PW Superserver

[Legacy_Ace-of-Spades]

               So, I'm sure this idea has been thrown out before, forgive me.

With the death of the gamespy listings and NWN being such an old game, we are always dwindling in numbers of players and they are hardly being replaced these days. The listing of active servers in this forum was definitely a huge help, but will it really bring in many new NWN players?

So I wonder, has anyone thought about getting devs together from many of the most successful PWs on NWN right now and making one PW Superserver? A setting where we could all gather and maintain a nice big population of players? 

Of course some are interested in roleplay, some are interested in hack&slash. A couple servers might be necessary.

Thoughts?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pascal Brax]

               You mean... one single NWN server with tons of portals connected to the most active server?

Or a gamespy data gathering replacement?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Borrie BoBaka]

               Kind of unnecessary with the existence of the IRC, however if you made a hak-less server that had portals to all the servers who submit an area (or series of areas) related to their server as a way of having an interactive "soft" introduction into their server could be an interesting feature, with also those servers supplying a portal back to this "lobby" server.

Sort of like a bridge for the NWN community as a whole to get together and meet one another and personally recruit and introduce potential players to their world, perhaps even have events where we visit many different PWs similar to the NW Player Appreciation days done last year.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Ace-of-Spades]

               @ Pascal
I was thinking more like a server created to replace all PW RP servers, one to replace all PW Action servers, etc etc. For instance, creating one huge "Forgotten Realms PW" to conglomerate the playerbase.

You're idea is pretty neat too though. Were you basically implying a type of "lobby" server that would connect to the others?
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Ace-of-Spades, 01 février 2013 - 05:36 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Borrie BoBaka]

               

Ace-of-Spades wrote...

I was thinking more like a server created to replace all PW RP servers, one to replace all PW Action servers, etc etc. For instance, creating one huge "Forgotten Realms PW" to conglomerate the playerbase.

You're idea is pretty neat too though. Were you basically implying a type of "lobby" server that would connect to the others?

Too many servers use different content that conflicts with other servers, has too many of their own systems, rely on unique and special gameplay mechanics supported by a singular use of module properties and also focus on different time frames, settings and community styles. If we made one big Forgotten Realms server to encompass all FR servers, you'd find you still have about only half of the server population, many go with different settings or something new, or their own version of Forgotten realms, so this would potentially alienate many worlds.

Not to mention I'm not sure NWN could fully handle something of that magnitude. 

It's an interesting idea, but not very practical with our current situation.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <whistling idly...>

Networked Servers - Large Community
Confederation of Planes and Planets
The (original) Nexus

<...and pointing with his eyes>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               Yeah...I for one would have no interest in working on such a server.  I like that each person/group can come up with something different...consolidating to just one or a few servers would severely hamper creativity.

For instance, I don't really care for the Forgotten Realms or other published world...using my own campaign world means I can make any changes I want without worrying about anyone saying "Wait!  Drow are obsessed with spiders and wield scimitars.  You can't have them worship a snake god and prefer rapiers!" or "That spell can't be altered that way.  The rules say it does exactly this...".

Getting everyone to work on the same thing, with the same systems and same content, to me, would mean abandoning what makes NWN the best game out there...the ability to make the game our own.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               I'd work on a Superserver if it was based on Arnheim.

But I do still like this idea. Its one that I proposed back in 2001 with a group of prospective builders.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_KlatchainCoffee]

               

Borrie BoBaka wrote...

Kind of unnecessary with the existence of the IRC, however if you made a hak-less server that had portals to all the servers who submit an area (or series of areas) related to their server as a way of having an interactive "soft" introduction into their server could be an interesting feature, with also those servers supplying a portal back to this "lobby" server.

Sort of like a bridge for the NWN community as a whole to get together and meet one another and personally recruit and introduce potential players to their world, perhaps even have events where we visit many different PWs similar to the NW Player Appreciation days done last year.

I think I'd go for something like this rather than one Superserver project, for reasons stated by others here.

It might be a good idea to do something about the loss of Gamespy, because as it is, when you log into Multiplayer you see... nothing    = immediate loss of any potential new players for sure.

I have something of an idea, though I don't know how workable it is.

Creating a very simple hak-less server that would basically do Gamespy's job of listing  all the operating servers/online games.

You take something like this: http://neverun.com/n...wnserverlist/   and connect it to a graphical representation inside this server.

Such a module would have a 'room' for each server type, where portal toons would appear and dissappear as servers go on and off line.The name of each server would appear above the portal (similar to PC names), 'examining' it would tell you basic information, clicking on it would either 'transport' you to that other server  or open a dialogue where that is an option. 'Established' servers can have a permanent toon/space that would indicate online/offline status.

Thus if you are running a game you want strangers to be able to join - they would be able to find your server among others as/when it comes online.  Most established servers/players would not find Gamespy loss a total disaster, but any potential new players would.

Assuming such a thing is possible and that Gamespy could be somehow persuaded to add a link inside their now-defunct system to that 'connecting' server which any player trying to enter multiplayer would immediately see, this could of great benefit to the future of NWN-based world building and Role Play.

Thoughts?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Ace-of-Spades]

               Well I was just tossing an idea out there. Very good points have been made. No harm done. '>

Now this Master Lobby Server idea sounds really cool to me. I just wonder how you'd keep illegal characters from going to servers they shouldn't. Would the portal take you to the character vault/creation screen for that server? At which point you could truly enter the server from there.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_painofdungeoneternal]

               It would be good if there was a way to get players there to begin with. I am not sure how used it would be though, since that is the same problem facing just a server - the end user would have to know the ip, then would have to direct connect to it, and hopefully it's actively maintained and not out of date- and hopefully all PWs are listed and not just those favored by the person hosting it - and i know there are 631 PW's for NWN1 right now, I just can't see a player dealing with that many portals in a game, nor a modder maintaining a module like that full time.

There is a flurry of solutions to this, basically everyone running in a hundred directions, and we are ignoring the root issues here.

1. We need a central spot where ALL PW's are listed, with live stats as for number of players. If there are two competing solutions, well if only portions of the PW's are on them, it's pointless, might as well google nwn pw's in google, and manually direct connect.

2. We need to provide easy access to that list for the player.

I am seeing the folks at http://www.nwnx.org with solutions, with a game client mod that makes the listings work just like it used to being worked on by virusman. ( nwncx )

NWN2 already has a nwnx plugin to post server status to the same central API, and the client extender links in with it - once you install it, the multiplayer just seems to work like it used to.

Further there are stand alone apps on the vault to list the servers, and a website listing them, and further it's an open API so you can roll your own tools and apps and still have a centralized authoritative list of servers in a single spot. I am working on my own app, mainly to address the issues on mac's which none of the current solutions are aimed at but which will work on pc's as well.

I would suggest checking if your PW is listed, and if not try to figure out how to get listed ( it's just another avenue of marketing after all - http://www.nwnlist.com/ is just one of the ways to see if you are listed. )

My thought is we wait until virusman finishes his app, then everyone do extensive debugging and testing of it, reporting every little issue until it is perfect ( perhaps adding more features like custom UI's and the sort ), then we make it very clear that to fix gamespy you have to install NWNCX on all the forums, and just get the word out.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Borrie BoBaka]

                I kind of like a lobby idea more that I think about it, though all it needs is someone who would like to host a server that would operate as this "bridge." 

My initial thoughts on design would be a central hub area with a general open space for players to connect into and interact. In this hub would be billboards that contain links to the major modding sites, such as NWvault, Neverwinter Nexus, Neverwinter connections, etc. From there players may enter a Tavern that is soley focused on interacting with other players, and portals that lead to different neighborhoods (PW Action, PW Story, Roleplay, Social, etc), or they can teleport with using chat commands.

This is the first layer of organizing PWs. From there, if it's still too crowded, you could have thematic neighborhoods sprouting from there. Sci-Fi, Modern, Forgotten Realms, Custom Fantasy, etc. Then players can enter an area dedicated to a certain persistent world, learn about the lore and perhaps engage in a custom quest written by the PW owner and imported into the hub world. 

Now there are some potential problems with this:
Q: Will the character be able to transfer from the Lobby into a Server?
A: Likely not as the server may have different rules while the lobby server may focus on a more meta-sense of the game. If it is possible to switch your chosen character while portaling, then this would be the best option
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Q: How will players find this server?
A: Advertisement on the major sites will help, also contacting every PW as possible to join in by adding the ability to portal from their server to the lobby server would dramatically drive in new people to the lobby. PWs hosting Meta-events in the Lobby would help bring their members and other members into the lobby to interact. Being able to put in an introductory area into the module may be inspiring for PWs looking for new members.

That's all I've mustered so far, it's an interesting idea, would be a nice thing to explore, though you'll need someone dedicated enough to manage it, which may be an issue. Also pulling the stats of different servers would be difficult but probably do-able. Another idea would be to switch out the portals being physical and add a command to direct connect to a server via it's name or IP into the chat, so players could enter the lobby, then use *connect: 123.456.789.* or *connect wonderful server* to connect to the server they wish. 

Of course this is still a bit flimsy considering the chat system that still works in the GameSpy browser effectively does this job, the only benefits of a lobby would be to combine all the chat rooms and allow players to actually play the game. 
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

Ace-of-Spades wrote...

Well I was just tossing an idea out there. Very good points have been made. No harm done. '>

Don't give up on your idea. Its a very good one, but you need a team of folks that want to do it. And you need a set of ground rules for cooperation between the servers.

I can see a few models that would be VERY interesting. Here are some ideas:

• You get a bunch of Roger Zelazny fans that each want to develop their own "shadow" in the Amber universe. This is an interesting idea because each shadow can be whatever you want it to be, and it would be easy to isolate each of them as you don't have to give every character the ability to travel between shadows. You'd have to create rules for which players gain the privilege of being a member of the Amber Family or the Court of Chaos (likely it is only unlocked at Epic levels, and requires an Epic Feat etc...  and something else only available at the server on which they started)
• You take the module X2 Chateau D'Amberville (I have an obsession with the word Amber I guess), and make the Chateau the lobby server - where every player starts for the first time. A small team could do this since all the pieces are defined. Its not open ended, and would have win conditions.
• You each decide to make a country in Forgotten realms. (I actually hate this idea, but what the hell)
• Alternatively you collectively build a world together, and each select regions of it. (I like this idea more, but it would be a nightmare to get people to agree). Although if each player has their own island... this would be manageable.
• Each developer selects a "plane" that they develop (similar to the Amber idea but uses D&D cosmology and restricts all worlds to pure fantasy). "Planes" could be reinterpretted to different models: Underdark server, Cloud Realm Server, Continent One, and Continent Two. Or they could all be countries in Ravenloft. Or you could do Shadow, Ethereal, Material, Hell etc....  The key is that each "realm" has certain barriers to entry. Its not a place you just walk to, but requires that you access it in specific ways. Board a ship to go to the other continent, Shadow walk to get to the Shadow Plane (I am reworking Shadow Dancers to do this instead of hide in plain sight).

This is something I've wanted to do for a very long time.

I was only half being facetious when I said that I'd do this if everyone agreed to do this with Arnheim. What I mean is we'd have to come up with a standard for the HAKs we use that we support ourselves, and a standard for how we structure character design. I've very carefully done this with Arnheim, and would be hardpressed to give up on the special integration of feats and skill and spells and classes that I've created. There is a META level of design that must happen first. classes, Races, Feats, Skills etc....

Then all could move on to the next step of cranking out their collective world.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lightfoot8]

               I just wonder it it is possiable to hak a server to add a function to Start a new game at the server log in point, as opposed to the  taking the current character logged into the game into the new server.  if it could be done without client haks most opposition to the Idea would melt away.    

Sounds like a good question for V-man
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Creativity in project design can also address technical limitations.