Books that would make good MMO's

[Zynthar]

Another one that would be really cool is the other Jim Butcher Series.

Codex of Alera... everyone has Magic there

Aesop

Except Tavi!


Shh! Don't spoil it for those that ain't read! I'm waiting for library to kick me the last one.

[Grimztone]

Stepping outside the fantasy/science fiction genre, I would love to see a western themed MMO, Think Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. Gamblers, Outlaws, Lawmen, Entertainers, Ranchers, Bounty Hunters, Miners. Could be alot of fun.

YESSSSSSS. totally agree.

[oberon131313]

I've always said that Battletech/Mechwarrior needs to be fully fleshed out as an MMO...

[donfilibuster]

Terry Prattchett's Discworld have been made into a successful MUD game.
Add Turbine to create a MMO.

There's also a less known but excellent MUD game based on the Dragonlance series.
This one is a good proof of concept and can be very inmersive for a text based game.
It also shows that you don't need to fully stick to the novels to make it work good.
Krynn has the right mix of world size, dungeons, wilderness and cities for a MMO.

(both games show up in google search easily)

[Aesop]

Except Tavi!


Shh! Don't spoil it for those that ain't read! I'm waiting for library to kick me the last one.

just got it from our friends at amazon... need to start reading it ... but Family is interfeing

Aesop

[Kaldahr]

I've always thought the Dream Park series (including California Voodoo Game) by Larry Niven and Steve Barnes would make a good MMO. You wouldn't be confined to one particular genre and could even blend genres in a particular quest / quest series. Easy enough to establish different meta-areas as different places around the world that host games at any particular time. This was the first place that I read about different types of gamers being able to see things (i.e. rogues) that other players couldn't. You could even have a "second-sight" type of thing where VR visors could be taken on and off to see the real world behind the VR one (perhaps giving you a quick advantage but leaving you open to VR attack).

Multiple team contests (CTF, completion, whatever), PVP, ladders, etc. could be built-in. Notoriety could be built as status in the world grows giving access to better equipment, etc.

Might be tough because you'd almost have to create two type of characters. The human (real world) and the VR world type of character - though you could build in a Traveller type character creation system (professions per year, etc). Bonus that there's already a PnP game it.

I did enjoy the series though. Could be good.

I'll probably get mocked... Mercedes Lackey's various "worlds".

Not mocked at all. I did enjoy the Obsidian Trilogy books. Personally, it's one of the best depictions of Elves I've read. The only thing that might difficult is the magic system (the whole mage price thing might be really difficult but could be cool at the same time; interesting mechanic to say the least). But ready made enemies depending on where in the timeline you start. I've yet to read the second series so I don't know where it leads.

[Danneskjold184]

I'm amazed Dune was never made into an MMO.

As cheesy as it sounds, I would totally want to play a Starship Troopers inspired FPS/MMO. And not the crappy movie version - the original powered armor bug squashing Mobile Infantry, thank you very much! Dao's Devils, ready to drop!

Dune would be great. However, which era would you pick? I may be outing myself as a Dune Nerd, however I think the Typhoon Struggle time would be the most epic.

[Dexxaan]

Michael Moorcock`s -

Elric of Melnibonè - Imrryr`s New Kingdoms would simply rock.

.

[Zynthar]

I'm not much of a Dune geek, but would it work well? I've read several of the books, and they're more of a..a individual story. For a MMO setting, you need a reason for large groups of random people to be having adventures or what not.

[DANTEIL]

Hrm, I'm a total MMO newbie so I don't know all the various things that already exist... but the first thing that came to mind was A Song of Ice and Fire, which a couple of people have already mentioned. But then I realize that there are probably already too many fantasy/scifi worlds out there, so my second thought would be to use some kind of modern-day spy setting, like James Bond or even better (because you need a group) Mission Impossible. You could have skill specializations, weapons and gadgets, missions, bad guys, skill levels etc etc. I don't have a specific book in mind, so that's not really answering the original post, I guess..

EDIT: and no one's mentioned Twilight?? ;p

[Xenus_Paradox]

I'm not much of a Dune geek, but would it work well? I've read several of the books, and they're more of a..a individual story. For a MMO setting, you need a reason for large groups of random people to be having adventures or what not.

Set it in the time after Children of Dune and before God-Emperor of Dune. Plenty of unexplored story there, and if you set it closer to the former than the latter, most of the cool and iconic elements of the first 3 novels (badass Fremen, worms, Mentats, etc.) could be preserved.

[Mithran]

Set it in the time after Children of Dune and before God-Emperor of Dune. Plenty of unexplored story there, and if you set it closer to the former than the latter, most of the cool and iconic elements of the first 3 novels (badass Fremen, worms, Mentats, etc.) could be preserved.

For me, the best Arrakis setting would be before the Atreides moved in. I think the terraforming of Arrakis was a terrible error (with all due respect to Liet).

[Hendrik]

This was on our forum www.unrepentantgaming.org and I think it is a great topic. For those of you that read (i work at an airport, people leave books all over the place) are there any books or series of book that you think could be made into a good MMO. Personally I am surprised that Harry Potter is not an MMO. 4 houses against each other would be cool. Personally the world that R.A. Salvatore has created makes me drool but might be to close to DnD and WoW of course. One of our guild suggested the Wheel of Time books or Discworld. What about the whole Horror fantasy stuff. How come no MMO's there? or a solid Western MMO. What books would make a great mmo for you guys.

Fun question....

Larry Niven's Ringworld.

[Arnya]

Rifts

[Hendrik]

I quite enjoyed the series by Robert Asprin "Another fine Myth" which has about 10 books in the series. some of it was DnD like but they had portals to different dimensions which would make this content endless. extremely funny to. Like that game Dungeon runners... which is halarious.

+rep for reminding me of some GREAT books!!!!

[ghettoGenius]

Dune was an excellent suggestion. As for setting I would have to say the original book would be most appropriate as more people could relate to it.

Shadowrun is something I have been looking forward to for years but I hear there is significant copyright issues with that one materializing.

Something that just popped into my head was Transformers. Autobot? Decepticon? Battles on Earth, Cybertron, deep space and other locations. This is doable ... and the marketing interest is already in place (Megan Fox promo notwithstanding).

As for original ideas I propose something involving Patrick Rothfuss's last book, The Name of the Wind. I absolutely fell in love with his story as many others have. Two more books that are part of a trilogy are forthcoming (talk about pressure lol). I have no idea how you would handle classes in this one and wouldnt even attempt until the story is complete, but were looking at a new cult classic here so watch out. I highly suggest you check it out.

Aside from that I've always been fond of a old west style MMO. Think Young Guns style (minus the Bon Jovi soundstrack). Classes such as gunslinger, rancher, cowboy, blacksmith, mystic/medicine man etc. could be relevant.

[Aesop]

Think Joss Whedon would let someone use the Firefly Universe ... not that whoever did it would do it justice... but hey we can always hope


Set it during the war or just before/after.

All about the Brown Coats

Aesop

[Zynthar]

I could definitely second or third Shadowrun. The possibilities would be near endless with that setting! Im a huge fanboy for the "Urban fantasy" genre and the post apocalypse with magic settings.


I think someone said Jim Butcher earlier. I know that there's a PnP in the works for the Dresden novels. I would be hesitant though to suggest anything that's still being written like they are. The TV show had to veer off in a different direction, a game would have to do the same.

I really wish they hadn't hosed the show...it was so good!

I don't know if there's an overall name, but William C Deitz did some really great sci-fi novels with a couple of different main characters. I think they would make for a great setting for an MMO as well. Oh! And while I'm at it, the Flinx novels by Alan dean Foster. I think those are in the universe he calls the Commonwealth? Its pretty well fleshed out and still open ended. Multitude of alien races, a rival Empire (or something) of devil like aliens to compete against, ancient lost alien secrets, and on and on and on.

I'm not a book addict either. Really. Just don't ask how many I have.

[Murderface]

I think ghost in the shell would make an awesome mmo

[Stormanne]

Wheel of Time

Harry Potter (supposedly in the works, by Turbine no less)

Enders Game

Wies and Hickmans vision for Dragonlance

Stephen King's world (considering with the last three books of the Dark Tower, he connected all of his literary works together into one universe, and several worlds within that universe)

and finally,

A real Shadowrun game, not that lame excuse for a POS game that Microsuck put out a few years ago...