One of the many projects that I’m working on, is an online RPG, to primarily take the form of a browser-based game. The setting for the game is my zRPG fantasy world. The game is still under heavy development, and much of what I’m planning is subject to change.

My current goal is to create a central Game Engine API running in node.js with a MongoDB database, that will handle all server requests, with potentially multiple GUI interfaces (whether Browsed-based or otherwise) communicating with the server, providing potentially different game interfaces all existing within one persistent world. Some example game interfaces would include a text-based view, and Isometric view, a top-down view, first person view, that players could switch between based on preference, but still play with the same character and interact with the same world. This is a rather lofty goal, and full of difficulties, and I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to bring players from different game interfaces together in a reasonable way. The two main interfaces I’m working on at the moment, is a text-based descriptive game (accessible through the browser and as a MUD, I’m also looking into ways to hook this game into a chat bot for instant messengers), and an Isometric one.

The game itself however, will have a focus on having a rich and interesting world for players to explore, with as many ways to influence the world itself as is reasonable. PvP at this time is not going to be a focus, and when I do eventually include it, I’ll be making the consequences quite harsh as a deterrent, there are no major wars going on in the world that would allow/explain for having opposing factions and massive battles as a core part of the game. I’m not going to call this game an MMORPG, and have no intentions to emulate the popular MMORPG’s. The game will be multiplayer, you’ll be able to group up with friends, and explore and battle foes together. In order to allow for the less graphical interfaces, combat at the moment, is planned to be automated, based on the player’s selection of equipment, skills and potentially spells, and allowing some control over your characters style of fighting by specifying a set of rules/tactics that would be followed. My intention is to have this displayed through animations within the Isometric game, and as descriptive prose in the text-based one.

At this moment the Game Engine API is being developed as the primary focus, with a primitive text-based interface being built up along side it. The isometric interface at this point needs a lot of work done, and I plan to work on it more once the text-based game is at a usable stage.