I think you are underestimating what the WebClient is capable of. Once it is stable, there will likely be the option to embed it within a native application wrapper for just about any OS, so the WebClient will eventually become a superior, cross-platform version of the exe.
The real reason for the focus on the WebClient though is that it can basically make or break all of BYOND. Without it, there is essentially no hope for BYOND in the future, as everyone moves to mobile devices.
Also, the whole world just doesn't take BYOND seriously as a platform. The WebClient has the potential to change that, as long as developers help make it happen. Without game developers, BYOND will fail with or without the WebClient, so the argument there is invalid.
I agree and disagree with you, I agree that we need capable developers to make good games, I disagree that we need the webclient, if developers make great games people will come and play them. I dont know much about SS13 but is a good example of how people come together and play it without the need of any special webclient to play it.
Edit: SS13 is hitting 700+ current players at times thats pretty impressive for a indie game, that shows if a game is good people will play it and will help it grow. Severed World shows the standards of what a 2014+ RPG game should have, if they do it right we should have another pretty populated game on our hands that will call on players and grow the community once again. | |
This could probably go back and forth forever, because it is all based on mere speculation. Only the future will prove it one way or the other, but I think the WebClient is one of BYOND's best investments yet.
Since SS13 is already very popular, the WebClient should make it even more so. In the best-case scenario, the WebClient will make SS13 look unpopular today compared to how popular it will be in the future. I do think the current, native exe client should be supported, but right now, I think they are right to make the WebClient the priority, since it's still in beta testing. | |
Zasif wrote:
I agree and disagree with you, I agree that we need capable developers to make good games, I disagree that we need the webclient, if developers make great games people will come and play them... You do realize that a vast majority of the human populace now plays mobile games, right? Even 80 year old meatbags play candy crush on mobile. Most people may not see it because they aren't of that genre. To access that market, webclient capabilities would be in order. As it currently stands, the Webclient is highly unstable in terms of rendering, yet very much capable in terms of simple text-based features. In time, this will surely be a great feature. | |
I Dont care if 80 years old people play candy crush, and I dont care for mobile games, mobile games are games that are played for 5 min and then sits to dust, I have tons of them installed on my phone, that I dont care for I enjoy them for few min then im done with them. I care more for good games, good online games then a web game. Browser games doesnt have the appeal that a EXE game has.
A great feature? Features can be only so great if they are used right. A game that is bad wont make me play it just because its on a web page. | |
Dude this is awesome. Please keep this going.
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Zasif wrote:
I Dont care if 80 years old people play candy crush, and I dont care for mobile games, mobile games are games that are played for 5 min and then sits to dust, I have tons of them installed on my phone, that I dont care for I enjoy them for few min then im done with them. I care more for good games, good online games then a web game. Browser games doesnt have the appeal that a EXE game has. Most people may not see it because they aren't of that genre. -Xirre 2015 My point stands. A great feature? Features can be only so great if they are used right. A game that is bad wont make me play it just because its on a web page. Once again, you're only talking about yourself. You fail to realize that there are many people who will play a crappy game as long as it looks good. I mean look at Call of Doody. And to even further back up this statement, I made a game in a day that is nothing but beautiful cubes that slide on the floor. There are multiple levels and you, the blue cube, have to pass by red cubes to reach the green cube. Run in to a red cube and BOOM! You explode in to tiny white particles. Very simple, no? And because it was mobile capable, a friend of mine, and her little brother, literally played such a simple game for a week. With. No. Updates. Needed. At. All. And did I mention it only took a day to make? By that, I mean 4 hours of actual work and the rest was me watching anime. | |
But people don't go to ss13 because it's a good game. I'm sorry as a developer I know people worked on it hard but it has so many glaring issues that made it unplayable for me. Nothing about it is good game design.
Though severed world that's when we are talking. And that quality could have been made long before 2014 it just takes a talented team knowing what they are doing. And the web client is important and there are a few mobile games out there that are taken more seriously than you proclaim. | |
I've never claimed that I know how good SS13 is doing, but people do play it so there must be something there that makes them stay and grow.
Yes I agree Severed world quality is not of a 2014 more like 2005-2010, but its nice to see that we finally get some good quality work done. | |
Zasif wrote:
Yes I agree Severed world quality is not of a 2014 more like 2005-2010, but its nice to see that we finally get some good quality work done. Graphics in terms of 2D games have not really changed. The only thing different is the art styles. In addition to that, there's dynamic lighting now. Something most games aren't utilizing. Severed World is definitely making a difference and isn't categorized as a game that would be in 2005-2010. Not only that, you gave a very broad range. Yes, the quality could have been made before 2014. But, as Dante said, it takes a talented team. As time passes, the standard for game development changes. Games that strictly follow the old theme, as NEStalgia has, are saved from this change. Whereas games that advertise beauty and intense gameplay (Severed World makes use of this greatly with their screen shakes. A key feature in something like this) are harder to make and must uphold to the standards of their players. | |
Zasif wrote:
I've never claimed that I know how good SS13 is doing, but people do play it so there must be something there that makes them stay and grow. I think that a large part of SS13's popularity is because it's probably the only successful, truly open source game on BYOND. The problem is that whenever someone here thinks about open source, they immediately think of the rips, and it scares them away from the idea. BYOND needs to realize that rips and open source games are two completely different things. SS13 should be all the proof that you need to not be afraid of developing an open source game. It's the great variety that only open source games are capable of, that makes SS13 so popular. | |
I didnt know SS13 was open source, I thought it was like Host Files and Admin panel that allowed you to change stuff around to make your own unique server with your specific settings.
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I think the web client is a huge deal, the potential exposure a game can get with the web client will be much larger by comparison, which will actually bring some new people in.
The biggest draw BYOND had in getting new players was through its fan games, I wouldn't know about BYOND if it wasn't for the fact I typed "Bleach Online Game" into Google/Yahoo back in 06/07 and found Las Noches come up and unfortunately that's no longer a viable way to get new players. Based on my observations, the most popular BYOND games are the ones where there is a large capacity for trolling, whether thats tazing people and locking them in cupboards, turning off the life support, planting exploding bugs on someone without them knowing, wall hacking into someones base and destroying their maxed out gravity machine or building 50+ super androids that kill everyone in the game and then wall off the respawn points. All of this drama is exactly what people seem to want, regardless of the graphics. | |
Zasif wrote:
Severed World shows the standards of what a 2014+ RPG game should have, if they do it right we should have another pretty populated game on our hands that will call on players and grow the community once again. Yet you say you don't see the benefit of the webclient... you realize that almost none of what they have done with Severed World would be possible without the webclient, right? A good chunk of what they've been showing off is Javascript interaction, which is only possible with the webclient. Honestly, anybody that denies that the webclient is the most important thing that BYOND has ever done doesn't understand what the webclient really is. | |
Unwanted4Murder wrote:
Yet you say you don't see the benefit of the webclient... you realize that almost none of what they have done with Severed World would be possible without the webclient, right? A good chunk of what they've been showing off is Javascript interaction, which is only possible with the webclient. I object! It is very much possible without javascript interactions. animate() does wonders for you. And with Click(), you can make some pretty badass stuff. Don't shut down DreamSeeker just yet. It's still in the game. But yes, you're right. Severed World is all Web Client. So, if you use SW as a game to debate that the Web Client is useless, you're contradicting yourself. | |
Wouldn't creating this DM language be the most important thing BYOND has ever done?
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Akto wrote:
Wouldn't creating this DM language be the most important thing BYOND has ever done? Can you elaborate a bit more??? You lost me. | |
Xirre wrote:
Unwanted4Murder wrote: Sure, it's possible, but it'd be a lot more memory-intensive because it would all be done server-side instead of client-side... not to mention the fact that the most important thing they're undertaking, the load balancing using their cluster server system, would certainly not be possible without JavaScript afaik. | |
Edit: Webclient wont help byond get better at all, if developers make good games then players will download byond will install it, will make an account for it and will help out the community grow, whats the point of a webclient if Games end up shitty. :P
Sorry if this was off topic I didn't read the above posts this was just about the webclient comment.