Give me a MegaGame!!

[wulphstein]

I have this idea that is likely to keep some software developer up all night for a long long time. :D

Make us a MegaGame! A BloatGame! A SuperGame! Here is the idea. There are those who like games like Caeser III/IV, Age of Empires, Civilization, First person shooters, ancient times, modern times, future times. Is it possible to make one game, with several compatible parts, to display the same 'information' in different ways? Oh, and make it multiplayer too.

It would look like this. Your building an ancient city for Caeser. Economics, temple/market/housing placement will determine how financially successful your city is. If you're successful, you've built a good size military. So now, you switch to a AofE like environment and march over to a foreign city and attack it. Or you defend against other attackers. As the game years roll by, their are upgrades to your city building repetriore. In fact (and forgive the insanity, I've been up all night), why not allow city building of a wide range of cultures over a span of 6000 years or longer (like Civilization).

As a supergame, you can play it from the point of view of an empire (with treaties, trade routes, culture, etc...), a city governor (like Caeser III/IV or any culture), or a General with a big army looking for a fight (like AofE, Empire Earth, but with awsome graphics). You might even want to experience your battle as a first person shooter (or legionaire).

You can select the features that you want in the super menu or just select which representation to play. Maybe you like managing the work habits of citizens while fighting a nearby war. Maybe you want the AI to act as your Company/Battallion commanders and carry out your General's orders.

If you want it to be a multiplayer game, you have to synchronize the time somehow. Maybe you and your online buddy are working on neighboring cities of opposing empires. Then, you switch from "Caeser III" perspective to "Civilization" perspective, start a war, and then switch to "AofE" perspective and fight it out.

Am I crazy and need sleep or are MegaGames coming? Yes, it would take up 30 or more GBytes on your harddrive, but it's not like you're using that space for anything important? :p

I'm going to sleep now, good night.

[Nighteyes]

:cool: :cool: :D Love the idea, little I could add, but would you have a pool of governers to pick out of so you can have the citys that you've captured looked after? Each one would have strengthes and weaknesses such as economic knowlage and militery ignorance.

[wulphstein]

If it's just one person playing, a Megagame should let you govern any part of your empire you wish and give the AI everything else. Once you capture a city from a 'Civilization' perspective, you could turn over the national leadership to the AI and govern the captured city personally (complete with riot police).

In multiplayer format, the timing is a problem. In Civilization, it takes one or two turns to capture a city. Perhaps 1 to 10 minutes. But, if you're playing out the battle from an Age of Empires perspective, a city capture could take an hour or more. There are timing problems that make it difficult (but not impossible) to multiplay with your friends.

If there we're a Megagame internet based world (similar to Everquest), you would probably be able to see the civilization map (as if following the news), but you and your friends would be 'Age of Empire' perspective Generals who fight each other or some other group.

The purpose of the Megagame, as a single player, is to allow the exploration of many different points of view with a single game reality (as the governor, general, national leader or some other perspective). The Megagame, as a multiplayer experience, allows friends to compete/play together, from reality view points of their choosing. Johnnie might elect to be the Caeser governor and build his city, while his friend, Bob, builds a Roman army (in Age of Empires format) to attack Johnnie. They can each play the game of their choosing, but still play together.

It's just a thought. :)