What about historical mmo's such as Wild West, Civil War Era, Gangs of New York. How about an MMO based on Australopithecus Afarensis/cavemen (2.9-3.9 million years ago) call me crazy but I think that could be cool, I dont know maybe not. An MMO based on the Mediterranean Sea aroun 1000 BC could be fun too, as far as IPs what about Blade Runner?
You must not have seen my post above.
Boot Hill is a wild west RP IP and Gangbeusters is a 1920's crime gang RP IP.
1)Oh god yes!!!!!!! Pern would be great if done right fighting thread would be awsome in the extreme a real chance to break the "kill 10 rats" theme park model that is turning every one off these days "Dragon riders must fly when thread is in the sky"
sign me up for the brenden Queen hatching, and my first alt will be a student at the harper hall under the master harper. I'll do my crafting at Fort hold craft hall. (But if I'm making a knife for the lord holder no blue rider had better try to take it, wink)
AAhhh wonder if everyone under 17 has to log off if a queen starts blooding her kills?
2)Faf, and Mouser would also rock but I wonder if you can get the real feel for it and not have some stupid "family morals group"
throwing a fit. Murder, rape, tourtue. and If i recall two out of three by the main chacters no less. 95% of folks wouldbe ok , but after the dragon age "OMG same sex kissing and breasts exposed" dragon age out cry could it be lankmahr with out it?
3)Babalyon 5 is another on that would rock capital ships / space fighters/ along with full chacter development would be fun to play a minbari priest cast, or human fleet officer, or a centari minor noble, (maybe with Ranger for an expert class!)
oh god sooooo depressing to think of the dross we get today when compared to ideas like this. God now I've depressd my self think I'll go lay in a tub of cold water and cut F'lar loves Lessa into my arm
What about historical mmo's such as Wild West, Civil War Era, Gangs of New York. How about an MMO based on Australopithecus Afarensis/cavemen (2.9-3.9 million years ago) call me crazy but I think that could be cool, I dont know maybe not. An MMO based on the Mediterranean Sea aroun 1000 BC could be fun too, as far as IPs what about Blade Runner?
You must not have seen my post above.
Boot Hill is a wild west RP IP and Gangbeusters is a 1920's crime gang RP IP.
Horatio Hornblower sea opera, Honor Harrington space opera ( I get dibs on the first tree cat), anything by Spider Robinson, the Stainless Steel Rat, Farfhrd and the Grey Mouser, Rendevous with Rama, Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series...
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." Robin Williams
Sort of wondering why Bob Jordan's work isn't being greedily exploited by his relations, or his publisher (whoever landed the rights).
May still be in Probate. Or just waiting for the biggest cash offer.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
It's been mentioned a couple of times already, but the "Wheel of Time" series would be a very intriguing setting for an MMO. The IP recognition might not be as high these days (the mainstream gamer population doesn't seem to be particularly well-read anymore), but the books themselves are so densely populated with characters and descriptions of every last thing that creating the game environment would largely be a paint-by-numbers affair. Furthermore, the IP has been used repeatedly in MUDs for almost two decades, and said community has already come up with a variety of interesting solutions for designing game mechanics that support Jordan's very complex channeling system.
The biggest barrier to the series making a successful MMO is the aforementioned recognition factor, though. While I'm fairly certain just about every gamer has heard of Jordan's books, I haven't actually encountered more than a few dozen who have read any of the things, let alone the entire series. New York Times bestsellers or not, 13 books (soon to be 14) with over 600 pages each is more of an investment than a modern MMO's broad market is likely to have made. All of those pages would be excellent source material for a development studio, but if the property's name doesn't draw in a significant number of people on its own, it's questionable whether or not it would be worth the cost of acquiring.
I think the current cost of MMO development, and the targets those costs seem to mandate, will require a property that's been successfully represented in film (television, movies or both) in order to get the deepest possible saturation, which is unfortunate. At this stage, "Harry Potter" is likely the best bet, since just about everyone over the age of 6 has seen at least one of the movies or read one of the books, even if they themselves weren't fans. The cultural penetration of that IP is a worldwide phenomenon with the power to attract even non-gamers. Of course, that's assuming the IP's even within reach of an MMO's budget, which may very well be the reason we don't have one already.
I read through all the posts because this is a subject near and dear to me. I have to say that while there are some wonderful fiction universes mentioned in this thread, so far I haven't seen one that would make a good mainstream MMO.
Many mentioned are too self involved leaving no room for character adventures outside the realm of the story arc, so to expand the worlds to allow thousands to adventure there would take just about as much work as simply creating a new, no strings attached, game IP. Now while that new IP would not have the fan following of an established one, it would also not carry the hideous baggage that so many of the already tried IP experimnets have had.
The rest are genres that would not appeal to the majority of MMOers, just like they did not catch on with the main group of PNP gamers back in the day. Wild West. 1920s gangsters, etc, have always been favorite periods of history and fiction to me, but even back in the pen and paper days of role playing I never found many that shared that interest.
Some mentioned that are already PNP games such as Rifts and Shadowrun might work, but I feel would get butchered due to the annoying need of the MMO majority to feel every class has to be balanced and exact equals in power, an idea that goes completely opposite to how these pen and paper RPGs work.
About the only IP I can think of that would adapt well to an MMO would be the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe because they are open ended enough to be able to create a workable adventure world for thousands of players without breaking the lore in any way. I also feel it could make a credible AAA sandbox game as character progression could revolve around building pilot skills and earning credits to upgrade to more powerful weapon systems and mechs. Even then though I'm not sure it has enough of a devoted MMO playing fan base to justify a company trying to make an MMO out of it.
Kind of unrelated but to the people who mentioned John Carter of Mars, when the film comes out how many of you are willing to bet it will be criticised as an Avatar ripoff?
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Vampire Earth would make a good pvp MMO i think.(not really vampires if you haven't read the series). kind of a cross between post apoc.,stargate,war of the worlds,vampirISH aliens.
cats,wolves bears and think 4th was Ravens on one side, maybe even Ratbits.
Grogs have alot of different species,Reapers, maybe even quizlings.
I read through all the posts because this is a subject near and dear to me. I have to say that while there are some wonderful fiction universes mentioned in this thread, so far I haven't seen one that would make a good mainstream MMO.
Many mentioned are too self involved leaving no room for character adventures outside the realm of the story arc, so to expand the worlds to allow thousands to adventure there would take just about as much work as simply creating a new, no strings attached, game IP. Now while that new IP would not have the fan following of an established one, it would also not carry the hideous baggage that so many of the already tried IP experimnets have had.
Hmm. I don't think your criticisms actually apply to mine, a world where canonically there are tens of thousands of hunters.
Also, since it's vaguely reminiscent of Monster Hunter, I think it would be hard to argue that there isn't an audience for that kind of thing.
edit: In fact, I specifically picked my world from the viewpoint 'What world best has world mechanics and world design to accomodate being turned into an MMO', rather than 'What world is my favorite'.
About the only IP I can think of that would adapt well to an MMO would be the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe because they are open ended enough to be able to create a workable adventure world for thousands of players without breaking the lore in any way.
The rights to that IP have traded hands so often that few developers would want to touch it, I think. EA shut down MPBT 3025 in 2002, if I remember right. Microsoft sat on the rights to the title for years. Smtih and Tinker were working on an X-box version before the legal troubles.
It's currently tied up in court...not a great idea to propose an MMO based on one of the most lawsuit-generating IPs in history.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
What about historical mmo's such as Wild West, Civil War Era, Gangs of New York. How about an MMO based on Australopithecus Afarensis/cavemen (2.9-3.9 million years ago) call me crazy but I think that could be cool, I dont know maybe not. An MMO based on the Mediterranean Sea aroun 1000 BC could be fun too, as far as IPs what about Blade Runner?
You must not have seen my post above.
Boot Hill is a wild west RP IP and Gangbeusters is a 1920's crime gang RP IP.
Was Gang Busters a pencil & paper rpg?
Yes, all the logos in my original post are from PnP rpgs.
One of the most popular Fantasy IPs at the moment, A Song of Ice and Fire (AKA A Game of Thrones) is open and would make an excelent PvP game with plenty of Sandbox elements as well.
Players could make their guilds minor houses of a 3 sided war for the Iron Throne where people could actually hold the major castles of the area and the main focus would be on the fight around King's Landing. I have it all fleshed out in my mind, but don't want to write up the ridiculous amounts of text to explain it :P
Even if you don't share my vision of MY mmo, SoIaF is a prime IP to pick up.
Yep good call but is now been made into a strategy game so i'd take that as IP taken.
About the only IP I can think of that would adapt well to an MMO would be the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe because they are open ended enough to be able to create a workable adventure world for thousands of players without breaking the lore in any way.
The rights to that IP have traded hands so often that few developers would want to touch it, I think. EA shut down MPBT 3025 in 2002, if I remember right. Microsoft sat on the rights to the title for years. Smtih and Tinker were working on an X-box version before the legal troubles.
It's currently tied up in court...not a great idea to propose an MMO based on one of the most lawsuit-generating IPs in history.
It isn't the game license they are arguing over but the rights to a few of the mechs. This same exact issue was hashed out in the 80s and pretty much nothing happened. Well execpt prices for those specific miniatures went through the roof for awhile as people bought them up just in case. They will either work out a deal with Harmony Gold or Smith and Tinker will just cut those mechs from the game and design new ones.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Comments
You must not have seen my post above.
Boot Hill is a wild west RP IP and Gangbeusters is a 1920's crime gang RP IP.
/rant on
1)Oh god yes!!!!!!! Pern would be great if done right fighting thread would be awsome in the extreme a real chance to break the "kill 10 rats" theme park model that is turning every one off these days "Dragon riders must fly when thread is in the sky"
sign me up for the brenden Queen hatching, and my first alt will be a student at the harper hall under the master harper. I'll do my crafting at Fort hold craft hall. (But if I'm making a knife for the lord holder no blue rider had better try to take it, wink)
AAhhh wonder if everyone under 17 has to log off if a queen starts blooding her kills?
2)Faf, and Mouser would also rock but I wonder if you can get the real feel for it and not have some stupid "family morals group"
throwing a fit. Murder, rape, tourtue. and If i recall two out of three by the main chacters no less. 95% of folks wouldbe ok , but after the dragon age "OMG same sex kissing and breasts exposed" dragon age out cry could it be lankmahr with out it?
3)Babalyon 5 is another on that would rock capital ships / space fighters/ along with full chacter development would be fun to play a minbari priest cast, or human fleet officer, or a centari minor noble, (maybe with Ranger for an expert class!)
oh god sooooo depressing to think of the dross we get today when compared to ideas like this. God now I've depressd my self think I'll go lay in a tub of cold water and cut F'lar loves Lessa into my arm
/rant off
Was Gang Busters a pencil & paper rpg?
Some off the top of my head:
Shadowrun
Rifts (The PnP version)
Stargate (Since the previous attempt was vaporware)
Sword of Shannara
Wheel of Time
The Witcher
Any western
Mass Effect
Almost any PnP roleplaying game, got tons to choose from.
ZONK just hit me how about Dr. who?
Horatio Hornblower sea opera, Honor Harrington space opera ( I get dibs on the first tree cat), anything by Spider Robinson, the Stainless Steel Rat, Farfhrd and the Grey Mouser, Rendevous with Rama, Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series...
Dune
Mad Max
Terminator
Turok, Dino Topia, or Primeval
Percy Jackson series.
Harry Potter though I wouldn't play it lol. Post Voldamort.
Pokemon again not one I would play but lends itself well to an MMO setting.
V
A three way struggle between Aliens, Predators and Marines.
Highlander
I could continue this list for a very long time lol. Tons of Scifi and Fantasy IP's out there. Throw in western and you get an even longer list.
Sort of wondering why Bob Jordan's work isn't being greedily exploited by his relations, or his publisher (whoever landed the rights).
May still be in Probate. Or just waiting for the biggest cash offer.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
David Eddings' Sparhawk series' would make good material for an MMO.
/Oscarian
It's been mentioned a couple of times already, but the "Wheel of Time" series would be a very intriguing setting for an MMO. The IP recognition might not be as high these days (the mainstream gamer population doesn't seem to be particularly well-read anymore), but the books themselves are so densely populated with characters and descriptions of every last thing that creating the game environment would largely be a paint-by-numbers affair. Furthermore, the IP has been used repeatedly in MUDs for almost two decades, and said community has already come up with a variety of interesting solutions for designing game mechanics that support Jordan's very complex channeling system.
The biggest barrier to the series making a successful MMO is the aforementioned recognition factor, though. While I'm fairly certain just about every gamer has heard of Jordan's books, I haven't actually encountered more than a few dozen who have read any of the things, let alone the entire series. New York Times bestsellers or not, 13 books (soon to be 14) with over 600 pages each is more of an investment than a modern MMO's broad market is likely to have made. All of those pages would be excellent source material for a development studio, but if the property's name doesn't draw in a significant number of people on its own, it's questionable whether or not it would be worth the cost of acquiring.
I think the current cost of MMO development, and the targets those costs seem to mandate, will require a property that's been successfully represented in film (television, movies or both) in order to get the deepest possible saturation, which is unfortunate. At this stage, "Harry Potter" is likely the best bet, since just about everyone over the age of 6 has seen at least one of the movies or read one of the books, even if they themselves weren't fans. The cultural penetration of that IP is a worldwide phenomenon with the power to attract even non-gamers. Of course, that's assuming the IP's even within reach of an MMO's budget, which may very well be the reason we don't have one already.
Smurfs
Fraggle Rock
Seasame Street
Curious George
Gummi Bears
Winnie the Pooh
This. Best series ever.
Currently Playing: DAOC Uthgard
Previously Played: UO, DAOC, Shadowbane, AC2, SWG, Horizons, COX, WOW, EQ2, LOTRO, AOC, WAR, Vanguard, Rift, SWTOR, ESO, GW2.
* Puts on big daydream stomping boots *
I read through all the posts because this is a subject near and dear to me. I have to say that while there are some wonderful fiction universes mentioned in this thread, so far I haven't seen one that would make a good mainstream MMO.
Many mentioned are too self involved leaving no room for character adventures outside the realm of the story arc, so to expand the worlds to allow thousands to adventure there would take just about as much work as simply creating a new, no strings attached, game IP. Now while that new IP would not have the fan following of an established one, it would also not carry the hideous baggage that so many of the already tried IP experimnets have had.
The rest are genres that would not appeal to the majority of MMOers, just like they did not catch on with the main group of PNP gamers back in the day. Wild West. 1920s gangsters, etc, have always been favorite periods of history and fiction to me, but even back in the pen and paper days of role playing I never found many that shared that interest.
Some mentioned that are already PNP games such as Rifts and Shadowrun might work, but I feel would get butchered due to the annoying need of the MMO majority to feel every class has to be balanced and exact equals in power, an idea that goes completely opposite to how these pen and paper RPGs work.
About the only IP I can think of that would adapt well to an MMO would be the Battletech/Mechwarrior universe because they are open ended enough to be able to create a workable adventure world for thousands of players without breaking the lore in any way. I also feel it could make a credible AAA sandbox game as character progression could revolve around building pilot skills and earning credits to upgrade to more powerful weapon systems and mechs. Even then though I'm not sure it has enough of a devoted MMO playing fan base to justify a company trying to make an MMO out of it.
Kind of unrelated but to the people who mentioned John Carter of Mars, when the film comes out how many of you are willing to bet it will be criticised as an Avatar ripoff?
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Vampire Earth would make a good pvp MMO i think.(not really vampires if you haven't read the series). kind of a cross between post apoc.,stargate,war of the worlds,vampirISH aliens.
cats,wolves bears and think 4th was Ravens on one side, maybe even Ratbits.
Grogs have alot of different species,Reapers, maybe even quizlings.
Hmm. I don't think your criticisms actually apply to mine, a world where canonically there are tens of thousands of hunters.
Also, since it's vaguely reminiscent of Monster Hunter, I think it would be hard to argue that there isn't an audience for that kind of thing.
edit: In fact, I specifically picked my world from the viewpoint 'What world best has world mechanics and world design to accomodate being turned into an MMO', rather than 'What world is my favorite'.
Shadowrun MMO could be fun.
The rights to that IP have traded hands so often that few developers would want to touch it, I think. EA shut down MPBT 3025 in 2002, if I remember right. Microsoft sat on the rights to the title for years. Smtih and Tinker were working on an X-box version before the legal troubles.
It's currently tied up in court...not a great idea to propose an MMO based on one of the most lawsuit-generating IPs in history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MechWarrior_(reboot)
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Yes, all the logos in my original post are from PnP rpgs.
Here are a few could prob name loads more, but these spring to mind.
Babylon 5
Firefly
Sword of Shanara
The Magician books
Sanctuary
Disc World
A proper Star Trek and Stargate game would also be good at last !!
Deathlands - good books over 60 of them
Yep good call but is now been made into a strategy game so i'd take that as IP taken.
It isn't the game license they are arguing over but the rights to a few of the mechs. This same exact issue was hashed out in the 80s and pretty much nothing happened. Well execpt prices for those specific miniatures went through the roof for awhile as people bought them up just in case. They will either work out a deal with Harmony Gold or Smith and Tinker will just cut those mechs from the game and design new ones.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
WHEEL OF TIME!!
Oh I forgot to include Terminator (post-judgement day of course).