Notes

DeepWorld is a 2D Minecraft-alike Coming to Mac And IOS

You could be able to describe the Deepworld if you put several gaming catchy words in a hat, then took them out one at a time and arranged them. It's a steampunk-style 2D post-apocalyptic sandbox game with Minecraft-style creation, and block graphics that open up to a quite varied and vast world of games. Deepworld is almost a game that promises too much to live up to its promise, but its developers Bytebin (consisting of three men who have a ton of experience in server architecture, but not quite as many in game development and design) know they're promising a lot.



However, the version they showed me at GDC last week certainly was able to live up to the promise at the very least, as two of their characters scurrying across the globe together. Deepworld's graphics may not appear amazing in images (they're ... "stylistic" it could be said), but as you explore more of the world, there's an appeal there that can't be denied. Hosting Only after a makeshift shelter was built complete with lanterns that spread pools of light, and a storm began in the background, with lightning flashing across the sky and acid rain pouring down hard, did the game's beauty really become apparent.



There's plenty of beauty in the various mechanics however. One of the devs describes the title as "a game based on a kind of scarcity" and that the word scarcity refers to all the different resources found in this largely barren world. You can find lava as you dig down. This produces steam that can then be transferred into pipes and used to power technology. There's a crafting feature however, unlike Minecraft (where items must be found and constructed), the game basically simply provides a menu of what's available to build from the various resources you've gathered.



The interface is nice as well -- you can create whatever you like using the cursor in the Mac version, and while the iOS version is still under development ("There's a few kinks with touch," Bytebin says) it will be able to "draw" designs on the iPad's screen will be very nice.



The main problem with Deepworld isn't in the game itself. It's likely to be in the administration of the servers. The game is divided into 1200x800 blocks "zones" and the developers are hoping to restrict the zones to a certain number of players. They may also charge players to modify or save these zones. However, there will be a metagame of sorts in "improving the ecosystem" of each zone and it's easy to imagine that Bytebin could be in trouble, if the game turns out to be extremely popular, to keep its servers in operation.



Bytebin understands the concern (and again, the team's experience is in running large servers for large software companies So they stand a fighting chance at least) We'll know for certain what they'll do when the game goes to an open beta later on this year. Alpha is set to begin "in the next few weeks," and there's a beta signup for the game now. Deepworld is a fascinating game and is one that we'll likely be proud to have on both Mac and iOS.


Here's my website: https://minecraft-server-hosting.net/