Possible Future Direction (personal view)

Could you please do this? (I hate to quote myself, but hosting on Sourceforge will greatly improve my peace of mind and our development process)

The security warning is because you are connecting to an https server that is not registered with any official security certificate hand out company thingies, whatever you call them. Anyway, I'm not paying extra money to get a 'trusted' key. Therefore if you connect to my https server, you will get a warning that the secutiy certificate is not 'trusted'.
Plainly said: firefox/chrome overreact when they see an untrusted certificate.
(Note that if you would download the repository and run the program it is a 100 times easier for me to hack you than if you accept the untrusted https request...)

But you are right, its not nice and we should get a SourceForge site.
I have no account for SF (yet) and hence I have never used it before.
If there is someone with more SF experience it might be better if he/she sets it up.

One last thing, a more general note.
I'm currently working on a project for the Uni, so the next 14 days I will have less time. After that I'm so far ahead with this (way too simple for me) project I can continue working on AXXXXE. This is good, because we can get in synch with MetaSim during that time.
 
Guys we really should make the attempt more often to reach out, and come to a meeting of the minds.
We share an amazing amount of common ground.

You really are talking about creating the ultimate SIMCIV game, and it is a extrapolation of what C2C is and is aiming to become.
We should retitle this thread as C2C 2.0 or SIMCIV, that should spice up the conversation a bit.
Please bear with my train of thought in this one long connected point and post to make a point. We can do all of this.:

Have you guys seen iontom's project?
http://www.iontom.com/2012/08/25/game-build/
He left some links and an invite in my visitor page.
Looks cool, but I wonder if its too ambitious.
Please Keep up with this line of reaching out Hydro! I love it when you can step forward, (just don't make one back!)
But, You don't know if it's too ambitious unless you try.
I say we share a lot of common ground, and we should all try to work together to create a greater collective and collaborative vision. Why not?
There is so much we could do if we could journey together, even if we don't end up in the same place.
I do think we should make the effort to come together.
After all, the result could be quite beyond awesome.
This can still become anything we all want it to be.
Aim high and surprise yourself at where we can come together.
If we fall short then we hit above the high water mark.
C2C is a constant exercise at keeping ambitious improvement growing and raising the bar.
and we are doing quite well at moving it in the right direction. Who's to say we can't join forces and pull it off?

Hi Folks,
Hydromancerx pointed me to this thread. I though I'd step in and say that I have a group on reddit right now dedicated to doing a very similar project to what you propose here. Except that we're working on it as a browser based JS 3D engine. It's going to be all open source and free to play.

We want as much as possible to be procedural and new. Rather than hardcoding dozens to hundreds of Civilizations we want to have each culture evolve and split and use linguistics to generate new names for things.
It's going to be like Civ meets Paradox games but much more procedural generation and it will start on Earth but expand into space later. But it will try to capture more of the story of humanity and collaboration, rather than just eternal warring nation states.
I really dig the UML you guys are doing in this thread. I'm a database specialist myself. T-SQL only though :\ I want to learn some noSQL storage layers and some type of distributed computation technology for rendering simulation content in the background possibly using BOINC. But all of that remains to be seen, we decided to just start with the engine.
The App: (use Chrome) http://webhexplanet.herokuapp.com/
The Github: https://github.com/rSimulate/WebHexPlanet
The Community http://www.reddit.com/r/simulate
Game Planning http://www.reddit.com/r/MetaSim (I'm planning on getting a forum soon)
My initial blog post: http://www.iontom.com/2012/08/25/game-build/
I you're interested, shoot me a message, email, or just join the github and reddit, thanks!
iontom (iontom@gmail.com)

Welcome Iontom!! Yes I'm interested. We dig you too! Please join our discussion as well.

Thanks for reaching out!
I hope you feel the same about working together as we do.
I really love your project and hope we can all build some common ground together.
Our vision is pointed in the same direction after all.
I would love to hear what you think about C2C so far as well.
Anything I could do to help, just let me know.
Welcome to a Dream Team of possibility!

It is my personal vision that we all try to reach out, and see how much more we can all do together, than just by ourselves.
We each have strengths and weaknesses, and by adding the extent of our vision to each other, and minimizing each others faults and limitations, we can all reach a greater reality.
Creating the future and improving what we have is our only limit, once we get past ourselves and out of each others way.
You just never know how far you can reach until you take that first step. There may be a better valley around the next corner.
You have to be willing to explore.
....LOL. I think is totally hilarious how alike we are in some ways. For a long time this has been my dream game. I was even thinking about it the other night; how it would be possible using an engine like we seem to be envisioning to combine a game like spore with civilization, with something like Master of Orion, in a sequence of escalating scale.

Imagine controlling the evolution of a species in an early game stage... but not necessarily being the winner.. the winner of each stage controlling the starting conditions for the next stage. For example, if the winners of the evolution stage are aquatic, then for the rest of the stages, an aquatic species is used; it is the oceans that are inhabited rather than land during the the "civilization" phase until technology grants the oceanic species the ability to go out of water.

The winners of the civilization phase control the type of society/culture that exists for the space expansion game. I even thought about a single celled stage in which the winning team picks the type of life that develops (individual, versus communal, versus single mind over several separate part types of life where "individuals" are all part of one creature).

But that is down a long road... right now we should keep are heads on the ground and take Civ to the next level (if this ever gets off the ground).

I know you're not referring me here, but I felt this way back when Ultima(especially IV, and V), Civilization, and Sim City came out.

Yes, Master of Orion should be included in the list of games to match up with as well as Civilization. SIMEARTH as well. I had very similar discussion in the Master of Orion III design forums, back in the day. Too bad the team listened to the wrong things I had to say.

8I really wish you guys would comment on my suggestions more, I mentioned MOO and others many times.

I hope we really don't limit ourselves to just Civ as an inspiration. Our next game can be everything we want it to be.

And we can find a way to learn how to do it together.


By God that would be the best game ever made. Why haven't the developers at major gaming companies made it yet? If we do it we could gain a name in the gaming industry.
(in response to primemOver's quote)
And I have to agree, why shouldn't we at least attempt to try?
It make take us a long time, it may be too ambitious, but
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp -- or what's a heaven for?" -Robert Browning.
Don't you want to play that potential game?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead

Indeed.
If we limit our imagination, we limit our possibilities. We have to imagine our game to be more, and that we can work together to create something greater, or we will be left with what we have before us.
Do you doubt we can? I don't.
(this was why I posted these quotes earlier in this thread)

@ primem0ver: It certainly is an intriguing idea to use points instead of tiles. I'm not a programmer, so I won't comment on the technical aspects - Koshling and the others know much more about this than I do.

In terms of game design, it would probably be the most radical depature yet suggested. Tiles have always been one of the holy cows of the Civilization series. They are taken to be a self-evident, integral part of that game, like the six attributes and saving throws are in D&D. A game without tiles would, in essence, be perceived to be a totally different type of game.

Personally, I'm not necessarily opposed to that - I'm all for trying out something new and innovative, like using globes as I suggested. But eventually, as you make more and more departures, the question arises: what type of game do Koshling et al. want to make? One that clearly displays its Civilization heritage, and stays roughly in that ballpark, or one that pretty radically departs from it in almost every department?

For instance, one vision for a game I have had for a long time is something along the lines of SimLife or Evolution: The Game of Intelligent Life (which Hydromancerx mentioned), but with polities instead of lifeforms. Civilization via the SimLife route, if you will. The player would be controlling and all the time changing overarching parameters, but the control over his polity / civilization would be largely indirect. It would be more like: "Experiment with the parameters of society, and watch how your people develop!"

I think it would be a very interesting type of game, but it's obviously totally different from Civilization, and very probably too much of a departure for many players here on Civfanatics to get excited about it.

Not me. Why limit the game to a Civilization perspective? Why shouldn't it evolve to become something greater?
why limit yourself, you are not a programmer, but your ideas and discussion are valuable, why limit yourself to not try to learn. The difference between a player and a modder is the attempt to learn.
Start with editing, and learning from each other, then you may surprise yourself.
I already recognize you as part of the solution.

So Here once again are some game attempts that inspired me (so hopefully it inspires some feedback this time):

Did you guys even see my post on this? And no this isn't mine.
qZKTRXP.png

http://doryen.eptalys.net/2012/12/motivational-mind-blown/comment-page-1/#comment-22271
"Genius rarely comes without some kind of craziness. And Mark Johnson, creator of Ultima Ratio Regum, is definitely a genius. He just released the latest version of his 16th century battle simulator. And boy you should try it and read about it. The attention to detail is such that the world generator starts at… solar system level."
Spoiler :

5tcBjyR.jpg


http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/info/
"Ultima Ratio Regum is a middle-ground between roguelikes, RPGs and strategy games. It has no fantasy elements and seeks instead to be closer to a realistic history simulator, and a strategy/4x game which just happens to be in ASCII. Combat is rare and deadly – whilst these mechanics are modeled in detail, exploration, trade and diplomacy factors will have just as much effort put into them."

http://www.zylannprods.fr/en/?page_id=24
https://github.com/Zylann/Simciv
Simciv is a management game inspired of Pharaoh (Sierra) and Dwarf Fortress that I develop since March 2012. It’s a sandbox game in which you can build a city the way you like, create houses, cultivate, hunt, mine… and manage your citizen

Here's an idea, you might want to all form an ongoing conversation and involve/invite all of these people. See if Afforess and Zapparra would join the talk as well.

To the creators of C2C
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=484339
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, C2C is Gaming Enlightenment. C2C is making me question the purpose of games other than CivIV. Why bother with them now, when they will never be as good as CivIV with C2C? Civilization V can never be what C2C is. How can I possibly be excited about Europa Universalis IV now? And to think that C2C is NOT EVEN COMPLETE? To think that the Prehistoric Era is NOT EVEN FINISHED??? I fear that if multi-maps are ever made a possibility, that I will fuse to my PC chair due to not moving from it. And should I die fused to my chair, it will be worth it. There will be no reason to move, as C2C is that good ALREADY. To think of what it has the potential to be..... it has the potential to be THE Video Game. The Ultimate and Absolute, never to be rivaled by anything, EVER. How could ANYTHING compare to a game that literally spans the whole of human existence?
That is all.
Why bother, indeed, we all want to see it get even better. Why stop now. Why think we've done all we can, C2C is not about more of more, it is about continuing to improving things.
It is not about giving up and settling for what makes the most people happy. It is about reaching for the greatest improvement we can find!

The mod of mods. An interesting suggestion
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=482333
I've thinking and
Why don't we, all the community, stop and finish all the things that each one is doing and we organize ourselves to collect all the work and coolness each mod has such as maps, civs, techs, etcetcetcetc..... we can and make the
official fanmade third expansion for civilization 4?
I am dead serious

This was my inspiration for attempting to create a community bridge to inspire that best game possible. I hope we can aspire to the mod of mods' the 'One' game to unite the all.
I argue that C2C is the closest thing so far and pointed well in the right direction. A little more momentum and it can and will snowball into more than we can hope.
Believe it, we are close to making the idea possible.
This thread explores what else we can do. My point continues in the next thread.
 
part 2
Here is a link to more of what I would love to see more of:

My attempt to build a bridge, and get people to think
Community bridge to create the Ultimate 'One' MOD and Ultimate Civ Game!
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=484529
"The 'ONE' MOD
The Ultimate Mod of Mods with the purpose of bridging and combining the best and the best so that we can all have the best CIV game ever.
This is your mod, not just mine. I hope to make the best dream team collective as possible."

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=480285&page=13
Here's my basic take on creating the Future of C2C and CIV.
If I was to make a game myself; a combination of this game, the one I mentioned in the above post, and rev-evolve-improving C2C would be the direction I would head in. The Ultima Ratio Regum project I mentioned above is certainly the next best thing to C2C I've found so far.
The ultimate game for me would be a combination of:
1. Civilization's level of detail and depth (excluding Civ 5's simplification and hex direction limitations) expanding on the depth and best of C2C (and other CIV mods)
2. SimCity/Earth('s scope) and living world simulation,
3. Ultima (IV-V and Online)'s nonlinear type strategic and representational gameplay (non-fantasy) and more historical deviation and dynamic storytelling with some of the generic generation elements of Skyrim series and living world improvements from mods (from any world type game).
4. Master of Orion (1,2, some ideas from 3)'s detail, strategy, and galactic expansion, (not to mention the best parts of similiar space and earth strategy and video games like Age of Empires, Galactic Civilization 1&2 and expansions, Space Empires I-V, and similiar games like Ascendancy (old pc and new port to ipad), and all sorts of variations on games like MULE, and other 4x "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate" games even as basic as the Oregon Trail and the Seven Cities of Gold (great exploration) and other games which only explore one of these 4 elements. There all lots of simulation. strategy, and exploration games that do just one thing uniquely or well. Any one could bring in new game concepts or ideas for elements. Heck lists from any of these games historical, strategy, roleplaying, or not could be combined into a master list of ideas for technologies, units, terrains, You just need to find forums, discussions, ideas, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4X
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_4X_video_games
5. and elements from
-roguelike games, like dwarf fortress/nethack/slash'em/ angband variations (which combine simple elements into complex emergent gameplay,
-games like MUDs, MOO's,(There are MUCKS,MUSHES and many other variations with useful features) and MMO/MMORPG's which creatively add multiplayer into larger scale world gameplay and other interactive feature incorporated into similiar type games. lookup the Skyrim mod which adds multiplayer or tower defense gameplay for example. Roleplaying could be an added selectable feature. Buying houses, interacting with others in the same world. Turning off and on multiplayer in existing games. New idea: Being able to explore saved versions where you or multiplayers can jump in a saved game and take-over other countries or bow out and let the AI take-over. Basically allow ai or players to take-over different countries from saved games freely..or allow people to come in.
Spoiler :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MMORPGs
http://www.mudconnect.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOO
http://moolist.yeehaw.net/
http://nimud.divineright.org/webmudlister/list.php
-features and ideas from resource trading games like Settlers of Catan, political games, Trading and transportation games like Railroad Tycoon, and lot's of strategy board games, like Axis and Allies, Risk, etc. not to mention strategic elements, and charts from the more realistic of paper historical roleplaying games like Traveller (space rpg being rebooted on kickstarter) d&d (pathfinder) and gurps. You can't say that there aren't lot of ideas from those games and their forums. There are lot's of ideas for tech trees and units there, especially for alternate histories, use google please guys! (I've only said this dozens of times here). Most of it is pretty generic, easy to find, applicable, and usable. Many lists, units, techtree's, and unique features from these games are easy to find and inspirational. Navigable rivers isn't the only game idea you can find in ten minutes of searching.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_role-playing_games
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_computer_role-playing_games
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_board_games
- and a cut to the chase for great ideas that can be easily turned into a list which can be explored for expanding on C2C and the best of CIV!
game design forums
http://www.thegamedesignforum.com/
http://www.gamedev.net/forum/17-game-design/
http://www.bgdf.com/
http://forum.rpg.net/forumdisplay.php?11-Game-Design-amp-Development
http://www.kongregate.com/forums/91-game-design
http://devmaster.net/forums/forum/30-game-design/
http://forums.indiegamer.com/forumdisplay.php?19-Game-Design
http://boardgamegeek.com/forum/26/boardgamegeek/board-game-design
http://gamedesign.bramsonort.edu/
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_read&i=19
http://www.therpgsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33
http://thegamedesignforum.com/forums/forumshome.html
http://rpgmaker.net/forums/design/
maybe we could find inspiration and compatriots here pretty easily (not to mention let people know about C2C and where we all want to go for the Next Civ!
You can just as easily spend some time looking for what people think are the best features of the the best games out there. (and mention them here) :)
There are some existing lists of what people would add in the the next civ game. You could also look up past list to see what could have been included!

Ultimately I would call it ULT-SIM-CIV-4X! (if such an open source game name could be used and cc anti-trademarked)
I would invite the successful makers of other mods and games to join in, and I would invite the great ones from ROM, AND and modders in other games and forums to participate.
Basically create a Dream Team and invite gamemakers from forums, mods, and actual commercial games to donate their advice and time in the name of the ultimate game!
Anything is possible when you work together to forge an improving and evolving alliance of like-minds!
You just have to get out of you own and each other's way to work on how to make it possible.
As long as you are aimed at making progress and open to it getting better, existence and imagination, not the sky, the galaxy, or the dimensions are the limit. Model the funniest, and most realisitic living world to explore and play in and have it evolve around that!
It can be open and flexible, yet moderated, realistic, and possible. Best of both worlds.

CIV IV, ROM, AND, and C2C are just the best foundation to ground it in yet. I hope you/everybody can transition well and bridge the best of both worlds.
Having a personal or group future, and shared community project which builds with and not just off each other keeps both growing.

This allows you to explore new ideas and your own personal vision while bridging the community project to keep cross-pollination of development/ideas while growing both. Besides you have 2 projects to shift between and grow while exploring the other possibilities, and this way the community stays together while exploring new ideas. This way you have something to do when either stalls, or you have ideas on how to make the other one better. Either way I hope we all see the value of continuing to work together and challenge each other, even if we disagree, so that we can continue to make progress; collectively and individually, for the present and future, for the sake of seeing the best ideas become real, and coming up with the best C2C, the best game, and the
best NEXTCIV possible!
(more of what I said before)

So here is an example of what league of games we are in, and what inspiration we can draw:
Spoiler :

WN1Hbyc.png


(picture of how huge the gamemap is)
Dwarf Fortress: Ten hours with the most inscrutable video game of all time
Who knew trying to build a virtual chair could lead to questions of self-worth?
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/...-the-most-inscrutable-video-game-of-all-time/
"Dwarf Fortress is one of the most complex computer games in the history of computer games. How complex? In the game's discussion forum, one player asserts that after 120 failed games, he can finally "get into the swing of things." One of his many fortress death spirals began, as the downfalls of society often do, with an immigrant dwarf who suddenly succumbed to a "secretive mood." A short time later—kaboom."
62fqX6h.png

"...First devised by its two obsessive creators in 2002, Dwarf Fortress involves taking a band of dwarves and building them into a miniature civilization. This includes all the implied strategy and resource management: assigning jobs, collecting and storing goods, building and using structures, and eventually defending yourself against other civilizations. In a profile of the game’s co-creators, the New York Times described Dwarf Fortress as “a series of staggeringly elaborate challenges and devastating setbacks.”
"...I designate more rooms and hallways to be dug into the ground, and my dwarves make short work of my instructions. I’m feeling that unwarranted godlike feeling begat only from executing commands in games like Civilization or SimCity."
"...While I implicitly understood Dwarf Fortress to be difficult, I couldn't imagine why it was said to be so hard. It seemed counterintuitive to make a game so obtuse it might actually drive people away unless the developers at Bay 12 Games were the Pai Meis of game design, accepting only the most dedicated/masochistic of players. I’ve played complex simulation and management games before (Civilization, SimCity). I’ve won some endeavors and lost others, but the general structure, strategy, and type of thinking involved with these titles has always appealed to me. Could another simulation seriously be that much more difficult to understand than the ones I already knew?"

but it appears awesome, and inspirational. That is why it is so deep, because it is an extension of roguelike games, simple elements combining to make a complex and deep game.
You shouldn't get lost in the detail but liberated by it's depth. No wonder it is so popular.
Some of these ideas should inspire and resonate any future and present C2C!

http://fatenation.ru/?friend=masaykh
Ok i understand this but some time ago Openttd project (if you know it or dont know - not really a matter) used original and so copyrighted files with stating in README " you needoriginal game files to play this game" but after (i dont certain in that matter) 3 years openttd got its own graphic files.

so in short : there is no need to inventing the bicycle for begining.

i seen somewhere some grandstrategy open engine...cant remember where or its name... hm


FreeCiv
http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.games.freeciv.devel/11967
Why can't we cant'dream a little together and build that common ground?
Our ideas are parallel, though our love is a little different.
Can't we find a way to move in sync? Have we even tried to approach then yet?
We should not be a threat to any projects. Ours should be a different exploration. Hope we can find common ground for a fresh project.


Personally, I think it would be better if Koshling could reinforce an existing project rather than starting our own, in order to increase the likelihood of producing a complete game at all. I suggest that Koshling, rather than trying to make an entire game himself, could along with some other C2C developers work on the Thrive Project. Although the developers of Thrive are former Spore and not Civilization players, the fact that there will be a civilized-life portion of both proposals here as well as the common need for a lightweight game and graphics engine, means that Koshling could work with Thrive and be able to tap a greater workforce of developers than he could if he struck out alone. Thrive is still in its early stages of development, so while I am not part of the project, I am sure that Koshling's engine proposal would help them - and us - greatly.

In addition, working with Thrive would add the feeling of "completeness" by creating pre-civilized stages. It would always be interesting to explain where the civilized man in Civilization came from.

Personally I think we should all come together, and make the best possible game.
I argue we are better off as a community, than lone wolves.
Every project starts off with the vision of one person, C2C started with several.
Those with vision can see that we get more done by combining the best of our vision, not compromising or surrendering it.
This is why C2C is possible.This is why we can do something together, if we can get past ourselves and aim for the vision.
Let us not fall victim to tunnel vision.

also Relevant:
http://psyllogism.livejournal.com/102675.html
"One of the biggest obstacles I can identify to implementing a game like I am describing is that Civilization-style games are strategy games with victory conditions. Hence, you're trying to "win" by either taking over the whole world or completing some other set of tasks before somebody else takes over the whole world. This implies an "end of history" that, despite overhyped predictions to the contrary, I don't see happening anytime soon. And since as I mentioned above you can only win by setting up economies of scale, playing a civilization on the "fall" end of "rise and fall" is detrimental to the goal of "winning". So, maybe let's get rid of winning all together!

But can you play a game without an end? Hint: SimCity. Though not a game in the strictest sense, I believe that it would be an excellent starting point for the ideas that I'm trying to describe above. Imagine. SimCivilization. One that didn't suck, like Spore ended up doing (even after they got Soren Johnson, lead developer of Civ 4, to join the team)."

But can't C2C and this project take that to the next level. Does it have to stay with a fixed timeline, and limited victory conditions.
Is C2c just a strategy game now, or is it a full sandbox simulation, where you play like a god, controlling history and your civilization to the maximum extent, in a living sandbox world, where you can explore history and the future as you want to, through alternate timelines, and limitless combinations of possibilities.
Let us all uncap and unlimit our possibilities, and reach for the max of what we can!

Wouldn't it be great if the makers of Civlization and SIMCIty would come together and make a game.
THat is what would make a great start.
C2C already is much of that. SIMCIV, FREESIMCIV, ULTSIMCIV, C2C 2.0,
I hope we can make it even much more!
We might just have to make it ourselves.
Let's team up and make it probable, not just possible.
It is up to you to believe that we can make it real, together.

What is your perfect idea for a game? The next Civ? and The Next C2C?
What is the reality that we can come up with together?
If the sky, and the unverse is your limit, what can you dream up, what have others?
Let's reach past that and make it possible.
Let's speculate on the most we can do on common ground, and reach a little higher.
Let's aim to set the next water mark and beyond!
Let's make the Dream Game, with the Dream Team!
Let's expand past just one way, and make it "our'best Way!

Even though I said a lot, I hope most of you at least try to respond. Thanks for at least considering this.
If I didn't care I wouldn't try!
What do you all think?
:)
 
Even though I said a lot, I hope most of you at least try to respond. Thanks for at least considering this.
If I didn't care I wouldn't try!
What do you all think?
:)
I think that you need to learn how to make a point.
If you actually want to help:
  • Leave out empty text like random quotes or stuff from PR or inspirational books
  • Think what specific point you want to make in a post then think about how to relate that to people in a brief way
  • No random lines of thought
  • You forgot to say that we should mix in FPS, point and click adventures and dating simulations
  • No, really, if you want to say that something should be part of the game, then name the exact concept or feature in game X that you think should be in and especially how exactly it can be combined
 
Mostly good points
-I'll leave out any inspirational stuff
-I'll be brief
-I'll keep my thoughts to myself
-you're wrong about that one, rpg and roguelike enhancements offer more than you think.
- I'll be more specific.

and for good measure, I'll make sure my posts don't contain multiple thoughts.
I have to agree that my points were not clear, or direct.
Must be more sleep-deprived than usual, I take full responsibility.
Noticed some of my old habits.. will go get some real rest now.
Sorry about that, hope it had something of value to offer.
 
Hi rightfuture!

First, let me tantalize you with this pale blue dot: (we'll have this online in a few days)
http://i.imgur.com/W0An4Dm.png
http://i.imgur.com/s6oMOvY.png

Wow! I'm glad I really sparked something for you! You just did a lot of research very quickly! That would have taken me quite a while! This project! http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/info/ WOW that's fantastic!

Please post all of those cool links you found to http://www.reddit.com/r/simulate
Reddit has been our link tracking system for the time being. Other systems are better for long term collections but Reddit means that everybody sees it.

I bought the domain rsimulate.com and am thinking of a few others that might be worth grabbing. Do you want to be a blogger on there? I could give you an account if you want. PM me and I'll give you account details. That goes for anybody else who wants a dedicated blog. I am still setting up shop in terms of site customization, but we can decide that together.

Mainly, I just want to incorporate the main site into the forum. So that gets me to the forum:

Me and about three other primary developers are heavily invested on building up the Javascript 3D engine and we need people to start designing the game mechanics and use cases. So please! You guys have more ideas than anybody else on the planet! Let's fcking make something awesome and new!

http://www.rsimulate.com/forums/ Go to the Game design section and let's get cookin!
 
Iontom :)

Thanks for taking that in the spirit I intended.

I agree with making something awesome. New - we have to talk about.
I am looking forward to everything you have done, and working together to see what we can create! :)
 
Everybody!

The main point I am making is that we should all walk together.
Why waste our efforts
taking separate and independent paths
when we all have pretty much the same(or similar) goals?:

1. Direction: To go in the best direction possible, to Make the best game possible
We do what we can to so we get a chance to play it.
Is what we want the best direction to go in?
Or is doing what is best going to get us farther?

We all share the same goal, and common ground. We should at least fight the same battles, since we already do, and be on the same general team.
Let's team up in the same direction.

2. Integrity: Keep it on course. to stand independently strong for what we believe in.
Individual versus group direction. Either way we either stand alone or give in to the crowd.
The secret is to maximize both. To navigate between the strengths of either and minimize their weaknesses. Here I might have some answers.

2 things that should be important:

A. Should we pursue individual projects? Or give in to 'ONE' big group one?

We are all on parallel paths.

We can see the wisdom of others, but we do not want to surrender to the tyranny of bad decisions (From others or ultimately our own)

We also can not clearly see our own flaws because we are too close to the problem.
Groups and individuals suffer from different things.
The trick is to figure out how to maximize the benefits of both, while keeping the limitations of either. (I can get much deeper into these details, but the point is to solve the equation)

Not to forget that we can move to fast or too slow as well.

We have to move together in harmony.
The answer is in the pattern. We must effectively pulse in rhythm and in sync.
We must time the way we move, individual and group(s) to maximize our value.
The group focus of the freeze, and the free pursuit time of the individual, the pursuit of new ideas, and the refinement of the old ones, ....as well as the partnerships, the mentorships, the advice, the teaching, the listening, and the willingness to listen, experiment and try new things.
We need to do both. We need to move between them to produce new ideas, and refine old ones, to build on our foundation, and be free to create new ones. To minimize our bad points, and maximize our good ones, both group and individual,.....and partnerships.
And this we must learn.
IF we have the same goal then we probably are already on the same team, we either compete and fragment, or unite and progress. (note: what works better within projects and countries?)
This leads into point B.

B. What should we focus on, New(fresh) versus Established(old)?. (this hopefully settles that question - a bit)
New projects are great right??
Fresh vs stagnant. One stepping stone to the next.
The problem is that we frequently forget to learn from history.
'To throw the baby out with the bathwater', so to speak.
So let me break it down.

Old projects are our foundation. We learn from them. We jump from them. They are what gets us there. To abandon them completely is to throw out our history.
They are our investments of time, resources, and they have much of value to use for the future.
They are our stepping stones, and our pool of resources, and our strength of established community.

To jump from any of them prematurely is to leave too much behind. To forget their lessons, their value, or their usefulness for the future, is to burn bridges and have to start from scratch. You never know when something you left behind, or something you built was of value.
But you also are not free to move on. And you are tied to the past, and haunted by the legacy of others. No man is truly an island, though at times we must stand alone and be self-sufficient. The same goes for groups.
The point is what value is the old?

New projects are fresh, usually individual efforts, formed from a desire to break from the past. They are exciting, free to be anything, and burdened by freedom of choice.
They essentially suffer from a lack of foundation, resources, and clear purpose(until they find one). What makes them strong is what makes them weak. They have no strong outline. No skeleton, no bones, and no flesh. You can clothe them in the guise of another project, but ultimately they will be their own entity, like nothing else. They can be anything, but they currently are nothing except promise, and can much more easily evaporate into nothingness do to their inability to become something concrete. They are burdened by their lack of established choices, but freed by their promise of better ones. It is always tempting to throw away your problems and start new, but are you really better off with nothing but choices and nothing to show for it? So new projects also have lot's of promises and problems at the other end of the spectrum.

So both have their value (and their limitations). Old projects have definition and foundation, they serve as common ground to build on, but they can hold us back, as much as they free us to move to higher level. We will never be completely free of them or should abandon them, but we should never let them hold us back. New projects move us forward, so do new ideas. Sometimes fresh is the best thing, sometimes the tried and true 'older' ideas are correct. Really the argument boils down to the fact that moving between both is the correct solution. We must work between the old and the new, to actually achieve anything. Endless speculation or outdated mindsets get us nowhere fast.

The simple answer is we must allow for both ways, to move past our ego, group and individual, old and new, to reach our true purpose, or goal of having and getting to play that best game. We have to be willing to move past and surrender our individual and group tyrannies, our desire to do things our way, over finding a better way, so that we can actually get there. But we must build off our foundation, without it holding us back to be able to reach farther.

This is profound and hard to see clearly. But the result of finding the truth, is that it makes the job much easier.

So we need both the individual and the group, the old and the new.
We're in this together and we need all of these things.
So what do we really need?
We need to learn how to move together so that we can actually get to what we want.

3. The power of organized focus (my lesson that provides our answers)
So we know what we want/need and we share similar goals and common purpose.
How do we get there?

Do we really go it alone?
We can count on ourselves - to a degree. and we can count on others - to pretty much the same extent.
Either only gets us so far.

Most of the time we will continue to move by ourselves.
It is easier to move by ourselves, when we know how, but is it better?
Some of us can go very far by ourselves, and we teach others that we know the way.
The wisdom of the true leader is that they can only know so much. The wise leader knows the limitations and incompleteness of the knowledge and seeks to find and improve that.
They have to show that they know the way or else people don;t follow. But the reality is that even that can fail. They can find the right path, for a time, but can fall astray. They can only try to lead us in the right direction.

We can learn from each other, but do we really know how to move together?
I argue that it is so hard that we usually take each other's lead. The better we know when to follow each other, the better we work together.

So which way should we go? and who should we follow?

We have our united purpose - the best civ game possible, and our current foundation is Civ IV, C2C possibly. So whether we want to our not, whether we buckle down and move correctly,
we are going to naturally go in that direction.
But where is our future? Which project or leaders should we follow?

Here is the rub, we are all different. Every project has it's value, seen and unseen.
The truth is that most projects don't see the value in other projects. The same can be said to a lessor degree of people.
It is easy for people to see some value in each other, but the truth and scope of that value, much harder.
More likely we will find it easier to see the differences, and the problems, because that is what we are really dealing with. Overcoming differences and obstacles. We don't have any problems with the things we already agree on. But we never learn when we are doing things right, or when we are avoiding what we disagree with. The secret is to learn how to work together.
Groups and organizations have it much harder, because the leaders must see it to guide the groups in that direction.

Friction is what we must learn to overcome, and to value for the lessons it teaches. It is not that we are looking to create friction so that we learn more, but that we seek to learn from it, when the opportunity arises. I argue that our differences are our opportunities to overcome them, so that we can learn to move more smoothly together.

So organization is the ultimate solution to our question. To have the best game possible we must organize ourselves past the friction of our differences, and learn how to get to the next level.

The only real question should be,
'Which team should we ALL be on?'

So do we create a new team of team, mod of mod, to unite us?
The answer is both. We already love our team. and we don't need to abandon or throw out the old one. In fact we need to continue to experiment and build with it, because it is our foundation, and our source of developed resources.
I do not propose giving them up or throwing them away.
or drowning out any voices: individuals, projects...anything of value.
We must bridge them.

But - yes we need a new fresh one, to work on. One that unites teams and individuals, projects, dreams. Ones that does not divide us. A new team that unites the existing projects and brings us in sync and harmony, so that we share the journey, and build the road into each other.

A single ONE project(or team) that unites us behind our common goal.

You are already on a parallel course. As we ALL really are.
And even if our end goal veers off course, we are all going in the same direction.
Doubtful that we will end up disagreeing more than we agree.
In any event, together we can overcome most of that, if we remain willing too.

So let's do this together and move our projects and ourselves together.
Do you think that the projects or yourselves are truly better off alone?
We need to make room for everyone's vision and aim for the best!

Because we really should be a team.
The point is we want to go farther, and that is the best way to get there.
To team up, to make it possible.
and keep our eyes fixed on the prize.
We have to exponentially multiply our vision, by valuing each others individual and partnered vision, not by compromising or watering it down. So we can move past our challenges. We want to expand our vision.
And so we can learn to use the strength of our projects, and our communities, our vision, and ourselves, to effectively learn how to take better action, to rise above ourselves as a United Society to make life better..

We want to play the best SIM-type Civilization game possible.
and we want to make sure it can become that way.
The less we unite, organize, and focus our efforts, the longer or less likely it will be to make it possible.
We have to partner up as intelligently as possible, and unite to guarantee we get there.


So let's do that so we can so we can focus on our goal, Our United Vision.
Let's move forward!
 
Iontom :)

Thanks for taking that in the spirit I intended.

I agree with making something awesome. New - we have to talk about.

Our engine is going to pioneer WebGL. You'll be playing our game on full screen browser and it will look better than most standalone desktop applications older than 2010.

Don't believe me, go here www.ro.me OR HERE www.voxelwright.com

There's going to be a lot of "NEW," because it already has been easier to build new than to reconfigure the old. We tried hacking up some older applications and eventually gave up in support of porting algorithms to JS and code behind with web 3D as front end.

Why not improve the gameplay while we're at it? If you've ever played any Paradox titles you'd see how much depth was lacking in Civ. Let's take the best in game design from as many different MODS and other games as we can.

Also, Firaxis is closed source and all of the work you've done is open source. Our engine is open source so you can split the project at any time and push it in your own direction. If somebody wants to clone Civ4 completely they can go ahead, but I think we're going to engineer something much improved. I always hated lag on turn time in Civ 4, we're going to do away with that.

Also, I want to do an overhaul on the way units work. I think a rigid identity tied to each unit is dumb. I like Colonization where any person can fill any role. We're going to abstract that a little bit but still keep things inventive and tied weapon ability to technology.

rightfuture, I admire your passion here, but you do need to tune down the preachiness by a factor or two. I think people should continue to work on their own project but find a better method to share game assets. Collaboration isn't about forcing people to work together, it's about leaving people open to their own devices but creating a net benefit effect for sharing content.

Everyone in this forum should learn how Github works too, its an extremely democratizing force. And if you're going to preach about harmony then look no further than the combination of Cloud9, Github, Rails and Heroku. It makes for rapid deployment and collaborative coding.

Again, if you're interested in helping design the initial version of the game, please join our forum. C2C is a great platform but its not the proper channel to discuss our new game engine.

http://rsimulate.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=16

Cheers
 
xanhou - how is project going? i see you hve 5 rev already :)
 
AXXXXE sounds like my dream game :D

Is it going to be turn based or real time based?
 
Sorry but if your NOT on the modding team i dont accept friends, sorry.

Darnit Xenforo forums habits - I tend to "follow" important people on such forums. (I know its creepy like... creeper)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is my suggestion, all could apply if AXXXXE would be real-time strategy (some of them would apply to turn-based one) game engine.
I copied it from some forums, where I posted it (good that I randomly posted it on several forums for no reason:p).
Its untouched, since I forgot about it, with no edits done now.
So here is it:

My Mega Frankenstein game would consists of
ultimate Frankenstein (all games above), but modified;

Rulers of Nations- Politics/Secret Service/Domestic system/Research but modified“ they have Tech level“ a feature from Supreme Ruler 2020/Economic model, modified by games below.

Superpower 2 - Globe/UI/Nuclear warfare*1/Ease of transporting army*2/Political leanings but with bigger scale*3/Day and Night/Military Research*4
*1 Real life effects of it. (destroying ozone layer/increasing radioactivity/nuclear winter/instant effect on whole economy/destroying everything in full destruction range)
*2 Supreme Ruler 2020 was too complicated with it.
*3 Almost anarchy - totalitarian dictatorship, communism - almost pure capitalism.
Or 3d political leanings like in Nationstates (web game)“ personal/political/economical level of freedom.
*4 this would be average from all stats 10“ Star rating.

Supreme Ruler 2020 - Tech levels*5/Various types of Mass Range Weapons*6.
*5 You cant research too advanced tech too early BUT researching tech's crucial to survive more than 100 years have VERY HIGH priority - these will reduce your dependency on nonrenewable resources , and will be researched, as they appear, priority of this would be modified in ecologist/environmentalist budget sector.
*6 Weapon types: chemical, biological, nuclear, neutron (only radiation, kills but not destroys), thermonuclear, EMP (destroys all electrical circuits), antimatter, dark-matter/dark-energy.

Hearts of Iron 3 - Warfare/Army, but easy transport like in Superpower 2/Military designs would be “generic” like in Superpower 2.

Civilization 4 - Diplomacy/Moddability*7/Building of cities*7/Revolutions*7/Mass range weapons at least pollutes a land.
*7 This game have HUGE mods - it could be modified, so certain techs allows build cities on sea/ocean/mountain, some of mods allows civil wars and revolutions.

Empire Earth - Advancing trough Epochs (Modern to Future like 2200 year)/City/Unit/Ui/Industry Styles (spawn between 3 - 5 epochs).

Fate of the World - Ecology/Global warming/Pollution/Resource or/and Climate economical crisis/Pro-environmental policies.

Oiligarchy (freeware) - Peak oil or any nonrenewable resource - a economical crisis when you too slow change economy to closed system*8.
*8 Sustainability WIKI

SimEarth: The Living Planet (old simulator game (abadonware)) - Realistic seasons of year*9/Rainfall*9/Temperature Change*9/Atmosphere could be modified or repaired after damage*9/
Modified version of Happiness and Quality of life*9
*9 Impact on Economy like in reality
Here I made my suggestion of dream game of some modern global politics game (some of concepts still would work here).
BTW like majority of my suggestions are apparently part of Caveman2Cosmos (technologies, politics (they are civics here), military is coming here (combat modmod), economy, development of cities (civilian part of game), nukes, properties; Although resource system and global warming needs rewrite :p)

Below is detailed described one of features. It comes from old game: SimEarth: The Living Planet
but I made it more "advanced"

This would be HDI modified by environmental rating and health, political, personal and economic freedom, social security, "peacefulness world rating" and crime rates
Modified HDI would be measured in %

Quality of Life description
(95% - 100%> - Heavenly (Near - utopian,....And they lived long and happily for ever after - World)
(85% - 95%> - Marvelous
(75% - 85%> - Very Good
(65% - 75%> - Good
(55% - 65%> - Pleasant
<45% - 55%> - Tolerable - Today, Average world
<35% - 45%) - Unpleasant
<25% - 35%) - Bad
<15% - 25%) - Very Bad
<5% - 15%) - Miserable (North Korea World)
<0% - 5%) - Hellish (Mad Max/Fallout/Orwell 1984 World)
That scale would have wide palette of colors, unlike others Red-Green scale

Entropy would be reverse of modified HDI
Extreme low----/(95% - 100%>-Purple - White (97% level would be pink)
Ultra low--------/(85% - 95%>---Dark Blue - Purple
Very low---------/(75% - 85%>--Blue - Dark Blue
Low--------------/(65% - 75%>--Marine - Blue
Below average-/(55% - 65%>---Green - Marine (color between green and blue)
Average---------/<45% - 55%>--Yellow - Green
Above Average-/<35% - 45%)--Orange - Yellow
High-------------/<25% - 35%)---Reddish Orange - Orange
Very high-------/<15% - 25%)---Dark Red - Reddish Orange
Ultra high-------/<5% - 15%)----Brown - Dark Red
Extreme high---/<0% - 5%)------Black - Brown
Entropy Color range on map (Extensive palette to see very small changes)

These scales would be measured with at accuracy one-tenth promile
Entropy would have great impact on almost everything in game

In extreme, Entropy could go so high (below 10%), that entire civilization's would be torn apart, and global temperatures would go up as high as 5 - 10 degrees.

Or Entropy could go so low (above 90%), that all nations will be united into giant, happy, ecological, liberal, democratic and space colonizing Empire of Earth.

This game would be requiring top-class computer, and probably contain many bugs and flaws, and producing it will take 3-5 years.

Sorry for my English, I'm from Poland, if someone can find grammatical error, show me it in a post.
There is life quality meter suggestion - reaching higher levels of scale would require constant technological advancements.
Falling in lower half of scale would mean that something bad is happening.
40 - 60% - you are in neutral grounds.
 
I have an important deadline tomorrow that took most of my time in the last two weeks. When done tomorrow I will start working on the project again.

Have you made any progress on the graphics engine? I have some ideas I'd like to air about the core engine, but I'd like to wait until the graphics get stabilized and Koshling is airing his ideas again before I do that.

Also, would you please be willing to set up a sourceforge page for AXXXXE? (or at least have Koshling make one)
 
i see he done 6 rev on his svn server

strange name... /C2C_RE_Quads/
 
I hope those with vision, see the value of coming together.
Together we reach farther!
Don't limit your potential by staying in your own field of vision.
 
Greetings everyone,

Bit of a status update here.
My studies have hold me back more than I hoped. Don't worry, during vacations, I will get more bored again :P.
Anyway, I think that I found something that is keeping me back besides the lack of time/energy and the fact that C# and VS are new to me.
Working on something is a lot easier if you have some sort of goal. I would therefore like to know a list of features. Features should be very specific.
I would prefer if we don't discuss these over here, so I will make a blog post about this (link to the blog). I will try to sum up all the features in the current Civ IV graphics engine and give them a priority. If you want to discuss them, please leave a reply to the blog post. That should be possible without some sort of account (Just fill in some boggus as email. Unless we get spammers that works fine).

edit:
I just noticed a setting in the blog that im keeping turned on:
I have to approve a comment before it is displayed, IF the user has no approved comments yet.
So after me approving your first comment, you can comment as much as you want.
Hence your first post may take a day or two to appear.
If it takes me too long, send me a pm on the forums here, that will cause a mail to be send (the mailing system of my blog is not properly set-up).
 
Greetings everyone,

Bit of a status update here.
My studies have hold me back more than I hoped. Don't worry, during vacations, I will get more bored again :P.
Anyway, I think that I found something that is keeping me back besides the lack of time/energy and the fact that C# and VS are new to me.
Working on something is a lot easier if you have some sort of goal. I would therefore like to know a list of features. Features should be very specific.
I would prefer if we don't discuss these over here, so I will make a blog post about this (link to the blog). I will try to sum up all the features in the current Civ IV graphics engine and give them a priority. If you want to discuss them, please leave a reply to the blog post. That should be possible without some sort of account (Just fill in some boggus as email. Unless we get spammers that works fine).

edit:
I just noticed a setting in the blog that im keeping turned on:
I have to approve a comment before it is displayed, IF the user has no approved comments yet.
So after me approving your first comment, you can comment as much as you want.
Hence your first post may take a day or two to appear.
If it takes me too long, send me a pm on the forums here, that will cause a mail to be send (the mailing system of my blog is not properly set-up).

First of all, much of what we want in the graphics engine by the end depends heavily on what we have for the core data elements of the engine and what we have for game elements as well. That said, I think that we should focus on core graphics elements for now. Koshling and AIAndy could expliain more what will be useful for graphics during development.

Also, we are not by any means trying to duplicate the Civ 4 graphics engine. That engine is old and highly inefficent. We want to make something that still is a 4X TBS but has more modern technologies (64 bit, .NET, etc) for both graphics and non-graphics stuff.

This probably also means that we should get back to talking about how we want the engine to look. Have you read Koshling's AXXXXE blog through and looked at what we want this to look like more or less after all is said and done? Do you have suggestions on how to change/improve that?
 
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