User generated metaverse

Objectives
To collectively build a constellation of virtual worlds and MMOs where the rules, content, and development are created by participants.

We want it to be possible for anyone to create their own world. Something like Robert Nozick's framework for utopia

EverQuest's Dungeon Maker
"EverQuest II's Dungeon Maker is a tool that allows a player or (groups of players) to design, publish, and share their own dungeon designs.

The builder picks a floor plan and then wanders about placing items, decorations, and creatures via a simple point and click interface. Monster behaviors can be programmed with a few mouse clicks, making it easy to set a patrol path or plan an ambush on unsuspecting players.

Once the dungeon is finished the creator can publish it so others can give it a go. Just hop in, play a round, and vote up the dungeons you like the best. Players win equipment tokens for playing dungeons, while creators earn rewards for hitting the top of the leaderboards.

What makes the feature even more interesting is that certain dungeon layouts and monster spawners can only be found by going out into the world and adventuring, so there's a nifty element of collection on top of all that creativity." From Kotaku You can watch a video promo of the builder here

"For the first time, you and your fellow players can create new content for the game, play through a constantly changing list of player-created dungeons, and get rewards whether you are a dungeon builder, adventurer, or both!"

City of Heroes Mission Architect
An official post from Paragon Studios’ Matt "Positron" Miller: "24 hours after launch we were already at 3800 arcs. We did some data mining of our own, and 3,800 surpasses the amount of content that we, the developers, have made for all of City of Heroes and City of Villains combined. In just one day our users did more than we could in almost five years."

Star Trek Online's Foundry
The foundry is a powerful set of editing tools that will let you create your own missions. It lets you put together your own star systems, script battles, write dialogue and create cutscenes. A mission sharing system will let players rate missions, and the very best will be highlighted with developer spotlight awards, making it easy for players to sift through to the best player made missions.

For a video click here

Why can't whole worlds could be built this way?

Players working as NPCs
Here NPCs might be real human players who are paid real money to inhabit that virtual role. This adds depth and variety to the game. A similar idea comes from Doctorow's 'For the Win' novel where Amazon's Mechanical Turk evolves into MMO microwork:

"The Turks were an army of workers in gamespace. All you had to do was prove that you were a decent player-- the game had the stats to know it -- and sign up, and then log in whenever you wanted a shift. The game would ping you any time a player did something the game didn't know how to interpret -- talked too intensely to a non-player character, stuck a sword where it didn't belong, climbed a tree that no one had bothered to add any details too -- and you'd have to play spot-referee. You'd play the non-player character, choose a behavior for the stabbed object, or make a decision from a menu of possible things you might find in a tree."

As virtual worlds spread and grow, more people will be collaboratively involved in their development and direction.

Free 2 Play and the money supply
The game would need an input of real-money, for a rich and robust world and economy to develop.

We would go 'free to play' and offer additional microtransactions for certain parts of the game that don't decrease the amount of fun had by the players who don't microtransact.

A case study is Guild Wars 2: Mike O’Brien, the president of the studio behind the game, says: "players should have the opportunity to spend money on items that provide visual distinction and offer more ways to express themselves. They should also be able to spend money on account services and on time-saving convenience items. But [we don't want] players to buy a game and not be able to enjoy what they paid for without additional purchases, and [we don't want] players who spend money to have an unfair advantage over players who spend time.”

Here are some ideas taken from Cory Doctorow on free 2 play and bringing money into the economy:


 * The time-rich skilled players won't resent lamers having a shorter corpse-run, because they'll still kill 'em

looking weapons.
 * But give the lamers big weapons and it amounts to an "I win" item -- instead, sell things like awesome

It could also be fun for players to be able to craft very powerful weapons or enchantments using other skills like an API that included some drag and drop coding, photoshop, music, effects. and sell these for real money or game money to other players.
 * Rental [in the game a time-limited spell?] is awesome -- an item that's too powerful disappears from the game when the rental/spell/contstruction period expires. This already happens to some extent with weapon damage from a wipe. It costs gold to repair items after death. If the gold that is sunk out of the game like this is fully exchangeable with real money - this is like being able to buy the gold to repair items with dollars. Its just another way to play the game, two different purchasing means.

The extent to which we allow real money to influence the game is up to us. We can all play in worlds where we dont allow it at all, and also play in worlds where we do. Both are possible.

Lets create a system where RMT is fluid and open in some worlds, not permitted in others, and anything we like in between.

Why do we need it?
For Gaming

Because the game companies try to stop gold farming. Virtual work has such amazing potential to benefit the developing world, it would be great if gamers could have fun while also helping people/getting paid.

Here's something from Massively: "If you truly want to stop (or at least reduce) gold-farming, start making virtual worlds again. Stop focusing exclusively on competition and make room for creativity and cooperation. Gold-farming will continue as long as progression-based gameplay dominates because progression-based gameplay is an artificial fun barrier, and it's ultimately a waste of our most precious resource: time."

For Us

Let's make a game where we create the rules. A game for the people, by the people.

Your perspective on the world is unique.

Lets give all people the tools and space to:


 * craft their own worlds


 * allow others to do the same


 * and derive real-world value from doing so

A model for such a thing might be the framework for utopia originally proposed by Robert Nozick.
 * while keeping our real physical world safe

"I believe that a world that you want your players to invest in emotionally... needs to be changeable by them." [http://youtu.be/1PLvAoedI6Y? SheGeek]

===Share this post  ===