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In the form of a MU* (as has already been tried)

4 (4.3%)

Empire building browser-based game, using the Frost and Flame engine or making it from scratch

10 (10.9%)

Adventure RPG browser-based game, using the Dragon Knights engine or making it from scratch

4 (4.3%)

A dungone crawler or maybe cooperative fortress builder client-based game using the Eclipse engine (would be real time, and have better graphics than browser-based games)

25 (27.2%)

Cooperative fortress building browser-based game, with traditional DF top-view 2D tiles

45 (48.9%)

a deviant of the cooperative fortress building browser-based game, were the tiles are grouped into bigger "sections"

3 (3.3%)

Other (propose it in the thread please)

1 (1.1%)

Total Members Voted: 92

[Poltifar]

Well before we can start on the interface, we need to know how we display the tiles in 5. Pictures, or a font resembling curses? In a table, or just blurt it out (it would look more like DF the second way, but would be less square-shaped unless we use a square font).

Anyone know a widely available font that both has atleast most of the DF symbols and at the same time is square-shaped?

[Kashyyk]

I don't know which one it is, but how about the one DF currently uses?

[webadict]

Courier seems
to be a
Square font.
I think it is...

[Kashyyk]

I believe this is as well

[Poltifar]

But the courier font is lacking in many of the symbols used in DF (atleast, according to the character map). Other fonts, like Arial, have ALL of the symbols (except, ofcourse, the dwarf face, but they do have the normal smiley face), but are not square.

EDIT: Also, Kashyyk, using the font DF currently uses would be unpractical, because we would need to transform in to the standard font file definitons or whatever, and all the players would have to download and install it to play. On the other hand, if we use an already existing font, players can just connect and play instantly from any computer.

[webadict]

How about we figure out what text symbols we would need? Since we won't need every one, we could use some brain power and switch certain ones to others. That would work, nay?

[qwertyuiopas]

What font does DOS use?

And(it's large)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I trust you guys with a full, unedited screenshot

[Vaiolis]

A hobo with over 500 grand in the bank?

[qwertyuiopas]

Yep, the box has a secret underground base attached to it! Or not, really, since it is obviously a beer-exagerated number.
Anyway, I am currently involved with 2 other browser based MASSIVE multiplayer games(ogame and something made by the hobowars people) so I have "moderate" experience.

The thing is, all of them have resources to limit what can be done, and the non-hobowars ones have actions that take time(ogame starts a scripted clock in the window showing around how much time is left, the other one is based of of "ticks" every 15 minutes, and stuff is measured in ticks, but you can have hundreds going at once if you want.

Edit:
So I propose having ogame-style timed construction for items and buildings, and you can have a list of items to make at the current workshop, until you run out of resources.
Each would also take some energy, set aside once scheduled(non-refundable, to encourage good planning?).

[webadict]

Only 2? There's several types of MMORPGs. The time-based buildings would work, except that if you set them up, would you be able to do anything else in that time? Or would you be sitting there?

[qwertyuiopas]

Well,you would have a list
-make bone bolts 1:00
-make kitten leather kitten sacks 2:43

and while those actions are processed you can be doing something else, like using google, or playing DF.

[webadict]

Well,you would have a list
-make bone bolts 1:00
-make kitten leather kitten sacks 2:43

and while those actions are processed you can be doing something else, like using google, or playing DF.

That's a real turn-off on a game. You don't want to mix energy-based and time-based, UNLESS you have max unlimited energy and the ability to set actions up before doing them, like having multiple actions lined up. Otherwise, people sit there for an hour trying to make things that would be a couple of clicks if it were energy-based or able to be lined-up. The appropriate game to think of for this reason is: Astro Empires (There are a bunch like this but I can't think of them.) It uses money for it's energy, but they can gain unlimited amounts. They can also line up multiple actions. Nobody wants to wait for their action to be done... Not online anyway.

[Poltifar]

I have played both Ogame and Astro Empires, and heard alot about Hobowars, as well as tried a half-dozen other browser-based games, and I can say that webadict is right, we wouldn't want to have to wait hours like that in the time of game we are trying to make... It just doesnt seem it would be fun... We already have energy-based that takes time to replenish, and has a limit, that should be enough.

[webadict]

So... what if we made a table and centered the font of each character in each box? We could use Arial or Times New Roman, since they have all the characters, and the characters could have some spaces.

[Vactor]

I'm thinking it might be wise to have combat resolution exist outside of the normal turn based actions.  If it were to work similarly to combat in DF you would get some trickiness when two players are attacking eachother