Multi-participant game play

[ricm]

Hi,

This topic reappears from time to time and I'm wondering if, since the last posts over a year ago, anything has changed.

I have been evaluating a number of game platforms including parser-based (eg, Inform) and choice-based (Twine+SugarCube) with a view to creating a multi-participant game. Both platforms have merit with regard to developing story lines with Twine's choice-based system being closest so far to the intended interface.

The critical element missing from the platforms tested so far (proof of concept stage only) is the ability for more than one player to participate within the one shared game environment. In such an environment, the actions of one player will impact the choices and possibilities for the other(s).

A pared-down, generic example might be helpful:

Suppose a game comprises a number of puzzles to be solved. Puzzles can be solved in any order with the caveat that some puzzles can be accessed only when other puzzles have been solved. An object, for example, when moved by one player, will disappear from its original location and be accessible by others only in its new location.

The roadmap would be like multiplayer, but not in the traditional sense:
* there is no role-playing
* characters within the storyline, where they exist, can provide information or clues or pointers, essentially NPCs

Additionally:
* there are locations (but no rooms, doors, movement directions between rooms, just a direct jump between locations)
* there are items that can be examined, acquired or not, and moved between locations
* prominent use of images and, possibly, image maps to reduce text-driven content

The game is collaborative so perhaps rather than a scoreboard, a "state-of-play" board can centralise progress by the various players in solving puzzles.

Would Ren'Py take me closer to such collaboration or is that part of the roadmap just not possible? I'd be happy to look at any game examples suggested.

Regards,
Ric

[jeffster]

If you can use some kind of a server, Ren'Py can query that server with renpy.fetch() or with Python modules like "Requests".
https://renpy.org/doc/html/fetch.html

Then all you need to do is to design how a minimal set of data kept on the server (perhaps with a unique id for every individual "game room") would be queried and updated by every participant, affecting the state of their game.