"Free State" game would simulate 2050 New Hampshire

[Russell Kanning]

my participation will be limited to attending the awards banquet for the winner

[Dave Ridley]

There are three areas where this is being discussed.   

The primary thread for now is
http://nhunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=24297.0

For those who don't want to register there or register *anywhere,* you can participate at
https://plainboards.com/!FreeStateGame/thread/0dwBu019/free-state-game-would-simulate-2050-nashua

And there is some discussion going on at
http://forum.shiresociety.com/general-nashua-area-discussion/%27free-state%27-game-would-simulate-2050-nashua/msg61177/#new

And http://nhunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=21822.msg348798#msg348798
Eventually one thread will rule them all but I want folks who are not on NH Underground or shire society forums to be able to participate.

http://www.errolpelchat.com/DroneGame/ this is a link to the game as of late 2013.

[Dave Ridley]

DH I'm sorry for not posting more details about the drones and how they would work initially... but for starters i want them to be slower than most of what you find in games, with an ability to shoot "broadside."  In other words they shoot at a 90 degree angle from their direction of travel.  This would create longer lasting , closer and more satisfying combat. It will be a fairly unique feature right from the start.   I'll have some instructions on controling them too...

[d.hughes]

A little off topic...

Here is a sample game using the Unity software:
  mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/curiosity

Some setup is required.  The UnityWebPlayer.exe needs to be downloaded and run.

[Dave Ridley]

The game "Free State."  As promised here's my plan for an initial, stripped-down, 2d prototype of it.  It would be online multiplayer, but it would need to be playable even if only one person is logged in. This could be accomplished by having A.I. opponents or initially maybe just static objects to destroy.   

There's only one type of unit for now, the "drone."  A sort of unmanned micro helicopter.  But it could look like a wireframe as far as I'm concerned if that makes it easier to get the game started!  Each side would fly these drones.

The drone can shoot beams or projectiles of some kind, but only out the left and right sides. At a 90 degree angle to the direction of travel.   Dumbfire.  Requires a little 2d marksmanship.  Probably the beams should travel about 5x the speed of the drones...i.e. fast but possible to dodge sometimes.  Change the speed if that's easier.

The drones move pretty slow, about 2/3rds the speed of a ground soldier in Infantry Online, 1/4 the speed of SubsSpace Continuum.  Or alternately you could say that if a drone is flying full speed toward static object at the edge of the closeup screen, it takes the thing about 4 seconds to reach it.   To reach the edge of the radar screen would take much longer, but that screen isn't needed for the first prototype.

Your drone is always at the center of your combat screen. but when you turn, the world does not spin around you. For instance if you turn right and want to head right, then your ship aims itself toward the right side of your computer screen.  But again no need for a strategic map or tactical map yet, we add those later.

It has a throttle, and it should ideally be the "up" and "down" keys on the lower right of the player's keyboard which set the throttle speed.  If you're not pressing "up" or "down", your speed remains constant.  Hitting the left and right keys is how you change direction; and turning doesn't need to affect speed.

The drone can move backwards if it throttles far back enough.

These parameters should provide an almost unique gaming experience right off the bat , and also should make combat pretty satisfying.  Lots of close quarters fighting that lasts for minutes per engagement rather than seconds. 

The ship can take perhaps 100 damage and the beams do 10 damage per hit.  No repairs in this initial version, that will come later.  Terrain, if any, would have no effect on flight, and the drones never land.

If you die you respawn with full strength but fairly far from the action.   

The object of the first prototype is for your side to get 100 kills before the other side does.   Perhaps a kill could include static enemy objects. In the event someone finds themselves alone in the game they can kill those to move toward victory conditions.  Later we'll make wins important in a persistent sort of way.

Sound good?  Any reservations with any of these parameters?

[d.hughes]

Sound good?

Sounds good!

Yesterday I loaded the Unity Game Engine and started the 2D Tutorial.  It's a little overwhelming! 
Has anyone started DadaOrwell's scenario in Unity yet?

[Dave Ridley]

DH although a total of 5 folks have contacted me expressing interest in helping, so far it's really just you who's active.  That will change if you're able to develop the prototype and once folks can play it enjoyably.   I realize you're just starting out and that this won't be fast but once it's really playable it will be more or less the only game of its kind.

I'm thinking about what the next features would be and at what point we could start adding premium features, purchasable by bitcoin, etc.  neither of us will earn anything on the work we do previous to setting up a revenue infrastructure.

I tried the unity link you sent but it hung.   I have played another unity game however, BSG online.  It still works on both my machines.

[Dave Ridley]

Oh also for reference, I'd like to name this prototype I've outlined above.   It's now called "Free State 2D, version Pre-Alpha 1.0."

You said this first incarnation would be so crude no one would like it so hopefully that title keeps expectations down until you've found your sea legs.   

And I have a couple clarifications regarding the instructions for 1.0.  Respawn for each team should be in the same area each time, creating a sort of defacto home base and a retreat option without you having to really design anything. I realize this might be one-player at first. but Once its online I'd like it to be playable without anyone having to register...just jump right in.  The game should treat A.I. players same as humans.

Regarding the business model, my hope would be to implement optional premium services around the time Pre-Alpha 1.2 is released.   Players could buy enhanced weapons, product placement, ads, etc.  I won't be able to pay anyone for anything we did before that business model is implemented.  Once it is implemented, I'd probably wait until it earns its first hundred dollars or so. Then I'd spend maybe 40 to 70 bucks hiring one or two people to make more improvements.  I guess if you'd managed to successfully get us to that point in a vaguely timely manner the micro job would be yours to decline, but sooner or later I will need to contract for something you don't know how to do.  Expansion should occur. Hopefully we could keep expanding the player base, the financial numbers and the depth of the game.

I'm writing up the parameters for Pre-Alpha 1.1 now and will post them as soon as I can.  I'm assuming that knowing these parameters now might affect your construction of 1.0.

Thanks for sticking with this so far DH!   

[d.hughes]

DadaOrwell, went through the description of the controls (arrow keys).
Right/Left arrow keys to move.
Up/Down arrow keys for speed.

I take it the 2D view is looking at a horizontal plane?  So the drones are all at the same height?
Originally I was thinking a vertical plane, with buildings on the lower portion of the view and
clouds on the top portion.  Please confirm.

[d.hughes]

Any possibility you can send some still shots of buildings?
They do not really have to be from Nashua.  I would like a frontal of Murphy's Taproom.
The pictures will be cut up into pieces, then tiled onto surfaces.  (From what I've learned
tiling provides a performance boost; less graphics rendering.)

This is not a high priority.  Have not found any cityscapes yet ooking through the art in the Unity Engine.

[Dave Ridley]

we'd be looking down on the playing field and the drones, like Mapquest.  the game would play sort of like Subspace or Infantry Online in that respect.   it's not isometric and not a side scroller.   However seeing buildings underneath the drones...is a low priority at this point.   You could have solid black or white underneath at this point as far as I'm concerned.  And I don't think I have any shots of buildings from above anyway. That's a piece of the puzzle that will fall into place more easily later, we can come back to it then.

Drones are all at the same height yes.   

[d.hughes]

For colors, the INH has Free State Project brown.  (INH is not really rebel brown coats like in Firefly.)
NEU has Dept of Homeland Security blue.  (Didn't the blue coats win the US Civil War?) 

[Dave Ridley]

Great!  sometimes I worry that my vision is too specific, that it becomes detailed instructions.  But hopefully I can just lay out the parameters and gameplay attributes while *you* get a free hand to make most of the detail decisions.

[Dave Ridley]

Also looking over my parameters above for the preliminary version... i probably should not have specified so exactly what the drones should look like...that isn't really important anytime soon.  so pretty much however they look is fine for now.

[d.hughes]

No worries about being too specific.  Who says I will listen anyway? 

The first drones are going to look like cylinders.  I want to jazz them up a bit so the player can see which way they are facing; so your specifics will be helpful.

My understanding of the Unity Engine is growing (some would say groaning).  I put together some simple stuff, but was pleased to see it actually worked. It is in a pretty pathetic state.  Meanwhile, Unity can do some pretty cool stuff!  Maybe I can add more to my pathetic little project tonight.