Skaveron

I demand a tutorial on charging and the beam attacks

Basically you're talking about offline or down-time training, kinda like in Eve online, except instead of skills, you gain 'XP' based on a timescale, yes? First of all when considering game systems I try to follow the following rule; if a system or mechanic in question supports the game world then give it a try. If the system can't be linked to the world, and you're only planning on using it because you've seen it somewhere else... consider whether or not it actually contributes anything to the game. I disagree, at least when it comes to the type of 'customization' you're referring too. It really depends on the type of game you're playing. If it's a competitive rollercoaster like WoW, then most people are going to pick some kind of optimal build within a specific role (tank, dps, etc), so you'll mostly see the same few archetypes running around. A sandbox RPG allows people to pick different kind of specialties (crafter, builder, combat focus, etc), though almost everyone will try to max the most 'useful' skills either way, given enough time. If you want players to build a unique character mechanics wise, you'll need to build a game with a game-world that supports and rewards creativity, and you have to give players these tools right from the start. It's not something you can do with mere systems, rules and formulas. You can't force people to 'enjoy' your game world if they don't want too. If someone is only interested in the grind and advancing towards the end-game, and you won't let them get to that point by their own efforts, they simply won't play. That's one problem, sure. But I think most people won't even bother to go that far. They make a character; find out that they can't advance by their own merit and will simply quit playing. Why bother making a character that they don't want to play for a month? By that time, they'll have forgotten about your game and are already playing something else. If you want players to make unique characters and enjoy the setting and the writing of your game world, make this the focus of your game. Reward people for creative thinking and exploration instead of putting them in an even smaller box.

Each time I try to run the client or the editor on a VM, I get directX issues. It seems most VMs have troubles getting the latest versions to run. Supposedly, there are a couple of VM emulators that can do it, but those aren't free so I haven't bothered to try it out.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this will work if you're planning on using an auto-updater / downloader of sorts?

I finished my Malifaux wargaming terrain!

I don't think this belongs here.

Been browsing the web for generators to reduce work-time a bit. This one isn't particularly useful for me, though anyone using realistic, or semi-realistic tilesets might find find this interesting; http://arnaud.ile.nc/cantree/generator.php

Quick update on The Greenhouse ward; https://i.imgur.com/qP1OZxL.png I intend to revamp my first post a bit to make it a bit more readable soon.

Owkay, RL work has calmed down a bit and I'm currently working on a project that doesn't have a deadline which means I can start and finish early. So! Back to work on The Wheel. I finished tweaking the colors and improved the cliff tiles a bit;

Honestly, I'd be happy enough with JSON

So, I've noticed that the topic of 'story' has been popping up in quite a few threads lately. Myself and a number of other people seem to believe an intriguing story and setting are very important for a persistent game-world and I think it's an element of game development (especially where an rpg is involved) that should be put in the spotlight a bit more. I therefor propose a new forum in the Game Development section called 'Creative Writing' or something similar where people can post Stories, World Lore, Plots, Quest lines and even spur of the moment ideas and the like for other people to review. I don't expect this forum to be very active right off the bat, though I hope it would encourage a few people to think a bit further about their world other than 'generic fantasy setting'.

It would work for a comedy/parody game, though the problem is that the same type of humour over and over again gets old really fast. I don't think this is a good idea for an MMO, unless you can back your world up with some REALLY clever writing.

Will the binary blobs in the database be replaced with serialized JSON as well? That would make web apps so much easier

I don't think this is possible. Might be a good one for the suggestions board.

That was quick