[vworld-tech] Ultimate MMO Platform

[Crosbie Fitch]

> From: Megan Fox
> I believe that the system proposed is well beyond something 
> that can be designed in one go, that it must be built up to, 

I agree this far.

> and that 
> these layered builds will (up to a certain point) be useful for BOTH 
> commercial and non-commercial applications.

I'd suggest that the extent to which any stage in any branch of the evolution of this system is suitable for commercial or non-commercial applications will be quite varied.

I believe that the focus must be on functionality. Leave commercial viability to branches created by commercially interested parties - only they have the resources.

> So, given that, we might as well start with those versions of 
> the system which are commercially viable.

Sorry. I really think this first step is the one that always leads to oblivion.

Are we a commercial consortium with oodles of financial resources that can afford to explore this avenue?

Or are we a special interest group with only sweat equity for funding?

If the latter, then I don't think we can afford to put anything on the system roadmap that is solely necessary for commercial viability.


> (but I'm also not of the mind that the distributed server model isn't
> entirely relevant to the rest of the design - it doesn't 
> affect the game, it
> just affects how the game is served, something which should 
> be abstracted
> from and transparent to the game.  The "ultimate" platform is 
> one where you
> can yoink out the distributed server model, replace it with a 
> single-server
> or server-farm model, and all the same game and logic code 
> remains intact
> with no modification, thereby making any advances in a freely-avaible
> cyberspace code applicable to the closed-loop server farms.  

I quite agree.

> This allows
> commercial entities to take advantage of the cyberspace 
> advances, even if
> their development cycles don't allow for them to design such things
> themselves)

Indeed, but it is likely that commercial entities will also say "Oh, although this system is quite functionally sufficient for our application, unfortunately it doesn't have characteristic X designed into it which is necessary for our business model".

I say "Let them design characteristic X into it"  or provide funding for us to do so for them (as a project fork say).