Twitch Asylum

Ever since Grand Theft Auto, I've become a huge fan of the Open Ended genre of games. Games like GTA, Saint's Row & Just Cause come to mind. But so far, the storyline of open ended games has always been one of illegal activities. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a little gratuitous violence & drug trafficking in an open ended fantasy world!

I was just wondering what an open ended game would be like if that was all it was? Open ended. A game that had no layed out objective. Just a giant city where you could roam, do what you wanted and made up your own objectives. Granted, I'd like to see some realistic law enforcement incorporated into a game like this. Where the penalties of getting busted make you REALLY try to obey the rules or REALLY try to not get caught! That would naturally create good guys and bad guys. Things could get real interesting from there.

Would this more or less be akin to an MMORPG? I don't really think so as it wouldn't be subscription based with server farms everywhere. Just a copy of the game maybe with multiplayer capabilities. heck who knows, maybe massive multiplayer is a good idea. I'd just like to get my hands on a game where you could wander a city, uncover easter eggs that the developers put in along the way. You know, like finding a secret room in some obscure apartment over on Maple Street or finding out that a sewer can gain you entrance into the local bank. Stuff like that. Kind of a create your own adventure style of game.

A game like this would be pretty lucrative with expansion packs. Developers could just have fun with a title like this. Open sourcing the code provides even more possibilities.

Sorry, just wondering when and where these styles of games would hit the market and if they'd even be popular. The open ended genre seems to be taking off and I'm curious as to what the genre is going to evolve into.

--SjN

Doesn't that already exist as Second Life? It is basically a completely open ended multiplayer environment where people can pay for additional content.

Yea, Second Life came to mind but I was thinking more along the lines of a regular single player or multiplayer (ala' Test Drive Unlimited) type game. Not a huge subscription based MMORPG.

I started thinking about it over the weekend when a friend mentioned that TDU would be so much cooler if you could get out of the car and wander around. Heck if Oahu can be so accurately digitized, then why can't Phoenix Arizona, Sherwood Oregon or Portland? Maybe different cities could be released at different intervals kind of like Microsoft flight simulator did. I just think the coolness factor of driving around on the same streets I take to get to the office armed with something like an RPG for those blasted soccer mom minivans would totally rock!

I don't know about you, but a Test Drive Unlimited - Phoenix would kick major butt!

--SjN

sounds fun to me it would be a sweet game with single and multi play merged together ex you could rob the bank urself or group with ppl n buy masks n guns in the black market but if you get caught its like 24h in jail but your partners can ditch you or maybe you bought a car to escape in. but to earn money you gotta realy work like at mcdonalds and other ppl can walk in and buy burgers or maybe you own a mc donalds and you gotta interview ppl will they show up to work on tuesday at 5:00 if not fire them.

like a mini worl but in third person endless pocibilities

The Elder Scrolls games are very open ended. Try Oblivion.