Infinite Worlds
An interactive mythos

Introduction

• Detailed. This refers to the level of detail provided. This detail is provided through simulation. This has both breadth and depth. Breadth of detail means that a wide variety of things are simulated: from the natural world, to artifacts of civilization, to civilization itself. Depth of detail means that physics are simulated to such a degree that they can be experienced and taken advantage of in ways that are natural to the players.
• Extensive. This means that the virtual world is limited only by the amount of storage space on your computer and, if you are online, the amount of storage space in the cloud.
• Extensible. This means that the virtual world can be extended with additional products (scenarios, detailed cities, persons, creatures, etc).

Because of this approach, the player has incomparable flexibility in how he plays, and how he solves challenges. Each game he purchases becomes part of a greater whole, rather than a detached and independent experience. By comparison, all other sandbox and RPG games are tedious and shallow.

Scope

Each solar system consists of several worlds, each of which is the same size as an actual planet. Obviously, no player will ever be able to explore every last possible place in such a multiverse and no computer could hold the definitions of all possible locations. Although some locations (fortresses, towns, cities, etc) will be hand-crafted, much of the world - and universe - will be generated as the user explores.

The Architecture

Reality Modules. Up to four billion potential realities can be defined. Each reality implements a separate gaming system with its own rules. These modules implement rules specific to any game systems. For instance, Hasbro might license the development tools to create their own Dungeons & Dragons Reality - one that follows the rules of that magic-rich, medieval-style RPG. A reality is implement via a Reality Module. New Reality Modules can be easily installed into Infinite Worlds and existing ones can be updated without affecting the others. For this reason, although a player's characters could travel between universes, they cannot travel between realities.

Settings. Within a reality there can be many settings. A setting defines the technologies, major locations, major characters, and the sociopolitical structures that our game scenarios will operate within. Settings have history, famous locations in which that history takes place, current nations, laws, etc. In other words, they broadly define the civilization.

Scenarios. Without scenarios, Infinite Worlds provides a virtual reality in which a player can do whatever he wants (undirected play). Although this appeals to many people, the majority will prefer goal-oriented play. These goals are provided by scenarios. For instance, a local leader may hire the player's character to retrieve a valuable stolen artifact. In return, he will pay the character a reward. A scenario defines the locations, characters, and challenges that make up the task given to the player. When a scenario is installed, all of these things become part of the virtual reality of the setting. In fact, the setting itself is really nothing but a very large scenario. Settings paint in broad strokes, whereas scenarios paint very detailed small pictures. Any number of scenarios can be installed for a given setting and the player's characters can travel back and forth between the locations installed by the scenarios at will.

Deliverables

Besides providing the engine and games to run on it, we will license the technology to other companies who also wish to produce scenarios. This could be used to create new realities, new settings, and/or new scenarios.

Along with the free engine, we will be supplying a Reality Module of our own, called Quasar, which defines all the rules associated with an open-source Role-Playing System. Also, we will supply a setting, which will provide the civilization context in which the player's characters can buy, sell, etc.

Funding

Current Progress