The Universe Project - Games

"Every character is a real person, there are no NPCs here." space would be really empty [editline]4th December 2012[/editline] [img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A80cghuCUAAzEUY.jpg:large[/img] thanks to this image, i can verify these guys really know what they're doing

No NPCs? Does that include no robots that are programmed by players? :v:

[QUOTE=supersnail11;38695625]You could do it like Spore did; they simulated an entire galaxy one one computer. If I recall correctly, they used levels of detail for physics and AI and such. For instance, the planet you were currently on would have everything simulated accurately (well, as accurate as it got). The planets closest to you would have a rough approximation of physics and AI. The ones that are far away from you might not even be simulated, and when you got in range of it it simulated everything that you missed. That could work for a very large world like the earth; but it would be very difficult. I have a book about spore around here somewhere, lemme look...[/QUOTE] Not even a recent concept. The X series has been doing the same thing. All 'in-sector' calculations are max, accounting for everything from transversal to weapon energy, etc. Every other sector in the game would be calculated using OOS (out of sector) algorithms though, which didn't necessarily take into account things such as maneuverability and z-axis movements. However as the newer ones have come out and processing power has increased, they've been correspondingly increased. It's still not possible to calculate more than a handful of intelligent AIs in such an environment, though.

[QUOTE=Mobon1;38706412]"Every character is a real person, there are no NPCs here." space would be really empty [editline]4th December 2012[/editline] [img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A80cghuCUAAzEUY.jpg:large[/img] thanks to this image, i can verify these guys really know what they're doing[/QUOTE] That's supposed to be the game? There goes that I suppose. I was thinking it was going to be more of an Entropia Universe but a thousand times better to get in to...

I think you are all assuming a lot when you say this is impossible. I'd say that the goals this project sets in the video are so abstract that they would be trivially possible by even a single independent developer in a relatively short amount of time. Creating an infinite universe? Been done. Creating interesting local terrain? Check. Simple rules that give rise to complex meta gameplay? This doesn't even require a solution; it IS a solution to the problem "How do I make a world that encompasses all human endeavors?" The impossibility (or possibly suckiness) would come if they tried to violate that last feature and create content by hand. (IE the spaceships of the space age and everything else) Which [I]will[/I] occur if they aren't planning on making the content user create-able in some way. The most trivial way would be cubes/voxels or something similar(but that can fuck with immersion), but they could also go the way of second life (although that inevitably leads to crappy setting-ruining user content) The only unavoidable difficulty would be handling millions of connections that are all close enough to effect each other. But that just sounds like something that requires creativity and research. It's actually an interesting problem to think about... My beef is that every kid (including myself) came up with this idea, but the simple fact is that all games in this vein get old really fast because there doesn't seem to be any impetus to do anything and requires massive personal time investment. In essence, it lacks an actual game to play; it's just a simulation. Not that I don't think it could be made to work. It's definitely a captivating idea.

So its like roleplaying in gmod on a massive scale

[QUOTE=Mobon1;38706412]space would be really empty[/QUOTE]Like it is now?

[QUOTE=Mobon1;38706412]"Every character is a real person, there are no NPCs here." space would be really empty [editline]4th December 2012[/editline] [IMG]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A80cghuCUAAzEUY.jpg:large[/IMG] thanks to this image, i can verify these guys really know what they're doing[/QUOTE] That's concept art. Edit: But I'm not sure if it's made in something like Photoshop or in some very very early prototype engine.

Reminds me of Fallout 2 start tbh

If this was made some how I don't know how'd they get enough players to really make this worth it I mean you'd need a lot for an empire

[QUOTE=Burgervich;38708566]If this was made some how I don't know how'd they get enough players to really make this worth it I mean you'd need a lot for an empire[/QUOTE] 1. Install VM/Multiple clients 2. Run them in parallel 3. ??? 4. Empire!

I had the same idea for a video game years ago. But I've concluded that it's far too ambitious as it would require immense computer power. To real-time simulate one planet realistically is borderline impossible with todays technology. Let alone an entire universe.

The guy who wants to make it is 16 by the looks of things, he's probably thinking he's the first to come up with the idea.

[QUOTE=Jurikuer;38710124]I had the same idea for a video game years ago. But I've concluded that it's far too ambitious as it would require immense computer power. To real-time simulate one planet realistically is borderline impossible with todays technology. Let alone an entire universe.[/QUOTE] A lot of people have probably thought of something like this because it's more of a life simulation than an an original game idea. What I get from the video is you just throw players into a massive world and let them do and build whatever they want with some way to advance your technology, which is already possible without billions of players on a single planet. But, how does he expect the gameplay to be anything like in the pictures with people working together and roleplaying to build some civilization with the amount of freedom each player has? There's just not any information about how the gameplay would work.

I doubt they will release the whole thing in one go. Most likely (if this even works out) the base game will be released where you can create simple tools, villages, etc and then they'll update it with more complex technologies as time goes on. If they go the route of user created content like Second Life, everything would probably have to be submitted and approved by the devs to ensure nothing of poor quality gets ingame One problem I see is that you would have to join up from the very beginning to experience the game fully. By joining up when tech is fairly advanced, you're missing out on entire parts of the game.

[QUOTE=Mobon1;38706412]"Every character is a real person, there are no NPCs here." space would be really empty [editline]4th December 2012[/editline] [img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A80cghuCUAAzEUY.jpg:large[/img] thanks to this image, i can verify these guys really know what they're doing[/QUOTE] hey look its Age of Empires

[QUOTE=cheesedelux;38703934]I was skeptical until I saw the Xbox at the end. Then I knew nothing would come of it.[/QUOTE] Same. When i saw those consoles at the end? I just burst out laughing and closed the thread not sure why im here now

Yeah sorry, I'm afraid I don't have much faith in this project actually materializing. These guys are just running with a very broad and unrealistic concept. And that's all they seem to have created thusfar: concepts. They haven't actually got any clear gameplay mechanics and features worked out, or even an engine to work with. Nor have they explained how exactly this is even technologically feasible. And according to their Facebook page, they've been working on this project for almost four years now lol.

[url]http://universeprojects.blogspot.ca/[/url] They finally posted some more information about the project. According to them, it's going to take years to finish, and by then it still won't be done. Still seems full of shit, but less so.

WHAT IF THERE WAS A GAME... UHH, THAT'S CALLED REAL LIFE.

[QUOTE=Emery;38740945]WHAT IF THERE WAS A GAME... UHH, THAT'S CALLED REAL LIFE.[/QUOTE] real life is too much like a roguelike

Well their update kind of cleared up some things and maybe just maybe this has some future. But i wouldnt hold my breath

probably some 16 year old who thinks he can combine the best aspects of Minecraft, KSP, Universe Engine & Second Life without any problems [I]and[/I] keep and interested playerbase

[QUOTE=Eltro102;38744008]probably some 16 year old who thinks he can combine the best aspects of Minecraft, KSP, Universe Engine & Second Life without any problems [I]and[/I] keep and interested playerbase[/QUOTE] KSP? Where does that fit in?

[QUOTE=Emery;38740945]WHAT IF THERE WAS A GAME... UHH, THAT'S CALLED REAL LIFE.[/QUOTE] I think the main draw is being able to do what you want without consequence.

[QUOTE=Gray Altoid;38744222]KSP? Where does that fit in?[/QUOTE] He said something about not being stuck on Earth?

[QUOTE=maqzek;38744396]He said something about not being stuck on Earth?[/QUOTE] When I think of KSP, I think of designing unique/crazy rockets out of modular pieces to send into orbit. Not really how they're trying to sell it.

Well, you have to admit, KSP is pretty good for a space stage for some sandbox game.

[QUOTE=maqzek;38744912]Well, you have to admit, KSP is pretty good for a space stage for some sandbox game.[/QUOTE] A space stage which won't be reached for "10 years" according to their FAQ.

They're aiming for a little too much realism. They can't expect to keep a large player base with such ridiculous timespans. Sure it's much faster than what we'd expect in reality, but still that's too much. A couple of weeks, maybe even a month, but ten years? Jesus christ.