an idea for a new game maybe?
 

so i had the idea for a game that is primarily for merchants, it would start out in the mid 1800's and go all the way up to who knows when, i was playing the pirate carribean hunt and it got me to thinking how its either age of sail or modern day, theres nothing really for steamships..my idea is basically starting with a little sailboat and working your way up to a large ocean liner carrying passengers, i figure sh5 deserves credit too for this inspiration, because i think it could be pulled off in a similar manor, time compression and all that, you would be able to go into your ship and walk around or take the controls in a 3rd or 1st person, standing at the wheel, there would also be a navy you could fight for doign all sorts of missions from escourting ships in hostile waters to activly engaging pirates, yes, pirates..there would be some piracy in there, pirates would start out with a ship, go plunder and pillage and do what pirates do best, they could also capture and steal merchant ships or even naval ships if they are up to the challenge, its similar to whats already out there ill admit, but i think it would be cool to see a game that has steam ships in it..i mean i would love to sit and listen to the engines of an old steamship chugging away..or the cannon fire of a frigate in the rough seas defending a merchant ship from pirates, its a rough idea, but i think it would be nice..wouldent be a fast paced game, but im sure it could work out as sh5 is very slow paced at times..i have a few other ideas for it but they are still on the drawing board..best part of all, it would include a multiplayer world, with a realistic economy...similar to that of uncharted waters but i would improve on it, find a way to stop artificial inflation of selling, the ships would also be upgradeable, from cosmetics to actually configuing them with better sails, engines, more cargo space..stuff like that, you could litterally make the ship yours..anyway i know im rambling on and all that but i think it would be nice to see a game along these lines...like a shipping version of a flight sim with some naval combat thrown in idk

Interesting concept.

Have you tried Sid Meier's Pirates!

You can ignore the basic plot and just be a merchant and gauge your success on the money you make.

You can experience defending yourself against pirates. Of course, this is only in sailing ships.

The problem, I would think is that it would be boring after a while. Just like real life merchants. A repeating set of ports, trying to keep costs down and profits high.

Might be interesting as an economic simulator, but as a game, I don't see how that could be fun after a while.

I guess there is a reason why most of the games out there involve combat in one way or another. :03:

A very romantic idea... I'd play it. An occasional stowaway might liven things up :)

Sounds interesting, and anything with a different approach is something I would like. After years of playing games that have progressed with the same game design, something new would be very welcome.

Anything that's immersive and fun would be a hit.

Rgr that :yep:

well there would be smuggling missions, high risk missions..stuff like that to keep you on your toes, there would be combat, you would basically be given a boat and told to go make a name for yourself, ive always had a soft spot for steam ships but thats the one thing i never see get done, i mean hey how cool would it be to maintain a steam ship in the rough atlanic while avoiding pirates in the early 1900's? thats what would keep you on your toes, it also wouldent just be a small area either, it would have to be a large portion of the world, hundreds of ports..be a tramp steamer doing quick runs, hey when the time comes, wouldent it be cool to eventually sail along side ships such as the britannic and the olympic, the lusitania and even the carpathia? maybe spot another famous ship of the era? would be nice, getting in at the end of the age of sail, working through th ebeginning of the steamship era and eventually working into oil fired ships..right now its just an idea, but it would be something along the lines of a simulator i think..but there would be stuff to keep you on your toes like i said, it could even have on ship emergencies, something small such as food poisoning to something as large as a fire, or a breach in the hull, maybe even an engine failure...the plan would be to bring something new to the seas and not something thats been done

In other words, randomly generated situations,emergencies, system failures and things like that. Theberbster says that a modded SH5 comes close to what you describe. Check out the forums for the same mods he uses or better yet, talk with him.

All The things you describe sounds good and they are great Ideas. This is where Innovation starts. If a good program can be started, written and coded that can take advantage of multiple core systems, chances are good we may all see something like you described.

Neal himself is probably thinking along the same lines with the project he is working on. It sounds promising as well.

Yeah, I especially love the food-poisoning idea.

well the idea would be that you would have to maintain the ship as a real captain would, i mean..it does sound a bit complex but i think it would be interesting, a dynamic career set in a sandbox sorta world, i think it would be nice to be honest, i also think it would be cool, sure i think you should be able to turn stuff like that off for difficulty settings but, imagine taking a game, you have to worry about fuel, food, fresh water, everything like that that a real captain would have to worry about..i think it would be pretty fun to deal with, sure it would be alot of work but you would actually have to work for something...now its not everyones cup of tea but..im wondering if it would be worth the effort, yes it would have piracy and naval actions, you could join the navy and captain a naval vessal or something...that would keep it interesting i think..