Let's build an MMO.

[FrostyBoy]

Alright, I just liked the Saskatchewan name.


On another note, I will be doing an example map of the France zone and the city Paris, I have also found it would be easier to make the big cities, zones themselves, as they are too big. I just need to figure out how a player will enter and exit a big city, I am guessing a toll booth.

[FrostyBoy]

I am also working on a Career Ladder for different paths a player can take, and I need to figure out how a player can switch from one Career Ladder to another without starting all over again.

Here is what I have so far:

Path Categories:
---------------------
Industrial
Commercial
Military (Sub-category: Marine, Army, Navy, Airforce)
Intelligence (Sub-category: Technology, Medical, Relations)
Rebellion
Exploration
Gangster


Industrial Career Ladder
==================================
Errands Boy
Packager
Driver
Miner
Assistant Storeman
Storeman
Warehouse Supervisor
Distribution Manager
Operations Manager
Regional Manager
General Manager
Assistant Geologist
Geologist
Assistant Engineer
Engineer
Entrepreneur
Assistant Vice President
Vice President
CEO


Commercial Career Ladder
====================================


Intelligence Career Ladder
====================================

Technology
--------------
Enthusiest
Student
Teacher Assistant
Senior Teacher Assistant
Teacher
Network Engineer
Electrical Engineer
Mechanical Engineer
Programmer
Assistant Master Engineer
Master Engineer
Assistant Architect
Architect
Physicist
Senior Professor
Assistant Professor
Professor
Theorist
NPW

Medical
---------
Enthusiest
Student
Teacher Assistant
Senior Teacher Assistant
Teacher
Chemist Assistant
Chemist
Nurse Trainee
Nurse Assistant
Nurse
Practitioner
Physical Therapist
Assistant Doctor
Associate Doctor
Doctor
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Professor
NPW

Relations
-----------


Exploration
====================================
Enthusiast
Walker
Assistant Guide
Guide
Junior Hunter
Senior Hunter
Hunter
Assistant Zoologist
Zoologist
Junior Survivalist
Senior Survivalist
Survivalist
Assistant Historian
Historian
Assistant Archeologist
Archeologist
Assistant Professor
Professor
Adventurer


Rebellion
====================================


Gangster
====================================

Military
====================================

Marines
----------
Private
Private (1st Class)
Corporal
Sergeant
Staff Sergent
Gunnery Sergeant
Master Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
Secretariat General

Airforce
---------
Airman
Airman (1st Class)
Senior Airman
Staff Sergeant
Technical Sergeant
Master Sergeant
Senior Master Sergeant
Chief Master Sergeant
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
Secretariat General

Navy
------
Recruit
Seaman Apprentice
Officer (3rd class)
Officer (2nd class)
Officer (1st Class)
Chief Officer
Senior Chief Officer
Master Chief
Ensign
Lieutenant Junior
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain
Rear Admiral
Vice Admiral
Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Secretariat General

Army
------
Private
Private (1st Class)
Corporal
Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Sergent (1st Class)
Master Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
Secretariat General

[FrostyBoy]

Fix my Career Path!

Think of these paths as the experience points. You must have/accomplish certain things in order to progress, each title gets progressively harder. I want to design it so that not anyone can reach the top, like most MMO's.

I have yet to do the Relations Subcategory, I want to make this the government one (so the top one will be president). And the Gangster, Rebellion and Commercial paths.

If you wish to change Career path, you can, but there must be a penalty. I am thinking, for example, if you are a Commander on the Navy path, and want to switch to Intelligence:Technology Path, the equivalent woud be Architect, but the penaty wil drop you down to perhaps Network Engineer instead. But what's good about this is that you won't lose what you gained being a Navy officer. So in effect, you could play every category, but I imagine it would take a hell of a long time.

For those who are confused about the Rebellion path, look at it as a "Freelancer" path, basically, you have no place or career in the world, but you can achieve in other manners, maybe art, or sport, i'm not exactly sure yet, I added this category to cater to the many out there who don't want to conform.

A few other things, you will note that the Military paths all end with the same title. When you reach the second to last highest level, you will be eligible to recieve the Secretariat General title for the zone. (Based on a vote) There can only be one SG per zone.

NPW stands for "Nobel Prize Winner".

[Asher]

This has epic fail written all over it.

[Wiglaf]

Frostyboy we need longer lists of things in order to judge this idea properly. Please provide lists that are longer than the last one. Thanks in advance.

[EPW]

The career paths make no sense

[FrostyBoy]

EPW, yeah, can you eleborate please?

[EPW]

Enthusiest
Student
Teacher Assistant
Senior Teacher Assistant
Teacher
Chemist Assistant
Chemist
Nurse Trainee
Nurse Assistant
Nurse
Practitioner
Physical Therapist
Assistant Doctor
Associate Doctor
Doctor
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Professor
NPW

This is medical?

How many doctors progress from a teacher to a chemist, then to a nurse(!), then to a practitionar??, then then to a physical therapist , then finally to a doctor. Then you quit your job, (if you havn't died of old age by now), and become a Professor?

[FrostyBoy]

Don't think I don't know this. I am just writing junk in to get something started, that's how you do things, you start with an idea, then a draft, then you clean it up then you polish it.

I thought I made that clear already? So EPW, what are your ideas to fix it?

[EPW]

I charge a $50000 consulting fee

[FrostyBoy]

I'll do it myself thanks.

[Wiglaf]

How many doctors progress from a teacher to a chemist, then to a nurse(!), then to a practitionar??, then then to a physical therapist , then finally to a doctor. Then you quit your job, (if you havn't died of old age by now), and become a Professor?

[DarkCloud]

FrostyBoy-

Sorry to sound a little negative, but what you are proposing sounds a bit like second life. Which appears, to me, quite boring.

Why don't you make it like Superpower and Sim City mixed together- where each player is in charge of themselves to start off, then they make friends, make money and influence people and can work their way up to run one of three paths:

1. Spiritual
2. Politics
3. Commerce

A possible advancement tree

2.)person
city council (elections!)
mayor
governor/(more important house of) parliamentarian
etc. or something of that route.

NPCs would give quests to help people advance on their political careers- these quests would unlock extra skill points to distribute. Then the players would have to lobby other characters and NPCs in their constituiencies to gain enough votes to win elections... afterwhich they will have tasks in the greater community. (I'm foreseeing a terrible timesink if this game 'requires' people to do certain things)

The whole design will be terribly complicated and need to be adapted country-by-country to their specific systems. Whoever designs the details would have to hold tremendous amounts of data in their heads- and programming algorithms and mathematics (to balance all the numbers)

It could be very interesting, I think- if done well. But it may be too difficult to do remotely easily.

And then a rough sketch for the possible progression of someone involved in the business path
3.)
Self-Promoter (They begin by going door-to-door and selling things from the back of magazine catalogues... have to convince people to purchase things, based on conversation trees that originate and branch based on the personality of the purchasee. The purchasees all have different statistics that you have to gauge... Depending on your 'cognizance' you can better expect how they might react to your different conversational choices.) Depending on your charisma, you have different convo. choices a la Mass Effect or Baldurs Gate.)

Street Vendor
Small Business
Large Business
corporation
Multinational

as you work your way up the ladder, you will have to deal with sourcing and purchasing resources from other countries, etc.

good luck.

~DC.

[DarkCloud]

Spelling quibble:
Enthusiest=Enthusiast
---

Errands Boy
Packager
Driver
Miner
Assistant Storeman
Storeman
Warehouse Supervisor
Distribution Manager
Operations Manager
Regional Manager
General Manager
Assistant Geologist
Geologist
Assistant Engineer
Engineer
Entrepreneur
Assistant Vice President
Vice President
CEO

How, necessarily, are engineers more important than geologists? That is a question you will have to answer.

It might be better just to allow the game to have more freeform flavor- which would allow players to experiment more.

Rather than having everything under the sun- abstract things a bit.

[Wiglaf]

Industrial Career Ladder
==================================
Errands Boy
Packager
Driver
Miner
Assistant Storeman
Storeman
Warehouse Supervisor
Distribution Manager
Operations Manager
Regional Manager
General Manager
Assistant Geologist
Geologist
Assistant Engineer
Engineer
Entrepreneur
Assistant Vice President
Vice President
CEO