i mean you could be leveld up (get older, more experience points etc for passing exams like at school) its endless.

Sounds awful. In fact it sounds like The Sims Online. Which was indeed, awful.

 

[Wij]

Yes - slog your guts out for a year to earn a rise in simolean income less than the rate of simolean inflation and then get looked at funny for not appreciating it like the fantasically genrerous offer it obviously is. Sounds cocking great !

Not-Simming-Fucking-Bitter-Wij

 

[Ch3tan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4766755.stm

 

[Raven]

why isnt moyles a fat c**t in virtual life like he is in real life, thats what i want to know. i am sure he will be just as unfunny though.

 

[taB]

hmmm, so thats what they spend the license fee on these days

 

[Sar]

I've just spent 2 hours wandering around in 2nd Life - it's cack!

:/