h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't know much C++, but I know some JavaScript so it doesn't look too foreign. I was going for a truly interactive world with 3D graphics (or sprites that scale for 3D). Users would be able to download an object editor pack for creating new objects such as peices of terrain and new plants. Everything would be run by someone(either me or a team of people that includes me) before being put on the website to add to your collection of usable items. There would be an object for if you don't have a specific item that would let you download it from the server. There could be a currency and users could build buildings. If you create an item, you can even patent it and get "money" every time someone buys one. I can think of lots of default items and a scripting language with inheritance in the format of a directory tree, and even draw the graphics after someone builds the editor, but it still needs programmers and a catchy name.
Hope someone helps me,
Calcnerd256 >8^B

Sorry, I've just started working in earnest on my on-line text-based RPG...

Sounds like an interesting project though.

I'd just like to say that it does sound like Atmosphere from Adobe. but without the curency and other interesting things.

It would be good if it was a game of some social point, you know, creative but not too atached to real life, I get to volenteer first for some of the programming...

-- DoctorMO --

Really? Can I help?

Cool! Thanks for being such a hoopy frood. What part do you want to program? The core of the whole system or some fine detail? I have an idea for a scripting language so that once you write all the script reading algorithms I can go in and make the object behaviors. I you have any ideas, just e-mail them to me as attacthments at [email protected] and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. If you are good at 3D, maybe you could make an algorithm that converts (X,Y,Z) coords into (ThetaX,ThetaY) for simple camera rotation in the form of isometric movement of the whole screen because that works more like the human eye. I did that for my calculator, but it was so slow with all the trig functions.
Thanks for your help,
>8^B

Erm... was that 'can I help?' aimed at me?

You sound like you're quite busy as it is

I know, but I don't like limiting myself to one project at a time and I also had some RPG ideas swimming around in my head.

Cool... currently we have one coder (me, grin) and one designer... which is a bit on the low side for such a big project. More help is certainly welcome

The code will all be Java... although a lot of the implementation will be via a script language coded in Java...

I'm currently working on the script language and object representation... but there are various other bits and pieces requiring attention.

Hmm. D'you have some kind of IM program so's we can have a proper chat about it, so to speak?

Hey, did my posting not shoe up or somthing? I said I was the first programmer any one else can get in que

So Java Ay? Why Java? Why not C or Asm for the core and perhaps some Java for afters? your going to make it realy slow if you don't.

-- DoctorMO --

Java because that's what we just learned at uni, and it'll help a lot if I'm an expert on it by next year...

And Java isn't all that slow...

It 4 steps removed from proccessing instructions! how can it not be? The laws of locgic say that if you want somthing quick to run on a computer, esp the kind of thing your talking about, Java Will not do unless the people you have in mind are G4 Server or 4Ghz PC and friends.

-- DoctorMO --

Ah, but what about Just In Time compilation?

hmmm, your talking about s system that relies, compleatly off the speed of the system and not how well you program it, I'm not saying lets do it all in Asm, I'm saying we should think about doing the core in Asm, It may only go on X86 for now, but only the core will have to be rewriten to port it.

-- DoctorMO --

But... which bits of the core can possibly be written in assembler?

There has to be a scripting system... and it's absolutely key that there is an object oriented approach. Doing those in assembler... well... that's about as big as writing a C++ compiler/interpreter in assembler from scratch. Not gonna happen.

It has to be high level, really.

And the speed *always* relies on how well you program it... more so than on the speed of the system... you can easily get a factor of a thousand improvement by using good data structures over bad ones...

That's one thing Java does provide for very well... I shall be making extensive use of its built-in hashing capabilities...

When it comes down to it, the server of a text based game shouldn't have to work very hard... provided it's programmed intelligently. Which is what I plan on doing...

Object orientated you say? I don't think writing a few core functions in Asm would realy impinge on any objects, I mean I got my InStrEx function, which in VB was clocking 300ms for a 30k string, and yet the time went down to 3ms when written in asm. InStrEx is very usefull I can tell you, and getting it realy fast was important. It's now in a DLL to be called when needed.

I must point out that, one of the reasons for my objecting to java would be that it's one of the lanuages I've never tried to program in, although I have had an opertunity to brief over some code...

-- DoctorMO --

yes I have Trillian, which lets me chat with anyone who has AIM, Yahoo! IM, MSN IM, and some others I had never heard of. My main problem with this is that I live in Oklahoma, which is in US Central time zone, so there wouldn't be too much overlap of "reasonable" hours. Also, I am going to leave on vacation for a week next Friday and I'm at my mom's house on weekends and we don't even have a computer there. So, just try to get me on Monday with AIM or Yahoo.
>8^B

I agree with the good doctor here. Java would be slow and he DID volunteer first to be the programmer. Also, what's all this text-based stuff? I guess we could go that way, but I was thinking more along the lines of 3d graphics. Of course if no one wants to program 3d, we don't have to. Also, if it's too big a burden to make a scripting language, you don't have to actively involve me, since my whole job is to design the objects and make a sort of Eden for these online people to start in until they start ruining it with loud music. I forgot to mention that my screen name for both IM clients is calcnerd256
>8^B

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that maybe we could pull a napster and store some of the data on the user's hard drives because I don't exactly have infinite access to some giant server. You know, reference an object through someone else's IP, create a huge security breach, spread viruses, destroy the world, oh forget I even said anything!
>8^B

Please note 'on-line text-based rpg'

Have you never played a MUD?

You're missing out

Hmm... yeah, I'll see if I can catch you on an IM program of some sort... I use gaim on Linux so I can access all those too

I've never actually played a multi-user dungeon, but I know what you're talking about. I was sort of tinking that this would be a little more like Everquest, though, except less emphasis on levelling up and more emphasis on customization, because that's what I really like about RPG's.
>8^B