Assets

* See also Types_of_assets
* See also Templates
* See also Reuse Items
* See also Object
* See also Procedural_Generation & Auto-Generator
* See also Player Created Assets
* See also Player Creation Contests
* See also Game_of_this_type_-_Difficulties
* See also Modular_Game_Objects
* See also Vetting_of_Assets
--- --- --- --- ---
Game Assets - Sets of Data which makes up the game ( used by the Game Engine to make the game operate ).
Game Assets are data objects which represent (and define) things in the game. These can be as complicated as behavioral scripting for 'intelligent' objects, or even definitions of game mechanics ( the way game interactions are handled ) and Game Interfaces.
An important aspect of Rapture Reborn's MMORPG idea is to allow the Player to have a VERY LARGE role in creating additional Assets, and getting them integrated into the game.
Sounds, Textures, Human Figures('3D' Mesh), Objects in the Terrain, Scripts(program code to direct interactions of Objects), Text, Level Maps - ALL are made up of data of one type or another ( or sets/groups of associated data ) used to define parts of the game.
Various Tools are used to create and modify this data .
--- --- ---
Assets For a 'Good' MMORPG - Can Take More Work (For Each One) :
There would be many Game Objects which NEED TO 'look good' (and/or operate good) under many possible and extended situations ( and be seen over and over ). These require detailed Assets.
Game Objects which need to 'look good' only once or twice ( some which never get more than a Player's glance ), and exist under controlled/limited conditions, can usually be made simpler/cheaper ( have simpler 'Assets' ). 
Reusability needs versatility, which requires Objects to be more complicated/detailed, thus requiring more work to create them adequately. Game Objects Interacting 'in more ways' requires the underlying Game Engine and the Game Mechanics to support that versatility (more programming). 
The Shared Attributes systematically specifying all this additional Complexity CAN BE MINIMIZED by utilizing the systematic application of Templates ( common subsets of attributes and scripting for similar object types ). 
DONT REINVENT THE WHEEL ( The data and functionality that is re-used repeatedly can be unitized and grouped together so that it does NOT have to be written over and over and waste memory and game development effort. )
--- --- ---
 
Better Detailing of Assets Possible :
Many details in the Solo BioShock games had to be limited due to Render speed and memory capacity of the GPU cards that were decided as the median "Target Hardware" of the expected Players.
10 years later ( and more by the time THIS MMORPG or any game like it happens ) - advancements will make for great improvements :
* Now Players can make use of far faster SSD (solid state disc/drives) loading into memory ( wait a while and the M.2 specs increase that another 4 fold )
* Far more Graphics memory ( past XP and its 4 GB limit ) and GPUs several generations further along.
* More main Memory and CPUS with more Cores
* Higher general bandwidths ( to transfer asset data from Servers )
--- --- ---
Need For Variability - How to Fix That :
Problem most MMORPGs (and Solo games too) have with high detail Assets ( ones you are likely to have more chance to notice detail) being SIMPLY Cloned -- Example for Splicers in BioShock : Exactly the same/or oft repeated Stains, Chewed/cut up Clothing , Bandages ( and weapons, accouterments, accessorizing, and even handedness (Righty vs Lefty) ... ).
"Oh, But that one has a box over his head." (BaSx - Before 'the masks', but in reality stupid as mentioned elsewhere, repetitiously used in the game ( being DLC - at least is half an excuse for "BoxHead" ).
Imagine the fun with a simple ( Hah, not quite - 'relatively' simple ) optional Splicer head coverings being Created by many Players. It is fairly independent of game mechanics and all the Asset complexity which goes with that. ( It is also Another good one for a Player Contest ... )
Something like that maybe could serve as an Introductory Asset Creation Tutorial ( again, being on the simple side of the spectrum to demonstrate the Creation mechanisms and get more Players interested in doing that element of the MMORPG ).
Better : is where you actually create something immediately usable in the game ( once in a while one of the Splicers you see is wearing YOUR creation ( probably immediately, after you finish it, and then once in a while to not be too repetitive ). The vetting rules for submissions to be published to all Players are stringent, but are somewhat different for an Asset shown ONLY on the Players own Client game computer.
Contest-wise, I probably wouldn't want to have to be a Contest Judge for 10000+ submissions of the same Asset Type -- Even having a system with Website posting of the submissions, and then 'Votes' to cull out mediocre (or worse) ones. It would be tedious even for the Voters ( and then, the whole process largely being ignored by Players and a waste of development time and effort ).
--- --- ---
The Problem with Asset Detail Quality Advancements - Consistency :
The extra work to make something accurate then might need to be applied to most everything in the game for consistency, or you would have the *better* stuff visually ( experiencially) conflict Immediately with the lesser quality stuff.
In a MMORPG, there is a HUGE amount of detail, and the development task then multiplies geometrically for such consistent quality improvements - as compared to even a typical AAA Game. Having 'LA Noire' quality human interaction followed by some crude cartoonishly-detailed Asset assemblage can be quite jarring (easily noticed). This MMORPG's Templates mechanism may help a bit to ease the task, but there's always the corners/endcases that cannot be generalized ( which can take ALOT of work to make of equivalent quality ).
So how do you hold to some median quality, while allowing the BEST Player Creators to do ( put time/effort into )?? what they CAN and WANT to do ( making use of the improved abilities/capacities of the MMORPG's advancements ) ????
--- --- ---
Source : More Useable Assets from Various Loading Screens and Such :
http://www.game-archivist.com/rapture/
Assets Created by Players will have alot of existing material to copy/modify, but can also be used to get ideas from alot of this pre-existing stuff.
--- --- --- --- ---
.
.