The solution to keep demigod growing

from Demigod Forums

As mentioned in http://forums.demigodthegame.com/357191 Frogboy felt that to keep DG going, and increase sales and userbase, he listed a few of the following....

New Demigod released every 60 days
New map released every 60 days
New favor items added every 30 days
Maps that support 1 on 1 games.

 

The solution to many of these is very simple, and used by other game developers to huge sucess.

Want new maps? Add a map editor! Let your userbase create and share their own maps. All stardock needs to do is make the editor, and a way to let users download new maps from each other. It *is* a P2P network, so rather then sucking bandwidth to release new maps to hundereds of thousands of DG owners, the bandwidth cost to stardock would be $0. The development cost of new maps in man-hours and salary would be effectively $0. All they would need to do is work on the editor.

Similarly - create a basic DG charater creator. The userbase could then submit a 90% complete design to Stardock for refinement. Most of the work would already be complete. Similarly - designs could be submitted for new items/weapons and new classes of grunts.

The level editor alone would probably result in 100+ new maps within a week of it's release. It worked for Unreal Tournament...

C'mon Stardock, this is a no-braner!!!

1,591 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Demigod Forums Top

this is a no-braner!!!
End of quote

Oh the irony...

Reply #2 from Demigod Forums Top

I suppose I should actually make a legitimate response instead of just poke fun :P

This isn't quite as simple as you make it out to be.  The map editor is definitely the more simple of the two.  However, the more simple it's going to be, the more lackluster it will be as well.  If Stardock wants to create a really strong, diverse map editor, they'll have to include all sorts of textures, doodads, and various models for the users to work with.  Additionally, it would be hard to make any of these maps "official" without Stardock first going through and making various tweaks and fixes.  All in all, they might find that they're better off just designing them themselves.

Demigods are even more prone to this.  Ideas for fun and creative Demigods aren't hard to come by... these forums are filled with them.  The two places that make adding additional Demigods complex is in the graphics/animation and the balance.  Both of these can't be carried out by the everday user.  The forum cries alone show that the average user has no idea what constitues good balance.  Lots of statistics, testing, and engineering is required in order to achieve this, and it requires a lot of manpower.

Let me put it this way.  Stardock -could- just open everything up and let users start desigining aspects of the game... but then you'd have a game that -felt- like it was designed by a bunch of random gamers and not by a company.  This isn't what we want.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Demigod Forums Top

The level editor alone would probably result in 100+ new maps within a week of it's release.
End of quote

Demigod's maps are massive, singular 3D props (running around 80MB each). They are not tile based--any maps that were not just rearrangements of existing ones (block lanes, move towers, etc) would need to be developed from scratch by skilled artists.

Reply #4 from Demigod Forums Top

yea none of this is some simple thing that just the average user could make or edit. Not even with an editor (3D Studios, etc). However, once modding is implemented I'm sure we will see some of the more talented community step forward with custom built maps and DGs that work out quite well.

Reply #5 from Demigod Forums Top

I like this idea.  And who's to say that any of the proposed user-created content would have to become official?  That's what custom games are all about in most genres - free reign for mod support.  There could even be a sub-category of custom games called "community custom games," for instance; here there would be only user-created content.  It would keep the online gaming experience in Demigod perpetually fresh, and SD/GPG could just sit back and watch the community grow exponentially.  Not to mention, if the devs really took an interest in some specific user-created content, they could then pick and choose what aspects of it to refine, etc. and then make it official to be used in regular custom games.

 

 - andpancakes

Reply #6 from Demigod Forums Top

The Maps that GPG/SD made are to stunning, user maps would just look bland when compared. Also, how many other ways can we design a map, most of the concepts i have seen look the same. If you really want to make a map, wait for the modding tools to come out.

Reply #7 from Demigod Forums Top

i actualy did a bit of research into how the maps are made (having very little programming experiance this was interesting to say the least).  anyway from what i've found it.... the maps are build using 3D software like 3Ds Max and that models are build and stored in .gr2 files.  these .gr2 files are from a company called Granny 3D which is some high class corperate 3D game design program.  anyway after a bit snooping i got a viewer for the files and this is what i got:

 

 

 

here you can see the models for Cataract... you can also see that these are incredibly detailed.  obviously if they release a map editor its not going to be the anything liek the little WC3 one.  this is going to be a much more taxing experiance. 

the only problem i can see is SD/GPG trying to dumd the editor down to WC3's level and ending up with something resembling the map creater from Super Smash Brother Brawl (shudder... X| )

 

when they do release this i think it'll probably need something like a converter or something to help those with 3Ds Max create files that can be used by Granny 3D (obviously getting the actual Granny 3D is impossible, and yes i tried)

anyway i found a few more things out about the maps as well but i think going any further would be a bit dangerous... so to sum up:  don't expect the map editor to be easy... and don't expect the people who would create the maps to be mediocer at it either.  these are professionals we're talking about.