Massive Multiplayer Online Rpg + Geocaching?

[MikeFM]

I've been toying with the idea of making a multiplayer online game similar to something such as Everquest that requires players to actually go to real places guided by GPS in order to find codes for spells or items from the cache at those locations. Possibly even making it so that users with handheld computers could follow along in the game as they moved in real life. To me a quest isn't much fun if you don't go out and actually sweat and see new things. Geocaching alone is also fun but lacks some of the interesting features a character in a game, book, or movie might do on a quest. Obviously, we can't put real monsters and villians out there to battle and in real life we're not all superheroes but I thought it'd be enjoyable to add those fantasy elements on top of a real life experience such as hunting for a lil shop in the middle of town or walking through the mountains.

 

Would anyone else find something like that interesting or have suggestions on how it might be implemented so as to be enjoyable?

 

Thanks.

[Warbones]

I think it sounds interesting although I wouldn't be much help as I am still new to my gps and still looking for my first (gps) cache. I have found some just not with the gps.

[fallout4x4]

If you can get around the "I live in Seattle and the waypoint is in Florida" problem I'd say go for it.

[MikeFM]

If you can get around the "I live in Seattle and the waypoint is in Florida" problem I'd say go for it.

Yeah, I'd want to make it so it was possible to play the game entirely within given locales.. but so that different locales had different factors involved so that there would be benefits to playing across a larger area. Such as special difficult quests that would require you to gather items or spells from around the country or world. The more difficult the quest to complete the cooler the result should be. Possibly combining the claws of dragons from different regions would result in a spell with the properties of both types of dragons. That kind of thing. I'd want to make an RPG literally the size of the entire world.

[+bons]

World size is an issue. For a simple translation in the gaming world, think of empire building.

 

It's easy (comparitively) to rule a city state. Everything is right there withing walking distance. A few people on horseback serve as the communication system for the entire area and events can be handled quickly and efficiently. There is very little infrastructure needed that doesn't directly serve the needs of the people.

 

For larger areas, communication and travel make direct ruling impossible. Once that happens you need a number of rulers working together and attempting to communicate. The infrastructure required to get all of this working together grows rapidly. And that infrastructure requires a lot of time and money.

 

The larger the area the more people, the more communication is needed, and the more infrastructure is required until eventually you have an entire country paying for things like the Internal revenue service not to mention all the accountants, programmers, and lawyers who produce nothing for the economy and instead divert all their production into figuring out how much of their salary you owe.

 

(sorry about that. I drifted there.)

 

While I can understand the desire to cover the world, it's simply not a reasonable goal at this point. A reasonable goal would be 5 people and one town. Once you iron out the problems in that scenario, try getting 3-4 groups playing the same game in the town. Slowly expand the number of the players and the area and deal with the problems as they arise.

 

While I would love to match wits with JollyBGood and company in a GPS based RPG, I recognize that it's going to be a one time event if at all, simply because the distance between us is too great. Were there enough geocaching gamers in the local area, I may set up something special for them, but travel, dealing with players who cheat because there's no one around, dealing with players who accuse others of cheating because that player is doing well, and all the other social and logistical problems make me not want to try the world view until the local view gets ironed out first.

[+mcon1]

its interesting you should say that. Reading about a game like that is how I heard about Geocache (a week ago)

 

It is definatly a cool idea, and it sounds like it works in Japan since it is such a small area (compared to the US or even large states)

 

I would love if something like this came to America! (in the meantime I'm going to enjoy Geocaching)

 

Here is the slashdot article:

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=0...tid=186&tid=193

 

Thanks,

mcon1

[+snake1411]

I think world-wide domination in the game is key (not just a measly city-state)....and is quite possible. While living in a cache-poor area (fortunately not the case anymore), I searched out some other GPS games and found one that let me get out and enjoy the area even though there were no caches to be found. And people from all over the US (and world as I believe some Aussies participated) played the game.

 

The key is to simplify the gameboard from the whole world on down which is easy for us. Instead of using degrees use a 60 minute by 60 minute gameboard. Everyone can participate on this gameboard...sure some areas won't be accessible for some because of rivers, lakes, etc, but a person of another degree could get there.

 

The quests could be set up with the player(s) have to visit a certain minute or series of minutes to acquire the spell, weapon, skill, etc.

 

Go to MinuteWar for more information.

[+Bjorn74]

I'm planning an Amber DRPG game for Ambercon 2005 that will involve recovering shards of a broken Jewel of Judgement at a few Geocache-ish locations and then reassembling it and walking a Pattern at one of two local labyrinths.

 

It will go from traditional DRPG into a LARP activity with the players riding in a "Cab" trying to get to the jewel fragments. The "Cabbie" will be a co-GM acting as a foreign cab driver. Should be entertaining.

[+MoonHerb]

Here is the slashdot article:

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=0...tid=186&tid=193

 

Thanks,

mcon1

Is it just me or does the chap in the follow-up article look like someones avatar ?

 

[+MoonHerb]

Oh yeah, I do like the idea of a computer/real life thingy . . . .

 

Obviously many people prefer to go out, away from technology, that's the reason they cache. But why not think of a cache (multi/mystery?) that includes both local(ish) physical locations and online puzzles/clues/etc . . ?

 

Or is there already some like this (preferably in the UK) ?

[the federation]

I have been working on a 2 day event rpg. Is loosely based on the military term Defcon 5. The object of the game is to search out various codes and locations to return the country to defcon 5. I would establish caxchers in teams and then through a series of micros and online password protected files cachers would have to return us to defcon 5. Any thoughts or suggestions. If anyone would like to discuss this off thread email me through my profile.

the federation

[+Bjorn74]

Ok. I had some help from a well noted Amber DRPG GM to work this out. Here are some details. If you ever plan to come to an Ambercon, I plan to run a game like this for the next several years, so there will be some very obvious spoilers, but still should be fun from a gaming perspective.

 

We started out playing out the teasers in the hotel room (Ambercon uses the living rooms of people's suites at an Embassy Suites) and then moved out in front of the hotel. The characters were, unfortunately, railroaded into helping Dworkin find pieces of the Jewel of Judgement. The first was in the middle of a vacant lot adjacent to the hotel. Dworkin handed the players a GPS that was a magical Jewel Tracking device made by Dworkin. Dworkin disappears until they find a temporary cache with one part of a puzzle in it. At this point he reappears to explain that transportation is provided for the rest of the search.

 

Everyone (3 players and the other GM pile into my car and I drive under direction from the characters. The Game GM acts as the Cab driver and story teller. I give some direction hints to help familiarize the players with the GPS. This decreases as they get used to the GPS and they soon are giving me full directions along the way.

 

Each cache (4 real one's used in this game) was prepped with a piece of the puzzle that morning or the day before by myself. I took new coordinates at each cache so it would be a little more reliable for the inexperienced gamers. Two caches were in the same park, which allowed the players to do a little more gaming on the trail. When in the car for two longer segments, the characters interogated the driver to see what they were supposed to be doing and why. It became interesting to see how the GM played out the situation.

 

At the end, we had a final spot to get to. If you know anything about Roger Zelazny's Amber Chronicles, you'll know what it means to walk the pattern. Well, about 30 miles from the hotel was our destination, where the characters walked the pattern and saved the multiverse. It was a very cool experience.

 

We probably could have hidden pieces all over the place, but caches that have been around for a long time sure did make perfect hiding spots.

 

Next year, I'll try to do a little more with it. There needed to be more role playing at the cache locations. Beasts needed killing. Puzzles needed solving. All types of contests should have played out. But this was a convention-based proof-of-concept and seemed that way at the end. The future looks bright.

[+Rabid Bunny]

Traeumer and I recently created this Geo-based, Fantasy RPG;

 

RPG: Nebit the Gnome

[+Muggermots]

Caching definitely has some similarities to RPGing... maybe THAT's why it caught my interest so well... puzzle/hide and seek type things always do. I've got some ideas of my own for caching-related real-world projects, but RPGs hadn't occured to me. Go for it and let us know!