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I get that this is a joke, but I do think a really cool concept for a game would be one where there is just an API for the "state" and that is responsible for t

I get that this is a joke, but I do think a really cool concept for a game would be one where there is just an API for the "state" and that is responsible for the mechanics and rules of the game, but that you would build your own custom client for the UI. For example, some kind of spaceship battle game where you create your own interface for controlling the ship... it would be kind of a meta-game where creating the interface a certain way might give you advantages in terms of efficiency versus others.

hatu 13y ago
I'm just worried in reality it would just mean a flood of a thousand clones in the appstore.
- edraferi 13y ago
  Sure, but maybe that could be a good thing. For example, you could provide an API for Chess that ranks players across apps. You could use a Facebook ID or similar to merge identities across applications. Then players could choose the chess app they prefer and still be engaged with the larger community.
  - alttab 13y ago
    You actually have something here.
chch 13y ago
Schemaverse[1] could be considered something similar, I think, down to the "space-based strategy game", although it is controlled by raw SQL queries instead of an API. [1] https://schemaverse.com/ https://schemaverse.com/
- jordanlev 13y ago
  Wow, that's really cool -- thanks!
saraid216 13y ago
Back when I was working on my own MUD, this was one of my intents. I'd set up the system and then define an API off it for anyone to build their own client. This was mostly because I was pretty strongly principled against forcing a particular display on the player. I wanted them to be able to explore via a text-based interface or a graphical one. ...and as it turns out, this was not the most ridiculously ambitious part of that project. :P
- claudius 13y ago
  Building your own mudlib is always the most ridiculously amibitious part of any project of which it is a part :P But don’t most MUD clients follow these principles? Playing with tf5 does give you quite a few advantages over playing with plain telnet.
jackpirate 13y ago
That's exactly how FreeCiv (a clone of Sid Meier's Civilization II) is structured.

hatu 13y ago

I'm just worried in reality it would just mean a flood of a thousand clones in the appstore.

edraferi 13y ago
Sure, but maybe that could be a good thing. For example, you could provide an API for Chess that ranks players across apps. You could use a Facebook ID or similar to merge identities across applications. Then players could choose the chess app they prefer and still be engaged with the larger community.
- alttab 13y ago
  You actually have something here.

chch 13y ago

Schemaverse[1] could be considered something similar, I think, down to the "space-based strategy game", although it is controlled by raw SQL queries instead of an API. [1] https://schemaverse.com/ https://schemaverse.com/

jordanlev 13y ago
Wow, that's really cool -- thanks!

saraid216 13y ago

Back when I was working on my own MUD, this was one of my intents. I'd set up the system and then define an API off it for anyone to build their own client. This was mostly because I was pretty strongly principled against forcing a particular display on the player. I wanted them to be able to explore via a text-based interface or a graphical one. ...and as it turns out, this was not the most ridiculously ambitious part of that project. :P

claudius 13y ago
Building your own mudlib is always the most ridiculously amibitious part of any project of which it is a part :P But don’t most MUD clients follow these principles? Playing with tf5 does give you quite a few advantages over playing with plain telnet.

jackpirate 13y ago

That's exactly how FreeCiv (a clone of Sid Meier's Civilization II) is structured.