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Author Topic: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)  (Read 17934 times)

~Neri

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Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« on: December 10, 2014, 09:22:16 pm »


So, my first thoughts for how to organize the whole thing is there's a primary Hub, which connects either directly to various worlds, or to secondary hubs, which then connect to worlds. Not sure which is better, could do a combo. Thoughts? Maybe options for temporary or permanent links to be made in one world to connect to others?

GM's have control over their own worlds. Obviously we can't link anything already running into this due to the potential for derailment. GM's can do pretty much whatever. I'm thinking that the links between world/hub should be closed from the getgo and unactivated until someone in the world opens it on purpose or by accident. Or maybe the world just happens to already have an open gateway from times past. Again, purely up to the GM, I have no bloody idea how this will work right now sooooo thoughts?

Worlds and Physics and Magic: I'm thinking denizens of a given world follow that worlds physics even when not in that world. Magic would probably need to be acquired from their homeworld unless they were compatible with a separate world. Again, not sure how it will work. Thoughts?

Worldbuilding. GM's have control of worldbuilding for their respective worlds. Player characters likely can do some stuff also, probs best for the GM to say what's okay to add and what's not for the players. Quality matters. Preferably stable worlds, but if someone feels like doing an unstable one, go ahead, be good for a plotpoint if they try invading another for resources. Not entirely sure here. Thoughts?

Canon Quality Control: For things that affect multiple worlds or a Hub, all affected GM's and maybe players should talk about it. With other people adding input if needed, if you want to do a major plotpoint that will affect another world, talk to the GM of that world first. If you're a player and you want to overthrow a monarch in the world you're on, talk to your GM first so he/she know's what's going on and can set up the plotline for that. Think this is decent, buuut thoughts?

Other stuff: I'm sure I'm missing stuff. I expect this list to be bloody massive when we actually start. Thoughts?

Also, name is open for changing, this one just sounded poetic when I made the thread.
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WillowLuman

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #1 on: December 10, 2014, 09:38:17 pm »

As I feared, this would be up right before I had to head to my presentation.

The overall model sounds fine, GM controlled worlds linked by hubs. Things that happen in the hubs/between worlds would need collaboration from the relevant parties. But I don't think this is a point of contention.

The differing rules of different worlds (physics, magic, etc) is going to be tricky. It could either be everything follows the rules of the world its in, or everything follows the rules of its point of origin, but most likely not a mix, since then consistency and coherence would be a headache. Perhaps hub areas might have their own rules that enable things to switch which rules they follow.
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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #2 on: December 10, 2014, 09:47:36 pm »

Hubs possibly having some sort of rune that makes people compatible with whatever world the rune's linked to?

Hubs probably should be zones of noncombat so we can avoid the fuckery of lots of different physics acting at once.

Maybe a Mass Pacification obelisk that just prevents people from having the will to fight in the associated hub? Although I can think of a few problems that might bring..
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flame99

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #3 on: December 10, 2014, 09:52:12 pm »

As far as linking the world, maybe something like Myst? The current system listed seems like it would work fine, but it's a possibility if we don't or can't do it for some reason. Not sure how to handle magic and weird physics, though. If it's between two worlds with magic, then their magic could be exchanged for the nearest substitute, but I can't really think of anything for magic world -> realistic magic. We could simply have them follow the rules of their universe, but that has it's own set of problems.
As for canon quality control, I would think that while the players and other GMs could be able to give some suggestions, but ultimately, everything about the GM's world should, of course, be left to the GM.

Of course, there's also the question of whether we should have one unified rule system (Modified to fit the world, of course), or if each world should have their own rule system.
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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #4 on: December 10, 2014, 09:53:00 pm »

I honestly do not think that this could happen with different rulesets, the compatibility issues would be too important. Definite, universal rules, should be applied to keep some sort of internal coherence.

After all, if multiple GMs are agreeing to connect ther creations, then they must make some concessions.


Empiricist

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #5 on: December 10, 2014, 09:57:28 pm »

Well, this is just a quick modification to a system idea I had, but magic could be anchored in terms of the current world. So effectively what happens is, all magic would be somewhat modular, with key details specifying a trait of the world.

So as an example, suppose there are three worlds. World X is a medieval fantasy world where people have souls, magic exists and knights in shining armor slay dragons. World Y is a cyberpunk world where everyone has become an AI, corporate soldiers fight in slow motion using firearms and augmentation is the norm. World Z is a dark fantasy world where minds are kept coherent simply because of some natural law where unpredictable systems have a tendency to remain unpredictable, magic does not exist and all combat is ranged. Now, suppose someone from World X had the ability to imbue swords with layered hives of infant souls via magic. Their ability may be anchored as "The ability to imbue [common close ranged military weapons] with a layered hive of infant [essence of an individual] via [feature that allows individuals to be powerful]."

So, if they moved to World Y, it becomes "The ability to imbue shotguns with a layered hive of infant AIs via a specialized augmentation." so upon entering the world, they would lose their magic and instead find that they have a cybernetic enhancement already built into them that serves a similar purpose. If they moved to World Z, it becomes "The ability to imbue hands with a layered hive of metastable unpredictability by channeling the minds of dead infants through sheer force of will and infamy." so upon entering the world, they would lose their magic and instead gain such an imposing atmosphere about the that they can harness the power of dead babies through sheer willpower.

Suppose a person from World Z had learned to 'read' people to predict their actions. In World Y, it would instead manifest as kinetic prediction software installed in their brain, so they'd lose the ability to predict what people will do, but instead become able to predict trajectories and movements. In World X, it would turn into full-blown divination where it becomes less controlled and relevant but can cover far greater spans of time and in greater detail.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2014, 10:04:39 pm by Empiricist »
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Tomcost

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #6 on: December 10, 2014, 10:01:45 pm »

Aaand, that is the kind of difficult to understan stuff that may not be wanted.

Wait, I am going to ask first:

What is your idea for this? Multiple realms created by different GMs, or a forum game with just a really big scope?

I mean, do we want the linked worlds? Or do we want an Einstenian Roulette?

Because I'm leaning to the second: a big, expansive world where multiple GMs coordinate themselves to created a really good experience.

flame99

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2014, 10:06:46 pm »

Aaand, that is the kind of difficult to understan stuff that may not be wanted.

Wait, I am going to ask first:

What is your idea for this? Multiple realms created by different GMs, or a forum game with just a really big scope?

I mean, do we want the linked worlds? Or do we want an Einstenian Roulette?

Because I'm leaning to the second: a big, expansive world where multiple GMs coordinate themselves to created a really good experience.
It does sound interesting, but even harder to set up.

Well, this is just a quick modification to a system idea I had, but magic could be anchored in terms of the current world. So effectively what happens is, all magic would be somewhat modular, with key details specifying a trait of the world.

So as an example, suppose there are three worlds. World X is a medieval fantasy world where people have souls, magic exists and knights in shining armor slay dragons. World Y is a cyberpunk world where everyone has become an AI, corporate soldiers fight in slow motion using firearms and augmentation is the norm. World Z is a dark fantasy world where minds are kept coherent simply because of some natural law where unpredictable systems have a tendency to remain unpredictable, magic does not exist and all combat is ranged. Now, suppose someone from World X had the ability to imbue swords with layered hives of infant souls via magic. Their ability may be anchored as "The ability to imbue [common close ranged military weapons] with a layered hive of infant [essence of an individual] via [feature that allows individuals to be powerful]."

So, if they moved to World Y, it becomes "The ability to imbue shotguns with a layered hive of infant AIs via a specialized augmentation." so upon entering the world, they would lose their magic and instead find that they have a cybernetic enhancement already built into them that serves a similar purpose. If they moved to World Z, it becomes "The ability to imbue hands with a layered hive of metastable unpredictability by channeling the minds of dead infants through sheer force of will and infamy." so upon entering the world, they would lose their magic and instead gain such an imposing atmosphere about the that they can harness the power of dead babies through sheer willpower.
Pretty good idea, but it might introduce too much complexity, and additionally, what would happen if, say, a wizard happened to enter a world with absolutely no supernatural elements? Say, a world based off of ours entirely. Would they just lose their powers?
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~Neri

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2014, 10:13:19 pm »

Well, this is just a quick modification to a system idea I had, but magic could be anchored in terms of the current world. So effectively what happens is, all magic would be somewhat modular, with key details specifying a trait of the world.

So as an example, suppose there are three worlds. World X is a medieval fantasy world where people have souls, magic exists and knights in shining armor slay dragons. World Y is a cyberpunk world where everyone has become an AI, corporate soldiers fight in slow motion using firearms and augmentation is the norm. World Z is a dark fantasy world where minds are kept coherent simply because of some natural law where unpredictable systems have a tendency to remain unpredictable, magic does not exist and all combat is ranged. Now, suppose someone from World X had the ability to imbue swords with layered hives of infant souls via magic. Their ability may be anchored as "The ability to imbue [common close ranged military weapons] with a layered hive of infant [essence of an individual] via [feature that allows individuals to be powerful]."

So, if they moved to World Y, it becomes "The ability to imbue shotguns with a layered hive of infant AIs via a specialized augmentation." so upon entering the world, they would lose their magic and instead find that they have a cybernetic enhancement already built into them that serves a similar purpose. If they moved to World Z, it becomes "The ability to imbue hands with a layered hive of metastable unpredictability by channeling the minds of dead infants through sheer force of will and infamy." so upon entering the world, they would lose their magic and instead gain such an imposing atmosphere about the that they can harness the power of dead babies through sheer willpower.

Suppose a person from World Z had learned to 'read' people to predict their actions. In World Y, it would instead manifest as kinetic prediction software installed in their brain, so they'd lose the ability to predict what people will do, but instead become able to predict trajectories and movements. In World X, it would turn into full-blown divination where it becomes less controlled and relevant but can cover far greater spans of time and in greater detail.
I like this idea, but I have the same question as Flame.

Aaand, that is the kind of difficult to understan stuff that may not be wanted.

Wait, I am going to ask first:

What is your idea for this? Multiple realms created by different GMs, or a forum game with just a really big scope?

I mean, do we want the linked worlds? Or do we want an Einstenian Roulette?

Because I'm leaning to the second: a big, expansive world where multiple GMs coordinate themselves to created a really good experience.
Idea as a base is multiple realms, but pretty much everything is up in the air, so that could very easily change to one big world, or a bunch of solar systems, or something else entirely. The goal is to make a fun game.
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Tomcost

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2014, 10:14:00 pm »

I think that there are two, inversely proportional things: GM autonomy and compatibility. The more a GM can create of his own, the more complicated it is to link it to other's creations.

Because I'm leaning to the second: a big, expansive world where multiple GMs coordinate themselves to created a really good experience.
It does sound interesting, but even harder to set up.
Is it? Once you agree on a set of rules and lore, the GMs could have individual tasks, concentraring on different groups of players. It could be either mission or zone-based.

The criteria would be that, if players can directly affect the actions of each other, then they should be moved into the orbit of the same GM.

~Neri

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2014, 10:15:10 pm »

What if two groups move into close proximity of one another? Which GM gets them? Or do the GM's collaborate?
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Empiricist

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2014, 10:16:10 pm »

Well assuming they were a run of the mill D&D-eque mage, their ability could be defined as "The ability to use [feature that allows individuals to be powerful] in order to manipulate their immediate surroundings through a prepared vector." (though of course, it would be broken down to each of their individual spells).

In the modern world that would likely manifest as "The ability to use knowledge in order to manipulate their immediate surroundings through a prepared vector." so they'd be unable to use magic but would be able to easily make various devices such as improvised explosive devices, molotovs and whatnot based on what spells they possessed.

Effectively, this for the most part balances each world internally so it doesn't matter how much they vary in power relative to each other. So if one world consisted entirely of primitive hunter-gatherers and another was a post-singularity world of magically and technologically advanced demigods, someone moving from one to the other world would not end up completely over or under powered for that world. Granted there world still be some discrepancies from the world's physics (like how people in World Z normally cannot use sheer intimidation to channel the power of dead babies), but nothing too bad.

Another possibility would be to just use that card system I linked earlier and have each world possess its own resource deck. So someone entering another world would keep all the resources they had on hand to do their thing, but as they used more and more, it would be replaced by that world's own resources.
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Worldmaster27

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2014, 10:17:23 pm »

PTW

Also, I like Empiricist's idea for balancing. You can't just have random guys running about with a cybernetics-enhanced shotgun in a high fantasy no-gun setting offing important but otherwise helpless knights. There would definitely need to be something to change this shotgun into a setting-appropriate equivalent. ie a magical obelisk with super-advanced tech working to modify this cyberpunk shotty into a multi-shot crossbow magically enchanted to give similar effects to the former cybernetics. The enchantments should also be bound to a certain corresponding rune/enchantment on the user much like a cybernetic might be. These runes should be able to be replicated so it isn't "this dude you killed had this badass crossbow, but you can't use it because it was connected to him" However, just to be spiteful, there may also be an expensive way to magically/cybernetically bind the weapon.

PPE: @flameboy: Using this balancing system, throwing a wizard into our world might result in, depending on what kind of wizard, them (if they were fire based) getting molotovs/flamethrower (:P) of varying quality. The GMs, of course, would have to decide on what goes to what. These are all just abstract ideas right now.
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Tomcost

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2014, 10:20:11 pm »

What if two groups move into close proximity of one another? Which GM gets them? Or do the GM's collaborate?
If they don't affect each other directly, then the GMs colalborate. If they do, they fall into the orbit of the same GM, probably migrating from a place to another. Communication could just happen via PMs or via the GMs, as it wouldn't be worth the work needed to reallocate the players.

It would be eventally necessary to create some sort of virtual separation if the amount of players gets too high.

Funk

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Re: Linked Worlds. ((Planning and possibly OOC thread.)
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2014, 10:20:40 pm »

What did happen to that guy? i was going to try that game of his but that got deleted as well.

I do kind of link the idea of a linked game so i'll be watching this.
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Agree, plus that's about the LAST thing *I* want to see from this kind of game - author spending valuable development time on useless graphics.

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