I have been burning to make a literal open world game where 90% of the rules are made by the players playing the game. The other 10% would be things that all games must have to have order, such as weights, distances, time, physics and the likes.
The idea is to build a massive and ever expanding world [modular maps to reduce server demand] where players can mine, farm, cut timber, make weapons, own land, build homes, raise livestock, raise families, create their own unique looks [limitless body morphing tools], build villages, towns, cities, empires, perhaps even go into space.
The premise is that one is 'reincarnated' on this remote, earth-like planet with some very simple and rudimentary tools which will only last a little while if used heavily, but if not used, they will not 'time out' just sitting. With these rudimentary tools, players start out in remote locations, based on their own preferences, and from there, they do their best to make it, and if they do, eventually they can create a world in their own image.
Players will gain permissions from the 'game gods' as to what technologies they can invent [to prevent such things as atomic weapons in the stone age] although how they apply those technologies will still be up to them.
The game is intended for more mature players who seek adventure and not button mashing DPS.
Levels will not exist, and skills will be increased by practice and repetition, coupled with study and meditation.
Weapons will be that which the individual players craft, and although over time this will improve, many of the super weapons typical MMORPGs have will not exist.
Although there will be options for magic, it will be up to the players to discover it and sculpt it into their own personal skills. Magic will not be uniform or standardized, it will be a wild, naturally occurring thing within the person who possesses and refines it.
If a player crafts themselves to represent a given creature of lore [such as an elf, dwarf, human, orc, ogre, squid, tadpole, etc] they will be imbued with estimated abilities based on player requests moderated by the Game Gods to ensure no outlandishly powerful advantage is obtained.
If a player chooses an aquatic life form, it will be water bound [for the most part] or else required to immerse themselves in water a certain period of time on a regular basis to survive.
All players will have to eat, and those requirements will be determined somewhat from known studies of natural animals similar in form to the player's self made form, with some guesswork applied from estimating such adaptations as cold blood, fire breathing, high magic, incubibing, etc.
Numbers of eyes and limbs, placement of organs such as hearts, mouths, eyes and brains will be only minorly limited based on determining if the created image is either too strong, too weak, or in some way simply unable to work, at which time players will be advised of practical limitations with which they need to reassess their creature designs.
Minerals will be the basis for wealth such as metals and gems, slain beasts will only render meat, bone, blood, fur, hides and the likes.
Likewise, trees will only render fruits, wood, leaves, roots, bark and occasionally some rare insects [or hive products such as honey].
Vegetation will grow incrementally from day zero until it is killed, no matter how long that is.
Trees can be hollowed out and converted into homes, as can caves be occupied [although they may already have residents, so players beware!] but at risk of weakening them too much and making them subject to being blown down in storms.
Weather will be 'real time' and water will collect in pools which may only last a small while, and streams may be subject to flooding.
The idea is to create a universe where a person can generate any kind of representation of themselves they wish, and with that, play out a life in an ever changing world where their own actions make potentially vast changes in the game, depending on other factors outside of their control.
The game is free to play, but resurrections cost money. [a flat fee for normal resurrections, and an increasing fee for those convicted of murder or known to do things seen generally as 'bad' by the community as whole, on a merit/demerit basis]
There will be no magical health potions, and magic will be based on internal energy supplies [no mana points, but keeping honey and other high energy substances on hand will help immensely] so people who have health based battle styles best beware, while magic users suffer usage fatigue which can be detrimental to their health, AND if not careful, they can get FAT.
I suspect Unity 3D with Voxel technology might be a good place to begin.
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