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Socoder -> Off Topic -> A crazy idea (that might just work) ...
Mon, 25 Feb 2008, 07:41
Afr0
 		Okay, so today was my first day in internship as part of college (not exactly college, but close enough). Basically, I ended up connecting wires and screwing screws into cabinets that were going to do some security duty in the North Sea on some of the oil platforms there.

In other words: It sucked!

Then, as I was waiting for my mom to pick me up on the way home, I got a crazy idea. This company already has some programmers that are currently stuck doing PHP for the interal webservice (though they have registered licenses of Visual Studio 2005, and at least one programmer knows C#). Also, they have at least 1 (I believe it's more like 3) guy working on designing these cabinets, electric chairs and shit in AutoCad (I imagine that's what they're using).

So what if the programmers are set to working on gameplay code and high-level network code 24/7, they hire an extra programmer or two, and replace AutoCad with Photoshop? Get where I'm going here? I already have very stable and functional network library already written in C# that I'd be more than willing to share with them for free.

Only problem is: The new boss (I've worked there before, and the old boss was really cool) is a prick. One of those guys in a suit who's only purpose in life seems to be making money.

Could someone come with some articles, numbers and/or graphs that I could use in a presentation to convince the boss that MMO games are the new loud? Sure, he'd have to make a steep upfront investment, but if done right, he could get a sick amount of money back in as well!

I also remember reading that Ensemble Studios originally worked on 'normal' software development, and that Age of Empires was developed as a result of a part of the company branching out. Could someone confirm this for me? I also think I read that the same thing happened to the company that developed Homeworld for Sierra (though I cannot remember the company's name at the top of my head). In addition, I know that it happened to Id Software (though that was a bit more 'brutal', as a large chunk of the company (including Carmack and Romero) actually quit the mother company to found Id).

So, what do you guys think? Am I in over my head, or is this a good idea?

Edit: Yes, some of you might argue that an MMO game might not be the ideal thing to develop for a Game Company just starting out, but I think the boss is one of those guys who have to see the potential (read: potential) for a huge financial win to be convinced to change the future of his company. Otherwise, why couldn't he just keep developing boring electrical chairs and cabinets for platforms in the North Sea?

Edit 2: Might sound cocky, but I'm already pretty sure I can convince the programmers that my network technology is more than good enough as a starting base. Obviously it'd need a better login system (the one that exists now is based on Ultima Online and blows (only reason it's there is for simplicity)) and some packet encryption, but both those things are implemented on the packet level, and is separate from the underlying network code.

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Afr0 Games

Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
Mon, 25 Feb 2008, 13:31
power mousey
show him and suggest to him him how you can help him make the money on the venture and I'm sure he would.
For one thing tell him about existing companies and especially Blizzard. Making cart fulls of cash on their WoW multiplayer systems.

he isn't really motivated by OOP as long as it makes him money and gives hime some recognition. You could say he is into OOM. Object Oriented Money.


Mon, 25 Feb 2008, 14:13
mole
 		There are LOTS of MMOs out there already, including plenty of free ones. How would you persuade the Boss that there is scope for a new one?