Worlds Largest Video Game (OperationSidfin)

I'm an indie video game designer who's interested in creating high quality and interactive content, normally from a first person perspective.
I'm currently trying to create a new indie video game that combines various gaming genres into one single open world simulation adventure.
The game combines the vast creation capabilities of Minecraft, with the open world style of a modern sandbox video game, such as Grand Theft Auto.
We're using realistic gravitational and planetary proprieties to create the first ever true to life simulation experience. This is the largest and most realistic video game to date, surpassing every known simulation game on the market.

The player is given a set of extremely flexible tools. Using these tools, you're able to create virtually anything that exists in the real world. Cars, boats, planes, jets, spaceships, buildings, houses, food, people, bicycles, t-shirts. Your imagination is truly your only limit.
The final game and design will feature 3D graphics, high definition and multi-leveled terrains, rivers, lakes, oceans, a visible atmosphere, additional planets, natural events and disasters, time, moon and sun cycles, weather effects, animals (both wild and domesticated), a realistic crafting system, a survival system (must eat/hunt/drink/sleep), intelligent NPCs, cities, space travel, air travel, new technologies, wars, among other currently unannounced features and services.


There's currently no release date planned.


Key Features;

-Open-world simulation experience unlike anything ever seen before.
-Build, craft and invent new technologies, including space travel.
-The entire solar system is your playground. Travel to other planets.
-All planets are accurately sized to match their real-world counter-parts.
-Intelligent NPC players will help build the world around you.
-Advanced crafting system lets you create literally anything imaginable.



I just wanted to get your opinions on such a project, and if it has any kind of real-world potential.

 

When I want a highly realistic, real-world simulation, I go outside. People generally need entertainment to get away from highly realistic simulations.

Other than that, the technology required to make something like this would be staggering. I don't know if you know of the Inifnity project (infinity-universe.com) but those folks have been at it for a loooong time, and their feature set is actually smaller than yours.

 

In all honesty I would love to see a game like that, I think many would.

Although the scope of something like this is absolutely enormous. You are looking at years and years of work here. I assume you want this to be an MMO of some sort?

You will also need huge amounts of funding, not only for the development of the game, but to manage/maintain your server and network infrastructure to support online play.

Before embarking on a project like this, I'd suggest reading all the other 'I want to make an MMO threads on this forum', and read some of the criticism/feedback that has been explained many times.

To pull off something like this you will need time, a reliable skillset, dedicated team members, and lots and lots of money.

 

@Meltdown:

Here's a basic FAQ for OperationSidfin.

Q. So, just how big is the worlds largest video game?

A. OperationSidfin contains 45 AU in terms of general playablility. 45 AU is roughly equal to 4,183,011,315 miles.
However, only 25 miles is ever actually loaded at any given time.


Q. How large is Earth, and how many miles is it?

A. OperationSidfin has the goal of creating the worlds largest video game, but we also want to make the most realistic video game, too. That's why the planet Earth is nearly identical to its real-world counterpart, and therefore, you will have 25,000 miles to play around with.


Q. What are you using to create OperationSidfin?

A. We're using the Unity Professional video game engine and design software to create OperationSidfin. There is a free version of Unity available for indie video game developers at unity3d.com


Q. When will OperationSidfin be released?

A. There's currently no release date announced. However, we hope to have a playable demo online this Fall. (2012)


Q. Does OperationSidfin support online multiplayer?

A. OperationSidfin does not support online multiplayer. Multiplayer in OperationSidfin just isn't possible with todays server technology.


Q. What are the system requirements?

A. It's too early to be sure, but we estimate that the follow system specifications will be required to run the game at its' maximum settings;

Processor - Intel Core i7 @ 3.20 GHz or better
Graphics card - 2X GTX 590 with 4GB or more dedicated video RAM.
RAM - 12 GB or more main system memory.
Hard drive - 250 GB for full install, or 100 GB for medium install.

And now for the minimum settings;

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.33 GHz or better.
Graphics card - Any DX9 compatible video game with 512 or more video RAM.
RAM - 2.5 GB or more main system memory.
Hard drive - 16 GB for minimum installation.


--


Also, surprisingly creating such a video game isn't that hard to do, although it is very time consuming.
The hardest part to create in OperationSidfin isn't the planets, in fact, they are one of the easiest things to do. The hardest is to create an advanced crafting rule that would allow for virtually anything to be created.As of now, I haven't figured out how to do that. However, it should be done before the year ends.

--

As for the money requirement, you're correct. Such a project does require some serious cash.
At this time, I'm working on a $7,500 grant, with the possibility to get more funding if I require it.

I currently do not have a team, and that's by choice.
Dozens of people have asked to help me out with OperationSidfin, but I honestly don't like sharing my work. Haha.
Sure, it would be completed sooner if I formed a dedicated development team, but since I have an ego the size of mount Everest, I just need to do this myself.

 

Well as andorov stated, go take a look at infinity-universe.com. Their engine has been in development for over 7 years now by a team of 8 people and with the community contributing items such as models etc. The procedural universe they are creating sounds very similar to what you are trying to achieve. Their game will have multiplayer.

Care to explain why multiplayer would not be 'possible' ??


Also I'm not sure what you are going to do with $7500. Sounds like a drop in the ocean of funding you will need to pull something like this off.

What previous game projects have you completed?

 

This is, actually, one of my first gaming projects.

Multiplayer has been considered, but when I envision OperationSidfin multiplayer, I imagine thousands of players building the world together, from all parts of the planet. A sort of MMORPG.
However, to create such a multiplayer mode, I'd require rather large and extremely powerful dedicated servers, which sadly, I do not currently have, nor do most currently established hosting providers. That's the main reason such a mode would be technically impossible with our current technology, as it simply isn't powerful enough to handle a game of this size. A game that, unlike Infinity Universe, does not automatically render or create new planets on the fly. OperationSidfin is entirely pre-created, which is one of the main features.
Creating the planets and their detailed environments by hand allows for me to ensure that OperationSidfin is as realistic as possible, rather than to allow for the engine to create millions of planets automatically. The planets that are in Infinite Universe are fictional, whereas the ones in OperationSidfin are real.

In theory, OperationSidfin could be used in schools as a way to demonstrate how our solar system behaves in a first person view.
Once I have a way to create a truly infinite crafting system, companies and organizations could literally port a fully functional prototype of their products or inventions into OperationSidfin, or they could create new theoretical technologies in the game, which may eventually become physical realities.

The crafting system is truly the key to OperationSidfin, as it allows for so much to be created.

Plus, OperationSidfin will allow for me to engage myself in real-world science, which I'll incorporate into OperationSidfin. So, not only will this game be fun to create, I'll learn a heck of a lot in the process.
Before I can create these planets, I first must learn more about them. What they look like. The chemicals in their atmosphere, the physical shape, the strength of their gravitational pull. Anything I require to create the most realistic simulation experience ever designed.

Should be fun, to say the least.

 

You seem to have a very limited understanding of game networking and scalable architecture to make those sort of claims.
Virtually any sort of multiplayer game can be programmed to efficiently work in such an environment, with processing being distributed across multiple servers if needed.

When it comes to the amount of work you require (i.e making each planet by 'hand'), it only makes sense to create an engine to do all the heavy lifting for you. In fact it doesn't make sense to make each planet individually. It sounds like a waste of time. With the creation of the right engine you can create planets exactly as you define with the tweaking of a few parameters. The other drawback to hand crafted planets sounds like you have have need for an excessive amount of assets, which comes with its own problems.

If this is one of your first gaming projects I doubt you have the skills and experience necessary to pull something like this off. But don't let me stop you. Keep us updated on how things are going and good luck with your ambitious project.

 

I think that this is impossible,idea is good but today's technology is not powerful enough.Take a look at game called Battleground Europe they have pretty big map and they have troubles with it even if they optimized almost everything.

 

Creating a huge map is a piece of cake compared to the crafting system he is talking about. Simulating chemistry, electronics, mechanics, fluids, pressure and a few hundred other things at the same time, that is impossible. Also what about the timescale? You will start out with your bare hands and it will take 2 years of playtime before you have managed to make a iron rod? Then your grandchildren managed to make the first steam engine? Just curious on what you think of this.

On another note, ppl play computer games to escape reality : p
But you should aim for your dream ofcourse, just remember to keep us updated ; )

 

Then I would start smaller. Just finish a small game project first, so you can get a feel for the effort and time needed to actually finish a gaming project. After that you can go on an produce the Worlds Largest Video Game

 

Yep, start smaller.
Also, why would you load in 25 miles at the same time? I have checked, and a drawing distance of 10,000 world units (or 10 kilometers) isn't even noticeable. Unity can easily handle 64 square kilometers of terrain, it just costs a lot of resources to fill.

You pulled those system requirements out of your arse as well, didn't you? They're not the slightest bit realistic. If you need an i7 to simulate your physics, you won't get anything decent out of a C2D, I can tell you that.

So yeah, get the idea out of your head. It's not possible.

 

Well, without ppl with visions, we would still run around and hitting on each other with sticks : p
Of course its impossible, but even if he managed to implement part of it it would still have the potential to be a impressive piece of technology that others can use and maybe improve on later.

 

No, this is baby's first MMORPG idea. It's happened to a lot of us. He'll be halfway past the networking code (ergo, reinventing the wheel) before realizing this isn't going to work.

 

Assuming the game you want to create is the most realistic world simulation game ever, I have the following questions:

Would the player have to sit at the computer for 8 hours while his character caught a plane from the UK to the US?
Would the player have to arrive at the airport 3 hours before said flight and wait around the airport until his flight is due to depart otherwise he is refused to fly?
What if the plane was hit by an unexpected thunder storm and the plane crash landed on an island, would the player have to live out the rest of their life on the island while building a raft out of coconut trees and the bodies of the former passengers and then spend 10 months travelling across the sea back to land?
Would the player be allowed to skip the above sequences and just jump from one continent to the other thus not making it a simulation?

 

Lol, make sure you read the thread next time before you write ; )

 

OperationSidfin uses greatly reduced graphics when compared directly with other games on the market. Because of that, some physical properties, such as the way gravity effects trees, will simply not be rendered at all.
The crafting system is the hardest part, but it can be done by creating a rather complex tree, or pyramid, of rules.

I'm not going to guarantee that OperationSidfin will be entirely accurate when it comes to planets other than planet earth. Space travel isn't even a major feature in the game, and if the overall size proves to be too large for most computers to download and install, I will remove space travel as a feature entirely, and just stick with creating and improving a replica of Earth. However, if the crafting service was truly able to create an infinite amount of items, designs and inventions, then eventually, even without the game to assist in creating a space craft, someone will decide to create one. However, without any kind of space to explore, they'll just be flying to the moon. That's not entirely a bad thing, though.

Loading in 25 miles at a time was just an example given. You're right, though. I could decrease the draw distance, which would also improve system performance.
As for the system requirements? They're fair estimations, based on early testing. If you notice, I did say that it was too early to be sure, so take them with a grain of salt.

If you look at my FAQ post above, you'll notice that I've highlighted, in bold text, that this game does not support online multiplayer. OperationSidfin is singleplayer only.

I'll answer your questions in order.

1. Before the player can use any kind of air travel machines, such as airplanes, they must first invent them. Although NPC players will also create new technologies on their own, so it's possible that they will invent an airplane of some sort. As for the answer? Well, that's a yes as well as a no.
When players are in fast moving objects, such as planes, spacecrafts or even cars, time speeds up. For cars, the game time doesn't increase by much, but it's enough to get you from point A to point B in under 30 minutes, whereas in the real world, that drive would take you anywhere between 1 to 4 hours.
In planes, time speeds up considerably, allowing for you to get from point A to point B, no matter where you wish to travel, in under 30 minutes. You'll also be given the option to disable this increase, in case you wanted to test fly your custom-made airplane in a flight simulation-like environment.

2. No, although airports can be put into the game, you will not have to wait in any kind of lines.

3. I've never actually considered such a feature, but it could bring a rather interesting experience. However, even if your plane is hit by lighting, and you were forced to crash land, you'll always have the option to return back to your home, which is the place you originally set up your house. You can also have more than one home in the world, allowing for you to 'fast travel' to other locations at will. This includes other planets or moons, assuming you've set up a home there.

4. As said in my third answer, yes. Once you've established separate homes throughout the world, you're able to fast travel to them at any time. However, this doesn't declassify OperationSidfin as a simulation. Fast travel is entirely optional, and you're always welcome to take the long way, if you so desire.

I'm actually very knowledgeable with hosting architecture, and plan to start up a game server hosting provider later this year, possibly this summer.
Although, I will admit that such a server is not technically impossible, it will be extremely expensive, even if you have it hosted in a cloud-like environment.
I would also be forced to pay for and maintain these servers myself, as the average game server provider would be required to use new dedicated server boxes, and combine them for use in a virtual cloud environment.

So, although the technology is technically available, it's just out of reach and far too expensive for even large and established hosting firms and providers, let alone the average consumer like myself. I also wouldn't profit from it in any such way, and am completely against monthly subscription fees.
It's just easier to offer a singleplayer game, and possibly create multiplayer downloadable content packs later on.

 

Rather curious how the player Invents things, If by it you mean a leveling up skill tree under the science's section or something like taking engine jet propulsion device and attach to fuselage, Or possibly something like SL(second Life).

Or perhaps you held Spore as an example when you gave this thought.

You have brandished about some Ideas but essentially that is about as far as things got, You know and We know the devil is in the hairy details and game development is all of that.

 

From the minute you slap two sticks together to make an odd two stick thing, you've already invented something.

The rules, which were mentioned before, would allow for you to create virtually anything. So, as an example, lets say you wanted to create a fire.
To do so, you could simply rub two sticks against each other and hope for a spark. Just be sure the spark is near a pile of dead leaves, or anything that's flammable, otherwise the fire is unlikely to start.
The game 'knows' that friction, when applied to a certain object, such as wood, could generate heat, which may then lead to a spark.
The game also knows which objects or materials are capable of being burned, such as dried leaves, and when you apply both of these things together, it could create a fire.

Now, lets say you wanted to craft something else. You can do this by combining two different objects together.
If you wanted to craft, for example, something that required wood, rubber and plastic, the game will create a new set of rules for your newly created object, which would also be a combination of the preexisting rules for wood, rubber and plastic.

These rules would allow for virtually anything to be created in the virtual world of OperationSidfin, as every object will be different, depending on size and materials used.
Eventually, you'll be able to create steam-powered machines, or even gas powered automobiles.
As time progresses, and your technology advances, the other NPC characters will start to catch on, and they'll soon use your technology and inventions to create and experiment with new creations on their own, eventually leading to new inventions that may not exist in the real world.

 

In all honesty: I don't think you can pull it off (as easily as you claim you can) , you would need hundreds of employees/teammembers, it's a huge project and needs millions of manhours to make/debug/manage. Even the big MMO guys don't have such high goals, and they are veterans in game development.
Huge are possible, with lots of cheating (technical cheating that is). Take a look at secondlife or WOW, they both have massive worlds, but you can only visit a very small fraction of it, and each piece is running on a seperate VM (virtual machine) with it's own processes/cpu/mem.
So reflecting that on a local game, it's very difficult to manage. (especially updates!!!!!!)
Secondly i doubt Unity is capable enough for such thing.

 

Well, its easy to make a few rules about some object, but i think its very, very hard to make general rules that also works in practice. But i will follow this for sure : )

 

That's quite a big plan you have. It requires A LOT of works. And I agree with what people said that start with something small. I suggest making a small PC downloadable game so that you know how games work in real world, especially to know people's interest. Because if you start right away with that huge game, you might end up disappointed. If you have lots of time making that huge OperationSidfin, you can take a small portion of those time and make a small game. So, when you have experience with that small game, you might be able to pull it off though it's going to be a long long long long long work.

 

Goodluck, mate. Updates.

 

I'm currently developing another video game as a sort of side-project.
The game is rather creative and unique, and has caught the interest of Adam Sessler, who is a video game review-show host for the G4 program X-Play.
Although, OperationSidfin is my main project.

 

Not sure if I'll remember that this forum even exists, but I'll try to keep you guys updated

 

You maybe familiar with hosting architecture, but you definately don't sound familiar with multiplayer game programming architecture.
Depending on the multiplayer approach you take, i,e semi authoritative or full authoritative.. the load on your server will not be huge because there is this massive world out there, but more to do with the number of concurrent players on the server at a time, what they are doing, and how the server handles and optimises what they are doing and when.

But as you say it's single player only. So you've already taken about half of the work you need to do out the project.

 

I'm not sure why people are even discussing multiplayer. The author is clearly unfamiliar/unwilling with multiplayer and therefor not attempting it. Limiting the scope of your projects is a GOOD thing. We should all stick to what we know!

Other than that, how do you envision "inventing" things? Would it be like Garry's Mod?

 

This is the Work in Progress Forum, I just haven't seen any actual work except the FAQ (which is a weird way of developing a game).

He is working on a "side project", will launch a game server company this summer and later this year release the first version of the "Worlds largest ...". Imagination is a prerequisite for entering the gaming industries, but it is not the only skill that needs to be applied He will learn, we all did...

Ben

 

Actually having a FAQ and a basic design scope is a better way to start a game than having actual work and no basic DD and FAQ. It shows the OP has at least done some planning.

Sure beats some of the other omfgimakingthebestfpscheckoutmyscreenshot WIP threads I've seen that have no unique concept or gameplay going for them

 

There is no spark in this process.. just heat, waves of heat.

 

Dis be Trollin'.

Don't buy a word of anything for a minute.

 

Thank you for voicing your opinion, however, this is a very real project.

 

Could you share more of the project than a loosely generalized concept as it seems to be only in the idea stages at this moment in time.

 

Real or not you'll have one hell of a time pulling this off.

Good luck, if your serious. But I have my doubts we'll ever see anything from you. Sorry, I'm just that kind of cynical, jaded A-hole.

Cheers!

 

Have you read REAMDE by Neal Stephenson ? This sounds like T'Rain

 

This sounds OK and all but it really isn't feasible. It sounds like you're trying to include all the sort of features that EVE Online has but diversify and overcomplicate it further. What is the point of making the map 45AU? That includes the solar system, but so what? I can customise my T-shirt, big whoop, I can fly a spaceship. From what I see there's no goal, no player incentive.

In EVE there's loads of things you can do, there's always a way that you can progress through the game and there's always something different to do with other players or by yourself. In Minecraft there is now an endgame, and even a couple of years after it's launch people are still finding new ways of making things with the circuitry mechanics and mods.

What is the goal of the game? Why try to mimic real life when one can just go outside? Real life has no set goal, so real life wouldn't work as a video game.

EDIT: I've also just read this: "Hard drive - 250 GB for full install, or 100 GB for medium install." No-one is going to wait around for the majority of their HD to fill up. WoW is about 10gb (source? haven't played in years) and that has developers in the 100s, if not 1000s.

 

Also since it's release in '04 it's cost them over 200 million dollars with an initial investment of around 70 million just make the game over the course of 5 years.

Thus I believe my troll argument still stands or if nothing else just misinformed and overly ambitious.

 

This thread is very interesting to me. I subscribed to it, but can't figure out how to view my subscribed threads on this forum (any help?).

I am not a game developer (yet), so I will refrain from offering any advice as if I know anything about it. I don't disagree at all with what people are saying, but I do think the point has been made as well as it can be. I have often been the brash new guy with goals far exceeding his abilities, in other fields of endeavor. The thing about it is that, while those cautioning him are right in my opinion, if he's anything like me, he will need to discover all of this himself. $7500 is not a huge amount to lose, and he will learn plenty in attempting this unrealistic feat.

Some people learn by making something very conventional, simple, and well-trodden. This is my tactic as far as game design goes. A different approach is to have a huge, vague concept, throw oneself into it, and tweak the concept as you go when you realize why that won't work. I think this is a legit approach and it was how I got into the electronics field, which is my day job. It took me a few years to find a direction that was interesting but realistically attainable, but I eventually did and I am glad that I went the way I did, rather than spending those years making the hardware equivalent of "Yet Another FPS game". They're simply two ways to approach learning, and I think either can be fruitful, depending on the person.

So, do I think this project will end up being what the OP sets out to do? No. But something interesting may indeed come of it.