Wow! Lots of discussion.
Natale's example is a good one, thanks for that.
Two things about web access:
1) How much coding would need to be done to the engine to make it work with WebKit? I'm not a programmer - in fact, an adept programmer is 100% needed if this area is to be a success!
2) Having some sort of internet access in the cavern would be a notable addition to the cavern IC. I think, though, that there's another way of doing it, and that's via a cavern-wide LAN.
One thing about non-coders and non-graphics artists being able to add content via more web access... true, but this team is also about non-coders and non-graphics artists being able to add content! Everyone who is posting ideas in here is contributing to making a better final age.
I'm somewhat partial to the "Explorers making a mark on D'ni" idea, with laptops etc. But there is such a thing as aethetic. A computer in the cavern should be a very uncommon sight - because it's a bit of surface technology in a world thoroughly D'ni... BUT. One of my concepts for this social area involves it being an area that the explorers restored after the DRC left. It's an area for socialising and relaxation. So, if somebody brought a clunky old PC down and propped it up in there... that would just about work. Early on in my own concepting for this area I joked around with the idea of a 60's jukebox that sombody had hauled in. Not sure how well that would work. The D'ni aethetic needs to be maintained. I've said it before - Uru's great success was it's graphical design.
Natales wrote:Heek type games would be nice. But programming games into Uru/CWE is not something many fans can do. As to cheap… that was the point. But, look through the flash games on the net. They can be anything one imagines. So, creative types could create D’ni viewer like devices or smart phones.
Flash isn't free or zero-effort to learn either. Even as a student, CS5.5 would cost me £130 or so, and then I'd have to factor in learning ActionScript to do any games creation! Flash is a great starter for games design though - Super Meat Boy was originally a flash game.
Just to be clear - when this project goes forward, there won't be a case where 100 different games can be accessed on a "table imager" or somesuch. It should be one or two at most (Definitely two on the Go Fish table. If there are not enough people to play, the table shoot boot up Solitare!) And should be done in a D'ni fashion, taking design ideas from the Heek table which was this project's inspiration.
I'll try and coalate the current conversation into a document discussing this tomorrow, so everyone can be on the same page about how the games could be made. But once again - this is all hot air without a programmer. So I encourage anybody with the skills to step forward to help with this.
EDIT: Don't forget the OSCAR mission statement - the content OSCAR makes must work to Cyan compatibility, as it's aimed for the MOULa server. So don't over-worry if you think that something will break aesthetic or whatever - as the guy who wrote that statement, I'll be keeping an eye out so as to make sure the content works within the specifications and styling to work as approved content.
(Any Maintainers want to jump in here? I know that there's been a lot of work over the years done by Maintainers to specify the parameters for MOULa compatible stuff)
Oh, and I'll do some more concepting for the age this evening. Gotta keep the progress going.
EDITX1000 OR SO: Dammit Huw, you should really make these posts at the point you click submit, not for many minutes afterwards!
I'll be trying to hang out on the OpenUru IRC from now on. It's an unused tool and facilitates faster communication of ideas etc. If a discussion comes up I'll try to log it so as everyone can be made aware of it.