Sonnheim Introduction
From sonnheim
Contents |
Sonnheim - A place in the sun
The idea is to create a simple multiuser environment to meet people, chat and also have some simple role playing game elements there. The environment will consist of several landscape and city like maps. Users can move around within one map and also from one map to another. Interaction between users will be possible as text chat and with simple graphical effects.
Emphasis throughout the Sonnheim project lies on the aspect of "simple". Not simple as in primitive, but simple as in opposite of complex. Simple to create, simple to understand, simple to use.
1.1 Core goal
The core goal is to create a online world of several maps, let users move around and explore and also provide them with places to meet and chat. Some of the maps will be places to socialize, while others will provide backgrounds for role playing activities.
1.1.1 Chat
Typed messages will be delivered to users nearby, like a "listening range" within a map or can be sent to recipients on other parts of the world, resembling a phone call.
It is planned to give users a diary or weblog like feature, which can be accessed using the chat interface. Messages can be sent to the diary like to a person, and be kept permanently there. Diaries can be shared among user groups or be made public.
1.1.2 Role playing
Players will have a small set of stats, this set is kept small intentionally. Basically this will be a small set of numbers (about 4 or 5) used by the game to determine effect of the users action on his environment as well as the effect of actions triggered by other players or entities of the game world on him.
Role playing between players will be encouraged to be done free form with chat messages rather than game mechanics. Game mechanics are mostly there to allow interaction with the environment provided by the game.
1.2 Further goals
1.2.1 Automated entities
Besides (real) users there will be automated entities to interact with. This will include plant and animal-like structures, as well as artificial structures like vending machines in shape of humans (aka NPCs). It also includes simple role playing game mechanics to control interactions of users with those.
Automated entities are mostly there to entertain users while no other users are around to chat or roleplay with. This seems to be important since the userbase will be small at early project phases, and people need something to do in Sonnheim, until a bigger population is established which can provide a more lively world by itself.
1.2.2 Customizeable avatars
Avatar graphics will change according to worn clothing and equipment to allow easy recognizion and identification of individuals, not just copies of some template. Furtermore users will be able to create custom artwork/fashion for their avatars, to provide even more diversity.
1.2.3 Expand the world
Users will be given ways to expand the world, by adding new maps, which are constructed offline beforehand and to modify the world by editing some of the existing maps in a collaborative, online fashion.
1.3 Display
It is planned to have is an isometric map display, using a tile raster of 72x24 pixels with a maximum tile size of 256x256 pixels. This can easily be adpated to different tile rasters and tile sizes, the small tile size was chosen for a start to allow easy and quick creation of artwork to start with. It also was chosen with handheld/mobile devices in mind which might be suitable to run the Sonnheim client, too, but are limited in their display capabilities.
It is possible to implement or integrate a 3D display for the map data, if this should be desired in a later stage of the project.
2.1 Vision
The idea behind Sonnheim is to create a simple yet attractive environment to get together with other people from all around the world. A place to have fun and find entertainment, to act and interact with people and automated entities in simple and easy ways.
