ZEQ2 : Interactive Anime Experience

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

ahhh I see... this is kind of what I was talking about before to you. Well it's nice to know it's possible =)

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Yeah this is cool and when Zeq2 appears it will have the program to make the server for internet and lan?

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

I think they will also have lan play.

I have 1 question, Are the ZEQ2 forum members automatically registered for online play? Because I just want to keep my usename for online play because I've played some online games and my username has already been used.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

So...If I understand correct (I hope )
the online part will be like WoW or Guildwars?
or will it just be Good old Deathmatch and stuff and that your score and maybe "Points to improve your character" would be cool

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

eah this is cool and when Zeq2 appears it will have the program to make the server for internet and lan?Very Happy

As Quake 3 is, both LAN and INTERNET server type options will exist.

I have 1 question, Are the ZEQ2 forum members automatically registered for online play? Because I just want to keep my usename for online play because I've played some online games and my username has already been used. Sad

Each server would have a its own unique database. Formal world servers will share a single database.

the online part will be like WoW or Guildwars?

Not really. MMO systems rely on a massive database spanned across many totally unique servers. This is on a more local level for bandwidth maintainability. Server stats are exclusively limited to power level, character, and user relations; thus keeping row swaps to a minimum.

or will it just be Good old Deathmatch and stuff and that your score

Think logically about that in relation to the series. I think you'll have a better answer.

and maybe "Points to improve your character" would be cool :*laughing out loud*:

Not planned given the projects focus and accuracy boundries within those goals.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

the online part will be like WoW or Guildwars
Not really. MMO systems rely on a massive database spanned across many totally unique servers. This is on a more local level for bandwidth maintainability. Server stats are exclusively limited to power level, character, and user relations; thus keeping row swaps to a minimum

Ok that was a witty question but just Qurious

or will it just be Good old Deathmatch and stuff and that your score

That was also witty I should read better next time >.<

But thanks for clearing my questions

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

-What if people host the same segment at the same time?
-What if a segment is unpopular and is never hosted?
-What if you accidentally cross the outer edge of a map? Will you be teleported immediately?
-Ping differences between segments. I always choose the server with the lowest ping, but if I go to another segment I don't have control about it anymore.
-What if there's a difference in timelines between segments? If for instance you are in the Buu saga with your character in the one segment and you travel to another segment with the Saiyan saga as max timeline. Will you lose your powerlevel then? It takes some space to save everyone's stats for every saga.
-What if you travel with Cell to Freeza saga? Does he like disappear?

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Those are a lot of "if's"

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Forza, read this again

[Server Types & Travel]
Any server available online in ZEQ2 is classified as a segment server. These allow individual control over many typical server settings. Segment servers also have the unique ability to be 'linked' to another server or set of servers, therein creating a 'world server'. By joining a 'world server' rather than an individual segment node, the player will be able to traverse the "world" as a whole. Segment servers will be able to access sibling segment servers in that world by means of map edge and other more "unique" methods. Typically each segment will represent one map from the maps available. Individual segment server joining can optionally be prevented if not a world server member.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Hmmm... so... if all is going to be like in the series, how many games (servers) will there have to be, because DBZ has never more than 4-6 fighters allaround...
Maybe like a WoW instance? Eg, more games per same server?
Also... if it is going to be like in the series, does that mean that the fights will be so long that there will have to be a savegame option XD? ("In the last game of ZEQII..." )

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

There will be an accuracy tab to adjust things so you don't have to fight for ages, etc. and to suit your needs.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Actually all those 'what if' questions were to cover up my doubts on the ability of implementing this system. It just seems improbable to me.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Seems really complicated. How does the server being destroyed work? What exactly do you mean by that? Can you actually destroy the map that the server is hosting?

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Hmmm... so... if all is going to be like in the series, how many games (servers) will there have to be, because DBZ has never more than 4-6 fighters allaround...

As Dave mentioned this is dependent on accuracy settings of segments and the world. Under a logical strict setup, only 1 character would be able to exist in a particular timeline at a time. You could soften that up by allowing a single character to exist in a segment server, or even remove it altogether to allow 28 Piccolo's to take on Brolly (I'm sure its everyone's dream) ,

savegame option XD? ("In the last game of ZEQII..." Rolling Eyes )

*thinking* I think you may just inadvertently contributed a good request

-What if people host the same segment at the same time?

This all depends on server settings and whether or not you are dealing with a rogue server or world server. You don't HAVE to play on world servers if you don't want to -- you just miss out on a lot of capabilities of the game.

-What if a segment is unpopular and is never hosted?

World servers are a combination of segment servers. You are thinking too practically in terms of modern FPS games and such. To become formal and furthermore official, all segments in the world would be needed. That segment would remain static (location-wise) while recieving data from the world server database.

-What if you accidentally cross the outer edge of a map? Will you be teleported immediately?

No. You cannot just accidently fly half-way across Earth . There will be player trigger mechanisms in place. Its also not just by outer edges of maps.

-Ping differences between segments. I always choose the server with the lowest ping, but if I go to another segment I don't have control about it anymore.

Most formal and DEFINENTLY most official world servers aren't going to be your mom and pop servers hosted on Cable/DSL connections. Official servers will most likely be REAL-world servers with high-end connections. Some powerful worlds will be hosted on single networks (multiple segment procecesses).

-What if there's a difference in timelines between segments? If for instance you are in the Buu saga with your character in the one segment and you travel to another segment with the Saiyan saga as max timeline. Will you lose your powerlevel then? It takes some space to save everyone's stats for every saga.

A logically sound segment server serving its purpose in a world would remain static having always the same location and era, which would depend on the worlds decisions for ranges. Some worlds may opt to sort certain segments at certain ranges. You are also forgetting that a particular region may exist in a different saga timeline range thus several segments with the same location (but different timelines) could exist. If you were Buu and traveled to Kami's Palace, for instance, you probably would not see Yamcha and others training to prepare for the Saiyan arrivals -- at least not on a well setup world!

-What if you travel with Cell to Freeza saga? Smile Does he like disappear?

This all depends on timeline settings, the world/segment setup, and the strictness that is implied through segment/world accuracy settings. Under the fully accurate environment settings, Cell would not be able to go to the Freeza saga for logical reasons -- one being that its sorta called 'time travel'. Furthermore you aren't thinking properly in terms of the character themselves -- why would Cell want to go to Namek and does he even have knowledge of the planets existence? Cell's whole objective in life is to become complete and furthermore test himself against the greatest fighters.

How does the server being destroyed work?

It works like the series, my friend.

What exactly do you mean by that?

Planet destruction, of course.

Can you actually destroy the map that the server is hosting?

If were actually somehow powerful enough and noone attempted to stop you, which would be pretty easy to do if they wanted and were powerful enough, then yes.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

THIS will be soo coool but the quake 3 engine support destructeble terrain will you do it like blow 2 rocks 2 trees or something DBZ >?

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

THIS will be soo coool but the quake 3 engine support destructeble terrain will you do it like blow 2 rocks 2 trees or something DBZ >SmileVery Happy?

You are confusing planet destruction with terrain destruction. Q3 supports breakable entities as far as I know without much hassle. Beyond that terrain destruction is limited.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Planet desctruction? you mean Frieza :"ahaaahaa I will blow the namek with my deathball" (throws the ball and booom PLANET NAMEK)

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

If were actually somehow powerful enough and noone attempted to stop you, which would be pretty easy to do if they wanted and were powerful enough, then yes.

So planet destruction is possible, but not terrain destruction? Will an FMV play of the planet being destroyed? You guys are amazing I must say

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Not to underestimate the team, but this is pretty ambitious, maybe a bit over the top?

I mean, you guys just have 1 coder and I don't see this being one of the most easiest jobs.

I'm very curious at the development of this new feature.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Yeah show us some videos with the new server or something in game like the mêlée system

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

I'm very anxious to see the game and how it's coming along.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Not to underestimate the team, but this is pretty ambitious, maybe a bit over the top?

Not at all. It just involves storage and retrieval of variables in a table. VERY very basic stuff.

I mean, you guys just have 1 coder and I don't see this being one of the most easiest jobs.

I'm sorry. I must have missed it. How much coding experience do you have again?

I'm very curious at the development of this new feature.

Read. Read. Read. It's in design document stages currently.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

OK... ill try to sum up my thinking on this system...

The first thing that comes to my mind is a RTCW:Enemy Territory, with it's campaigns that consisted of multiple missions/maps... Sorta like a map playlist.

However, looking how ZEQ2 will handle it I see a few issues... I'll just retell my vision of a game, and point out the potential flaw...

In advance... I am not discussing anything about gameplay, because nothing is known at the moment, but rather the gameFLOW.

STEP 1: Loading the server/maplist

You go into the game/serverlist... and what do you exactly see? (considering that all series-mimicking options are on, the server is official, blah blah...)
Do you see games which are based on an ingame location, saga, or something else?

STEP 2: Joining a game

You join a game... Are you in a RTS-like lobby, with teams and a no-afterward-join rule, or is it a typical FPS game join, ergo, you are put in a team/player/class selecting window while the match is on, and afterwards just popping into the middle of everything out of thin air?

STEP 3: Choosing a team/player

Which team will you be in, or which character will you be? If so, where, or WHEN will you "spawn"?
If the game is based on a "from beginning to the end" type of game, you will ofcourse start from the beginning of the saga, but if not, you can just pop in anywhere, at any part of the saga...
Since the game is non-fragging, as far as I understand, and is based on the series, when will you choose the character? The good guys are always around, so there is no fuss about it... but what about the villains? Are they just gonna spectate till it's their turn, or could there possibly be ingame team/class switching at the end of the sagas (thinks of america's army)... if it's the latter, won't there be a problem if there is a subtle RPG element involved to inherit an already developed character?

Step 4: Playing the game...

And you're finally in, controlling your favourite character versus... some bad guy... saga specific... But hey? Where did all the other people go? I only see Raditz, Piccollo, and myself, Goku here. (for instance) Yeah... they are prolly spectating... or walking around an empty map doing nothing, waiting for the good guys to arrive, or for them do defeat the current bad guy, so they can pop in...
Maybe as the story continues, the max players/server can be dynamically adjusted? So in the first saga only 3 people can join, and later on, as the story continues, other players may join...
You were saying something about servers remembering your player... that's a kind of a mmorpg element there... does that mean that when joining a new game you could have an advantage, if you have better stats, or is it just for the player-info purpose?
Or, maybe, you could have a rank, so you get to choose the characters you want to play during the saga (sorta like honor in AA)
Also, about moving from server from server, I was wondering are separate servers just locations, like in japanese mmorpgs or are they also different timelines? (timetravel o_O)
Meaning, that there will always be an area specific villain out there, or will it just be another location (map)...
If it's just a map, I don't really see the point of each location being a seperate physical server or game which will appear in the join game list, more like a WoW instance... as in the map loads ingame... on the same server...

STEP 5: My "working" vision of the game...

A game is created... starting from the Android saga to the Buu saga... There are about 6 player slots available, and ofcourse more spectator slots to watch their favourite episode
You join the game... there are 2 teams... The good guys and the bad guys... I, for being ultra mega 1337 have more "Z-fighter points" which are recorded on the servers as a recognition of my 1337 skillz, and get to pick first... heck, I'll choose Piccolo... The other one on the good team is Trunks, and the bad guys are 17 and 18 (as far as I remember... it's been a really long time since I watched DBZ)
When all player slots are full, the game commences. If someone leaves during the game, another spectator can take his place...
And the fight is on! The fight rages on... over let's say 5 earth locations... one of them contains dr gero's lab which someone has to find to unlock the cell part of the story (I don't really remember how the story went here on... I probably got some things mixed up, but the point remains) blah blah yadda yadda... and the good team wins!

*scorelist team/player selection chat*

hehe, I'll be the bad guy now... Everyone gets to repick again, and the excess players with the lowest score/something/maybe even not (if there are any, such as yamucha often) will become spectators... And the game commences!
I am now playing as Cell, and am trying to hunt down the androids, and the others are trying to prevent it... if I kill everyone, the game is over... If the good guys manage to kill me at any time, the story continues... Of course, you can run around the maps hunting the ballz to revive your beloved ones, but only once, or more depending on current saga state.
(For the entire game, not just a chapter, so you can't revive a player once in every part of the game. In the latter, I mean the game as an entire story, until it ends and is reset)

PHEW... that was a write and a half... hope you like my interpetation of the game ^^

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

STEP 1: Loading the server/maplist

You go into the game/serverlist... and what do you exactly see? (considering that all series-mimicking options are on, the server is official, blah blah...)
Do you see games which are based on an ingame location, saga, or something else?

That depends on the type of game you wish to join. First you would have the option to sort by World or Segment servers. Furthermore from there you could filter out particular options you desired in a game in a straightforward manner. If you would like to list results based on location or timeline, you can. Refining results isn't all that tedious of a matter.

STEP 2: Joining a game

You join a game... Are you in a RTS-like lobby, with teams and a no-afterward-join rule, or is it a typical FPS game join, ergo, you are put in a team/player/class selecting window while the match is on, and afterwards just popping into the middle of everything out of thin air?

We can't really give away too much information on part of your question since its not been revealed -- although we might overstep a rule to show an earlier concept art involved with the thinking of the setup.

Popping out of midair? Unless you used instant transmission to travel there, I don't see much series logic in that. Character selection and such would be pre-setup most likely.

STEP 3: Choosing a team/player

Which team will you be in, or which character will you be? If so, where, or WHEN will you "spawn"?
If the game is based on a "from beginning to the end" type of game, you will ofcourse start from the beginning of the saga, but if not, you can just pop in anywhere, at any part of the saga...
Since the game is non-fragging, as far as I understand, and is based on the series, when will you choose the character? The good guys are always around, so there is no fuss about it... but what about the villains? Are they just gonna spectate till it's their turn, or could there possibly be ingame team/class switching at the end of the sagas (thinks of america's army)... if it's the latter, won't there be a problem if there is a subtle RPG element involved to inherit an already developed character?

As specified in the 'about' document.

[Example]
If the segment server had chosen a starting saga of 'Namek Saga' and ending saga of 'Cell Saga', new players to the server would begin with their chosen characters reflecting that of Namek saga versions. The maximum potential for that character would be limited to the Cell saga unless server 'accuracy' options were disabled.

Ratio's exist on a server to represent the good/bad characters to try and maintain a lofty and accurate balance. This, however, can be stepped around. Just because a villian might exist on a server doesn't necessarily mean the players know of their existence or know if they are up to no good. Once again the logic is exactly based on that of the series. I think a lot of people are still trying to make ZEQ2 "fit" in terms of comparing it to a modern game, which simply CANNOT be done -- we are in a league of our own.

Step 4: Playing the game...

And you're finally in, controlling your favourite character versus... some bad guy... saga specific... But hey? Where did all the other people go? I only see Raditz, Piccollo, and myself, Goku here. (for instance) Yeah... they are prolly spectating... or walking around an empty map doing nothing, waiting for the good guys to arrive, or for them do defeat the current bad guy, so they can pop in...
Maybe as the story continues, the max players/server can be dynamically adjusted? So in the first saga only 3 people can join, and later on, as the story continues, other players may join...
You were saying something about servers remembering your player... that's a kind of a mmorpg element there... does that mean that when joining a new game you could have an advantage, if you have better stats, or is it just for the player-info purpose?
Or, maybe, you could have a rank, so you get to choose the characters you want to play during the saga (sorta like honor in AA)
Also, about moving from server from server, I was wondering are separate servers just locations, like in japanese mmorpgs or are they also different timelines? (timetravel o_O)
Meaning, that there will always be an area specific villain out there, or will it just be another location (map)...
If it's just a map, I don't really see the point of each location being a seperate physical server or game which will appear in the join game list, more like a WoW instance... as in the map loads ingame... on the same server...

I think you misunderstand the extent of our 'like the series' goals. We don't mean you are going to have role-play the ENTIRE series with the EXACT results happening again. We only mean that the funamental core, appearence, and functionality of the series will be preserved. The stories that develop are based from player experiences . Accuracy settings can further tone and refine saga availability for those that want to 'imaginative' fights like Buu vs Raditz (of course realizing that you'd need to click the 'auto-balance' starting power levels tab). That would really take a lot of the impact away from the game and its intentional goals, but the possibility WOULD be there.

Segment servers can be multiple locations and multiple timelines depending on the server setup. Try and read my earlier responses in this thread and the about section a bit more.

STEP 5: My "working" vision of the game...

A game is created... starting from the Android saga to the Buu saga... There are about 6 player slots available, and ofcourse more spectator slots to watch their favourite episode Very Happy
You join the game... there are 2 teams... The good guys and the bad guys... I, for being ultra mega 1337 have more "Z-fighter points" which are recorded on the servers as a recognition of my 1337 skillz, and get to pick first... heck, I'll choose Piccolo... The other one on the good team is Trunks, and the bad guys are 17 and 18 (as far as I remember... it's been a really long time since I watched DBZ)
When all player slots are full, the game commences. If someone leaves during the game, another spectator can take his place...
And the fight is on! The fight rages on... over let's say 5 earth locations... one of them contains dr gero's lab which someone has to find to unlock the cell part of the story (I don't really remember how the story went here on... I probably got some things mixed up, but the point remains) blah blah yadda yadda... and the good team wins!

Hahaha. Nice. Possible for the most part too within the system.

hehe, I'll be the bad guy now... Everyone gets to repick again, and the excess players with the lowest score/something/maybe even not (if there are any, such as yamucha often) will become spectators... And the game commences!
I am now playing as Cell, and am trying to hunt down the androids, and the others are trying to prevent it... if I kill everyone, the game is over... If the good guys manage to kill me at any time, the story continues... Of course, you can run around the maps hunting the ballz to revive your beloved ones, but only once, or more depending on current saga state.
(For the entire game, not just a chapter, so you can't revive a player once in every part of the game. In the latter, I mean the game as an entire story, until it ends and is reset)

Now I think your getting the gist of things much better

I'm stepping over bounds by showing this, but here's a VERY VERY VERY old concept art that was used in the creation and introduction to the world server concepts. The values within do not necessarily reflect anything and are for demonstrational purposes only.

This does not reflect the ingame menu's and does not reflect how the fluidity may actually work (it will probably be heavily refined). Just a peek under the hood at one of the concept arts involved for various factors.



EDIT : Funny now that I think about it since a lot of the forum regulars names were used in it.