I had a game idea. How about a website launched source game? I'm good at makin dynamic websites on asp.net, then the c# code could generate custom pages for each user to play a game upon, then the source engine would get spawned by the site (after downlaod n install, site could also be a c# or c++ program, or even a script like .bat or .vb ... , although web options might include a non-download playable mode(s), such as a crafting or other non-combat networked options. Networking in visual web developer is pretty easy, via mssql, and the web site could act as a matchmaking server and otherwise coordinate multiple simultaneous source servers running on clients on the site that downloaded the software or on the server(s)
Players would then play a meta game on the website, that could then launch the source engine with a mix of probably command-line or otherwise passed-into parameters, such as via file or even compiling the sdk ;p (anyone wanna team up with me that already knows source? I'll show you how the webs work and we can do both our ideas ;p ) The source engine seems great for gunfighting....the network code seems good too, and it's a fast engine. CS:S is still popular, but i'm not sure what the rules are on usin current source games art/models/etc, although it might be nice to see some of the popular source titles put their models/etc in the source sdk for free, maybe some other companies with other games have different payment systems... Anyways I'm assumin source can spawn terrain and models...can it do tiles? (also physics?) One option might be to have some terrain tiles, or possible internal terrain cubes (like rooms, with flags on all 6 sides for blocked or not, along with 'extra' code to line up pieces by the meta code that generates the levels Then the same code places the objects with x,y,z, and then does the source do the AI and/or multiplayer, or lol maybe i coudl work with a team (on this or whatever), and then the engine reports back to the calling program what happened with the game... on a random side note, how about some anti-aimbot tools and/or other solutions, including possibly games that include both wallhack + aimbot in their design so all players use them funly as per multiplayer game rules? lemmie know if you want help finding algorithims to detect aimbot from internal variables and mouse movements and other neat humanistic heuristics ;) anyways a bit like facebook, players would use the site to set up a 'game persona/city/realm/team/etc', and spawn engine matches from there, or just use the trading and other web interfaces as an option too, including the ability perhaps to build or affect the arrangements that are generated when a player tries to raid their base area that they've built up rts style out of tiles, maybe some terrain and then buildings placed on that , perhaps 3d physics, perhaps the terrain has 'spots' to put certain buildings, those have hitpoints and get attacked maybe, and players can control npcs in them that are AI if someone goes there with a gun out ;p or somethin like that....how about a version of counter-strike (or whatever) where the entire game is played at half speed or quarter speed ? Or perhaps as a round setting with voting...I'd be into tryin a neat counter-strike server too, if anyone knows more about source than me and/or has some more free time than me too ;p (crimecraft is down! :( talk about a neat game with no bullet-point features that comes together well for a satisfying mmo-pvp experience :) so far at least, got to level 25 and paid a bit at the item shop...nice item shop too, for people makin indie games, free up front is probably the way to go....and also perhaps gettin early 'demo' releases out , and gettin players/testers and perhaps some online momentum and testing going...or at least getting games you and others can play and talk about pretty quickly, before buildin up a big one ;p Also I was thinkin since CS:S has bots , maybe a single player version of CS:S would be neat? One option might be off the shelf mods , but i was thinkin of doin the generated levels thing with a buncha maps, maybe from map sites or not...or maybe even generated from small tiles, or mixed tiles, so i coudl generate large containment boxes and then populate those with smaller boxes without risk of players fallin out....or perhaps by giving players tiles and a networked web site and gameplay rewards and objectives, they'll build nice maps rts style minig and building and placing npcs and defenses, then perhaps like respawning, to 'pvp' or fight with the maps you instance a copy and keep one too :) so you end up saving a ton of player generated maps filled with npcs to try....or perhaps a single player css style game , maybe with more cash potential and more expensive guns n bullets to level up more slowly , less hostiles per map load, and start over on death ;p Also how about a game mode that mixes cs:s multiplayer with bots? Both co-op , like l4d2, and also DOTA-style where it's pvp, maybe like 6v6 humans or full size 128v128 (also a game where you use less resources, smaller models, less animations/options, and a much larger player cap in a small area ;p ) , and then also spawn ais either like rts tactical style where players can rpg up their army of bots with armor and weapon upgrades and then command them a bit, or like dota dumb ones in a mirror half map.... Also how about a cs-s like game that's 1v1 ? It could cover the full range of game styles (hardcore realism like i like, wanna try arma2 soon...been playin crimecraft, gta4 lost n damned, ms visual c++, etc, ), or like tf2 1v1....to keep the game interesting and peppy, the maps would have to be neat and varied. Also on both winning (killin) and losing (dying), it would be nice to promptly load another match without clickin menus waiting if possible. In all games. I'd proabbly do it 'winner stays on the map' style, along with 1-hit rules. In 1v1, it might also be possible to use bullet time (slow mo) in sync with both players in certain events, and also things like vats. Another neat thing might be a game like CS-S, except played with time controls like simcity, pause, forward slow, fast forward, etc, but no rewind, and you issue orders to your ai-units x-com / rts style , with pause and unpause, or possibly with a fixed time constant in multiplayer like a rts including at real time or slower. On a random side note, what if everybody here that wasn't working together, combined all the stuff they have into one mighty design and then refined and implemented it? It might be better than everything else here so far, and we coudl use the open source style internally in that changes to the big project get rolled back but you can still work on your stuff seperately too, just share about as much as you take ;p _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders
