Tabletoplobby.com: Opinions of if this will work for my needs

Hello,

I am looking for an opinion on whether or not Dolphin will be a good match for what I am trying to do.  On the outset it looks like it could, but allot of things I have seen have looked the same.  So I would appreciate a honest answer.

I am looking to create a site called tabletoplobby.com.  The site will be a game lobby for table top games.  Allowing people that register to see other people in their area that have the same game tags as they do and to help them form groups and communities around those interests.

Definitions:

• Game Lobby: A game lobby is typically used with in a multiplayer computer game to help players find game servers.  Lobbies present the user with a list of servers containing pertinent information like server population, ping, and a description for the games rules.
• Table Top: After creating a profile, the tabletop is the first place the user will be taken to each sign in.  The table top presents that users search results based on their game tags and location.  The table top does not present posts, video, or gibberish.
• Game Tag: A tag entered into the user profile that acts as a predefined search string.  Each time a user logs in, they will be presented results for other player, groups, and communities in their area based on their defined game tags.
• Group: A group is a collection of players with in a specific area that play a game together on a regular basis.  Groups are limited to a predefined size based on the group founders preference.  Groups may range from 4 - 12 or more players.
• Community: Communities are local social groups defined around a location or game preference.  A community can have an unspecified number of participants and can have groups linked to it.  Communities will most likely be founded around brick and mortar stores or similar locations.

What I need to know is if this set of tools can be adapted to my needs based on the brief description above.  But if more information is needed I would be interested in private discussions.  I do have a well thought out design document even though I am not a programmer my self.

Please not that all of the above is for physical games like cards, board games, adventure RPG's, and Miniature war games.  This is not for flash or other digital games.  This site is also NOT a virtual table top, so people will not be able to play the games over it.  The site is just to help people find one another so they can develop gaming groups to play the games and hobbies they enjoy.

Some of what you describe is built into dolphin, such as the Groups module (however, there is no built in member limit feature to Groups), but much of it would be something that you'd have to code yourself or get a developer to adjust.

My best advice is to set up a test install with the free version of dolphin or go to demo.boonex.com and hit the admin side to see how the modules work. Then once you see what dolphin is capable straight-out-of-the-box, see what modules are available that meet your needs and post any other needs in the jobs section to find out how much it will cost to customize dolphin to your needs.

Short answer is: Dolphin can do everything you describe most likely, however it won't be free. You'll have to pay for the customizations to make it work how you want and the only way to know what those customizations will be and will cost is to play around with it.

Thank you, TBH I know that nothing is free, even things that are free.  There is always a cost be it in time or cash.  But getting a knowing opinion is always better then blindly stumbling to a conclusion that wastes limited resources.

Looked at the admin Demo, interesting, and I have been poking around the marketplace, but did not see allot of what matched there.  So what is the choice then, to post I job I have to plunk down $100 (essentially) on something that may, or may not work for what I am doing.

TBH that is allot of money for me right now.  I have an exceedingly limited budget and the more I waste on things that do not work means less to get things done with.  Not a good prospect for trying to start a business.  Any suggestions?

 RE;

 If  $100 is a lot (2 words) of money for you, then you have no chance whatsoever of accomplishing what you want  to do.  I've looked into this very thing, and the cheapest  license I've found on a single mp game is $250.  Hiring someone to integrate the game lobby with the Dolphin database/registration system, would probably cost $1000 at least.   Assuming a minimum of 4 MP games, you're looking at a $2000 minimum investment.... that, in my opinion is pretty cheap for something like this.

 A lot is a relative concept.  First, this is not for a multiplayer game, it is for table top games, Dice based, Cards, Paper and pencil...dungeons and dragons, Monopoly, Warhammer...same page now I hope.

Second I have no issue with spending the money, but I need to know that what I am spending it on will work because I do not have the room to eat a loss.  I have $4k, but once it is gone, that is that there is no more so I am being careful.

So you are talking about single player games?  You're not making any sense.,, so I'm butting out.

 There are games, played between people that require them to sit at a table.  Some games use cards like poker, spoons, blackjack, and so forth.  Some games are Board Games like Monopoly, Aggravation, Risk, and Sorry.  Some games use thick books and dice (Role Playing Games) like Dungeons & Dragons, Shadowrun, Rifts, Gurps, Twerps.  And some use thick books, dice, and miniatures like Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, Battletech, Heavy Gear.

What do ALL of these games have in common...well they are analog, they are all played around a table, and they are all multiplayer.  BUT the players all have to be in the same room, at the same table, TO PLAY THEM!!!  Astounding really....but before there were mice, there were dice.

What these games also have is that you need to know people to play them.  You can not just PUG it or join a random server to play.  So as life intrudes on people it becomes harder to manage the time needed to play the game with others.  This may also occur to such a degree that people can no longer play at all.

So the solution to this little conundrum is to use technology not to supplant being social with other humans in a face to face manner.  But to supplement it by giving them a better way to find others that play the same table top based games as they do.  A digital game lobby for analog games...THIS is what I am working on.  I hope this clears things up a little...may be.

 You can post a job on odesk or other and here in the jobs section (need to upgrade membership to advanced to post jobs on boonex $5  http://www.boonex.com/memberships  ).  http://www.boonex.com/jobs

My last post in this thread.

You are talking about MULTIPLAYER GAMES.  Games that require more than one player, and a game server to handle the game data transfer between client PCs.  Get it?

Heads-up: Don't waste you time posting a job in the job section here.  No one here that I know of, has experience at this.

houston,

If I understand correctly, they're not actually trying to make a multiplayer system, but rather an online social networking site that connects people with interest in playing games together - in real life. So the site would act like a meet-up point for arranging and discussing the games only, all of the games themselves won't be played on the site but rather around someone's living room game table.

Which still requires mods from what I can tell from the description, but not a full online-played game server since the games themselves won't be played online.

 Correct, you have hit the nail on the head ggsinc except the site would have no part of running the game.  Other wise it would get into the territory of a virtual table top, and those are...not what I am looking to promote.  I just would like to make it easier for people that play table top games to find one another.  Once they find a group, they can meet up in person and roll dice, play cards, or what ever to their hearts content with out the use of a computer.

Actually, and I do not know if this is stretching the bounds of this forum, I would like to converse with some one outside of the forum about what would need to be done.  I have a far more through design document that I would share so I could get an accurate idea of what altering Dolphin would take.

I would rather make an educated decision then rush blindly in. 

I think you would potentially want to get the groups system modified

http://demo.boonex.com/m/groups/home/

Display popular or selected groups on the home page, and add in any features you may desire to go with it

Groups would most probably need to be altered to fit in with how they need to work.  Limited numbers, a key search tag (Game Tag), and functionality.  But I also need to discuss the entire project with some one so I can have a solid idea of what need to be altered or built.

This is not really my area of knowledge, I know graphic art and game design, so this is rather virgin territory for me.  I need at least an adviser, at best a partner.  But hey, what will happen will happen.

 Modzzz

Hello.

I released a multiplayer module for dolphin. I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.boonex.com/m/dolphin-play-multiplayer-gamez-2013-01-01

Regards,

Ramon