Helm Games :: Genesis and the man behind it

Helm Games :: Genesis and the man behind itGenesis and the man behind it
Submitted by: Matt Benoit at 06/11/06

We were on the phone coast-to-coast with Gaven Woolery, a Californian college student with alot of time on his hands, and quite a few development skills.
You see Gavan, is starting a MMORPG all by himself, and this isn't a normal MMORPG either, it's a completely dynamic one, Gavan shares some of his time with us for a interview.

*Interview Transcript*

Helm Games:
Gavan could you give the public an general idea of what Genesis is?

Gavan Woolery:
A MMORPG online game thats the genre I think it will be reffered to as.
It is actually a combination a number of different genres.
Like a mix between Sims and
Warcraft and real time strategy games and a number of components.
I see it as the best way to put a real virtual reality-fantasey based world
where it sets it self apart from other MMORPGs is that it features itself on dynamic content.
Basically the game is heavily dependent on user created content, the world starts out as a blank slate trees,resources,etc.
And buildings not are not included initially and need to be made/created.

Basically players harvest resources and build their own societies theres not standard housing people or anything like that but instead people can build castles,houses,etc.

Or really anything they want to do.

Theres even a sort of off-scripting system in the engine thats aimed for beginners so that they can add complicated things in that do or do not move like draw bridges,or some other examples. So its really a second world like some people have nicknamed it "World of Spore-craft".
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HG:
This is a very, ambitious project, are you getting any help?

Gavan:
Actually I've recieved alot of help from other people offering services and alot of people have offered me various resources, theres also alot, I mean alot of people who want to help out the project in addition to Me and My brother working full and part time.
In the future I hope to get a better help system in place and clean up the engine code so people can addon, and redistribute the code and such.
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HG:
What inspired you to make this type of game, do you remember what you were doing at the moment, or did it just pop up?

Gavan:
I had actually been kinda, recently disqaulified at the first school I went to, so I wanted to prove that they could doubt someone perfectly capable.

HG:
Could you clarify your "disqualification"?

Gavan:
Well I wasn't actually disqaulified from the school just the engineering class. I had to take a additional two years of college to graduate so I decided to use it, and put my skills to work and build a video game so I guess thats how the project started.
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HG:
What are some of the key features that will really make Genesis stand out from the standard MMO.

Gavan:
Theres actually as number of things I think make it stand out.
First of all the biggest thing I think most players are interested in is the world, and the quests.
Everything, instead of all the content being supplied by a limited development team instead of where players create their own stuff.

This will allow it to be a much larger amount of content than "World of Warcraft" or similar MMORPG.
Which has hundreads of developers making content where as this could have thousands of people and could be much more inetresting and people could do new quests at start. Instead of the same old routine.
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HG:
How long have you been working on the game and what engines or other major fields of the game have been completed?

Gavan:
Hmm, I've been working on the game for 2 and a 1/2 years and so far I've redone the engine 3 times because when I started out I wasn't that experienced and I only had built puzzles and flash type games before, Nothing this ambitious and I might be rebuilding the engine again and the good news is every time I rebuild the engine that game goes faster, because I have a better idea of what I am doing.

The parts that have been completed is the basic core of the graphics engine and the plant engine.
The plant engine generates plants obviously.
And the terrain engine which generates volume metric terrain.
Theres a crude building engine to allow players to construct primitive buildings the only engine and to not be completed is the character engine has yet to be competed but thats the easiest part, there are already APIs constructed to animate characters in real time like Microsoft's Directx series[referring to DirectX 10].
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HG:
So how will the game work, is it a First Person Adventure, a third person explorer, a overhead strategy MMO styled game, is it different, or have you not decided yet?

Gavan:
Yea well initially for the past two years the engine had been overhead isometric and I'm thinking of redoing the engine to first-person however one aspect is that the qaulity will be sacrificed, one of the problems in first-person is that the displacement mapping which the engine uses.
I'll have to get rid of the code which allows displacement mapping which allows objects to be rendered on a pixel-per-pixel and bumpy surfaces. On the plus side there will be a better way of visualizing the world where you can't see through walls as you can in a isometric view point.
And there will be a more immersive player experience in first-person and more natural because it also what we see, so I think it has more benefits than deficits.
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HG:
Could you share your ideas for a fighting system, will it be a D&D paper and dice style system, a vast numerical system, if different please explain.

Gavan:
There has been alot of discussion on the boards but we haven't pinned down on any one system but were leaning on something thats different but barrows from existant systems.
For example there is a dice rolling type system generating random numbers for battles but it isn't really at all like the d&d system since I don't really like it, because I haven't really used it that much.

There are parts of the fighting system that barrow form other systems but overall its fairly unique, based on what we've discussed so far and behind the scenes theres alot of number crunching and such but what the player sees is a more realistic from a gameplay aspect.

The fighting system on most MMORPGs is consistent with real time combat but its very akin to fighting games of first person shooter style.

But at the same time behind the scenes theres a lot of RPG coding going on like critical hits are calculated all of the skills and stats are taken into account with every hit and theres theres a different kinda levels of critical failure and success you can kinda of aim toward or better yet target body parts like the Fallout games.

But it allows for various levels of strategy for example if you want to immobilize someone you attack their legs and slow them down or immobilize them for awhile it'll allow a lot of strategic components or
something like that I wanna make the system easy to use but difficult to master.
But there should be in-depth strategy behind the scenes.
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HG:
Can you tell us how the dynamic quests system will work?

Gavan:
As I mentioned before theres a expert system that plays a large role behind the scenes as everything that players do,say and so forth gets put in real time and if you pick up a object a number of things happen, for instance there could be moral implications like whats going on, who owns it, was it stolen, will the owner be pissed off if I don't give it back, and so forth.
Thats a simple example but theres kinda this very rigorous AI thats works behind the scenes that interprets everything you do and this plays into the system, just as things arise naturally in real life and in real life if a teacher gives you homework, you have a obligation to complete that homework.
And thats a crude example, but these type of decisions can affect your dialogue tree, and etc.
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HG:
What gave you ideas for most of the creatures and weapons that will be featured in Genesis.

Gavan:
One thing that kinda erks me is that most MMORPGs theres only like elves or strong bull/human mix type things.
And not many ways to go about differentiating yourself but I still like small elegant systems are good and easy to understand on the other hand.

Players have a strong desire to stand out one of the big problems I had facing me was that I had 8 alignments to work with I was set on 8 because it had good possibilities revolving around dark and light and the 4 elements.

And I worked on that system for a long time, refining it and I weighed every idea that I could and I decided I wanted players to be able to play not just normal but small,huge,flying, and swimming characters and etc.

And I got it mixed together and I got the alignments motived around older nations and etc.
And I ended up creating something that had various resources and earth based religions and theres a lot of made up materials as well.
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HG:
Do you plan on releasing a type of developement or mod kit so small developers/studios or personal developers like yourself can make a different styled game, an example would be the popular "Desert Combat" mod for Battlefield 1942.
Which allows players to utilize Battlefield 2 weapons,vehicles, and even helicopters with slightly less impressive hardware.

Gavan:
Yes the game will be mod-able in every aspect of it.
And in-fact the code may be open source, there will also be various levels at which people can modify the game and there will be a mod system comparable to most modern of games where people can change the functionality of the game.
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HG:
Could you shed some light on your creatures system where players can have their player be a unintelligent beast?

Gavan:
Yea well it basically works a little bit like the fairly old game called "UVO" this game basicly allowed you to evovle different body parts when you gained experience so you have a list of things to evolve in your current form.
You select a basic type of form to start with and you can be a basicly mammal,worm type creature,reptile, and other things like that.
You select the inital base or animal kindgdom so to speak, and you can evovle different features, the game may or may not allow players to combine animals also.

HG:
So you mean to tell me I can finally make a pink flying sheep that rules in the land of little Bo Peep?

Gavan:
*Laughs* I suppose you probably could but I'm not sure about pink, or flying sheep either.
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HG:
Will players be able to control vast nations, will there be factions, just rogue players.
Or did you have a different system in mind?

Gavan:
Yes infact there will be be alot of policitcal,adminstatraive, and militery type control systems in the game but its actually handled invisbly.
The game relys heavily on expert systems and what entails is a system that runs behind the scenes that can understand your conversations with other users and implications can erupt.
For example, say that you promise to do this thing and so for whoever and if you held that up that agreement the game engine will remember, or perhaps you bertrayed or lyed to them.
But theres really a huge number of possiblitys that that system can do.
There is a political system and when you talk to people your status is raised or it can take into account everything you said.
It remembers every implication, things that you said and all your actions to really create a real time story that user can shape its more involved than fetch this item for this quest theres a number of implications and really interesting scenarios and quests designed by real people or donaters.

HG:
But what about standard chat on the side, or voice chat?

Gavan:
I haven't decided on voice but I'm sure you could use some type of voice thing if you wanted.
For a text box we have something in mind similar to AIM or something like that, or WoWs chat box.
As I said before it creates something on your personality/situation/goal/alignment, like what TiVo does only a bit more accurate.
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HG:
In Counter Strike, death is permanent for the rest of the round,
and that became quite a popular death system in Counter strike.

Genesis also has permanent death, while most other MMORPG styled games have a graveyard or resurrection of some sort?
What do you think the players of the game will think when they have to stat over, or is there a catch or getaway?

Gavan:
A lot of people's initial reaction is first negative at restarting, but once they understand they seem to like it to my understanding.
Genesis isn't about making you restart from scratch.
A lot of what you did carries over Genesis uses a spirit type system so even when your spirit is released it can inhabit another creature, and your spirit may be able to carry on and your children may be able to obtain certain alternatives for beast and for humans, there is multiple offspring so theres a multiple life system so people could cripple you by killing your offspring thus making you need to make a new character.
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HG:
Do you plan on getting it commercially available, maybe strike a deal with a retailer or publisher? Like Gamestop or EA?

Gavan:
I actually wanna avoid putting it on store shelves and I want to do a more of a down loadable approach.
Like Valve's "Steam" system because this cuts out the middle man of the publisher,developer, and retailer.

It allows me to deliver it at a lower price if I decide to charge, and the system will allow for less price, if thats a issue and the games not given out free for whatever reason.
And theres a scheme system that gets rid of most piracy and refuses users most recent paths if they don't have the appropriate proof of sale/membership type thing. Which would affect the game a lot if your stealing it.
I'm not concerned about piracy, but I want to get it taken care of if I get a publisher.
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HG:
Unless you have some type of personal trauma during the course of developement.
What is your response to critics who belive you'll give up before the game is finished?

Gavan:
Its a very reasonable perspective with all the projects that come up.
If I don't have the time or the energy to finish its a potential possibility but I think I can get it to the point where it can be carried on then it can be completed by other people and myself but its a realistic critique that a lot of projects come and go, but I'm hoping that Genesis will finish.
Only time will tell.
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HG:
Being unexperienced, what was your reaction to the press recognising your project?
Were you surpised or were you expecting it?

Gavan:
I wasn't sure what to expect at first, I was overly confident as soon as I put this thing out, I thought it would explode.
As time went on I became more realistic when I made the first press release, I was kinda sick of working at the moment and wanted to get more know out than before to know it was worth it.

And I was really surprised by the response besides getting interviews and getting covered but what surprised me is the generosity and the amount of people interested in helping with it.
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HG:
And to wrap up the interview, can you throw me a estimation of when your project might finish?
1 year,2 years,3 years,5,7, or longer?

Gavan:
Its difficult to say but all of my previous estimates have been horrible, I said to myself two years ago "I'll get this game done in two years".
And instead I was rebuilding the engine and was getting experience which I say wasn't wasted time.
If I have the time and motivation to work on it consistantly for the next year[2007] then there should be a playable beta.

And thank you for the interview.

HG:
Correction, thank you, and good luck with your project.

Gavan:
Thanks.
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If you'd like to find out more about Genesis for instance it's 64 races,yes I said 64 races and playable beasts which can gain strong hides for armor, and more.
Check out Genesis's/Gavan's website at www.playgenesis.com.

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