I''m posting this because I''ve run up against a brick wall, and am completely stymied. Is it possible to realistically allow players to create their own buildings within a virtual world? I''m talking about RPG-style worlds here. Whether first/third person perspective, or iso. Surely there must be a better way to create a structure than by drawing it in a separate package and then uploading it? This method totally destroys the immersive atmosphere of the world, you never get to see buildings under development, players can''t add annexes to other player''s buildings, one day its an open plot, the next there''s a skyscraper sitting there! Come on, guys, surely there must be a better way? Sure, this method is fine for initial world creation, but, for the players, something more interactive is sorely needed. Reality isn''t the goal, immersion is

Well... the easy answer I guess is:

You could let the building of the structure take time. Either the player wants to do it himself (create some sort of interface that allows a player to actually build it) or hire some people to do it for him. Either way, let it take a bit of time before it completes (showing the in-between phases). Maybe it takes two weeks before a normal building is finished (depending on the skill of the workers), maybe longer for rare buildings (wizard''s tower etc).

Try playing STRONGHOLD (SSI) to get a feeling for what might work.

Hmm. Interesting question.

Well, i think the answer is to make the player build each tile or piece individually. That makes it take time, and is a (not so easy) interface. Unfortunately, it''s also boring. However, you could hire others to do it for you, and then supply vs. demand would come into effect.

That aside, how do you design it? Well, have an integrated Sim-City-like interface in the case of tile-based games. You could even filter everything so it looked like it was all on parchment or something. If it''s a 3D enviroment, i would suggest something similar, only with large pre-built models (ie place a room or a wall at a time). Actually, in 3D you could still do the thing of placing tiles on a parchment field, and just represent the 3D tiles by drawings of them.

-ben.c

Remember also that in a multi-player environment cheaters abound and if there''s a way to macro building they will try.


Kal

Ever played the sims? Have something like that, but instead of fridges you''d have gold chests and instead of pools you''d have a moat, etc.

But seriously, the sims building interface would work quite well if you had the time to program it in, it would scale quite well to 3d also.

quote: Original post by kalroy
Remember also that in a multi-player environment cheaters abound and if there''s a way to macro building they will try.
Kal

Players using macros/Triggers isn''t a problem par se. Whatever you do, someone will find a way to cheat at it.

The problem is, how to allow players to create structures without disrupting immersion.

quote: Original post by Shelrem
If it''s a 3D enviroment, i would suggest something similar, only with large pre-built models (ie place a room or a wall at a time). Actually, in 3D you could still do the thing of placing tiles on a parchment field, and just represent the 3D tiles by drawings of them.

That could work fairly well. Not so much prefab slabs, as prefab boards/stones that would be laid by the player individually, then combined by the engine into a single slab with various textures at different offsets.

The challenge then, would be fathoming out how the interface could let the players place different polygons in different positions.

I suspect a ''place new object on top of existing object at that location" approach would be best, then let the physics engine take over to determine that block''s chances of staying put.

quote: Original post by Premandrake
Ever played the sims? Have something like that, but instead of fridges you''d have gold chests and instead of pools you''d have a moat, etc.

Could you elucidate? I never bought a copy of the sims. Not my type of game