RPGDX > Forums > General Discussion > Have a world? leave a world. Need a world? Take a world.

XMark

A thought that has been bouncing around my head for the last little while...

My idea is to create a world, but not for an RPG that I am working on. It would be in the form of a big web page full of maps, pictures, and information on the history of the world and the different locations. And this would be kind of an "open source" world, where anyone can use it for their own games, stories, or other projects. (provided they give proper credit)
The closest thing to this that I can think of is the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, although that is designed especially for the game mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons, and there are licenses and copyrights and stuff.

Just wondering if this is an original idea, or if it has been done a thousand times before (like all my other "original" ideas I have posted on this board so far)
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Mark Hall
Abstract Productions
I PLAYS THE MUSIC THAT MAKES THE PEOPLES FALL DOWN!

Jihgfed Pumpkinhead · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2003 8:42 pm Post subject: Have a World Etc.

Sounds cool and useful, regardless of whether or not it's been done before.

Would it be Public Domain, with a "please give credit (no obligation)" tagged on, or some other sort of licensing (if so, what)? If not PD, would you object to people picking out little bits of the world to use, or does it have to be the whole deal or nothing?

white_door · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2003 10:30 pm Post subject:

I think its a great idea, while sometimes it is fun to create your own world. All the little details get really annoying, like trying to think of good place names, and getting a good back history. Having this all done might be really useful. :)

XMark · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2003 11:10 pm Post subject:

I don't think I would introduce licensing, that is unless it got really big and popular :)

I guess the way it would work is if they take anything from my world they have to give me credit, and a website link. The question that remains, though, is would enough developers and writers bite at the idea for it to be a worthwhile pursuit? Still, I would have all the fun of making my own world, and if nobody uses it I still can so it's a win-win situation.

To attract developers, I would have to make it a really pretty and easy-to-use interface to have quick access to all different kinds of info. Like a big map of the world where you click on continents to zoom in on them, then click again to zoom in more. There'd be a big historical timeline on the top of the page with the major events easily clickable, and different sections for the races and customs.

And another idea! I would start by making a fantasy world, and once I have enough history to build on, I could extend that world into the future so depending on the time period someone chose to use, they could do fantasy or sci-fi with it (or both)
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Mark Hall
Abstract Productions
I PLAYS THE MUSIC THAT MAKES THE PEOPLES FALL DOWN!

Ironshanks · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 1:09 am Post subject:

Ah, I was considering a similar idea very seriously for quite some time. My concept was for a community based world building exercise where users submit encyclopedic entries as long as they directly refer to two other entries by other authors. This way a sort of continuity would be built up over time.

Plus it'd be neat to base projects on it like, art, fiction, and perhaps even games.

Anyway good luck if you do decide to go ahead with it.
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Locrian · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 1:20 am Post subject:

Eh I'm kind of against it, it would just promote cookie cutter worlds... though I guess it could be a good thing if it reduced the number of worlds inhabited by elves and dwarves with place names the likes of "Mount Doom".

DarkDread · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 1:30 am Post subject:

You know, this would be a great idea for the theme of the next RPGDX compo. We could all design a world together, and then the compo challenge would be to base your game's story in one part of that world.

Thoughts?
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Ironshanks · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 2:59 am Post subject:

I agree with that Dread...not that I've ever been in a compo.
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That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.

ThousandKnives · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 5:08 am Post subject:

i agree too, that sounds like a great idea for a compo, although i ALSO never participate so, heh, not sure my opinion matters here

Ironshanks · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 5:29 am Post subject:

How would you ever create the world for it to be derived from though? Would everyone just throw their ideas together?
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That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.

Bjorn · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 1:49 pm Post subject:

I'm just going to say I really like this idea of community world building. If I participated in such a thing, I would also be much more likely to use the world in one of my own games. About how to create it, I think the work would just have to be devided. So one or two people go about creating an interesting world map or make paintings of certain areas, others think up stories and history and some people think about vegatation and creatures present in the world and draw concept art of them. Also, there should be at least one person organizing all the data and getting it presented on a website. Something like that, maybe.

Ironshanks · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 3:41 pm Post subject:

That's possible, but people might be more interested if they had input in more than just one area...of course then you'd have to worry about how "cut and paste" it would feel.
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That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.

XMark · Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 2:52 am Post subject:

Just did a quick google search, and found that worlds are a dime a dozen out there:

http://www.hut.fi/~vesanto/link.useful/link.networld/networlds.html

I'd still be interested in doing this project though.
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Mark Hall
Abstract Productions
I PLAYS THE MUSIC THAT MAKES THE PEOPLES FALL DOWN!

Mandrake · Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 3:30 am Post subject:

Lociran- I'd have to duisagree with your cookie cutter world idea. He's creating a universe for people to use. It's a joint adventure. That would be like saying all the spinoffs of LOTR are just "cookie cutter". Not that all fantasy worlds aren't cookie cutter.

And yes, xmark, game worlds are a dime a dozen. Anyone that's played any table top RPG, writen a cheesy fantasy novel, or tried planning a console style rpg, has designed a world for it.

But I love the idea. I'll PM you some stuff I've been thikning about. Although DarkDread- the world building conept as a joint adventure- i love that idea. It's brilliant.

I myself love world building, and have designed a god awfull many of them.
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Xmark

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Ironshanks · Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 7:49 pm Post subject:

Yeah, same here. Wish I had a use for them.
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That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.