Disco Duck

One of the beam weapons slightly resembles a light saber... :-) Hopefully some of you are actually reading it, I'd really like for the forums to start out with at least a couple dozen Subspace players.

There are actually only minor elements of RPG and Adventure games in Pirate Dawn and that was done on purpose. Although "levels" do exist, and there are "skill points", this is really only important at the lower levels which are easily and quickly attained. After that, the "levels" in Pirate Dawn don't work anything like a traditional RPG. In Pirate Dawn you have both an "Experience Level" and an "Alignment" and both values together reveal much about a player. When you target another player with the targeting system you receive information about a player such as his or her name, corproate/cartel affiliation, Experience, and Alignment. The way that Alignment works, you can only have a high alignment if you destroy a lot of enemy ships and don't die as often in return. Experience is simply ac!@#$%^&*ulated through a player's encounters with "random events" (which essentially covers all AI within Pirate Dawn). So Experience essentially reveals how active a player has been in the game, while Alignment shows how aggressive (and dangerous) a player is. Some players may even seek to intentionally keep both values low, in order to "maintain a low profile" and not draw as much attention too themselves. Which brings us back to the beginning, the fact that it can be desirable to intentionally maintain low values in both Experience and Alignment is why the system is designed as it is, and only the first few levels are of any real importance to the "character" (i.e. only the lower levels give skill points). The entire system results in a "you are what you do" feel. !@#$%^&*les are earned at various milestones of Experience and Alignment. So when you target a player you will see their raw values for experience and alignment, but you will also see their !@#$%^&*les. The !@#$%^&*les have been devised to often, but not always, work out into a decent sounding "description" of a player type. So, for example, your Experience !@#$%^&*le might be "Ace" while your Alignment !@#$%^&*le is "Pirate" and any player targeting you reads "Ace Pirate". It doesn't always work out to such a cool sounding !@#$%^&*le, but this system does a very good job of giving the game a "you are what you do" feel. You never pick "I am a Pirate" or "I am a Trader", you simply play the game however you wish to play it and you will usually wind up with an appropriate !@#$%^&*le for what you are doing. I'd really like to have at least a couple dozen Subspace players participating in the forums before I even bother telling other people. If you read the design do!@#$%^&*ent and are into the game, come by the web site and start asking me questions about it or suggesting improvements. As soon as we have a discussion going others should start to join in.

That's a good idea... Here is a slightly more detailed description than I wrote in the "ad". I wrote this here instead of pasting something I already have, so that I could taylor this for Subspace players. Pirate Dawn is a player-moddable, economic, diplomatic, stratetgic real-time MMO wargame. The "galaxy" (actually the "National Map") is comprised of a theoretically unlimited number of star systems, each star system is somewhat like a map for a Subspace zone but is an actual solar system with planets, terrain, and many other locations. The star systems are connected by wormholes, and passing through a wormhole brings you too another star system (or "Subspace map"). Like players, each star system has an alignment. Players move cargo between star systems, which affects the alignment of the star system the cargo is delivered too. The overall goal of the game (a game would last 9-36 months or so depending on its size) if for one side, the citizens or criminals, to bring the "national alignment" far enough toward their side to achieve the victory condition. This is the fundemental basis of the game, but the game is actually so diverse that you can actually play it without ever moving any cargo at all... and many people will. Pirate Dawn revolutionizes the concept of "clans" within MMO games. Corporations (citizens) and Cartels (criminals) aren't just some web site thing that players do on the side. Pirate Dawn has been designed around the "player organizations" from the ground up. The entire game literally revolves around the "clans" in Pirate Dawn. Corporations and Cartels can research new technologies and then sell them through their shipyards, making a fortune whenever they are first to invent a critical new technology. They can also buy, build, and sell "remote facilities" which are all of the game locations that players use such as Cargo Storage Facilities, Docks, and Casinos. Player organizations also have many abilities which allow them to influence the actions of the general population such as Funding Patrols, Subsidies, and the ability to place a very large bounty on a players head. This entire game has been designed around the "clans", and the "clans" in Pirate Dawn have tremendous power and influence within the game. "Terrain" breaks space into a web of blind spots, communication dead-zones, and hiding places. Pirate Dawn possesses a structure to space never before seen in a computer game. In Pirate Dawn space is a colorful, cloudy, rocky place filled with life and mysterys. "Terrain" such as asteroid fields, radiation zones, and dust clouds essentially break the map up into smaller areas... in a way the same way that walls do in Subspace, except that there is no actual wall there. The sophisticated design of communications, stealth, and targeting within Pirate Dawn allow the various terrain types to create a real structure to space. These really are just a few good examples I could thing of to highlight some of the more unique aspects of the game while giving a bit more of a detailed preview here. There really is a whole lot more too this game than I can describe here, if you are interested just read the design do!@#$%^&*ent and them come to my forums to talk about it.

Wayward Penguin Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Seal Meat We put the Arrr... in Penguin. Sry, just had to put in my 2 cents. So what was this shock and awe campaign DiscoDuck was talking about? Haha, I am just trying to convince people to read the design do!@#$%^&*ent. I knew going into this that getting the first few dozen forum participants would be very hard. I am asking people to read a 195-page book, not try out a game demo. I've just been trying to get across to Subspace players, who will have an easier time understanding the game than anyone else, that it really is worth their time if they are interested in a "Subspace-like" game that is, instead, a massive "galaxy" at war with itself. If you like this kind of game, you really should find the time to read the Pirate Dawn design do!@#$%^&*ent. It really is a very special game, and it really does revolutionize MMO games in several very meaningful and tangible ways. I would expect most Subspace players to think that it far exceeds their expectations of whatever they imagined the "next great top down space combat game" would be. Then, if you really get into it, come and start posting on the forums. I really think that I can get the game made with this web site, but I need active forums before I can begin to try anything. If you want to play Pirate Dawn, posting on the forums is what will make that possible. Finally, if you are into game design at all, then the design do!@#$%^&*ent should be interesting too you purely from the standpoint that my design do!@#$%^&*ents are almost certainly the most detailed and complete in the industry. I've reviewed the pre-production design do!@#$%^&*ents of other developers when I worked in the industry and the "industry standard" is best described as 20-40 pages of vague notes. I've also had other designers who have been in the industry since its inception tell me that my design do!@#$%^&*ents are "by far" the most detailed that they have ever encountered. So Pirate Dawn is also on opportunity for anyone interested in game and simulation design to get a first-hand look at what is among the most, if not the most, detailed and complete design do!@#$%^&*ents in the world. But most of you Subspace players really will fall in love with Pirate Dawn if you take the time to read it. ...Quack:-)

Actually it is nothing like it at all. You would have to actually read it to see exactly what it is. And I didn't "just think up a game", it is a very proffesional and extremely well-done design do!@#$%^&*ent. It is a 95% complete game. Right now I am really just looking for a couple dozen or so people on the forums to get things started. I expected it to go slowly, especially at first. Subspace players are the people most likely to truly get it, and want to help see it made and make it better at the same time, so that's why I am here trying to get the word out to Subspace players. But it definately isn't like any other games out there, superficially it might me, but it really is very unique. And Subspace players really should just love it. Like I said before, read section (L0.0) as a sample, the Ship Design section should really catch the attention of Subspace players. If you want more along the same lines after that, (I5.59) and (R5.0) will continue you through more ship upgrades. These sections should really be very interesting for any Subspace player. I hadn't fully thought through how to go about introducing this, you guys are right that I didn't do that well. Any Subspace player should find Pirate Dawn very interesting reading, but I really am looking for those who like tinkering with games, are aspiring game designers, modders, or just really want to see the game made. You guy's are right, my web site definately isnt for everybody. But if you've ever had an interest in designing a game I really have been doing it for about 25 years now, and I have been told by industry veterans that my design do!@#$%^&*ents are the most detailed they've ever seen. So it really will be a lot of fun for the right kind of people. Just keep reading, if you like games like Subspace you really will be surprised on a regular basis as you read Pirate Dawn.

:-) Well, I've been at this a long time. The only realistic way the game will be made is if I can find indpendant investors. The only way that will happen is if I can prove interest. The only way I can do that is with an active forum. Really, there is a lot to read so I am not expecting things to pick up at all on the web site for about a week. After people have a chance to read it, some people should start posting. I really don't need a ton of people in the forums for this to potentially work. It's possible that a game company might want to make it, its just that it is very unlikely. That's all that part is about, the part you are referring too is actually a very realistic !@#$%^&*esment. As for it being free, that really wouldn't be up to me but it is designed to be a premium MMO game just like any other. I've always intended for the Alternate Zones (the part that is intentionally a lot like Subspace) to be a free area of the game. Like an eternal "free demo" area of the game, but if the game were actually made that wouldn't be my decision to make. It really is a lot to read, a good place for Subspace players to take a "snapshot" of it to see a really cool part of the design do!@#$%^&*ent is to just skip ahead to section (L0.0) Ship Design. Subspace players should really appreciate this section.

I know how gamers are, and all people really are the same way gamers or not, and certainly nothing is "universally loved". I'm just saying it's more than I've let on, not less. Since, as I expected, nobody responded to the letter all week, I will probably give the URL here in a few hours and start getting people into the forums and talking about it. I don't really see any reason to wait until Saturday morning. I'll give you all the URL in a little while here... Ok... It will take everyone a while to read enough if it to start to understand the game, which I guess is good because the local game convention is this weekend (starting right about this very moment) so I have to be there most of this weekend. That ought to give everyone plenty of time to read the design do!@#$%^&*ent. Hopefully it will actually work out that, anyway, because I won't be around much this weekend to check the forums... I'm trying to be positive here, this really was bad timing for me:-) I've made a new thread with a better name to give the URL.

I know how gamers are, and all people really are the same way gamers or not, and certainly nothing is "universally loved". I'm just saying it's more than I've let on, not less. Since, as I expected, nobody responded to the letter all week, I will probably give the URL here in a few hours and start getting people into the forums and talking about it. I don't really see any reason to wait until Saturday morning. I'll give you all the URL in a little while here...

You are getting warmer:-) As I said, nobody has ever seen a game like this one before. It has a lot inspiration from three previous games in particular, one of which is Subspace, but in the end it isn't really like any of those games either. This really is something that is mostly new and original. It also really is a truly revolutionary MMO game. Most MMO games that follow it will imitated a few of it's core concepts. Those core concepts will revolutionize the MMO RPG, for example. The reason I am not telling you guys about it yet is that it is actually already online and four specific game companies are being given a one week preview before it goes "truly public". The reason I am telling Subspace players about it (this is the only place I am talking about the game), is because Subspace players have the most relevant experience for this game and I want a lot of Subspace players in the forums, and also want them to be the first people to populate the forums. I want Subspace players to be "the establishment" on my web site. It's only 3 days away, I intentionally made the period when I was telling you about it to when I would give you the URL short. But I wanted enough time to wind up with at least a few dozen forum members on the first night. Subspace players in particular really are going to freak out over this game. You guy's are going to be telling me that I was under-hyping it after you've had a few days to take-in the design do!@#$%^&*ent:-) I also think everyone missed something I said when I described the game, or someone would have commented on it. This is a "player-moddable MMO game":-)

195 pages?! O.o Yes... and if I am remembering correctly the "Alternate Zones" that could be described as "Subspace 2" are described in less than 2 of those pages...

I wasn't planning on this, but I will offer a little more information since Syrus has been so kind as to bend the rules a little bit for me and allow me to tell the Subspace community about my game on his Forum. I can't go into much detail yet, but on Saturday you'll get every little detail about the game. I am a game a simulation designer with over 25 years of experience in the field. I have designed a new MMO game that I am trying to find a way to get produced. The web site, I believe, will result in the game actually being made. At this point, there is no game. What I will be directing you too on Saturday is web site with the complete 195-page design do!@#$%^&*ent for the game, and forums for anyone who is interested in the game to enter and help refine and polish and further design the game. With an active forum, I will be able to interest either a publisher or independant investor in the game. As for the game itself. I can't really say much until Saturday, but I will tell you a little more about it than I had been planning. This game is a top down space combat game such as Subspace or Star Control. What I intend as a free area of the game is called "Alternate Zones". The "Alternate Zones" are essentially just a modernized re-make of Subspace with a few twists. But the Alternate Zones are a small, tiny, little "side thing" intended merely to compliment the "full game". The "full game" is a player-modable grand economic-diplomatic-strategic wargame with minor elements of both RPG and Adventure games (very minor elements). This game truly revolutionizes MMO games (all MMO games) in many tangible and meaningful ways. So I am not talking about "Subspace 2", although you might accurately call the "Alternate Zones" by that name, I am talking about something the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. "A massive strategy wargame where the players move all of the pieces in real-time". I really don't want to say anything more than that until Saturday, but hopefully this gives everyone a level of knowledge that will satisfy you that I am not some jerk who is going to let you down on Saturday with some bland game that you've seen a hundred times before. I !@#$%^&*ure you, you've never seen a game like this one before. -- Disco Duck Quack:-)

Not even close. What you would call "Subspace2" are merely called "Alternate Zones" and are a very simple "side thing" to the "full game". You'll just have to wait until next Saturday to see for yourself:-) Quack...