tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post7931941946177362947..comments2023-10-19T12:09:56.342-04:00Comments on Neitherworld Stories: A game designed for web based play?Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06319443832578685630noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post-5707633921504413702012-01-22T11:15:00.000-05:002012-01-22T11:15:00.000-05:00They'd probably be designed around the limitat...They'd probably be designed around the limitations of the medium.<br /><br />Time is always the worst of the bunch in online play. Waiting for people to type up responses eats minutes. So there would be a strong focus on saving time in the mechanics. This probably means tightly focused games that abstract lots of time-intensive activities. However, since you're at a computer, you've also got a lot of processing power.<br /><br />So the "core mechanic" of such games would probably be hideous complex algorithms based on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmoid_function" rel="nofollow">sigmoid function</a> (to naturally limit how much you could game the algorithm) based on both natural attributes and gear. The software would read the character sheets as data sets, with the GM plugging in situational variables. <br /><br />In most games, it would take three or more results from the algorithm to end a contest, giving the players both feedback on how they're doing and decision points that would allow them to adjust their tactics. But basically, an entire round of combat would be everyone declaring their actions, the GM plugging in that data, and a micro-second of processing for the results. Quick, but complex. If the game slowed down at all at this point, it would be from the players hashing out their strategy.trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post-70889868683941699122012-01-09T18:59:48.086-05:002012-01-09T18:59:48.086-05:00Timeshadows - some interesting design constraints....Timeshadows - some interesting design constraints. I'm not disagreeing with you, but why more narrative?Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06319443832578685630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post-34632672379303911492012-01-09T18:58:54.607-05:002012-01-09T18:58:54.607-05:00Noumenon - interesting. I think I'd hate that,...Noumenon - interesting. I think I'd hate that, but I find it intriguing.Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06319443832578685630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post-19937875429394558482012-01-09T18:58:10.666-05:002012-01-09T18:58:10.666-05:00Crose87420 - I asked it the way I did for a reason...Crose87420 - I asked it the way I did for a reason. I'm not looking for what current games work in that context. I'm wondering what nonexistent games that were developed specifically for that context would look like.<br /><br />Imagine if RPGs didn't exist, and they were created today with the assumption that they'd be played online. What would they look like?Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06319443832578685630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post-29187530491383531822012-01-09T08:49:06.380-05:002012-01-09T08:49:06.380-05:00The web is good at matchmaking between people who ...The web is good at matchmaking between people who don't know each other, and being a referee for competitive games (like Magic Online). So: D&D where the monsters are run tactically by teams of real people.Noumenonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01597461989960782762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post-75799668028252844672012-01-09T03:48:47.585-05:002012-01-09T03:48:47.585-05:00Interesting, an RPG geared towards online play.
...Interesting, an RPG geared towards online play. <br /><br /> I have to say our online games, as of now using the virtual tabletope of MyRPG, almost replicates the feel of a game in person. We can all see the rolls, we know who might be afk goofing off or web-surfing when their turn comes, and there's still all the joking and banter I'm accustomed to in an actual in-person game using the game chat.<br /><br /> Ours is a more combat-oriented game, given our 2-3 hour play time, with most story elements being posted on a game message board to fill in details.<br /><br /> Considering the question, "A game designed for web based play," might be better phrased as; "Which games are best for web-based play?"<br /><br /> We use D&D 3.5 with Microlite20 currently for fantasy and post-apocalytic games and they roll right along just fine with our choice of virtual table-top (VTT).<br /><br /> That said, I would really like to run a more narrative game, such as In a Wicked Age or Dungeon World, but I don't feel that this type of game would work well web-based. Sure there are plenty of VOIP's that can be used, Skype, Ventrilo, etc. but it just seems to me that there's too much talk involved with a narrative based game.<br /><br /> So, imho, a run-of-the-mill RPG can be played web-based easy enough using one of the myriad of VTT's available but a narrative type of game made for web-based play would be something special.Crose87420https://www.blogger.com/profile/16428449317917173706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20835414.post-75497513170518121472012-01-09T00:18:07.545-05:002012-01-09T00:18:07.545-05:00Less rolling, more narrative (both player and GM),...Less rolling, more narrative (both player and GM), easier start-up &/or replacement characters, more episodic play...essentially what we have seen the OS folks do both before and after Google+Timeshadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09952601433965644275noreply@blogger.com