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So I've been talking to a friend about the declining playerbase and general issues with wurm online based on how player and customers in the video game/mmo market place act and want. 

 

Wurm Online is a niche game, I doubt anyone can dispute that. But often times even on high end computers it runs sluggish and that's an experience people who have been gaming for a while don't want in 2018. Gamers expectations have changed, and if they have a good PC and see a promising game, they'd like to run it at their fullest potential and have fun. 

 

To that end, why not port over wurm online to a new game engine. I know this has been suggested hundreds of times, but hear me out and let me tell Code Club why they have nothing to lose by trying . 

 

Here's the steps , simplified form: 

 

1) Find a new game engine with decent 3rd graphics, collision and the ability to change the landscape, terraforming etc. 

2) Create a trailer for Wurm Online in that game engine .

3) Put up the trailer and project on kickstarter, indiegogo, or w/e crowdfunding campaign site you want. Showcase how Wurm Online can be made better not just from a graphical stand point, but from new mechanics, functionalities and overall modernising WO. 

4) Figure out how much money you'd need to hire devs to start coding WO in that. 

5.) Figure out how expensive the game engine would be to create WO in that engine, whether it's about renting or writing code over time, renting servers, etc. 

6) Based on those estimates, set a target point for your campaign.

7) Showcase in the trailer what made WO great and what can make it even more legendary in a new modern engine. 

8) Based on how much money you manage to bring in, see how feasible it is to do step 4 and 5 to recreate WO in that new engine.

9) Do you have anything to lose by trying? Depending on how well the trailer is made, you could raise some funding for it.

10) Profit. :) 

 

An important note here is that the idea is not to copy paste maps and villages, and everything in WO to a new engine. I imagine that would take way longer to do than to rebuild WO in the new engine. It's easier to build from the ground up knowing what you need, than to actually build a scaffoling to transport a cathedral 1000 miles to another city, and specialized personnel , vehicles and permits do to so.  

 

One of the key things is the ability to transfer over what you have in WO to that new game engine, some items and some skills mostly. 

 

Donators on the crowdfunding page can get various boosts and rewards based on donation size. 

 

Well, how about it code club? Wanna save wurm? Think big. 

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the engine really isn't the problem

 

and saving wurm could simply start with fixing gamebreaking bugs that have existed for years, pvp rebalancing for once, advertising, and playerbase consolidation.

Edited by Prophetears

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The idea with a new game engine and its trailer is also tied in to player base. The trailer can be released on youtube as well offering visibility for wurm online. New people who never heard about WO can learn about it. 

 

As for bugs, you do understand that WO won't be in java anymore? The current bugs won't be an issue. It also offers the devs a clean slate to try out new things with the same concept. 

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I like the idea, but if you're going to go Kickstarter and re-code the game from scratch, might as well go whole hog and do Wurm 2.0. (And include 3D caves! :) )

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+1 to Wurm 2.0 with 3D caves. 

 

Im perfectly fine losing everything including skills to start anew in a better version of my favorite game. 

 

A perfect way to correct past mistakes like the number of servers, epic and pvp related issues, priest balancing, etc. using WU mods as a guide to some popular and fantastic options. 

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Wurm 2.0 for president!

3D, modern UI, but the same old atmosphere and grind - I would back that. :wub:

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Yep - far too much work trying to circumvent inherent limitations of an ancient language (sorry, but java is not the right tool for a game...., and I am not sure it ever was)

 

A metaphor if you will:

Instead of spending time and effort trying to beautify an old car to look nice, it will never reach the same level of fuel efficiency/comfort as a new car, even if the new one is not top of the line. And the new one has headroom for expansion as well...

To continue with the metaphor - only a select few will appreciate the well maintained old car, but for most people it will be unattractive, and they would prefer a newer car to start with as it will surely have less issues.

 

and perhaps a more crass methaphor:

a pile of poo, even a beautiful one, still remains a pile of poo... :D

 

So I am +100'ing this - wurm definitely needs a new engine, where you do not need the latest i7s and the latest GPUs to render 20 lights..... or to manage to reach 60 fps in full cinematic mode (and yes, I got both and I can't reach 60 fps with max settings)

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1. Sure, but that is a massive undertaking to work on an entirely new version of wurm, and not cheap. Life is Fuedal was supposed to be this "new engine with wurm elements" but that game is almost as dead as wurm partially due to poor management by the dev team, and TOO MANY PLACES TO PLAY WITH A LACK OF CONSOLIDATION (looking at you freedom/epic)

 

2) Creating a Trailer, I mean okay if PR is bored create a trailer.

 

3) Ah, this is where those funds are coming from. The likelihood of success for a niche game is low, but if anything its free advertising.

 

4) Again, I do not think Wurm is in the position to hire additional development team outside the volunteers, or they would have done so. Hearing "hire additional people" must be so exhausting for the wurm team, it is such a basic business growth 101 move and everyone acts like they thought of it, and the management has never heard of this concept. 

 

5.) Ties into the rest, which again this is making an entirely new game essentially this would be Wurm 2.0. While I have no financials in front of me (wurm doesn't offer stock anymore :() I am not personally convinced Wurm has this solid block of pure assets.  

 

6) Same as above

 

7) Would be nice, rest of the points I covered above.

 

9) Yes there is something to lose, time, money, lack of development of current game causing more people to leave, splitting of limited full time staff and development, boosting of current payroll to accommodate people working on multiple projects, overtime pay, cost of engine license, cost of graphic license for out of house productions, cost of additional PR team expenses (if paid). 

 

10) Profit. Maybe.

 

 

 

Now my solution, 

 

Firstly, focus on making bug fixes, minor improvements to balance.

 

Secondly, change epic in the way I prescribed in EPIC 180, making it a simple version of the game, an old school version. This will bring in old pvpers who have personally lost interest, veterans from chaos, freedomers looking for quick fun dip into pvp, and new players due to its very fast limited grind allowing new accounts to be viable in a crafting and fighting sense. 

 

Third, Promote Twitch TV participation as the team is currently doing, but go further, with the new rendition of Epic encourage known streamers interesting in games like that to bring over their own groups and fan bases.

 

Finally, devs not working on pvp updates, should focus efforts on freedom based pve content, new enemies, and content for stronger players who have to venture to that content to involve themselves, and weaken standard NPC's (like trolls) for players in the lower tiers of the game, so they can step 4 feet outside a starter deed without dying. 

Edited by FranktheTank

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Frank, Have to say. I usually love your posts because you'll write 50 sentences to properly reply to a one sentence answer. But my idea was around the fact that this project really is a one man job. It takes one man to find a 3d game engine to use the tutorial license to build a small village and showcase how Wurm Online could be played in it. It also takes just 1 man or maybe two at most to properly edit the video and cut it the right way to make a trailer for it . My point is this doesn't have to be a code Club Ar project. The community can do it. One person can use the 3d engine tutorial to make a village. He can record footage, another can properly cut the video and even add sound effects or a soundtrack. 

 

My point is simple . It can be done. It is feasible. It doesn't hurt the game or community to try. My playtime these days is limited but I am willing to partner up with anyone if it means actually doing something that knows either a 3rd engine or editing. I am willing to do something else than post on these forums an complain. So, any takers? Any partners? 

 

It implies the blessing of the community and/or Code Club for this undertaking. 

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Interesting topic, but like the topics before it nothing will probably change. It's hard to stay positive sometimes.

 

You know a simple kickstarter or something and the right people could really get things moving along if money is the main issue (I don't think it is).

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If their aim is Kickstarter for a sequel (really the only way to go if crowdfunding IMO) the trailer and ad would have to be awesome. Tons of good ideas / cool things don’t get crowdfunded for lack of presentation while some silly / junk things do excellent because of their presentation. (IE: exploding kittens) lol 

Edited by Xor

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A new official video would be cool, there's been many changes, advents and additions to the game since 2014

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