[jME Game]The jME Game project

Vardamir wrote:
There is not one game out there, using the jME, i would say. At least no game, that i would want to play.
We, as the jME community, can't blame anybody for that, but ourselves.

We have everything that is needed to create a great game.
1. We have a lot of talented developers
2. We have a rather mature engine
3. We have some tools and libraries needed

Why is there no game out there, that people want to play?
Because existing game projects lack the resources to finish their games, and that's why they will fail some day! If you start another game project, i'll promise you, you will also fail.

And so many of the existing projects are so similar. Why don't they get along and work together.
When we have 10 projects with 2 team members, why not take them and create 1 project with 20 team members? 10 projects are likely to fail, but 1 project with so many talented team members is unlikely to fail.

All those projects are doing the same things over and over again, without much success.
I see them writing game engines on top of the jME for their project. Then they are creating tools for their project.
What do we have after that: We have 10 unfinished game engines, 10 unfinished tools.
If we would join forces, we would have rather mature engines and tools and a working game project, that could also help improving the base engine and the tools.

Why not create a game project, where we all join. This game should use all the features offered by the engine and libraries found here.

Who wants to join?
Vardamir wrote:
...it should not be a tutorial game, it should be a state-of-the art game. To start, we should first gather a team, and then we can discuss, what this game should be about.

IMHO, it should be an MMOG, cause that's the future of gaming. Should it be an RPG? Probably.

I don't know much about how to start a game project, but i guess this can be a rough schedule:

1. Create a story
2. Choose the engines, libraries and tools that are already existing (jME, JGN, MW3D,...)
3. Write some backend code
4. Create some assets (sounds, textures, models)
5. Write some frontend code

Every aspect of this project needs to be open. No private communication, no email, only public discussion, then everybody can learn from this project. So it would be sort of a tutorial project, but with the aim to create a real world game.

Sorry about all the quotes, but I didn't feel like retyping everything. That should explain what we know of the project right now. The main point is to give jME a good, full solid game. It should help with the development of the jME engine, with adding features and knowing what is wrong. I think we should also use the #jME for communication, it is a very quite channel now. Please post ideas and join the project. Vardamir is right.

Make a vote for what type of game it should be too. I put each member in the team's name on the left and position on the right. Also, who will be the leader of this project. I am willing to do it. Vardamir gets first dibs, do you want to do it Vardamir? We also need to make some positions and leadership. Even though this is a community project, there still needs to be leadership and organization.



Team Members:

Vardamir - Project Leader

Jedimace1 - Project Leader

Alric - Programmer

adkilla - Graphics Artist

anime_fanatic - Programmer

Shard - Programmer

DarkPhoenixX - Programmer

fabioluizfs  - (AI) Programmer

Haladria - programmer/artist

Outrunner - programmer

zagibu - programmer

Sebastian23 - programmer



Total: 12



Tools:

jME 2

jME-Physics 2

Java Game Network

Monkey World 3d



The game will be an MMO(or online) for sure, since we need to use JGN.






I can create stories. I am a pretty good writer. Not alone though, everyone should have input.

There are already a few RPG projects, why not got for a jMonkeyIsland or jMonkey-Jump'n Run  type of game :slight_smile:

@Adkilla: Added.  :smiley:

@Core-Dump: Explain. Also, needs to be MMO(or online) and should be a "state-of-the art game".

For an MMO, a server will have to be constantly redeployed when code changes. And not every networked game has to be an MMO…



There are already 1000s of MMORPGs out there so it would be a waste to make yet another one of them.

But the objective is not to make money, or try to be popular. The objective is to use jME for a state of the art game. BTW, I have a computer i am willing to sacrifice to be a server.

Also, there is only one other MMORPG out there made in Java(or at least run from a web browser). Runescape. I think we should show that Runescape is not Java. That is a common misconception. We could make it to use Java Web Start. Also, there are thousands of games out there, so is it a waste of time to make another one?

Heh I see the off topicness of that other thread spawned a whole new project. Well good luck guys, as momoko said you're going to have to really veer off the beaten path. Perhaps a niche game? (a MMORTS would fall under that), or something like Continuum or Infantry Online. Those type games are getting old now, but they were some of the "first" MMOGs out there, and are still well played (well at least Continuum is, since Sony sort of killed Infantry over the years).

And an MMOFPS just kinda dies off with no votes. Heated competitiong between MMORPG, MMORTS and "Other" though.

Also, make it clear if you are joining. There seems to be a lot of game suggestions, I'm not sure if you mean"I want to join and do this" or "You should do this".

Of course.

I will certainly be willing to contribute as I think it is a fine principle. But as will be the case with most people, only when time permits.



I agree with Momoko fan that and MMO is not a good idea, for a number of reasons:



  • It is unnecessary in terms of the primary objective.
  • It is highly unlikely to have a "massive" number of regular players.

  • It is highly unlikely to have the infrastructure to support a massive number of players.

  • MMOs without enough players do not make for good games - most of the effort will have gone to waste.

  • Much if not most of the work would no longer be centered around JME or any of its associated projects, which defeats the object of showing off the engine.

  • There are many more aspects of an MMO that can ruin it as a game, compared to other endeavours. Especially given a "pickup" team this represents in my opinion a significant chance of failing in the primary aim.



There are a lot of difficulties in doing work like this, not least:
It will take longer than expected.
People will move on, and their knowledge will go with them.
People will contribute less time long term than they did to start with.
People will have varying levels of enthusiasm for different aspects.
State of the art is not a realistic aim - finished, and good, would be a big accomplishment.

As such, I would recommend something with a basic set of core features, quickly playable, which can be expanded on without needing a very firm roadmap.

Well, I think with the opposition of MMO, it could simply have the possibility of online play(not being like a major aspect), because I think JGN still needs to be implemented. Also, Java Web Start is "quickly playable".  :wink:

That's why I suggested something like Continuum or Infantry Online, those games were zone based…they weren't a continuous world. Instead, each zone had a self contained map, and self contained game. The only thing shared was it was all on a single client, same art, and same (in some cases) control set, and the same chat.



For example (Infantry Online), it was mainly a Isometric shooter game, but it had the following zones:



*CTF - players buy equipment as they gain experience, join teams and invade enemy bases to get flags

*Bug Hunt - players have predefined equipment, but rather than two human teams, one team is a force of aliens that have taken over a research base, and the other team are marines sent to recover science artifacts (think flags + Alien).

*Fleet! - an isometric space zone, much like Continuum but also more like an RTS. Two teams oppose one another, each has a command center, and players mine resources, build up their team's bases, and build capital ships (frigates, destroyers…all multi-person) and try and destroy the opposing team.



A lot of varied games, but they all share some common game logic. Can do something like this, rather than some giant RPG world.



Anyways, just some ideas…but yeah, the core feature set needs to be tight, games aren't successful because they have a wazoo of features, but because the features they have are well done and polished.

I guess I am bias to making an MMORPG. It's just I have spent three years hammering down important concepts and preparing myself to make one.

Adkiller: JGN does manage all the entities. With the tools we have, I think we could implement it, but it's the community's decision, not mine.

Also, good point. Please post what your idea is if it is other.

I want to see if Vardamir wants to be project leader. It feels awkward to go on with his idea without him.

But keep talking though!

What is this obsession with massive multiplayer games? I think they are boring. Am I the only one who don't want to play against or with other people?



What about making a:

-racing game

-puzzle game

-platform game

-strategy game