[vox] [Fwd: Open Games]
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[vox] [Fwd: Open Games]
Karsten Wade wrote:
>
> I had this wild ass, wacky idea this weekend. The current working title
> is 'Open Gaming Initiative' but that is admittedly a little lame and
> contrived. We'll work on it ...
>
> Quick summary - open source gaming platform released under a custom
> license that allows players access to the source code as a part of level
> progression. Ensures that developers are also gamers, and brings new
> developers into the fold. Read below for the whole picture.
>
> If you are interested in discussing this further, I have started a public
> mailing list at http://phig.org/mailman/listinfo/opengames (opengames@phig.org).
> I am looking to gather a core group of people interested in developing
> this idea further. I turn to you folks for two reasons -
>
> 1) to see if any of you are interested in getting involved or know of the
> perfect someone (if so, please fwd. this message)
>
> 2) to find out if I am way behind the curve and there is something already
> going on that I should join instead of wasting our time further
>
> Please take a few minutes to read the first draft (below the .sig here &
> at http://phig.org/opengames/ogi_draft.txt). It is in pretty good shape
> for a draft, but a little rambly. Discussions on the draft, idea,
> anything related should occur on the mailing list (because I am an
> archiving nut).
>
> tia - k'
>
> ^ |
> ^ ^ | |
> ^___^ Karsten Wade |___|
> | | phig@phig.org ^ ^
> | | http://phig.org ^ ^
> | ^
> "As sharp as the leading edge
> of a ball bearing."
>
> Open Gaming Initiative (working title)
> mailing list: opengames@phig.org
> mailing list URL: http://phig.org/mailman/listinfo/opengames
> Website: http://phig.org/opengames
> ## waiting for final naming decisions to register a .org
> Author: Karsten Wade <phig@phig.org>
> Date: 25 June 2001
>
> The Opening Gaming Initiative was created to develop in real time using
> open source methodologies the next generation of online gaming and
> communities. This is done through collaborative development of one or
> more gaming engines, possibly licensed under a new, custom Open Gaming
> Initiative Public License.
>
> One of the unusual features of the OGI and it's associated license is that
> the source code is only as open as your game play. Modules of source code
> are opened or made available through game play, in a similar manner to
> various adventure games where a player collects pieces to an overall
> puzzle through interactive game play.
>
> Besides the fun aspects of developing a gaming environment through this
> methodology, there are practical benefits:
>
> o The method insures that anyone developing either at the core or
> periphery of the project has some degree of proficiency at the games that
> they are developing.
>
> o It allows for earlier levels to release easier to manage modules of
> code, allowing newer developers and/or gamers to be introduced to the
> development process gradually or rapidly, depending on skill, interest and
> resources.
>
> o By further blending the worlds of work, play and community, we take
> steps and leaps closer to the critical mass that will be required to bring
> a true cybernetic world into existence [1].
>
> o Newer players can become programmers as they progress, and at a deeper
> and more meaningful level than any game yet. Developers can create
> modules and advanced developer kits that progress beginner players not
> only through gaming philosophy but also tool creation and coding
> philosophy. The same is true for story play. Learning happens on many
> levels simultaneously.
>
> Another objective of the OGI is to meld together the various Open Source
> game engines on the back- and middle-end so that there can be
> interoperability and play, where possible. By doing this, expertise in
> programming for one engine can carry over to other engines (for
> developers), and player tools can be used in a cross-game capacity (levels
> built for one game can be easily ported to another). It might also be
> possible to find or create objects in one game and carry them over to
> another.
>
> An example of the sort of reaction we are looking for can be found in the
> latest Sim rage, 'The Sims'.. By making the easy creation of online
> communities and by distributing freeware development tools for designing
> levels, objects, etc., the Sim developers where able to spark a complex
> interest in players.
>
> Players of The Sims use these freeware tools to create shops, communities
> and objects, which they can then give, barter or sell to other players. A
> player can populate an entire new house of AI characters with the latest
> furniture and accessories from another player's design outlet. This
> allows for an interesting economy to evolve, where a system of
> micropayments would fit in easily. At this point, the collective output
> of the community of players of The Sims is far greater than that of the
> game's developers.
>
> The idea of the OGI is to create a similar effect for open gaming. In
> traditional open source development, the ability to "make a patch and
> submit it" is largely in the hands of those who know or are willing to
> learn the programming language. The Sims has put the tools to "make a
> patch and play it" in the hands of average players; this falls in line
> with level creating tools of the first person shooters like Quake, Doom,
> etc. By combining these ideas with a license that requires gameplay in
> order to access code, we are hoping to reach many different levels of
> players, and create a framework that evolves on its own.
>
> By focusing on an engine and open gaming licensing scheme, we leave the
> genre of game being played up to the players, and style of playing it
> (first person, third person, real-time strategy, etc.). On the front end,
> games are laid out in traditional levels, with some of the play rewards
> being am increasingly deeper peek into what makes the game tick.
>
> Because a game story is as important as other play dynamics, another
> source item that can be revealed piecemeal to players is the plot and
> solutions/resolutions. This can allow for another level of learning to be
> involved - the philisophy of the story author is passed on as YAM (Yet
> Another Meme).
>
> References:
>
> [1] Let us be sure we know what we mean when we talk about cybernetics:
> http://www.pangaro.com/published/cyber-macmillan.html
--
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