Overgrowth MMO

[Korban3]

It's not that it wouldn't be fun, because it would, it's that the ability of OG to process characters is limited because it is all physics based, so it does a lot of work for a handful of characters. having 4 on 4 PvP would be astounding because of the amount of syncing and calculations required to match up. On that extreme is MMO status. It's outrageous. Having dozens and up to hundreds of characters on screen at one time would be a good benchmark, and that would be wildly difficult to produce.
maybe someone could produce a simpler, maybe 2D Overgrowth inspired MMO with a similar combat system, but OG itself is too complex to become an MMO on the side of being a single player game with a good sized campaign.

[TheWujek]

I am somewhat aquainted with all current 3d-game technology (which by the way was a reason for me to preorder overgrowth). I used Unreal, CryEngine, Unity.
Building an MMO like this is a technical challenge, but very very possible.

Some levels in Overgrowth run badly right now, but on a somewhat modern PC with the visual fidelity like it is right now, there is really no reason the Game should ever dip below 100 FPS, instead of 30.
Don't start with procedural animations, ragdoll or AI. All the other engines do it (the ragdoll in Overgrowth is more complex, but that is not a constant computation cost and can be optimized radically.)
The lighting is extremely simple and completely precomputed.
Every other game has a polygon count many times as high as in overgrowth (unless we have constantly over 500k... I don't think so).
With these kind of settings doing an MMO is as possible as it gets.

[Endoperez]

Most games only have to handle one player's worth of physics at once. MMO physics-based combat might be swamped by the sheer amount of physics calculations required, but probably not.

The control scheme could be problematic though.

[Horridius]

Don't start with procedural animations, ragdoll or AI. All the other engines do it (the ragdoll in Overgrowth is more complex, but that is not a constant computation cost and can be optimized radically.)

Overgrowth isn't optimized yet but it is a fact that it will require more power to render the characters. The combination of detailed blood dripping effects, moving ragdolls, procedural animations and the detailed physics (weapons only kill with a sharp edge for example) is kinda unique in Overgrowth. I haven't seen "all the other engines" do it.

Optimisation isn't magic, it still has to be rendered. Overgrowth will be harder to run because of it's details (not only fancy textures and shadows like in most games), the gameplay is just too detailed for an MMO. Don't underestimate Overgrowth, it's graphics are very good but not top graphics (close though in my opinion), but the physics and gameplay are very worked out (more important imo). That's also the pure reason why I look forward to Overgrowth's release and not these other games.

[MagnusM1]

That's a stupid idea.
Wolfire are indie-developers, and MMO's costs insane amounts of money to make.

[SalamiPizza]

also think of the latency.
combat in overgrowth is really fast. i dont think it is fair or even playable with pings around 50-100 and at least fiber isn't common in my area

[johndh]

The work required for an MMO would be an order of magnitude greater than the (already substantial) amount put into Overgrowth. Plus, MMOs aren't even supposed to be fun.

[shyisc]

The work required for an MMO would be an order of magnitude greater than the (already substantial) amount put into Overgrowth. Plus, MMOs aren't even supposed to be fun.

While there have been plenty of good points about why this can't or shouldn't be done, to say that an Overgrowth MMO shouldn't be made because MMO games made by others are designed to leech off the players rather than provide enjoyment is stupid.

[Korban3]

That whole article made perfect sense. Ya ever played an MMO that didn't aim to addict the player? The methods are so common that they are accepted as integral to the MMO. That's probably the first reason an OG MMO would fail, in the mainstream. It wouldn't have leveling, grinding, and mindless brainwashing.
= MMO fail.

[johndh]

So you want to play Second Life, but with more furries?

[Korban3]

Haha, SecondLife is somewhat of a joke. The only thing that is fun is building shit and it gets old fast. You can't play it cuz it ain't a game. A good role-playing game, by which I mean one that involves role playing, would be... exactly like SecondLife...
FUCK SECONDLIFE! FUCK MAINSTREAM RPG'S! I'M GONNA GO PLAY OVERGROWTH AND DEAD SPACE!

[InfernalArrow]

While I believe that if the devs are willing and able, by the end of production, to interject some form of multiplayer that would be great. But, an MMO for Overgrowth is highly unlikely, optimally and dynamically. The game is far too detailed and as many have said before, MMO's are mind boggling messes of games. Besides that, your idea is fun and sound.

Also, I couldn't pass this one up.

The main point is to create an environment that generates scenarios for Ninja Furries to play through.

I love this game, but I'm sure as fuck not a furry.

[johndh]

I love this game, but I'm sure as fuck not a furry.

Yeah, I get the feeling that this would turn Overgrowth into something that only furries would enjoy. Whatever they want to do in their own time is fine with me, but not at the expense of the rest of us. Plus, I have no reason to believe any of the Wolfire crew are furries in the first place, so what would they get out of it?

[CaptainCornelius]

I think the idea of an engine like overgrowth(phoenix) being implemented into an open source anthropomorphic culturally based MMO would be amazing. With forests and mountains and towns and the works being worked on all by real people. However you raised the point of simulation of needs for the NPCs so as to give a dynamic living feel. Like in World of Warcraft where you have these preset animations of factions fighting over and over and over..your right..it's just too fake..it's just a set it isn't alive. I love the idea of this massive simulation and then letting it go. This is something that anthropologists and biologists could use to witness cultural evolution at an excelerated rate. These ideas are not dumb. Just not what Overgrowth i think is going for but i do not fully know. Can't say similar thoughts havn't crossed my mind. What i do hope for are multi-player games like hide and seek capture the flag. A pack of say 5 wolves (human players) looking for one hiding rabbit, who by the way is after their flag. I've posted before about how fun it is to run with a pack of NPC wolves in overgrowth and mess up some rabbits! Now about the furry aspect..look anthropomorphised characters have existed since our human records can show. I for one always loved a rabbit in a three piece suit. Since i was a kid always drew anthropomorphised characters and made masks and such. I went to bass pro shop as a kid and found a rabbit face skin used for fly fishing (creepy?) I made a mask out of it when i was 8 and ran all over the woods with this thing on. I've made monster costumes for short films in college and . I plan to make a giant super realistic looking rabbit head as an art piece and to wear haha but never considered myself a "furry" ..Is this game really for furries by furries? I can slightly see that but i really don't care this game rocks! I do however consider myself an artist. oh and i love this game and reading what you guys post.

[Korban3]

Well, I'm pretty much a furry and I dig Ovegrowth. I'm fairly sure I'm alone on this site in that aspect (Forever Alone), but I doubt, as others do, that the devs are furries themselves. There were true design reasons behind using anthropomorphic animals such as avoiding the uncanny valley and others.
For instance, ever noticed how the Khajiit and Argonian races have consistently been better looking than the human and elf races in Skyrim and the other Elder Scrolls games? It's because we see humans everyday and have an expectation of what they should look like, while I doubt many of us see a 6 foot tall ninja rabbit kicking ass on a regular basis.
I dunno how I'd feel about getting a ton of other furries on this game. While I'd be glad Wolfire had more money, I'd be worried about the mainstream reception of Overgrowth. Especially if we ended up with a bunch pervs making explicit nudity mods But if it's just a bunch of folks here for a fun, brawling game with baws 3D platforming, then I wouldn't really mind.
And I would definitely say the game isn't just for furries There's bound to be others than me eventually, but it really is just a game that is going to be fun for some folks and unfun for others and that will be what really draws folks into Overgrowth.