Costello took the route of "cover less, but go deeper" in his presentation, which was part of the Writers track. I didn't have nearly as many notes from his talk as from others, but he made his points well and artfully.
His session also got me wondering about some things. In fact, this post will be probably be mostly commentary.
DRAMATIC TENSION
"Something has to be at stake all the time." That really stuck with me, because it hasn't been realized very well in many games yet. In most games, the stakes are limited to time. If the player fails, then he's returned to an earlier checkpoint/spawnpoint or regrets only wasted time.
One thing players could lose is a depthful companion. Companion NPCs don't have to be particularly useful to the player to be missed. Nor do they need to be particularly important to the story, or well-rounded characters. The character might simply affect the game's tone by being amusing.
If the companion NPC is always making some witty remark and the player appreciates the humor, the player will notice the NPC's absence as he continues through the game without those jokes to lighten the atmosphere.
Utility, narrative pull and a rounded personality can all but work, but the point is that there are many ways to make NPCs true companions and not merely tools. Companions are characters we share experiences with; tools are valued only for their usefulness.
Community membership, abilities, area access, reputation, safe travel, NPC welfare... many things can be placed in jeopardy by player actions to build dramatic tension without frustrating the player beyond enjoyment.
AN ILLUSION OF AGENCY
Shortly into the presentation, the magic tricks began.
Rather than waste time describing them (magic tricks should be seen, not read about), I'll just skip to the meaning. The difference between the two magic tricks, Costello explained, is that the audience member involved in the second one believed that he was participating. In actuality, the participant had no effect on the trick's outcome. Regardless of who was the participant, the trick would have worked the same way.
Costello's point was that players don't really have to affect a story's outcome to experience the thrill of agency (being an agent of change). If someone tells me to "push the big red button" and my compliance is rewarded with a huge explosion nearby, I'll experience a thrill from thinking I caused the explosion... regardless of whether or not I actually did cause it.
Though he didn't say, I believe what Costello was driving at was that letting the player truly affect the direction of the game's story generally leads to severe complications and a lot of extra expense. It's cheaper to just trick the player into believing he's changing things when he really isn't.
He's right, but illusion can probably only go so far. And when an illusion breaks, it's hard to fix. Also, true impact and dynamics are easier to design for MMOs than for single-player games, since the gameplay is much more open-ended and not so dependent on a single plot.
DRAMATIC IRONY
If I remember right, this was more something Costello mentioned in passing than spoke about at length. It's really surprising, in retrospect, that irony plays such a small role in game narratives, because it has always been popular in fiction and happens to be a cornerstone of American literature.
I spoke later with Erik Hyrkas about the possibility of dramatic irony in games. Dramatic/tragic irony is when the audience knows something that the character doesn't know. This can create enormous tension, because the audience wants to help but is unable to; instead, we must simply watch/read on and hope for the best. Erik reminded me of the obvious (that's necessary sometimes with me): in games, it's impossible for the player to know something his or her avatar doesn't know, unless you use a cutscene/cinematic (which I had already told Erik I'm not a big fan of).
He's right, of course. But the player can experience dramatic irony with peripheral characters. In fact, Middle Earth Online already does this with scripted events, and those impressed me more than any other element of the game.
Imagine running toward a bridge and the bridge collapses just before you reach it... but not before your companion has crossed. Now he must face danger alone, and all you can do is watch him fall in battle or flee with the enemies chasing him. Aside from the immediate tension they create, such events can also be used to set up later events. You might run into that companion late in the game and get to hear of his miraculous escape as he journeys by your side once again.
Dramatic irony isn't the only type of irony. All types deserve more frequent use in games.
IGNORANCE IS BLISS
Costello used a further magic trick to demonstrate the enjoyable tension that's born of being ignorant and then realizing your ignorance. We thought he was about to dump a cup of water on an audience member's head, but it turned out the cup was empty.
My creative writing professor used to say that clues in a story are great because "We [the audience] like to feel smart." We also enjoy some failures, particularly when we have someone to share them with. "Oh! I was so close! It was at the tip of my tongue!" How often have you heard someone say that with a smile? If you surprise readers without providing enough hints at the conclusion, the audience will often feel cheated. But if the reader fails to guess the conclusion despite there being sufficient clues, then the conclusion is still enjoyable.
More importantly though, more games could work at keeping the player on the edge of his seat, wondering where the story will go next. Resident Evil did a good job, but it's not only horror stories that should accomplish this sort of tension. But maybe I'm stating the obvious, so I'll stop here.
COUNTDOWN
At some point, Costello also mentioned the tension of time pressure.
It got me thinking that games rarely employ time pressure without threatening complete failure at the end of the countdown. If you don't complete the task in a given amount of time, then you must restart the level or quest. Developers should consider other penalties.
Another possible avenue is to give the player only so much time to figure something out before the situation changes and the player must reevaluate the situation. For example, an enemy might not adjust his tactics to counter yours immediately; but if you let the battle continue too long, he will. Or the player might have only so long to reach a shortcut before that opportunity is closed and he must take a longer, more dangerous route to the same goal.
I really enjoyed Matt Costello's session, though I do wish he had spent more time talking specifically about how his ideas might be applied to games. It was more enjoyable than a lot of other sessions, but there wasn't as much content.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
AGC: Sulka Haro
Ok, so... AGC. There will probably be more commentary than news in these AGC-coverage articles, but this first might be an exception.
Let's start with the session I didn't plan on attending, but was glad for doing so: Sulka Haro and Habbo. Before this presentation, I had heard the name but knew nothing about Habbo. I still only know what was said at the AGC, so I'm afraid you'll have to get details elsewhere.
THE FIGURES
This is why Haro was invited, despite his own admission that he doesn't think of himself as a game designer. Over 7.5 million accounts... roughly 100,000 of those logged into one server at a time. There are currently 19 Habbo "hotels" in 30 markets. The Sulake Corporation made 50 million dollars last year in virtual property sales. If I remember correctly, Haro said transactions concerning Habbo virtual property made outside of Sulake's oversight amounts to over four times that ($200M).
WHAT IS HABBO?
In a sentence, it's crack for teenagers who have grown up never knowing the world before internet, who think online socialization is as basic and everyday as turning on the TV.
It's primary audience is teenagers, and it approaches them without enticing them into a world of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. In fact, now that I think of it, it's almost an embodiment of Disney's catchphrase, "It's a small world, afterall." Haro pointed out that teenage years are a time in which most are "building identity" and socially exploring, so there's a huge market for this sort of stuff.
A good question to ask here: How many such sites/programs can any one teenager be expected to subscribe to at one time? Many Myspace users also have accounts with Facebook and other socialization tools. So how does the success of one affect the others?
Habbo is basically a visual-based Myspace. In fact, it even has homepages similar to Myspace. It's not a game. Habbo is a virtual environment in which users can visually express themselves and buy virtual items to create a Sims-like home or business. Sometimes the user communities create games, but the gameplay is almost all of their making.
MISCELLANY
But enough with organized information. The random details are the really impressive part, so here are my notes.
At some point, Sulake moved from selling virtual furniture to virtual currency. Haro said there are "massive differences... [particularly] from the user perspective", but he didn't elaborate. He did point out that his audience, teenagers, don't frequent Ebay... so the selling of virtual property operates on a different level than with MMOs.
Eventually, Sulake introduced rare items, which were met with great success. They considered advertisements, but decided that banners and such are "boring for the users". Branded furniture has also been a hit. Haro's not sure why stamping a brand on something makes it popular, but it obviously does. Target and other real entities have been recreated in Habbo.
The Sulake Corporation interviewed 42,000 kids. They identified 5 major categories of users: Rebels, Creative types, Achievers, Loners, and Traditionals (meaning, basically, mainstream interests). The population distribution in these categories varies somewhat by culture. The U.S. has the largest Achiever segment; Japan has the largest Loner segment; Finland and Brazil have the largest Traditional segments.
They found that 70% of users want foreign friends, but only 47% think positively of foreigners. Sulka offered an example of users from Finland and Japan coming into contact. The Finnish folks flooded the Japanese hotel with high hopes of exploring Japanese culture, but the Japanese users closed their doors and avoided the Fins.
Contrary to popular belief, Haro pointed out that many, if not most, Habbo users are not casual. These users spend an absorbitant amount of time logged in.
And they can do some pretty amazing stuff with their time. Haro showed a picture of one user who had modeled his Habbo room to look like McDonald's. The user didn't stop there, though. Other users lined up in this place to buy "virtual burgers" and would emote both the transaction and the eating of the totally imaginary food. Think that's interesting? How about the "lots of armies and mafias" who have no capacity for simulated violence. Instead, all they can do is design uniforms, practice virtual drills and type emotes like "bang!"
Sulake has added items like pets and snow (yes, you can place your snow indoors).
Habbo is a sandbox like no game could ever be a sandbox. Its users invent the gameplay. Some users roleplay, like that McDonald's nut. But you think that guy's crazy? Just wait! Habbo has no model for horses, so some players pretend their human characters are horses, emoting every action and offering others rides.
They eventually did add some mini-games. One example is a sound mixer which allows users to combine melody samples to form music (like a dirt-simple FruityLoops).
Communities have invented ways to demonstrate community ties, such as the "spider-pig" symbol.
Sulka pointed out that the internet allows us to play childishly without social admonishment. In real life, adults are allowed to act childishly only with young kids and with pets. Habbo allows people to be as silly as they want in an anonymous environment.
SO WHAT DOES SULAKE DO AGAIN?
As I said before, the activities in Habbo or primarily user-generated. "Players don't have to wait" for content upgrades. The community invents content and that content spreads at a ridiculously fast pace. Fansites are self-correcting.
Sulka emphasized the importance of community management. Habbo may continue on just fine in most other respects, but he feels this aspect demands a lot of attention and work.
The advice Haro offered to developers was: (1) offer toys, (2) interaction should be intuitive, (3) set the mood, (4) support user-created goals, and (5) promote a shared social setting.
MY REFLECTIONS
I'm glad I went to Sulka's presentation and I admire what he's done. Initially, I agreed with Raph (who sat about five seats down from me and was smiling through the whole presentation) that it's a shame more developers were not there to listen to the session, because it's an insight into online communities and the possibilities of extending gameplay avenues. But now I worry about how closely many developers and publishers will follow Habbo's lead, considering its massive appeal and money-laden trail.
From game-makers to toy-makers
Habbo is not a game, in the strictest sense. Games revolve around rules and prescribed activities. Habbo is about combining virtual toys with Myspace-style social networking systems. With toys, the gameplay is mostly player-created and emergent. In other words, game developers who try to cash in on Sulake's system will effectively be transitioning into toy developers without realizing they're changing industries. They don't realize it because virtual toys are relatively new and undefined (I've never heard anyone use the phrase "virtual toys").
So they change industries... so what? Well, it's their choice. But expect such developers to continue to think of themselves as "game" developers and exerting influence over the design philosophies of true game developers. And if folks like Raph go that way, I'll miss them... I mean, the guy was behind one of my favorite MMO experiences, the original Star Wars: Galaxies. But hey, maybe Areae will surprise me by going a very different route.
Inspiration
Sulka's session did inspire a debate in my head about the relationship between character progress and player knowledge, but this post is already too long. I'll write that article some other day.
Please pardon me if I revise whatever typos in this article after posting it. It's taken a while to write, and I'm still trying to keep this blogsite a casual endeavor. [Sure enough, I had to edit.]
Let's start with the session I didn't plan on attending, but was glad for doing so: Sulka Haro and Habbo. Before this presentation, I had heard the name but knew nothing about Habbo. I still only know what was said at the AGC, so I'm afraid you'll have to get details elsewhere.
THE FIGURES
This is why Haro was invited, despite his own admission that he doesn't think of himself as a game designer. Over 7.5 million accounts... roughly 100,000 of those logged into one server at a time. There are currently 19 Habbo "hotels" in 30 markets. The Sulake Corporation made 50 million dollars last year in virtual property sales. If I remember correctly, Haro said transactions concerning Habbo virtual property made outside of Sulake's oversight amounts to over four times that ($200M).
WHAT IS HABBO?
In a sentence, it's crack for teenagers who have grown up never knowing the world before internet, who think online socialization is as basic and everyday as turning on the TV.
It's primary audience is teenagers, and it approaches them without enticing them into a world of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. In fact, now that I think of it, it's almost an embodiment of Disney's catchphrase, "It's a small world, afterall." Haro pointed out that teenage years are a time in which most are "building identity" and socially exploring, so there's a huge market for this sort of stuff.
A good question to ask here: How many such sites/programs can any one teenager be expected to subscribe to at one time? Many Myspace users also have accounts with Facebook and other socialization tools. So how does the success of one affect the others?
Habbo is basically a visual-based Myspace. In fact, it even has homepages similar to Myspace. It's not a game. Habbo is a virtual environment in which users can visually express themselves and buy virtual items to create a Sims-like home or business. Sometimes the user communities create games, but the gameplay is almost all of their making.
MISCELLANY
But enough with organized information. The random details are the really impressive part, so here are my notes.
At some point, Sulake moved from selling virtual furniture to virtual currency. Haro said there are "massive differences... [particularly] from the user perspective", but he didn't elaborate. He did point out that his audience, teenagers, don't frequent Ebay... so the selling of virtual property operates on a different level than with MMOs.
Eventually, Sulake introduced rare items, which were met with great success. They considered advertisements, but decided that banners and such are "boring for the users". Branded furniture has also been a hit. Haro's not sure why stamping a brand on something makes it popular, but it obviously does. Target and other real entities have been recreated in Habbo.
The Sulake Corporation interviewed 42,000 kids. They identified 5 major categories of users: Rebels, Creative types, Achievers, Loners, and Traditionals (meaning, basically, mainstream interests). The population distribution in these categories varies somewhat by culture. The U.S. has the largest Achiever segment; Japan has the largest Loner segment; Finland and Brazil have the largest Traditional segments.
They found that 70% of users want foreign friends, but only 47% think positively of foreigners. Sulka offered an example of users from Finland and Japan coming into contact. The Finnish folks flooded the Japanese hotel with high hopes of exploring Japanese culture, but the Japanese users closed their doors and avoided the Fins.
Contrary to popular belief, Haro pointed out that many, if not most, Habbo users are not casual. These users spend an absorbitant amount of time logged in.
And they can do some pretty amazing stuff with their time. Haro showed a picture of one user who had modeled his Habbo room to look like McDonald's. The user didn't stop there, though. Other users lined up in this place to buy "virtual burgers" and would emote both the transaction and the eating of the totally imaginary food. Think that's interesting? How about the "lots of armies and mafias" who have no capacity for simulated violence. Instead, all they can do is design uniforms, practice virtual drills and type emotes like "bang!"
Sulake has added items like pets and snow (yes, you can place your snow indoors).
Habbo is a sandbox like no game could ever be a sandbox. Its users invent the gameplay. Some users roleplay, like that McDonald's nut. But you think that guy's crazy? Just wait! Habbo has no model for horses, so some players pretend their human characters are horses, emoting every action and offering others rides.
They eventually did add some mini-games. One example is a sound mixer which allows users to combine melody samples to form music (like a dirt-simple FruityLoops).
Communities have invented ways to demonstrate community ties, such as the "spider-pig" symbol.
Sulka pointed out that the internet allows us to play childishly without social admonishment. In real life, adults are allowed to act childishly only with young kids and with pets. Habbo allows people to be as silly as they want in an anonymous environment.
SO WHAT DOES SULAKE DO AGAIN?
As I said before, the activities in Habbo or primarily user-generated. "Players don't have to wait" for content upgrades. The community invents content and that content spreads at a ridiculously fast pace. Fansites are self-correcting.
Sulka emphasized the importance of community management. Habbo may continue on just fine in most other respects, but he feels this aspect demands a lot of attention and work.
The advice Haro offered to developers was: (1) offer toys, (2) interaction should be intuitive, (3) set the mood, (4) support user-created goals, and (5) promote a shared social setting.
MY REFLECTIONS
I'm glad I went to Sulka's presentation and I admire what he's done. Initially, I agreed with Raph (who sat about five seats down from me and was smiling through the whole presentation) that it's a shame more developers were not there to listen to the session, because it's an insight into online communities and the possibilities of extending gameplay avenues. But now I worry about how closely many developers and publishers will follow Habbo's lead, considering its massive appeal and money-laden trail.
From game-makers to toy-makers
Habbo is not a game, in the strictest sense. Games revolve around rules and prescribed activities. Habbo is about combining virtual toys with Myspace-style social networking systems. With toys, the gameplay is mostly player-created and emergent. In other words, game developers who try to cash in on Sulake's system will effectively be transitioning into toy developers without realizing they're changing industries. They don't realize it because virtual toys are relatively new and undefined (I've never heard anyone use the phrase "virtual toys").
So they change industries... so what? Well, it's their choice. But expect such developers to continue to think of themselves as "game" developers and exerting influence over the design philosophies of true game developers. And if folks like Raph go that way, I'll miss them... I mean, the guy was behind one of my favorite MMO experiences, the original Star Wars: Galaxies. But hey, maybe Areae will surprise me by going a very different route.
Inspiration
Sulka's session did inspire a debate in my head about the relationship between character progress and player knowledge, but this post is already too long. I'll write that article some other day.
Please pardon me if I revise whatever typos in this article after posting it. It's taken a while to write, and I'm still trying to keep this blogsite a casual endeavor. [Sure enough, I had to edit.]
Sunday, September 09, 2007
MMO (the movie)
Yesterday, I offered to begin writing a script for a game-based film. So far, the IPs that show the most promise are Zelda and GTA. I'm still interested in ideas.
But I've already begun brainstorming for a movie about MMOs in general. For one reason, I wouldn't have to get a game publisher's approval before passing the script on to a film studio (though I don't have access to one, so that may not happen anyway).
More importantly, I realized that the setting opens up some unique narrative opportunities. For example, how will the protagonists distinguish themselves in world full of "heroes"? What's a believeable reason such adventurers would move on to greater foes before they've really helped save the villagers (NPCs) from lesser but serious threats?
In short, imagine an MMO-based film that doesn't adapt the setting to fit classic story formulas. Imagine being able to recognize things like camping, kill-stealing, mismatched gear, guilds of disparate mercenaries, etc. I won't abandon all of those old formulas unless I can come up with something that works as well, but I think I can do that.
Inspiration Requested
So here's where you come in. Regardless of how I might work them into the story:
But I've already begun brainstorming for a movie about MMOs in general. For one reason, I wouldn't have to get a game publisher's approval before passing the script on to a film studio (though I don't have access to one, so that may not happen anyway).
More importantly, I realized that the setting opens up some unique narrative opportunities. For example, how will the protagonists distinguish themselves in world full of "heroes"? What's a believeable reason such adventurers would move on to greater foes before they've really helped save the villagers (NPCs) from lesser but serious threats?
In short, imagine an MMO-based film that doesn't adapt the setting to fit classic story formulas. Imagine being able to recognize things like camping, kill-stealing, mismatched gear, guilds of disparate mercenaries, etc. I won't abandon all of those old formulas unless I can come up with something that works as well, but I think I can do that.
Inspiration Requested
So here's where you come in. Regardless of how I might work them into the story:
- What are some essential characteristics of classic MMOs? (camping, levelling, raids, etc.)
- What was one (or more) of your most memorable MMO experiences? Details appreciated.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Game to film, you choose
Woody mentioned a thought that commonly goes through a lot of gamers' minds:
Well, I'm willing to give it a shot. I'm not a director, but I can write the film script. And I'm sure Woody or some of my fellow bloggers could help draw the storyboards (draw a template for each scene and camera angle, similar to comics).
Name 3-5 games you think had a relatively deep and intriguing story, and I'll flesh one or two out in a script over the next few months. When I have a draft done, I'll post it here on my site for all to critique. Then I'll revise it, and we'll keep repeating that process until we have a game-movie script that's actually worthy of being made into an A-grade Hollywood film.
Unfortunately, I'll have to ask you to limit your list to games on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox, original NES, SNES, or N64... because those are the only platforms I own, and I'll need to go back and play the game to be able to write a good script based on it.
"I'm waiting patiently for that one director that takes a video game and turns it into movie gold. Surely someone somewhere has the skill and game fandom to do a title justice."
Well, I'm willing to give it a shot. I'm not a director, but I can write the film script. And I'm sure Woody or some of my fellow bloggers could help draw the storyboards (draw a template for each scene and camera angle, similar to comics).
Name 3-5 games you think had a relatively deep and intriguing story, and I'll flesh one or two out in a script over the next few months. When I have a draft done, I'll post it here on my site for all to critique. Then I'll revise it, and we'll keep repeating that process until we have a game-movie script that's actually worthy of being made into an A-grade Hollywood film.
Unfortunately, I'll have to ask you to limit your list to games on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox, original NES, SNES, or N64... because those are the only platforms I own, and I'll need to go back and play the game to be able to write a good script based on it.
Friday, September 07, 2007
AGC summary
Another cool AGC. I got a lot of ideas from the panels and presentations over the 3-day conference. I expect to be expounding on those over the next week or two, but here's a very general summary of my AGC experience for now.
THE FOLKS
Just as important as the presentations is being able to meet other folks in and around the industry. Unfortunately, I didn't make much headway there, as I let my AS get the better of me. I do just fine in conversations with just two or three people, but I tend to go quiet in larger groups when the conversation is more small-talk than intellectual stuff. What can I say? I'm a social-idiot.
Insiders
Though I didn't talk much with them, there were a few people who I was really impressed by while just observing them.
Seeing Raph Koster in person allowed me to see the side of him that's generally missing from his online persona. He seemed like a really cheerful and relaxed guy -- a gamer; not all business, like his blogsite sometimes makes him seem.
Sanya Weathers and Alan "Brenlo" Crosby really stood out as two very pleasant and intelligent people. They're funny as can be when put together, and both very friendly. Sanya was kind enough to strike up a conversation with me while I was in "quiet mode". She suggested that it probably would have been easier to remember where she knew me from (I've posted on her site and others she knows) if I had used my "hallower" screenname instead of "Aaron" when I post. Perhaps I should start doing that, but using my real name seems more personal; and I like to speak to everyone as a friend.
Unfortunately, I never ran into Brian Green or Cindy Bowens, both whom I was hoping to say hi to.
I got to talk a little shop with Erik Hyrkas, Brent's friend from Granite Games. Erik had an interesting perspective, as a director and programmer for an indie MMO project. His story sounded similar to some of Green's tales of start-up troubles and determination. He enlightened me to some of the ways indie projects tend to differ from big-dollar projects; like the challenge of recording and studying player-metrics when you're already bogged down with so many other things to do.
Evil forces conspired to keep me from Maggie Mae's (the AGC drinking party), or else I probably would have met more people. I still owe Brent and Tami some drinks (sorry, guys).
Blogosphere
I had multiple chances to meet up with Brent, Tami, Craig, and Michael. Cuppy's just as energetic in person as she is online. Brent seemed to be excited and in his element as well. I didn't realize he had worked on a game before. I think Craig and I are both the sort who are better at expressing our thoughts through slow and careful writing, rather than impulsive conversation in person. It's funny how quickly I turn into a muttering fool if I'm trying to pay attention to social cues while speaking. Michael seemed like a cool guy, though I didn't get much chance to speak with him.
THE SESSIONS
Predictably, my plans got rearranged somewhat between last week and the conference. Here are the sessions I attended, most of which I'll probably write about in the coming weeks (the titles are abbreviated):
Michael Morhaime: 10 Lessons
Evan Skolnick: Learning from Star Trek
Patrick Redding: Familiarity Breeds Contempt
Panel: Community Influencers
Anderson and Snell: Metrics
Sulka Haro: Habbo
Matt Costello: Story and Gameplay Together
Damion Schubert: Zen of Design
Panel: Alternative Media
Bioware group: Writing the Bioware Way
Chris Bateman: Narrative Guiding Players
Austin Grossman: Game Writing Can Improve
Last year, I enjoyed nearly all of the sessions I attended. This year's was hit-and-miss. Ironically, Sulka Haro's session was one of the most interesting, though I only attended it when the writers session at that time was cancelled. I've got to agree with Raph that it's a shame more developers were not there to hear it.
Anyway, the details will have to wait until tomorrow. Stay tuned.
THE FOLKS
Just as important as the presentations is being able to meet other folks in and around the industry. Unfortunately, I didn't make much headway there, as I let my AS get the better of me. I do just fine in conversations with just two or three people, but I tend to go quiet in larger groups when the conversation is more small-talk than intellectual stuff. What can I say? I'm a social-idiot.
Insiders
Though I didn't talk much with them, there were a few people who I was really impressed by while just observing them.
Seeing Raph Koster in person allowed me to see the side of him that's generally missing from his online persona. He seemed like a really cheerful and relaxed guy -- a gamer; not all business, like his blogsite sometimes makes him seem.
Sanya Weathers and Alan "Brenlo" Crosby really stood out as two very pleasant and intelligent people. They're funny as can be when put together, and both very friendly. Sanya was kind enough to strike up a conversation with me while I was in "quiet mode". She suggested that it probably would have been easier to remember where she knew me from (I've posted on her site and others she knows) if I had used my "hallower" screenname instead of "Aaron" when I post. Perhaps I should start doing that, but using my real name seems more personal; and I like to speak to everyone as a friend.
Unfortunately, I never ran into Brian Green or Cindy Bowens, both whom I was hoping to say hi to.
I got to talk a little shop with Erik Hyrkas, Brent's friend from Granite Games. Erik had an interesting perspective, as a director and programmer for an indie MMO project. His story sounded similar to some of Green's tales of start-up troubles and determination. He enlightened me to some of the ways indie projects tend to differ from big-dollar projects; like the challenge of recording and studying player-metrics when you're already bogged down with so many other things to do.
Evil forces conspired to keep me from Maggie Mae's (the AGC drinking party), or else I probably would have met more people. I still owe Brent and Tami some drinks (sorry, guys).
Blogosphere
I had multiple chances to meet up with Brent, Tami, Craig, and Michael. Cuppy's just as energetic in person as she is online. Brent seemed to be excited and in his element as well. I didn't realize he had worked on a game before. I think Craig and I are both the sort who are better at expressing our thoughts through slow and careful writing, rather than impulsive conversation in person. It's funny how quickly I turn into a muttering fool if I'm trying to pay attention to social cues while speaking. Michael seemed like a cool guy, though I didn't get much chance to speak with him.
THE SESSIONS
Predictably, my plans got rearranged somewhat between last week and the conference. Here are the sessions I attended, most of which I'll probably write about in the coming weeks (the titles are abbreviated):
Michael Morhaime: 10 Lessons
Evan Skolnick: Learning from Star Trek
Patrick Redding: Familiarity Breeds Contempt
Panel: Community Influencers
Anderson and Snell: Metrics
Sulka Haro: Habbo
Matt Costello: Story and Gameplay Together
Damion Schubert: Zen of Design
Panel: Alternative Media
Bioware group: Writing the Bioware Way
Chris Bateman: Narrative Guiding Players
Austin Grossman: Game Writing Can Improve
Last year, I enjoyed nearly all of the sessions I attended. This year's was hit-and-miss. Ironically, Sulka Haro's session was one of the most interesting, though I only attended it when the writers session at that time was cancelled. I've got to agree with Raph that it's a shame more developers were not there to hear it.
Anyway, the details will have to wait until tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Headed to AGC
I'm headed to Austin in a few hours. The conference is Wednesday through Friday. If I get a chance to post another article in that time, I will. It's more likely, though, that I won't post another until the weekend.
Bear in mind that the AGC, if it's like last year's (ownership changed, so who knows?), isn't about showing off games, previews and interviews. It's more about developer strategies, design philosophies, marketing strategies, legal issues, market projection, and business-oriented stuff like that.
So don't expect much big news. The articles everyone writes afterward will probably be more about who they met, what they did, design discussions and rants, etc. More than anything else, the reason gamers should be interested is the insight AGC offers into where the industry as a whole is headed, what the developers and publishers hope to accomplish in the next year or two.
Bear in mind that the AGC, if it's like last year's (ownership changed, so who knows?), isn't about showing off games, previews and interviews. It's more about developer strategies, design philosophies, marketing strategies, legal issues, market projection, and business-oriented stuff like that.
So don't expect much big news. The articles everyone writes afterward will probably be more about who they met, what they did, design discussions and rants, etc. More than anything else, the reason gamers should be interested is the insight AGC offers into where the industry as a whole is headed, what the developers and publishers hope to accomplish in the next year or two.
Indoors, outdoors, no doors
Admittedly, it's not all that developed, but I've been keeping a list for some time of all of my favorite games (past or present) and the features that make them so great. I've got the list to help me find the connections, the variables I like, and so I can combine them in interesting ways. Combining elements of different genres can result in really cool concepts. For proof, check out the upcoming Endwar.
Anyway, so the most recent addition to my list is a feature from Medal of Honor: Airborne. I can't wait to get my hands on the full game, because I've played the demo at least a dozen times (I beat it on Expert difficulty using nothing but a pistol, last time through).
Of its many cool features, one struck me as being directly applicable to MMOs and RPGs: seamless movement and interaction between outdoors and indoors within the same environment.
Think about it. How often in MMOs is an adventure area, a combat area in particular, both indoors and outdoors? How often do indoor settings and outdoor settings directly interact?
To clarify what I mean, let me explain what it's like in Airborne. The demo level is urban warfare. You're ducking behind sandbags and the sides of buildings as you fight your way down a city street. But some jerk's shooting at you from a window of the building next to you. You shoot him, but then some other jerk takes his place and fires at you. Enough of this! So you run into the building to clear it out. Enemies have flipped over tables to use as cover. They hide behind beds, or around corners. But, man by man, you take 'em down until you're standing by a window. Pow! You get smacked in the helmet by a bullet from outside. Some enemies in the street below have noticed you at the window and are shooting up. And there's an enemy in a window of the building across from this one who's firing at you, too.
Seamless outdoor/indoor interaction. The guys outside interact with those inside, and vis versa.
Wouldn't this be a great experience to have in an MMO?
Anyway, so the most recent addition to my list is a feature from Medal of Honor: Airborne. I can't wait to get my hands on the full game, because I've played the demo at least a dozen times (I beat it on Expert difficulty using nothing but a pistol, last time through).
Of its many cool features, one struck me as being directly applicable to MMOs and RPGs: seamless movement and interaction between outdoors and indoors within the same environment.
Think about it. How often in MMOs is an adventure area, a combat area in particular, both indoors and outdoors? How often do indoor settings and outdoor settings directly interact?
To clarify what I mean, let me explain what it's like in Airborne. The demo level is urban warfare. You're ducking behind sandbags and the sides of buildings as you fight your way down a city street. But some jerk's shooting at you from a window of the building next to you. You shoot him, but then some other jerk takes his place and fires at you. Enough of this! So you run into the building to clear it out. Enemies have flipped over tables to use as cover. They hide behind beds, or around corners. But, man by man, you take 'em down until you're standing by a window. Pow! You get smacked in the helmet by a bullet from outside. Some enemies in the street below have noticed you at the window and are shooting up. And there's an enemy in a window of the building across from this one who's firing at you, too.
Seamless outdoor/indoor interaction. The guys outside interact with those inside, and vis versa.
Wouldn't this be a great experience to have in an MMO?
Monday, September 03, 2007
Reviving early adventure areas
Cameron called attention to how little incentive MMO players typically have to return to earlier adventuring areas, as well as the importance of "coming home" in hero stories.
This article was getting all jumbled, so I'm going to save the "coming home" bit for another day. Instead, I'm just going to tackle the problem of beginner areas becoming obsolete to players as they level up. A feeling of "home" can really help, but let's talk about that later.
PREVIOUS GAMES
Past games have included or proposed methods of what I call backsliding. Backsliding is different from deliberately returning to past areas because the player is forced to give up something and may not even want to go back. Some examples:
A character wipe waits until the player has progressed far before sending him back to the beginning without a character.
The cancelled Trials of Ascension proposed a system of limited lives (delayed permadeath, you might call it) and enough dynamics to keep replay fun. The player generally would not progress as far before being returned to the beginning, and individual player-characters would be wiped at different times due to the circumstances of their individual adventures. The world was stuffed with enough dynamics (including the results of player actions) that areas might feel different a second or third time through. They really had a lot of interesting ideas. I recommend browsing through this fansite's quote database in addition to the official site.
EQ-style backsliding allows players to lose levels, falling back just a step at a time with only the same familiar ground to be regained.
Richard Garriott's team has come up with an interesting model of character saves for Tabula Rasa, allowing the player to save a particular build of his or her character and return to it later (ex: go back and play your character before you chose one sub-class over another, thereby allowing you to explore alternate gameplay avenues without returning to the very beginning).
Another failed gamed -- I think it was Realms of Torment (later known as Mourning) -- proposed a bloodline system. Your character would have a limited lifespan, but certain traits and heirlooms would be passed down to your character's offspring. Trials of Ascension similarly allowed players to sacrifice their last remaining lives to create an artifact, which would appear randomly in the gameworld to be acquired by some other player.
In previous games, it seems that players seldom return to earlier areas without penalty for reasons other than social reasons having little to do with the game's design, such as helping a friend level up.
WITHOUT PENALTY
So what can entice the player to return to areas and really enjoy it?
Factions
In the past, progressing through a faction's available quests and other content occurred in a single area. You work your way up the faction ladder in a particular town by finishing quests focused on the surrounding area, and then you move on to the next (higher-level) town to work your way through its questline.
But what if there was no immediate jump between the guard captain's quests and the king's quests? The game could encourage you to move on to other areas, but later encourage you to return for different questlines/causes. If it's a level-based game, then the town might have quests for levels 1-12, 25-34, 56-70, but none for the levels in between. Of course, this requires an EQ-style cohabitance of low-level and high-level content. EQ's Oasis had both lower-level ghouls and higher-level sand giants, and players loved it...even as (because) they had to watch their backs and occasionally run for their lives. Breaking up faction progressions like this also helps to create an impression that total progression isn't easy. It's an adventure, a journey, that was months in the making.
There's also the Oblivion model. In that game, some factions exist in every city (Mages Guild, Fighters Guild, Thieves Guild) and progressing through those faction involves moving between cities frequently. You might complete only one quest (in an MMO, I would expect it to be something significant if it's the only one) before being directed to a faction official in another town. Encouraging travel this frequently has the benefit helping the player see the big picture (the world's lore on a macro scale) and can help keep gameplay fresh.
New visions and opportunities
In real life, returning to a place we haven't seen in many years can feel nostalgic, but we can also be surprised by all of the things that have changed. Or we might be surprised by all the things we didn't notice before or don't see in the same way, because we too have changed and perceive the world differently than when we were younger.
Obviously, the sort of dynamic worlds that MMO gamers keep hoping for might be capable of offering the player such surprises on returning to old territories. Not so obviously, some of those changes could call for input from advanced players. Consider the classic tale of Robin Hood, in which King Richard is off in the Crusades and the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham oppressing the people and trying to usurp the throne. In an MMO, this would translate into a situation of a once-content but now-oppressed town that needs the help of advanced players working cooperatively to free the people. Such situations don't have to be so dramatic and expensive for the developer, of course.
As for seeing the same place differently, that can be accomplished largely through dividing high-level and low-level content more sharply in towns. In real life, odds are that you noticed stores and venues at age 25 that you didn't notice at age 10... because you didn't care about the same things at age 10, and didn't have access to the same things. You might be more aware of the names and locations of pubs, for example. Similarly, if particular places and NPCs have little effect on or potential gameplay opportunities for players at early levels, then that area will feel different when they return to it at higher levels. Perhaps the NPC nobles or other leaders are only interested in higher-level players, for example.
NPCs can be revealed for very different characters than you originally knew, through knowledge the player picks up in other areas. Perhaps the village drunk seems harmless and really a good guy when you first meet him, but you learn later and elsewhere that the drinking is just a cover for the espionage he's performing for the hated raiders who sack the town every so often. By acquiring that information, it might open up new dialogue options and quest options with him. After you've confronted him, he might look at you differently as you pass by, scowling whereas he used to smile and cheer you with his beer held high.
What else might make earlier areas worth coming back to?
This article was getting all jumbled, so I'm going to save the "coming home" bit for another day. Instead, I'm just going to tackle the problem of beginner areas becoming obsolete to players as they level up. A feeling of "home" can really help, but let's talk about that later.
PREVIOUS GAMES
Past games have included or proposed methods of what I call backsliding. Backsliding is different from deliberately returning to past areas because the player is forced to give up something and may not even want to go back. Some examples:
A character wipe waits until the player has progressed far before sending him back to the beginning without a character.
The cancelled Trials of Ascension proposed a system of limited lives (delayed permadeath, you might call it) and enough dynamics to keep replay fun. The player generally would not progress as far before being returned to the beginning, and individual player-characters would be wiped at different times due to the circumstances of their individual adventures. The world was stuffed with enough dynamics (including the results of player actions) that areas might feel different a second or third time through. They really had a lot of interesting ideas. I recommend browsing through this fansite's quote database in addition to the official site.
EQ-style backsliding allows players to lose levels, falling back just a step at a time with only the same familiar ground to be regained.
Richard Garriott's team has come up with an interesting model of character saves for Tabula Rasa, allowing the player to save a particular build of his or her character and return to it later (ex: go back and play your character before you chose one sub-class over another, thereby allowing you to explore alternate gameplay avenues without returning to the very beginning).
Another failed gamed -- I think it was Realms of Torment (later known as Mourning) -- proposed a bloodline system. Your character would have a limited lifespan, but certain traits and heirlooms would be passed down to your character's offspring. Trials of Ascension similarly allowed players to sacrifice their last remaining lives to create an artifact, which would appear randomly in the gameworld to be acquired by some other player.
In previous games, it seems that players seldom return to earlier areas without penalty for reasons other than social reasons having little to do with the game's design, such as helping a friend level up.
WITHOUT PENALTY
So what can entice the player to return to areas and really enjoy it?
Factions
In the past, progressing through a faction's available quests and other content occurred in a single area. You work your way up the faction ladder in a particular town by finishing quests focused on the surrounding area, and then you move on to the next (higher-level) town to work your way through its questline.
But what if there was no immediate jump between the guard captain's quests and the king's quests? The game could encourage you to move on to other areas, but later encourage you to return for different questlines/causes. If it's a level-based game, then the town might have quests for levels 1-12, 25-34, 56-70, but none for the levels in between. Of course, this requires an EQ-style cohabitance of low-level and high-level content. EQ's Oasis had both lower-level ghouls and higher-level sand giants, and players loved it...even as (because) they had to watch their backs and occasionally run for their lives. Breaking up faction progressions like this also helps to create an impression that total progression isn't easy. It's an adventure, a journey, that was months in the making.
There's also the Oblivion model. In that game, some factions exist in every city (Mages Guild, Fighters Guild, Thieves Guild) and progressing through those faction involves moving between cities frequently. You might complete only one quest (in an MMO, I would expect it to be something significant if it's the only one) before being directed to a faction official in another town. Encouraging travel this frequently has the benefit helping the player see the big picture (the world's lore on a macro scale) and can help keep gameplay fresh.
New visions and opportunities
In real life, returning to a place we haven't seen in many years can feel nostalgic, but we can also be surprised by all of the things that have changed. Or we might be surprised by all the things we didn't notice before or don't see in the same way, because we too have changed and perceive the world differently than when we were younger.
Obviously, the sort of dynamic worlds that MMO gamers keep hoping for might be capable of offering the player such surprises on returning to old territories. Not so obviously, some of those changes could call for input from advanced players. Consider the classic tale of Robin Hood, in which King Richard is off in the Crusades and the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham oppressing the people and trying to usurp the throne. In an MMO, this would translate into a situation of a once-content but now-oppressed town that needs the help of advanced players working cooperatively to free the people. Such situations don't have to be so dramatic and expensive for the developer, of course.
As for seeing the same place differently, that can be accomplished largely through dividing high-level and low-level content more sharply in towns. In real life, odds are that you noticed stores and venues at age 25 that you didn't notice at age 10... because you didn't care about the same things at age 10, and didn't have access to the same things. You might be more aware of the names and locations of pubs, for example. Similarly, if particular places and NPCs have little effect on or potential gameplay opportunities for players at early levels, then that area will feel different when they return to it at higher levels. Perhaps the NPC nobles or other leaders are only interested in higher-level players, for example.
NPCs can be revealed for very different characters than you originally knew, through knowledge the player picks up in other areas. Perhaps the village drunk seems harmless and really a good guy when you first meet him, but you learn later and elsewhere that the drinking is just a cover for the espionage he's performing for the hated raiders who sack the town every so often. By acquiring that information, it might open up new dialogue options and quest options with him. After you've confronted him, he might look at you differently as you pass by, scowling whereas he used to smile and cheer you with his beer held high.
What else might make earlier areas worth coming back to?
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Cuppy's audition
It's not really an audition... I just didn't know what else to make the title. =P
After hearing Cuppy's awesome singing voice (I searched for the other songs she's posted, but must have missed them when backtracking on her site), I begged her to sing one of my songs. If you weren't already aware, I've been writing/composing music for about 15 years or so... but I don't perform for a number of reasons. Anyway, she agreed!
So now you can listen to this old ballad of mine (about 10 years old, I think) with a voice that makes it worth listening to. It's called "Your Song", and you can hear it over at my music site.
That's not a direct link to the song, but the Myspace player will hopefully work for you. If it doesn't, feel free to email me at hallower1980@gmail.com and I'll send you the mp3.
If you like it, be sure to thank Tami (Cuppy) here or at her site.
After hearing Cuppy's awesome singing voice (I searched for the other songs she's posted, but must have missed them when backtracking on her site), I begged her to sing one of my songs. If you weren't already aware, I've been writing/composing music for about 15 years or so... but I don't perform for a number of reasons. Anyway, she agreed!
So now you can listen to this old ballad of mine (about 10 years old, I think) with a voice that makes it worth listening to. It's called "Your Song", and you can hear it over at my music site.
That's not a direct link to the song, but the Myspace player will hopefully work for you. If it doesn't, feel free to email me at hallower1980@gmail.com and I'll send you the mp3.
If you like it, be sure to thank Tami (Cuppy) here or at her site.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Breaking the barrier
Some of the guys from Gamespy are presenting at the AGC next week on the topic of Breaking the In-game / Out-of-game Barrier. This is one of the presentations I'd really like to attend, but I chose something else in that time-slot.
OLD IDEAS
The general topic reminded me of a thread on the old Vanguard forums in which Jon Grande (Taranis), a Microsoft rep working with Sigil at the time, mentioned the possibility of connecting an MMO like Vanguard to out-of-game life:
Of course, brainstorming is my specialty, so I jumped at the bait:
NEW IDEAS
Obviously, there's stuff like GuildCafe, allowing players to share game achievements and choices out-of-game. Gamespy and Xbox Live offer leaderboards and statistics. I'm sure there's much room for growth in that arena.
There's also the storytelling using game assets that people like Chas do.
Puzzles
Another possibility is riddles and other puzzles that begin in-game but are challenging enough to encourage players to continue trying to solve the problems out-of-game. The great thing about this avenue is that mind-games can be tackled anywhere and, depending on the specific puzzle, solved without need of any tool (keyboard, cellphone, pen and paper, etc.). You might begin trying to solve it the moment it's posed to you in-game, but you could continue trying to solve it while driving in your car, nibbling during your lunchbreak, brushing your teeth, whatever.
Such puzzles could help bring the game's community together, especially if they required knowledge from multiple areas of the game (different classes, factions, regions, etc.).
They could also bind the game's community to persons and communities who do not play the game, if the riddles were not bound to game information (like Bilbo's riddles in The Hobbit) or somehow rewarded out-of-game knowledge. Even if those helping never bought the game, giving players even a little opportunity to share their game experiences with friends and family increases enjoyment of the game.
It might even soften pressures on those whose family or friends don't understand gaming. My dad doesn't get gaming at all, but he loves crosswords and intellectual challenges like that. If, as a member of a particular game's community, could email my dad such a challenge a couple times per month, he'd probably view my gaming in a very different light...because he'd be indirectly involved, and looking forward to the next challenge from my involvement. I'm sure people with spouses or other live-in relations who don't play video games would love something like this.
Wow. That Vanguard thread was over three years ago! I still miss that community.
Incidentally, that's one of the reasons I'm interested in the Community Influencers panel, which I'll be attending in lieu of the barrier-breaking presentation. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I probably would have been counted as a "community influencer" for a while in that old Vanguard community. I helped in keeping tempers level and encouraging others to make productive posts.
Another reason ties into this topic, I suppose: I wonder if community influencers can/should be identified or addressed in-game; not just on forums, fansites and blogs? I can't help but think that the panel might give me in-game design insights.
OLD IDEAS
The general topic reminded me of a thread on the old Vanguard forums in which Jon Grande (Taranis), a Microsoft rep working with Sigil at the time, mentioned the possibility of connecting an MMO like Vanguard to out-of-game life:
"The comment about enabling "off-line play" had to do with the potential of enabling communications into and outside of the game.
As a simplistic example - let's say you're a high level crafter, you've
made several high end bows, and your guild has setup a shop to sell them. You setup your merchant NPC to sell the bows at a specific price and notify you when the bows sell. You get notified, via whatever mechanism you've specified as your preference (email, IM, vmail, etc) and you respond to the merchant. You tell him to buy enough high-end/craftable wood and sinew for you to craft 5 more bows when you get online again. You then get notified when he's bought the components - so you know that you'll be ready to go when you get online. Take that as a starting point and let your imagination wander ..."
Of course, brainstorming is my specialty, so I jumped at the bait:
"If there are things like newspapers in the games, to inform players of stuff going on in the wide world, could we receive that news through email or an outside medium? [which isn't so very different from what Shadowbane did]
I suppose any text message or image that players can mail to one another in-game... could be forwarded to out-of-game mail.
There could be scrying towers around the marketplaces that take screenshots of the market activity every half hour or so. Merchants could opt to be emailed those screenshots however many half-hour increments they wish, or at particular times (real-life). This would allow them to have an idea of how successful they'll be at certain times, certain seasons...and whether they should spend their online time messing with their shopkeepers or crafting instead.
For adventurers, they could receive reports of rumors of which way a monster or NPC headed in the area they subscribe to; or what those mischievous orcs of Balhemm have been up to today....are they sending out messengers? are they attacking caravans?
For scholars and crafstmen, there could be rumors of what texts and crafting techniques have been discovered by players recently, and with whom they should enquire about these marvellous finds."
NEW IDEAS
Obviously, there's stuff like GuildCafe, allowing players to share game achievements and choices out-of-game. Gamespy and Xbox Live offer leaderboards and statistics. I'm sure there's much room for growth in that arena.
There's also the storytelling using game assets that people like Chas do.
Puzzles
Another possibility is riddles and other puzzles that begin in-game but are challenging enough to encourage players to continue trying to solve the problems out-of-game. The great thing about this avenue is that mind-games can be tackled anywhere and, depending on the specific puzzle, solved without need of any tool (keyboard, cellphone, pen and paper, etc.). You might begin trying to solve it the moment it's posed to you in-game, but you could continue trying to solve it while driving in your car, nibbling during your lunchbreak, brushing your teeth, whatever.
Such puzzles could help bring the game's community together, especially if they required knowledge from multiple areas of the game (different classes, factions, regions, etc.).
They could also bind the game's community to persons and communities who do not play the game, if the riddles were not bound to game information (like Bilbo's riddles in The Hobbit) or somehow rewarded out-of-game knowledge. Even if those helping never bought the game, giving players even a little opportunity to share their game experiences with friends and family increases enjoyment of the game.
It might even soften pressures on those whose family or friends don't understand gaming. My dad doesn't get gaming at all, but he loves crosswords and intellectual challenges like that. If, as a member of a particular game's community, could email my dad such a challenge a couple times per month, he'd probably view my gaming in a very different light...because he'd be indirectly involved, and looking forward to the next challenge from my involvement. I'm sure people with spouses or other live-in relations who don't play video games would love something like this.
Wow. That Vanguard thread was over three years ago! I still miss that community.
Incidentally, that's one of the reasons I'm interested in the Community Influencers panel, which I'll be attending in lieu of the barrier-breaking presentation. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I probably would have been counted as a "community influencer" for a while in that old Vanguard community. I helped in keeping tempers level and encouraging others to make productive posts.
Another reason ties into this topic, I suppose: I wonder if community influencers can/should be identified or addressed in-game; not just on forums, fansites and blogs? I can't help but think that the panel might give me in-game design insights.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
AGC final schedule
I finally got around to choosing between my "possibles" and putting together a definite schedule. Like last time, I'll be missing a lot of presentations I really want to hear, but oh well. I'll be spending more time at the Writing sessions than any other track, since writer positions are what I'll be applying for (mainly, at least).
Wednesday
- 9:30 - How to Rule the World (of Warcraft): Ten Lessons
- 11:00 - Everything I Needed to Know about Game Writing I Learned from Star Trek
- 1:30 - Familiarity Breeds Contempt: Building Game Stories that Flow
- 3:00 - Identifying, Engaging and Empowering Community Influencers
- 4:30 - Is It Fun Yet?
Thursday
- 9:30 - Negotiating Mind Games [This one got left off the Schedule at a Glance summary; but it's still listed among the sessions, so I'm assuming it's still alive.]
- 11:00 - Designing for Global Entertainment: Launching Final Fantasy XI on Multiple Platforms
- 1:30 - The Zen of Online Game Design
- 3:00 - Playing Nice with Alternative Media
- 4:30 - Writing, the Bioware Way
Friday
- 9:30 - A Game Industry Journeyman
- 11:00 - Creating a New Age of VO in Games
- 1:30 - Literate Gaming: How We Can and Must Do Better at Writing for Games
I've always wanted to know how to rule the world. Finally, I will. =)
By the way, if anyone else attending was looking forward to the PC GameOn following the conference, I noticed that it's been cancelled (though it's still listed in the AGC's preview guide).
I know a few of you are staying at the same hotel. If you'd like a ride, rather than getting a taxi or walking in our glorious Texas heat, I'd be happy to pick you up. But I'm planning on being at the AGC for a 9:30 session all three days.
I'll likely be driving into town sometime late afternoon on Tuesday. I haven't made plans for when I'll be heading home, since San Antonio (where I'm living now) is only about an hour-and-a-half from Austin.
Oh yeah. If you weren't already aware, Southerners judge distance by time, instead of miles. =P
Moshpits and inspired violence
For whatever reason, there seems to be a lot of crossover between die-hard gamers and headbangers.
When we're swapping favorite bands, not many mention the particular branch of metal that I grew up on (Pantera, C.O.C., Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Ozzy, etc.). But there's a ton of gamers of the FPS, sports and MMO crowds who cheer to one brand or another of rough, nasty guitar and pounding drums.
And every headbanger knows how some good metal can really get the adrenaline pumping. There's a reason the U.S. Armed Forces usually use metal in their recruitment ads on TV. My brother and I used to joke that, "This song makes me want to kill somebody!" My cousin once described a scene of a battlefield while we were listening to "Bury Me in Smoke" by Down, and to this day that image comes to mind whenever I listen to it.
Anyway, so I started wondering how metal might be better integrated into a video game, and this is what I came up with. Sounds and music are hard to describe, but I'll do my best.
Swing to the music
How about a fighting or action game that rewards moves being in time with the music?
Some songs would make this relatively easy. If it's got a pretty steady beat, the player just has to land one of a set of moves on the beat.
Other songs, like "Vote with a Bullet" by Corrosion of Conformity, would have more variance and expect more of the player. These are songs with crescendos (build-ups) and rhythmic tricks. If there are two "taps" before a "punch" in the music's rhythm (like a triplet with the last note accented, for you musicians), then the player is rewarded for executing a spinning move which lasts roughly the duration of the three notes. If one note is emphasized more strongly than another, like when the drummer comes down hard on the crash cymbals, then a stronger attack is rewarded.
Mosh to victory
If it was a fighting game, ala Street Fighter or Tekken, then I would make the game about simple moshpits.
For those who aren't aware, a moshpit is an area, sometimes lowered (a "pit"), at metal concerts where headbangers start dancing violently... pushing, ramming, and often elbowing each other. In this game, the violence would be exagerrated... beyond believeability, to ensure nobody can reasonably think the game is encouraging such behavior in real life. Honestly, most headbangers hate people who throw punches in a moshpit.
It could be point-based, but I think a "last man standing" mode would be more fun. Imagine being in close-quartered fisticuffs with 15-20 other guys. The music's blaring. The crowd all around you is cheering and it pushes wanderers back into the fight if they get too close to the edge. As participants in the moshpit get knocked out, there's more and more room in the pit. The increased space allows for greater maneuvering, but it also opens up the possibility of moves/skills which require a certain amoung of room. If the first song ends, then you all get a breather to strategize and regain some energy before the next song starts. When the fight is over, the crowd roars with delight and the victor gets picked up to crowd-surf onto the stage with the band.
There might also be an endurance mode, in which you last as long as you can in the pit while more contenders trickle in from the surrounding crowd. You can then compare your time and points (for spetacular moves, combos, and maybe difficulty of dynamically added mosher types) to other players online.
And you could compete directly with 2-4 of your friends locally (if the game offers a wide and somewhat top-down view) or with more players online. Earn mulitplayer titles, new character customizations (a mohawk, piercings, tattoos, etc.) and other rewards. Earn emblems of your favorite bands to tattoo on your character or wear as badges on your jacket.
Headbanger hack-and-slash
Really, the above sounds like the better integration of metal, but it might also be tied into an adventure game.
I'd probably make the setting a gritty, urban environment with street battles. The weapons would be either melee stuff like bats, crowbars, brass knuckles and the like, or guns. I'd love to hack-and-slash with weapons to the rhythms and movements of the music. Movements in the music might even open up skills and opportunities not otherwise available.
For example, the beginning of the solo of Ozzy's "No More Tears" might take the game into slow-motion, with fire erupting in a ring around the player (possibly just a visual, but scorching the enemies surrounding the player if he's lucky) when the crescendo reaches its climax and the solo really gets going.
For this sort of gameplay, it wouldn't have to be restricted to metal or even popular music. I could make a pretty cool dungeon crawl experience out of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" or other classical tunes.
Honestly, I'm not sure how I'd work this into a full game, but I think it might be possible. But I'd love to take all of my favorite songs and work them into adventures and events like that. It would probably have to be some other sort of adventure game, perhaps one that's largely on rails, like Bioshock.
When we're swapping favorite bands, not many mention the particular branch of metal that I grew up on (Pantera, C.O.C., Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Ozzy, etc.). But there's a ton of gamers of the FPS, sports and MMO crowds who cheer to one brand or another of rough, nasty guitar and pounding drums.
And every headbanger knows how some good metal can really get the adrenaline pumping. There's a reason the U.S. Armed Forces usually use metal in their recruitment ads on TV. My brother and I used to joke that, "This song makes me want to kill somebody!" My cousin once described a scene of a battlefield while we were listening to "Bury Me in Smoke" by Down, and to this day that image comes to mind whenever I listen to it.
Anyway, so I started wondering how metal might be better integrated into a video game, and this is what I came up with. Sounds and music are hard to describe, but I'll do my best.
Swing to the music
How about a fighting or action game that rewards moves being in time with the music?
Some songs would make this relatively easy. If it's got a pretty steady beat, the player just has to land one of a set of moves on the beat.
Other songs, like "Vote with a Bullet" by Corrosion of Conformity, would have more variance and expect more of the player. These are songs with crescendos (build-ups) and rhythmic tricks. If there are two "taps" before a "punch" in the music's rhythm (like a triplet with the last note accented, for you musicians), then the player is rewarded for executing a spinning move which lasts roughly the duration of the three notes. If one note is emphasized more strongly than another, like when the drummer comes down hard on the crash cymbals, then a stronger attack is rewarded.
Mosh to victory
If it was a fighting game, ala Street Fighter or Tekken, then I would make the game about simple moshpits.
For those who aren't aware, a moshpit is an area, sometimes lowered (a "pit"), at metal concerts where headbangers start dancing violently... pushing, ramming, and often elbowing each other. In this game, the violence would be exagerrated... beyond believeability, to ensure nobody can reasonably think the game is encouraging such behavior in real life. Honestly, most headbangers hate people who throw punches in a moshpit.
It could be point-based, but I think a "last man standing" mode would be more fun. Imagine being in close-quartered fisticuffs with 15-20 other guys. The music's blaring. The crowd all around you is cheering and it pushes wanderers back into the fight if they get too close to the edge. As participants in the moshpit get knocked out, there's more and more room in the pit. The increased space allows for greater maneuvering, but it also opens up the possibility of moves/skills which require a certain amoung of room. If the first song ends, then you all get a breather to strategize and regain some energy before the next song starts. When the fight is over, the crowd roars with delight and the victor gets picked up to crowd-surf onto the stage with the band.
There might also be an endurance mode, in which you last as long as you can in the pit while more contenders trickle in from the surrounding crowd. You can then compare your time and points (for spetacular moves, combos, and maybe difficulty of dynamically added mosher types) to other players online.
And you could compete directly with 2-4 of your friends locally (if the game offers a wide and somewhat top-down view) or with more players online. Earn mulitplayer titles, new character customizations (a mohawk, piercings, tattoos, etc.) and other rewards. Earn emblems of your favorite bands to tattoo on your character or wear as badges on your jacket.
Headbanger hack-and-slash
Really, the above sounds like the better integration of metal, but it might also be tied into an adventure game.
I'd probably make the setting a gritty, urban environment with street battles. The weapons would be either melee stuff like bats, crowbars, brass knuckles and the like, or guns. I'd love to hack-and-slash with weapons to the rhythms and movements of the music. Movements in the music might even open up skills and opportunities not otherwise available.
For example, the beginning of the solo of Ozzy's "No More Tears" might take the game into slow-motion, with fire erupting in a ring around the player (possibly just a visual, but scorching the enemies surrounding the player if he's lucky) when the crescendo reaches its climax and the solo really gets going.
For this sort of gameplay, it wouldn't have to be restricted to metal or even popular music. I could make a pretty cool dungeon crawl experience out of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" or other classical tunes.
Honestly, I'm not sure how I'd work this into a full game, but I think it might be possible. But I'd love to take all of my favorite songs and work them into adventures and events like that. It would probably have to be some other sort of adventure game, perhaps one that's largely on rails, like Bioshock.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
NPC formations
In real life, it's not just humans that use formations, in combat or otherwise. As usual, the real world has countless models which developers could adapt to gameplay, for AI behavior or otherwise.
Arrow formation
Birds often flock in an arrow formation, allowing all but the leader to expend less energy by flying in another's draft. Seagulls will stand in a similar formation on the ground, allowing most to rest easier since they don't have to struggle to remain balanced.
In a game, NPCs are dealing with real physics, so the drafting doesn't seem to have much application. But such formation may aid group casting and such. You might see two casters standing behind another, channeling their energy into him and thereby allowing him to cast spells beyond his level or collaborative-only spells.
And of course, aesthetically, it would be cool to see a herd of anything in a game, moving and shifting as a flock of birds or school of fish would.
Follow the leader
I once saw a video of a herd of water buffalo set upon by lions. The lions hid in the grass until they were able to sneak up and capture a calf. All the buffalo ran, except for the big leader. He stayed and tried to get the lions away from the calf. Eventually, the leader's courage inspired the others to come back and join the fight, at which point the lions didn't even have a chance.
That would be a cool scenario to see in a game. Imagine if your presence startled all but the leader. The others run away, but remain close enough to witness the fight. If you don't kill the leader quickly enough, the others will find their courage and enter the fight. They might be enough to overwhelm you, or they might simply stack the odds a bit. If you do kill the leader quickly, the others will really run away and not look back.
In general, it would be nice to see NPCs form up behind their leaders. They might try to remain close to the leader during combat, to retain his leadership group-buffs. There are probably many other interesting ways to tinker with the leader-follower relationship.
Ring formation
In many species, adults will form a protective circle around their young.
NPCs might form a protective ring around any valuable object. It might be an important character, a quest item, or just treasure. When you kill one, the circle becomes smaller and closes. A thief-type class might have a skill to rush through the gap (if he times it right), to sneak in a backstab or grab something on the inside, before leaping/tumbling over an NPC on the far side to escape before the NPCs turn.
Back-to-back
I'm not sure where all lovebugs live, but the South sees them all over the place at certain times of year. During the mating season, they're usually seen crawling and flying around while attached to one another at the abdomen.
Some NPCs might fight back-to-back if surrounded in a skirmish or an actual battle (I hope to see full army combat soon in MMOs). Some creatures may even attach as lovebugs do. The attachment might offer them buffs (kill one and the other loses its buff) or even allow them to share one healthpool (meaning you can no longer fight them one at a time or rely on reducing the odds halfway through the fight).
Lurkers
Archerfish lurk just beneath the water's surface and spit water out at unsuspecting bugs on nearby branches to topple them into the water, where the fish can eat them.
Imagine your group walking across and bridge or ledge when a creature attacks you (and only you) with some sort of missile, knocking you over the edge and down where it can get at you. Now you're stuck in the water or mud, separated from your party, having to fight this thing ambusher alone. Maybe it's something you can take alone, or maybe you call for your groupmates to jump down and help (maybe your group's distance fighters can help from where they're at, or maybe this creature has an extraordinary range and your group will all need to jump down).
Arrow formation
Birds often flock in an arrow formation, allowing all but the leader to expend less energy by flying in another's draft. Seagulls will stand in a similar formation on the ground, allowing most to rest easier since they don't have to struggle to remain balanced.
In a game, NPCs are dealing with real physics, so the drafting doesn't seem to have much application. But such formation may aid group casting and such. You might see two casters standing behind another, channeling their energy into him and thereby allowing him to cast spells beyond his level or collaborative-only spells.
And of course, aesthetically, it would be cool to see a herd of anything in a game, moving and shifting as a flock of birds or school of fish would.
Follow the leader
I once saw a video of a herd of water buffalo set upon by lions. The lions hid in the grass until they were able to sneak up and capture a calf. All the buffalo ran, except for the big leader. He stayed and tried to get the lions away from the calf. Eventually, the leader's courage inspired the others to come back and join the fight, at which point the lions didn't even have a chance.
That would be a cool scenario to see in a game. Imagine if your presence startled all but the leader. The others run away, but remain close enough to witness the fight. If you don't kill the leader quickly enough, the others will find their courage and enter the fight. They might be enough to overwhelm you, or they might simply stack the odds a bit. If you do kill the leader quickly, the others will really run away and not look back.
In general, it would be nice to see NPCs form up behind their leaders. They might try to remain close to the leader during combat, to retain his leadership group-buffs. There are probably many other interesting ways to tinker with the leader-follower relationship.
Ring formation
In many species, adults will form a protective circle around their young.
NPCs might form a protective ring around any valuable object. It might be an important character, a quest item, or just treasure. When you kill one, the circle becomes smaller and closes. A thief-type class might have a skill to rush through the gap (if he times it right), to sneak in a backstab or grab something on the inside, before leaping/tumbling over an NPC on the far side to escape before the NPCs turn.
Back-to-back
I'm not sure where all lovebugs live, but the South sees them all over the place at certain times of year. During the mating season, they're usually seen crawling and flying around while attached to one another at the abdomen.
Some NPCs might fight back-to-back if surrounded in a skirmish or an actual battle (I hope to see full army combat soon in MMOs). Some creatures may even attach as lovebugs do. The attachment might offer them buffs (kill one and the other loses its buff) or even allow them to share one healthpool (meaning you can no longer fight them one at a time or rely on reducing the odds halfway through the fight).
Lurkers
Archerfish lurk just beneath the water's surface and spit water out at unsuspecting bugs on nearby branches to topple them into the water, where the fish can eat them.
Imagine your group walking across and bridge or ledge when a creature attacks you (and only you) with some sort of missile, knocking you over the edge and down where it can get at you. Now you're stuck in the water or mud, separated from your party, having to fight this thing ambusher alone. Maybe it's something you can take alone, or maybe you call for your groupmates to jump down and help (maybe your group's distance fighters can help from where they're at, or maybe this creature has an extraordinary range and your group will all need to jump down).
Monday, August 27, 2007
Song switch on music site
As a result of steady reminders, I've finally switched out the songs on my music site (the link for which I've had at the bottom of this site's sidebar for a while now).
I left the fantasy-themed "A Season for War", the one I blogged about not long ago. The others are two old songs and one more recent one, all just recorded live today. Really, I should re-record with separate tracks (the vocals to "Dementor" are kind of hard to hear), but it's a miracle when anything gets recorded at all, haha.
As I wrote in the site's profile, there's a good chance I'll be moving in with my cousin Danny soon (provided I don't get a game job in Austin), in which case my vocals and recordings will be much better. I've never been comfortable singing very freely (loud) in this little apartment, but that will change if I'm in a house with my cousin, who is probably an even more avid rocker than I am. Living around family again will pick up my energy level, too, which has always been a factor in the rarity of recordings.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy one or two songs.
I left the fantasy-themed "A Season for War", the one I blogged about not long ago. The others are two old songs and one more recent one, all just recorded live today. Really, I should re-record with separate tracks (the vocals to "Dementor" are kind of hard to hear), but it's a miracle when anything gets recorded at all, haha.
As I wrote in the site's profile, there's a good chance I'll be moving in with my cousin Danny soon (provided I don't get a game job in Austin), in which case my vocals and recordings will be much better. I've never been comfortable singing very freely (loud) in this little apartment, but that will change if I'm in a house with my cousin, who is probably an even more avid rocker than I am. Living around family again will pick up my energy level, too, which has always been a factor in the rarity of recordings.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy one or two songs.
Story, again
A long one. Read it a little at a time, if you like. But I wanted to get all of it down, because this is central to how I approach game design. This one counts for today's article and tomorrow's! ;)
Story in films and books is about other persons' choices and experiences. Story in games is about the player's choices and experiences.
I've harped on about game cinematics before, how they usually focus less on the player than on someone else's story. I like the use of quality cinematics to set the game's tone and relay the big picture (like those in Diablo 2), as well as a handful of other uses (like Gears of War's controlling the player's camera for just a moment to direct the player's attention), but cinematics more often make the mistake of following the narrative method of non-interactive mediums.
Don't get me wrong. I liked the story of Halo. But that wasn't the player's story. The story of Halo was told in between the player's adventure segments, not as part of that adventure. Like most game developers, Bungie thought of game narrative as a film which the player unlocks and views bit by bit (watch movie -> play game -> watch movie -> play game). Not surprisingly, I call those "film games" -- the cinematics are essentially separate from the actual gameplay, so it's a combination of film and game (analogous to silent movies, which combined literature with film).
SUMMARY
So, if not that, what is a developer's role in the game story? How can a story be individual to the player and truly represent his or her own involvement in the gameworld?
SETTING THE STAGE
Humans are social animals. It's in our nature to want to share our experiences. But not every story is worth telling. Players have a much easier time finding their own stories when they have a good setting and props.
Dynamics
Ever started to tell a joke and the listener says he's already heard that one? Did you go on telling the joke? Probably not. We like to share, but not the same story over and over again.
That applies not just to the stories we tell others but to the stories we tell ourselves, the memories worth keeping. If fighting bandits, fighting goblins, and fighting trolls are all essentially steps in the same old grind, then the player doesn't distinguish the memories strongly from each other. But if bandits manage to ambush the player, the goblins are cowards and try to run away when they lose the advantage of numbers, and trolls are big tough bastards who have a bad habit of camping out in the middle of the road, then those are three distinct experiences...worthy of rememberance and being told.
The more dynamics, the better. Dynamics keep the game feeling fresh.
Ideally, the game should feel like a continuation of one story (the character's epic adventure) with various sub-plots and a good helping of fluff. In order to not feel disjointed, the sub-plots must all tie in to the greater adventure somehow. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, from shaping the character to horizontally changing the player's circumstances (including setting) to advancing the player toward a particular encounter.
Fluff is the stuff that doesn't tie into the larger story but embodies a memorable experience. Noticing an NPC drunkard being thrown out of a tavern and yelling slurred curses back at the barkeep is an example of fluff. A clocktower that makes you stop and gape in awe at its size and ornate gilding is an example of fluff.
Depth
What are the choices offered to the player? Is he deciding between killing human simpletons or orc simpletons? between a "Shortsword +1" or a "Handaxe +1"? Most of the player's choices should be more meaningful than that. For example:
Many of Baytown's militia are dissatisfied with their captain. Do you help them depose him? If you do, will some of the militia fight against you? Are they acceptable casualties? You might have to face their families afterward. Will the next captain be better than the first? Will the town mayor support the action? If he does so only because he fears the militia, your relations with him may be strained (no more quests or other help from him).
You've discovered an epic weapon which belonged to a great hero of the city Stoneridge. By removing the weapon from his bones, you have upset the hero's spirit. As long as the weapon is parted from the hero's tomb, his angry spirit haunts the city. Stoneridge citizens are angry with you for dishonoring their hero and causing the haunting. Do you return the weapon, despite its great stats? Do you abandon the town, ignoring the NPCs' troubles and the complaints of other players that some of the Stoneridge merchants are charging higher prices to people of your faction and/or guild? Do you seek out the ghost, and make a compact that allows you to keep the weapon if you'll use it to follow in the hero's footsteps as long as you possess it (such as keeping the city's surrounding population of bandits down to a particular level, perhaps with the aid of friends)?
NPCs, places, and objects should have as much depth as possible. For each NPC of Mass Effect, Bioware has a character bible; a compilation of character histories, connections, views, quirks, etc. I would do the same for MMO characters. And I would spend every waking hour between other tasks expanding the dialogue trees of the NPCs. For Endwar, Ubisoft is creating and recording a ridiculous amount of dialogue for NPCs, so that each NPC really feels like a character and not just a caricature, a painted face. Dialogue trees require time for careful creation, but not a lot of programming. Adding dialogue is a smart use of time for writers during the game's polishing phase, provided not every line is translated into a voiceover.
Individuality
A feeling of ownership goes a long way toward heightening a player's appreciation of the story. Especially in American culture, we love to be reminded of and learn what separates us from other individuals.
I've heard people talk about good dev-written stories, like those in Halo or Neverwinter Nights, but their enthusiasm for those stories pales in comparison to their enthusiasm when sharing personal stories. The Sims offers individually unique stories through AI dynamics. Individual stories in MMOs more often result from social dynamics between players; like how one's guild decided to tackle a raid. The fact that MMOs already have dynamics leading to individual stories suggests that the genre has tremendous potential, considering the actual gameplay is presently so static and linear.
Depth is an important factor here. There are differences and then there are significant differences. Titles shouldn't be handed out like consolation prizes. "Epic" armor shouldn't decorate every long-time player, or be unheard of in a player's first months of play (think of Diablo 2's rare, set, or unique items).
The pinnacle of individuality in narrative is personal relevance. We each have a particular sense of humor, particular interests, particular perspectives and viewpoints, particular aesthetic tastes, and particular desires and favored roles during gameplay. You can't reach all people, but a good game makes players notice when they've been reached. When most players can agree on an optimal skill combination or group composition, then you're deafeating personal involvement to an extent. When players can go on forever in friendly debates about which skills, classes, and combinations are the best, then you've made those preferences personal... and made those choices more rewarding, those stories more interesting.
MAKING IT A STORY
What is a story? It's not just a chaotic amalgam of choices and experiences. It's also how those choices and experiences are placed into an order, into a context, and the meaning we draw from them.
Prediction
Part of what makes something a story is the feeling that it's leading somewhere.
I'm a huge fan of open worlds in games. There should be some direction, but that direction should be fluid. Water from a mountaintop must flow downhill, but there are countless paths the river might take. Ideally, developers should try to design story possibilities similar to river path possibilities. Rivers follow the paths of least resistance, but they also break through barriers and carve their own paths. It makes sense to encourage players down particular avenues, but allow them to stray from the paved roads. Skill reassignment, ala Star Wars: Galaxies, is an example of allowing the player freedom to take unusual routes (less-than-optimal skill combinations) while also preventing the player from hitting a dead end (not being able to recover from poor choices).
Our ability to predict is based on trends in past experiences. Facilitating the sharing of stories between players is important to this end. But be careful not to make all player-stories too similar.
Reflection
Another component of stories is the knowledge that certain events and circumstances led to the present situation.
NPC commentary on player choices is one means of encouraging the player to reflect. Inter-faction conflict is easy. Class-only quests are easy. But how about NPCs reacting to player gear? Afterall, you'd think an orc wearing a skull for a helmet and a fetish on his belt might get a rise out of some homely elves in a small village (though big city merchants might not care). How about real difficulty in making up for offenses? Allowing player's to switch sides after killing hundreds of the enemy's faction might please some, but just as many would be pleased by the believeability of real NPC grudges and reputation.
Also, devs can promote certain judgements over others through NPC reactions. Most films and novels state or imply certain lessons or ideas, without beating the audience over the head with them (a lot of people complain about didactic storytelling these days, but they consume it all the time without realizing it). Present opposing viewpoints through opposing NPCs or factions, if you want; but encouraging the player to really think deeply about what's going on in the gameworld can, if done well, immerse the player and arouse character empathy. It's also the most necessary step toward establishing games in society as more than mere child's play.
Qualification
Speaking of judgements... Part of what individualizes a story, what makes a story our own, is which experiences we value, which we seek out and which we avoid, which choices we savor and which we regret, etc.
Moving screenshots in-game is one means of encouraging players to qualify experiences. One player can invite another into his or her home and use the in-game pictures to share some of the best parts of his or her own personal story. Among other benefits, reminding players of their story highlights also reminds them why they play the game (improves player retention).
Organization
Perhaps the most important element of any story is organization. How are separate events and objects connected? How we categorize things affects how we perceive and interpret them. The heart of a story, its meaning and impact, is largely a result of organization.
This goes back to what I said under "Dynamics" about players needing to connect the dots, to feel that their many small adventures are truly connected to one grand adventure, one life as it is developing and exploring. Fluff is good, but there should be more meaningful content than fluff.
Helping the player see the big picture is probably tied closely with developer's own ability to remember the big picture during the many months or years of development. The developer will intuitively impress his own perception onto the game, so it's probably smart to plan continual reminders of the game's central themes and conflicts in which all players will ultimately be involved.
In Star Wars: Galaxies, I identified my character more with his skills in creature-handling and range survival than with his participation in the Galactic Civil War (he fought for the Empire, of course). I thought of him more as a lone wanderer and explorer than as a soldier in the world's grand conflict, so the majority of my game experiences were filtered through that lens. It's good to have a variety of players with different playstyles in the same gameworld (some soldiers, some guilds, some loners, etc.), but the developer needs to remain aware of all the possibilities the game allows so that players can be prodded out of stale repetition and overly harsh avenues.
Story in films and books is about other persons' choices and experiences. Story in games is about the player's choices and experiences.
I've harped on about game cinematics before, how they usually focus less on the player than on someone else's story. I like the use of quality cinematics to set the game's tone and relay the big picture (like those in Diablo 2), as well as a handful of other uses (like Gears of War's controlling the player's camera for just a moment to direct the player's attention), but cinematics more often make the mistake of following the narrative method of non-interactive mediums.
Don't get me wrong. I liked the story of Halo. But that wasn't the player's story. The story of Halo was told in between the player's adventure segments, not as part of that adventure. Like most game developers, Bungie thought of game narrative as a film which the player unlocks and views bit by bit (watch movie -> play game -> watch movie -> play game). Not surprisingly, I call those "film games" -- the cinematics are essentially separate from the actual gameplay, so it's a combination of film and game (analogous to silent movies, which combined literature with film).
SUMMARY
So, if not that, what is a developer's role in the game story? How can a story be individual to the player and truly represent his or her own involvement in the gameworld?
- 1) Set the stage with dynamics, depth, and room for individuality.
- 2) Encourage the player to predict, reflect, qualify, and organize his experiences into a unified and cohesive narrative.
SETTING THE STAGE
Humans are social animals. It's in our nature to want to share our experiences. But not every story is worth telling. Players have a much easier time finding their own stories when they have a good setting and props.
Dynamics
Ever started to tell a joke and the listener says he's already heard that one? Did you go on telling the joke? Probably not. We like to share, but not the same story over and over again.
That applies not just to the stories we tell others but to the stories we tell ourselves, the memories worth keeping. If fighting bandits, fighting goblins, and fighting trolls are all essentially steps in the same old grind, then the player doesn't distinguish the memories strongly from each other. But if bandits manage to ambush the player, the goblins are cowards and try to run away when they lose the advantage of numbers, and trolls are big tough bastards who have a bad habit of camping out in the middle of the road, then those are three distinct experiences...worthy of rememberance and being told.
The more dynamics, the better. Dynamics keep the game feeling fresh.
Ideally, the game should feel like a continuation of one story (the character's epic adventure) with various sub-plots and a good helping of fluff. In order to not feel disjointed, the sub-plots must all tie in to the greater adventure somehow. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, from shaping the character to horizontally changing the player's circumstances (including setting) to advancing the player toward a particular encounter.
Fluff is the stuff that doesn't tie into the larger story but embodies a memorable experience. Noticing an NPC drunkard being thrown out of a tavern and yelling slurred curses back at the barkeep is an example of fluff. A clocktower that makes you stop and gape in awe at its size and ornate gilding is an example of fluff.
Depth
What are the choices offered to the player? Is he deciding between killing human simpletons or orc simpletons? between a "Shortsword +1" or a "Handaxe +1"? Most of the player's choices should be more meaningful than that. For example:
Many of Baytown's militia are dissatisfied with their captain. Do you help them depose him? If you do, will some of the militia fight against you? Are they acceptable casualties? You might have to face their families afterward. Will the next captain be better than the first? Will the town mayor support the action? If he does so only because he fears the militia, your relations with him may be strained (no more quests or other help from him).
You've discovered an epic weapon which belonged to a great hero of the city Stoneridge. By removing the weapon from his bones, you have upset the hero's spirit. As long as the weapon is parted from the hero's tomb, his angry spirit haunts the city. Stoneridge citizens are angry with you for dishonoring their hero and causing the haunting. Do you return the weapon, despite its great stats? Do you abandon the town, ignoring the NPCs' troubles and the complaints of other players that some of the Stoneridge merchants are charging higher prices to people of your faction and/or guild? Do you seek out the ghost, and make a compact that allows you to keep the weapon if you'll use it to follow in the hero's footsteps as long as you possess it (such as keeping the city's surrounding population of bandits down to a particular level, perhaps with the aid of friends)?
NPCs, places, and objects should have as much depth as possible. For each NPC of Mass Effect, Bioware has a character bible; a compilation of character histories, connections, views, quirks, etc. I would do the same for MMO characters. And I would spend every waking hour between other tasks expanding the dialogue trees of the NPCs. For Endwar, Ubisoft is creating and recording a ridiculous amount of dialogue for NPCs, so that each NPC really feels like a character and not just a caricature, a painted face. Dialogue trees require time for careful creation, but not a lot of programming. Adding dialogue is a smart use of time for writers during the game's polishing phase, provided not every line is translated into a voiceover.
Individuality
A feeling of ownership goes a long way toward heightening a player's appreciation of the story. Especially in American culture, we love to be reminded of and learn what separates us from other individuals.
I've heard people talk about good dev-written stories, like those in Halo or Neverwinter Nights, but their enthusiasm for those stories pales in comparison to their enthusiasm when sharing personal stories. The Sims offers individually unique stories through AI dynamics. Individual stories in MMOs more often result from social dynamics between players; like how one's guild decided to tackle a raid. The fact that MMOs already have dynamics leading to individual stories suggests that the genre has tremendous potential, considering the actual gameplay is presently so static and linear.
Depth is an important factor here. There are differences and then there are significant differences. Titles shouldn't be handed out like consolation prizes. "Epic" armor shouldn't decorate every long-time player, or be unheard of in a player's first months of play (think of Diablo 2's rare, set, or unique items).
The pinnacle of individuality in narrative is personal relevance. We each have a particular sense of humor, particular interests, particular perspectives and viewpoints, particular aesthetic tastes, and particular desires and favored roles during gameplay. You can't reach all people, but a good game makes players notice when they've been reached. When most players can agree on an optimal skill combination or group composition, then you're deafeating personal involvement to an extent. When players can go on forever in friendly debates about which skills, classes, and combinations are the best, then you've made those preferences personal... and made those choices more rewarding, those stories more interesting.
MAKING IT A STORY
What is a story? It's not just a chaotic amalgam of choices and experiences. It's also how those choices and experiences are placed into an order, into a context, and the meaning we draw from them.
Prediction
Part of what makes something a story is the feeling that it's leading somewhere.
I'm a huge fan of open worlds in games. There should be some direction, but that direction should be fluid. Water from a mountaintop must flow downhill, but there are countless paths the river might take. Ideally, developers should try to design story possibilities similar to river path possibilities. Rivers follow the paths of least resistance, but they also break through barriers and carve their own paths. It makes sense to encourage players down particular avenues, but allow them to stray from the paved roads. Skill reassignment, ala Star Wars: Galaxies, is an example of allowing the player freedom to take unusual routes (less-than-optimal skill combinations) while also preventing the player from hitting a dead end (not being able to recover from poor choices).
Our ability to predict is based on trends in past experiences. Facilitating the sharing of stories between players is important to this end. But be careful not to make all player-stories too similar.
Reflection
Another component of stories is the knowledge that certain events and circumstances led to the present situation.
NPC commentary on player choices is one means of encouraging the player to reflect. Inter-faction conflict is easy. Class-only quests are easy. But how about NPCs reacting to player gear? Afterall, you'd think an orc wearing a skull for a helmet and a fetish on his belt might get a rise out of some homely elves in a small village (though big city merchants might not care). How about real difficulty in making up for offenses? Allowing player's to switch sides after killing hundreds of the enemy's faction might please some, but just as many would be pleased by the believeability of real NPC grudges and reputation.
Also, devs can promote certain judgements over others through NPC reactions. Most films and novels state or imply certain lessons or ideas, without beating the audience over the head with them (a lot of people complain about didactic storytelling these days, but they consume it all the time without realizing it). Present opposing viewpoints through opposing NPCs or factions, if you want; but encouraging the player to really think deeply about what's going on in the gameworld can, if done well, immerse the player and arouse character empathy. It's also the most necessary step toward establishing games in society as more than mere child's play.
Qualification
Speaking of judgements... Part of what individualizes a story, what makes a story our own, is which experiences we value, which we seek out and which we avoid, which choices we savor and which we regret, etc.
Moving screenshots in-game is one means of encouraging players to qualify experiences. One player can invite another into his or her home and use the in-game pictures to share some of the best parts of his or her own personal story. Among other benefits, reminding players of their story highlights also reminds them why they play the game (improves player retention).
Organization
Perhaps the most important element of any story is organization. How are separate events and objects connected? How we categorize things affects how we perceive and interpret them. The heart of a story, its meaning and impact, is largely a result of organization.
This goes back to what I said under "Dynamics" about players needing to connect the dots, to feel that their many small adventures are truly connected to one grand adventure, one life as it is developing and exploring. Fluff is good, but there should be more meaningful content than fluff.
Helping the player see the big picture is probably tied closely with developer's own ability to remember the big picture during the many months or years of development. The developer will intuitively impress his own perception onto the game, so it's probably smart to plan continual reminders of the game's central themes and conflicts in which all players will ultimately be involved.
In Star Wars: Galaxies, I identified my character more with his skills in creature-handling and range survival than with his participation in the Galactic Civil War (he fought for the Empire, of course). I thought of him more as a lone wanderer and explorer than as a soldier in the world's grand conflict, so the majority of my game experiences were filtered through that lens. It's good to have a variety of players with different playstyles in the same gameworld (some soldiers, some guilds, some loners, etc.), but the developer needs to remain aware of all the possibilities the game allows so that players can be prodded out of stale repetition and overly harsh avenues.
You may have noticed me talking about the player finding his or her story, rather than creating it. The dev work that this article proposes concerns storytelling, but it's storytelling in a different way than films or novels. It's similar to how we "find" ourselves in life as we age and mature. The developer creates and controls the potential experiences and the choices that face the player. The player's involvement is more in choosing than in creation (which isn't to downplay the potential value of user-created content, but that's a whole other issue).
Please feel free to respond to only the one or two parts of this long rant that you read.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Two Worlds, one trashcan
Alright, so it's not that bad, but I'm definitely more than a little disappointed with this one.
I picked it up this morning and have played it just a few hours, so this review's about initial impressions. But if a game doesn't grab you within a few hours, to hell with it, right? I'm not going to try to be completely comprehensive, but I'll give a lot.
THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES
...is cutscenes. That's right. You have to wait to play the game. Sure, Oblivion had an intro movie as well, but Bethesda's was decent quality (superb quality, once you're watching the fly-over around the Imperial City while the music rises to a heroic melody). This intro wasn't worth watching.
EXPLORATION
It's open-world, so you can wander wherever you please, just like in Oblivion.
But, unlike Oblivion, Two Worlds doesn't adapt creature levels to the player's level. That's a step in the right direction, allowing for EQ-style nasty surprises and adrenaline rushes. Unfortunately, the combat system, which I'll get into in a minute, prevents many truly tense moments.
Two Worlds isn't afraid to surprise you with numbers. Hiking up to a small settlement, I found a small dwarf. Dwarves are good guys, right? Wrong! By the time I realized the little guy wasn't walking up just to talk to me, he had 6 or 7 buddies with him. Did the seven dwarves put me in my grave? No, but it was a fun surprise.
COMBAT
The combat system is less than stellar.
Oh, it looks nice. One of the reasons I bought the game was the motion-captured combat animations. Combined with a good combat system, those really would have been a big deal. Unfortunately, melee combat is pretty lackluster.
You press one button to swing your weapon (the same way every time, though pressing the button more than once results in a set series of swings) and press another button to jump backward (only backward). Parrying is a passive skill, as is blocking, and neither seem to have an animation (though I keep hoping I'm just missing those animations by some crazy odds). I suppose that this is offset somewhat by the lack of weapon specialization, encouraging the player to change weapons (each with its own animations) frequently.
But mostly, this game must depend on magic. I always start these games with a brutish warrior character, so I haven't explored the magic system yet. I've used a Fire Wall spell, which wasn't bad -- unlike Diablo 2's Fire Wall spell, it acts more as a hard barrier than a way to roast multiple enemies at a time. I also use a basic Heal spell and Fireball.
They did come up with a cool spell augmentation system using cards. You can collect so many augmentations cards (reduced mana requirement, increased power, etc.) at a time. You're then free to assign the cards to whichever spells you want, and re-assign them later. So, for example, I chose to apply both my cards to the Heal spell, thereby increasingly its effectiveness considerably, while leaving the other spells as they were.
There's no death penalty beyond merely appearing away from where you were. I haven't tested the NPC-wizard's memory yet to see if he recognizes the guy he killed for breaking into his chest and stealing his stuff just 2 feet in front of his face (that's right, the game let me browse the chest's content at my leisure while the NPC merely waited for me to finish).
Oh yeah, and don't be surprised if combat's really only difficult fighting a lot of enemies at once. Bears are absolutely ridiculous. I swing, swing, swing... it begins to rear back, so I hit the "leap back" button... he swings and misses... I swing, swing, swing... etc. It's really that easy. I never get hit. I haven't found an enemy that's much harder than that yet, when alone (I'm playing on Medium difficulty).
STORY
If there's any justice in this world, lightning will strike the writers down for truly awful dialogue. You know those players in MMOs who think roleplay is a simple matter of throwing in a bunch of "thee"s and "thou"s? Apparently, those are the folks who wrote this game's story.
In fairness, some of the blame lies with the poor voice-acting. If you ever want to hear genuine Middle English, or even Old English, let me know and I can direct you to a university professor who does it well. Enunciating poetic contractions as if you were reading them from a dictionary only makes the attempts at Medieval conversation that much more unbearable. Surely, script writers don't all sound like nerds and can occasionally perform their own dialogue, at least?
I'm not far enough into the game to know how the story plays out, but it hasn't really grabbed me yet. To be completely honest, I've started skipping past a lot of the dialogue by mashing the "A" button.
Conversations are repeated verbatim... not just from one conversation with Bill to the next, but Joe and Bob give you the same lines.
ART
I knew it wasn't as good as Oblivion's before I bought it, so I really wasn't expecting stellar graphics. But I'm surprised by how dry and uninteresting the graphics really are. Perhaps it's somehow related to German aesthetics that I don't understand, because Gothic had a similar style, as I recall.
Beyond that, though, sometimes I run into something that really bugs me. I walk under an arch, and it feels separate from the landscape somehow. Either it's an art direction problem or a problem with object borders, but it feels like I'm walking through a model rather than a world.
JEEZ, AARON, WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU LIKED?!
Like I said, the cards of the magic system was a cool idea. For all it's faults, the melee combat system does encourage the player to find a rhythm and adapt slightly to each particular weapon (jabbing and slashing with a spear feels different than swinging an axe).
More than anything, the little attraction I have for the game is for its retro appeal. The inventory interface, the potions and pause gameplay, the rustic feel... it reminds me of tabletop D&D somewhat. If you miss the good ole days, maybe it'll spark something.
TO SUM UP
Don't buy Two Worlds expecting an experience similar to Oblivion. I knew they would be considerably different, but I had no idea how different. Just because you enjoyed Oblivion, that does not mean you'll enjoy Two Worlds. Rent it. I'm sure some people will really dig it, but I'm definitely not one of those people.
Hopefully, it will last me just long enough to trade it in for Medal of Honor: Airborne in a couple weeks.
I picked it up this morning and have played it just a few hours, so this review's about initial impressions. But if a game doesn't grab you within a few hours, to hell with it, right? I'm not going to try to be completely comprehensive, but I'll give a lot.
THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES
...is cutscenes. That's right. You have to wait to play the game. Sure, Oblivion had an intro movie as well, but Bethesda's was decent quality (superb quality, once you're watching the fly-over around the Imperial City while the music rises to a heroic melody). This intro wasn't worth watching.
EXPLORATION
It's open-world, so you can wander wherever you please, just like in Oblivion.
But, unlike Oblivion, Two Worlds doesn't adapt creature levels to the player's level. That's a step in the right direction, allowing for EQ-style nasty surprises and adrenaline rushes. Unfortunately, the combat system, which I'll get into in a minute, prevents many truly tense moments.
Two Worlds isn't afraid to surprise you with numbers. Hiking up to a small settlement, I found a small dwarf. Dwarves are good guys, right? Wrong! By the time I realized the little guy wasn't walking up just to talk to me, he had 6 or 7 buddies with him. Did the seven dwarves put me in my grave? No, but it was a fun surprise.
COMBAT
The combat system is less than stellar.
Oh, it looks nice. One of the reasons I bought the game was the motion-captured combat animations. Combined with a good combat system, those really would have been a big deal. Unfortunately, melee combat is pretty lackluster.
You press one button to swing your weapon (the same way every time, though pressing the button more than once results in a set series of swings) and press another button to jump backward (only backward). Parrying is a passive skill, as is blocking, and neither seem to have an animation (though I keep hoping I'm just missing those animations by some crazy odds). I suppose that this is offset somewhat by the lack of weapon specialization, encouraging the player to change weapons (each with its own animations) frequently.
But mostly, this game must depend on magic. I always start these games with a brutish warrior character, so I haven't explored the magic system yet. I've used a Fire Wall spell, which wasn't bad -- unlike Diablo 2's Fire Wall spell, it acts more as a hard barrier than a way to roast multiple enemies at a time. I also use a basic Heal spell and Fireball.
They did come up with a cool spell augmentation system using cards. You can collect so many augmentations cards (reduced mana requirement, increased power, etc.) at a time. You're then free to assign the cards to whichever spells you want, and re-assign them later. So, for example, I chose to apply both my cards to the Heal spell, thereby increasingly its effectiveness considerably, while leaving the other spells as they were.
There's no death penalty beyond merely appearing away from where you were. I haven't tested the NPC-wizard's memory yet to see if he recognizes the guy he killed for breaking into his chest and stealing his stuff just 2 feet in front of his face (that's right, the game let me browse the chest's content at my leisure while the NPC merely waited for me to finish).
Oh yeah, and don't be surprised if combat's really only difficult fighting a lot of enemies at once. Bears are absolutely ridiculous. I swing, swing, swing... it begins to rear back, so I hit the "leap back" button... he swings and misses... I swing, swing, swing... etc. It's really that easy. I never get hit. I haven't found an enemy that's much harder than that yet, when alone (I'm playing on Medium difficulty).
STORY
If there's any justice in this world, lightning will strike the writers down for truly awful dialogue. You know those players in MMOs who think roleplay is a simple matter of throwing in a bunch of "thee"s and "thou"s? Apparently, those are the folks who wrote this game's story.
In fairness, some of the blame lies with the poor voice-acting. If you ever want to hear genuine Middle English, or even Old English, let me know and I can direct you to a university professor who does it well. Enunciating poetic contractions as if you were reading them from a dictionary only makes the attempts at Medieval conversation that much more unbearable. Surely, script writers don't all sound like nerds and can occasionally perform their own dialogue, at least?
I'm not far enough into the game to know how the story plays out, but it hasn't really grabbed me yet. To be completely honest, I've started skipping past a lot of the dialogue by mashing the "A" button.
Conversations are repeated verbatim... not just from one conversation with Bill to the next, but Joe and Bob give you the same lines.
ART
I knew it wasn't as good as Oblivion's before I bought it, so I really wasn't expecting stellar graphics. But I'm surprised by how dry and uninteresting the graphics really are. Perhaps it's somehow related to German aesthetics that I don't understand, because Gothic had a similar style, as I recall.
Beyond that, though, sometimes I run into something that really bugs me. I walk under an arch, and it feels separate from the landscape somehow. Either it's an art direction problem or a problem with object borders, but it feels like I'm walking through a model rather than a world.
JEEZ, AARON, WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU LIKED?!
Like I said, the cards of the magic system was a cool idea. For all it's faults, the melee combat system does encourage the player to find a rhythm and adapt slightly to each particular weapon (jabbing and slashing with a spear feels different than swinging an axe).
More than anything, the little attraction I have for the game is for its retro appeal. The inventory interface, the potions and pause gameplay, the rustic feel... it reminds me of tabletop D&D somewhat. If you miss the good ole days, maybe it'll spark something.
TO SUM UP
Don't buy Two Worlds expecting an experience similar to Oblivion. I knew they would be considerably different, but I had no idea how different. Just because you enjoyed Oblivion, that does not mean you'll enjoy Two Worlds. Rent it. I'm sure some people will really dig it, but I'm definitely not one of those people.
Hopefully, it will last me just long enough to trade it in for Medal of Honor: Airborne in a couple weeks.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
20-hit vs 2-hit battles
I finally have access to the internet again. It's nice that Liepzig's conference happened to coincide with my away-time, because there was a little gaming news to come back to.
IGN posted a preview of Viking: Battle for Asgard, a single-player game in which the hero leads armies in siege warfare. The part that most interests me is this:
In most MMOs I've played, combat tends to lean more toward strategy than action. Worthwhile battles are more likely to involve 15-20 actions, or 10+ "turns", than merely striking the enemy one or two times with your weapon and moving on to the next enemy. Many long-time MMO gamers probably prefer that style, though WoW seemed to prove the wide appeal of faster-paced combat.
Two-hit kills
MMO developers don't have to choose either/or. It might prove very fun to mix the traditional models of player-vs-foe combat with the sort of player-vs-group combat suggested in the quote above. In EQ2, my most enjoyable battles tended to be those in which I was outnumbered, sometimes even by enemies which would have been easy one-by-one. Those battles still involved multiple rounds per enemy, but they hint at the possibilities. Either way, one-on-one or many-on-one, there's considerable room for strategy, but different kinds of strategy.
Viking's "change the course of the battle" gameplay is just one way in which player-vs-group combat could be taken beyond old MMO models. It could make for some interesting raids, in particular. MMOs in general could be more engaging if the pacing varied more.
IGN posted a preview of Viking: Battle for Asgard, a single-player game in which the hero leads armies in siege warfare. The part that most interests me is this:
"In the large battles Scrin's job is less about directing his forces (although that is part of his job) as it as about being in the right place to change the course of the battle. "
In most MMOs I've played, combat tends to lean more toward strategy than action. Worthwhile battles are more likely to involve 15-20 actions, or 10+ "turns", than merely striking the enemy one or two times with your weapon and moving on to the next enemy. Many long-time MMO gamers probably prefer that style, though WoW seemed to prove the wide appeal of faster-paced combat.
Two-hit kills
MMO developers don't have to choose either/or. It might prove very fun to mix the traditional models of player-vs-foe combat with the sort of player-vs-group combat suggested in the quote above. In EQ2, my most enjoyable battles tended to be those in which I was outnumbered, sometimes even by enemies which would have been easy one-by-one. Those battles still involved multiple rounds per enemy, but they hint at the possibilities. Either way, one-on-one or many-on-one, there's considerable room for strategy, but different kinds of strategy.
Viking's "change the course of the battle" gameplay is just one way in which player-vs-group combat could be taken beyond old MMO models. It could make for some interesting raids, in particular. MMOs in general could be more engaging if the pacing varied more.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Don't widen the kiddie pool
Looks like I'll be able to get an article up afterall. =)
WIDE, NOT SHALLOW
Everywhere you look, there's an article about some developer or publisher saying we need to widen the pool of gamers. They're right. Video games have nowhere near the mass appeal of movies.
Ok, so we don't really "need" to expand the audience. I mean, hey, the game industry already makes more money than the film and music industries! But the moneygrubbers are never satisfied... and, more importantly, it's always nice being able to share. I'd like to see a day when I could talk to my parents about video games and know that they share my enthusiasm, like they might with a movie. The social stigmas and gaming illiteracy are significant problems. Not many of us are content to wait until every living generation was raised on video games.
However, in order to widen the pool, we don't have to get rid of the deep end and turn the whole thing into a kiddie pool. Short-and-cheap isn't the end-all of attracting new people to the gaming world.
The fantasy of casual games
Nearly everyone in this industry seems to be suggesting that the only games that attract non-gamers into the fold are "casual" games; games like Bejeweled or Flow. Those are great games. But, quite simply, it's ridiculous to believe that these represent the future of gaming and the only viable gateway games.
For one, these people are simply ignoring history. Video games started with casual games. Such games have always been around. You know what? My dad has played Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Yet he wasn't sucked into gaming, and can't even fathom people of the Baby-Boomer generation considering video games as adult entertainment. The sort of video games he does enjoy? Basically, video versions of non-video games: solitaire, chess, pinball, etc. Even those are rare enjoyments, and a form of entertainment he would never even consider purchasing. He plays them because they came with Windows or because I put the games on his computer (honestly, I can't remember ever seeing him playing the pinball game I installed on his computer, though he does enjoy pinball).
So if treating these potential gamers like idiots, as if anything more than 3 buttons on the TV remote or microwave is too much for them, isn't the best way to attract them, then what is? Here are some basic guidelines:
1) EASE THE ENTRY
These people grew up playing boardgames and sports with rules a hell of a lot more complex than most video games. The whole game doesn't have to be simple and easy. However, the entry does have to be simple and quick. Many non-gamers are strongly biased against video games as time-worthy entertainment, so avoid a big learning curve and get to the point quickly.
Quickly means more than simple and intuitive controls. It means the heart of gameplay must be summed up in the first five minutes (a rule, incidentally, that I would apply to games for any audience). The player should have full clarity on his or her primary goals, challenges, and tools. Depth can be added as the game continues, as was well-accomplished in Diablo 2, but you have mere moments to impress the non-gamer into continuing his or her first steps into gaming.
2) FAMILIAR FOUNDATIONS
Does the game have any connection at all with the non-gamer's past experiences? When trying to coax someone into anything new, gaming or not, it helps to relate the experience to something he or she is already familiar with.
Baby-Boomers grew up with intellectual games. They watched TV gameshows that tested knowledge of the real world. They played chess and checkers, Monopoly and Clue. Sure, maybe your Myst-like game has some challenging puzzles, but can the player share his success half so easily or well as when he completes a crossword or search-a-word puzzle (games which don't cost even a third of the price, by the way)?
It's no wonder many Baby-Boomers can't connect with depthful adventure games; look at the settings! Folks of my parents' generation grew up with manners, order, and respect for authority; concepts like duty and the sacred. Believe it or not, not everyone's interested in "sticking it to the Man". To them, "rugged individualism" didn't mean saying to hell with everybody else; it meant stubborn determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Movies of the 1950s didn't lack blood and on-screen violence because movie directors were incapable of producing fake blood; they were that way because of aesthetic values and goals which Baby-Boomers still search for in entertainment.
3) SOCIAL FOCUS
Many non-gamers think of video games as something a kid does alone in front of a TV. The games they grew up with, the games they respect, are games about sharing experiences.
Baby-Boomers, in particular, come from a more community-focused culture than those of us who grew up in the 80s or 90s. Competition wasn't about beating your opponent down and taunting him with "lol, you suck!" or rubbing your score in someone's face. They had winners and losers (often, in a stronger form than we're used to), but they laughed together and were not so personally divided during the heat of gameplay.
Co-op gameplay is a great path even for non-gamers other than the older generation. Someone is infinitely more likely to try a new passtime if he or she can do it together with you... if it's an experience you can share, but not an experience in which you the trained expert are going at quarter-speed with the hopeless amateur. And, as I've written elsewhere, co-op doesn't have to take the form of two equals. Offer depthful roles, but also offer simpler-but-valuable support roles.
Co-op, competitive, or otherwise. However you do it, being able to share your experiences is absolutely pivotal to any form of entertainment.
4) TRUE DEPTH AND VALUE
Games are only beginning to explore real drama (as opposed to melodrama) and have hardly approached deeper meanings. If you want to see the day when games are taken as seriously as movies, then make games that are as serious as movies.
Going back the Baby-Boomers, they didn't grow up on all this "to each his own" philosophy and "you pick the meaning" style of storytelling. They grew up with certainty, and a recognition of wisdom and experience outside one's self. The stories they respond to involve concrete messages.
It's true, games are more tightly censored than other media. But let's be honest, it's still possible to create depthful settings and stories in ways that those censors can swallow. How? Look back to those old black-and-white films. You can tackle themes concerning sex and violence without explicitly showing the sex and violence. You can say whatever you want to say if you're smart enough (and humble enough) to phrase the message in the right way.
The majority of the top-grossing films in the history of American cinema have been films with strong, certain, and obvious messages. Through similar storytelling, developers can reach veteran gamers and non-gamers alike. Video games are suited toward a different method of storytelling, but are capable of at least equal depth and cultural influence.
Anyway, so that's my rant about this "casual games" craze. The people who aren't buying Frogger-style games right now won't be buying the next generation of Frogger-style games either. Attracting new gamers isn't just about simplicity, ease, and a complete lack of time investment. Non-gamers aren't primitives. The key to their hearts isn't through primitive games.
The two upcoming games with the highest likelihood of attracting non-gamers into the fold are Will Wright's Spore and Peter Molyneux's Fable 2 (even if it is on a gamer console, it will at least grab non-gamer media attention and maybe some gaming visitors).
WIDE, NOT SHALLOW
Everywhere you look, there's an article about some developer or publisher saying we need to widen the pool of gamers. They're right. Video games have nowhere near the mass appeal of movies.
Ok, so we don't really "need" to expand the audience. I mean, hey, the game industry already makes more money than the film and music industries! But the moneygrubbers are never satisfied... and, more importantly, it's always nice being able to share. I'd like to see a day when I could talk to my parents about video games and know that they share my enthusiasm, like they might with a movie. The social stigmas and gaming illiteracy are significant problems. Not many of us are content to wait until every living generation was raised on video games.
However, in order to widen the pool, we don't have to get rid of the deep end and turn the whole thing into a kiddie pool. Short-and-cheap isn't the end-all of attracting new people to the gaming world.
The fantasy of casual games
Nearly everyone in this industry seems to be suggesting that the only games that attract non-gamers into the fold are "casual" games; games like Bejeweled or Flow. Those are great games. But, quite simply, it's ridiculous to believe that these represent the future of gaming and the only viable gateway games.
For one, these people are simply ignoring history. Video games started with casual games. Such games have always been around. You know what? My dad has played Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Yet he wasn't sucked into gaming, and can't even fathom people of the Baby-Boomer generation considering video games as adult entertainment. The sort of video games he does enjoy? Basically, video versions of non-video games: solitaire, chess, pinball, etc. Even those are rare enjoyments, and a form of entertainment he would never even consider purchasing. He plays them because they came with Windows or because I put the games on his computer (honestly, I can't remember ever seeing him playing the pinball game I installed on his computer, though he does enjoy pinball).
So if treating these potential gamers like idiots, as if anything more than 3 buttons on the TV remote or microwave is too much for them, isn't the best way to attract them, then what is? Here are some basic guidelines:
1) EASE THE ENTRY
These people grew up playing boardgames and sports with rules a hell of a lot more complex than most video games. The whole game doesn't have to be simple and easy. However, the entry does have to be simple and quick. Many non-gamers are strongly biased against video games as time-worthy entertainment, so avoid a big learning curve and get to the point quickly.
Quickly means more than simple and intuitive controls. It means the heart of gameplay must be summed up in the first five minutes (a rule, incidentally, that I would apply to games for any audience). The player should have full clarity on his or her primary goals, challenges, and tools. Depth can be added as the game continues, as was well-accomplished in Diablo 2, but you have mere moments to impress the non-gamer into continuing his or her first steps into gaming.
2) FAMILIAR FOUNDATIONS
Does the game have any connection at all with the non-gamer's past experiences? When trying to coax someone into anything new, gaming or not, it helps to relate the experience to something he or she is already familiar with.
Baby-Boomers grew up with intellectual games. They watched TV gameshows that tested knowledge of the real world. They played chess and checkers, Monopoly and Clue. Sure, maybe your Myst-like game has some challenging puzzles, but can the player share his success half so easily or well as when he completes a crossword or search-a-word puzzle (games which don't cost even a third of the price, by the way)?
It's no wonder many Baby-Boomers can't connect with depthful adventure games; look at the settings! Folks of my parents' generation grew up with manners, order, and respect for authority; concepts like duty and the sacred. Believe it or not, not everyone's interested in "sticking it to the Man". To them, "rugged individualism" didn't mean saying to hell with everybody else; it meant stubborn determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Movies of the 1950s didn't lack blood and on-screen violence because movie directors were incapable of producing fake blood; they were that way because of aesthetic values and goals which Baby-Boomers still search for in entertainment.
3) SOCIAL FOCUS
Many non-gamers think of video games as something a kid does alone in front of a TV. The games they grew up with, the games they respect, are games about sharing experiences.
Baby-Boomers, in particular, come from a more community-focused culture than those of us who grew up in the 80s or 90s. Competition wasn't about beating your opponent down and taunting him with "lol, you suck!" or rubbing your score in someone's face. They had winners and losers (often, in a stronger form than we're used to), but they laughed together and were not so personally divided during the heat of gameplay.
Co-op gameplay is a great path even for non-gamers other than the older generation. Someone is infinitely more likely to try a new passtime if he or she can do it together with you... if it's an experience you can share, but not an experience in which you the trained expert are going at quarter-speed with the hopeless amateur. And, as I've written elsewhere, co-op doesn't have to take the form of two equals. Offer depthful roles, but also offer simpler-but-valuable support roles.
Co-op, competitive, or otherwise. However you do it, being able to share your experiences is absolutely pivotal to any form of entertainment.
4) TRUE DEPTH AND VALUE
Games are only beginning to explore real drama (as opposed to melodrama) and have hardly approached deeper meanings. If you want to see the day when games are taken as seriously as movies, then make games that are as serious as movies.
Going back the Baby-Boomers, they didn't grow up on all this "to each his own" philosophy and "you pick the meaning" style of storytelling. They grew up with certainty, and a recognition of wisdom and experience outside one's self. The stories they respond to involve concrete messages.
It's true, games are more tightly censored than other media. But let's be honest, it's still possible to create depthful settings and stories in ways that those censors can swallow. How? Look back to those old black-and-white films. You can tackle themes concerning sex and violence without explicitly showing the sex and violence. You can say whatever you want to say if you're smart enough (and humble enough) to phrase the message in the right way.
The majority of the top-grossing films in the history of American cinema have been films with strong, certain, and obvious messages. Through similar storytelling, developers can reach veteran gamers and non-gamers alike. Video games are suited toward a different method of storytelling, but are capable of at least equal depth and cultural influence.
Anyway, so that's my rant about this "casual games" craze. The people who aren't buying Frogger-style games right now won't be buying the next generation of Frogger-style games either. Attracting new gamers isn't just about simplicity, ease, and a complete lack of time investment. Non-gamers aren't primitives. The key to their hearts isn't through primitive games.
The two upcoming games with the highest likelihood of attracting non-gamers into the fold are Will Wright's Spore and Peter Molyneux's Fable 2 (even if it is on a gamer console, it will at least grab non-gamer media attention and maybe some gaming visitors).
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
AFK
I'm headed out of town tomorrow, and probably won't be back for about two weeks. I may get access to a computer every now and then, but I certainly won't be posting here or elsewhere as much as I usually do. So don't expect more than a few blogs in the next couple weeks. Sorry. =/
Warsong for Warcraft
If you're not already aware, I'm a songwriter/composer, among other things.
Folks who know me personally associate me with music more than any other talent. But I'm also an introvert who dislikes a lot of attention, so my literally hundreds of songs usually just get stashed into a list of recorded memories as I move on to composing new ones. I'm also clumsy (supposedly a trait of my autism), so my performances are inconsistent in quality; sometimes, my fingers just don't want to move and my voice doesn't want to work. As a result, I'll probably start selling some of my songs at some point, but that hasn't happened yet.
Anyway, it occurred to me that one of my songs could act as a fitting tribute to the upcoming Warcraft movie.
I compose in many different styles (usually some sort of rock), and my lyrics cover many different subjects. I have a handful of fantasy-themed songs. I have one from the perspective of a haunting ghost, one from the perspective of a vampire, one about an undead mercenary... and one that just happens to fit the basic theme and mood of the Warcraft lore. It's called "A Season for War".
Now, let me preface this by saying that I do very little according to common conventions, and my music is no different. When I say "fantasy-themed songs", many people probably think of bands like Blind Guardian; bands that sing in an operatic or chant style, that use Medieval instruments or note progressions. In short, most fantasy-themed songs are by bands acting like they're part of a fantasy setting themselves.
Think of my fantasy songs as being more in line with Led Zepplin's fantasy songs (like "The Battle for Evermore" or "Misty Mountain Hop", which are based on LOTR). They're variants of my usual rock style. No gimmicks with my voice. No wild sounds running through a synthesizer. Just straight-up rock 'n' roll, but with lyrics that paint an impossible picture.
Anyway, I'd probably try to pitch this song to the Warcraft film's producers for a place in the film's soundtrack, but they should probably stick with a symphony orchestra for that sort of film.
My cheap, home-made recording can be found here. It's recorded on my acoustic, because that's all I have with me at the moment, and the singing could be better; but oh well. I'll probably re-record it in a month or two, when I'm not living in an apartment and can get loud comfortably.
I've included the lyrics below. Whether you think it rocks or you think it's crap, I'd appreciate feedback either way.
Folks who know me personally associate me with music more than any other talent. But I'm also an introvert who dislikes a lot of attention, so my literally hundreds of songs usually just get stashed into a list of recorded memories as I move on to composing new ones. I'm also clumsy (supposedly a trait of my autism), so my performances are inconsistent in quality; sometimes, my fingers just don't want to move and my voice doesn't want to work. As a result, I'll probably start selling some of my songs at some point, but that hasn't happened yet.
Anyway, it occurred to me that one of my songs could act as a fitting tribute to the upcoming Warcraft movie.
I compose in many different styles (usually some sort of rock), and my lyrics cover many different subjects. I have a handful of fantasy-themed songs. I have one from the perspective of a haunting ghost, one from the perspective of a vampire, one about an undead mercenary... and one that just happens to fit the basic theme and mood of the Warcraft lore. It's called "A Season for War".
Now, let me preface this by saying that I do very little according to common conventions, and my music is no different. When I say "fantasy-themed songs", many people probably think of bands like Blind Guardian; bands that sing in an operatic or chant style, that use Medieval instruments or note progressions. In short, most fantasy-themed songs are by bands acting like they're part of a fantasy setting themselves.
Think of my fantasy songs as being more in line with Led Zepplin's fantasy songs (like "The Battle for Evermore" or "Misty Mountain Hop", which are based on LOTR). They're variants of my usual rock style. No gimmicks with my voice. No wild sounds running through a synthesizer. Just straight-up rock 'n' roll, but with lyrics that paint an impossible picture.
Anyway, I'd probably try to pitch this song to the Warcraft film's producers for a place in the film's soundtrack, but they should probably stick with a symphony orchestra for that sort of film.
My cheap, home-made recording can be found here. It's recorded on my acoustic, because that's all I have with me at the moment, and the singing could be better; but oh well. I'll probably re-record it in a month or two, when I'm not living in an apartment and can get loud comfortably.
I've included the lyrics below. Whether you think it rocks or you think it's crap, I'd appreciate feedback either way.
A Season for War
can you see? can you hear?
this is a season for war
everything lying still
wondering what the silence is for
a calm rises
where's that wind the precedes the storm?
feel it rise, feel it fall
breathing like hungry dog
will it strike in the night?
or tear the mighty down in a fog?
i'm dreaming
the howling of a ghostly throng
run if you want to
the wardrums will find you
still reeling from the last season of war
it was told in the tales
of the elders now we scorn
it would come once again
to break the fragile peace that was born
from their loss
life out of the ash of war
first the drums from the hills
then the glare of fiery skies
pushing on like a rage
callous to the fearful and dying
what flies now
over the heads of this wraithen horde?
smoke on the horizon
light shine on the writhing
still reeling from the last season of war
(solo)
not a spear, not a sword
isn't taken up in hand
we will fight, we will hold!
as the very stones of this land
O Fortune! lead me to the tallest horns
we march through the Never
speak these names forever
keep screaming to the last season of war
Monday, August 06, 2007
As go the testers...
... so goes the game. Who your testers are can be a powerful determinant of how your game turns out.
Difficulty is an obvious way in which feedback can be greatly skewed by the demography of testers. Take Battle for Middle Earth: 2, for example. If all of EA's testers for the game were avid gamers and RTS fans, like me, then EA would have heard that the "Brutal" computer intelligence is too easy. But if non-gamer folks like my dad had tested the game, they might have said that "Medium" AI is hard as hell.
User interface and pacing are other elements of a game in which the demography of testers can have a huge impact.
So what about the testers of MMO betas?
NON-GAMERS
Developers like SOE and Areae have spoken of reaching out to new audiences, to folks who have never played an MMO or even an online game. That's a pretty common goal these days. But how can they get such audiences involved in the testing process? If their testers are from the usual crop of MMO gamers, then their feedback will be skewed in favor of traditional gamers.
Think about it. How are beta openings usually advertised? In my experience, it's through gaming-news sites, gaming news-magazines, and emails to veteran gamers. None of those reach the audiences they seem to be aiming for.
What about advertisements on non-gaming sites, like Yahoo's homepage, or casual sites, like MSN's game zone? Do you really think just a picture a two or three lines of text is enough to coax non-gamers into trying your MMO? I don't.
My guess?
For advertising the final product and possibly for final-phase testing, mainstream non-gamer news seems like the best bet for these developers. Somehow, their publishers need to buy interview time on TV. Forget the newspapers; they've been losing customers ever since the internet emerged onto the scene, and those who still read a newspaper nearly always watch TV news as well. Don't just place 1-minute commercials. Interviews would offer more bang for you buck, since that would be more conducive to getting the point across that your game isn't just for usual gamers.
You'll probably need to augment the usual testing methods with payed representatives; more like with single-player games. Afterall, you're not just looking for non-gamers; you're looking for non-gamers who care enough to put up with an unpolished game and care enough to offer thoughtful feedback. The fact that it's "a free game" isn't enough to convince many of these folks to aid testing. Remember when you're targetting older folks that people get more set in their ways with age. It takes more for them to pay your concept the time of day.
A more unusual way for both advertising and tester-finding would be to set up computer stations with the game in supermarkets and convenience stores. The fact that it would be such an oddity is the hook. The sight's strangeness would cause many non-gamer shoppers to be insatiably curious. Those with a little time on their hands can watch the game's representative play while that rep engages the shoppers in conversation (ideally, not all game-related) to explain and peak their interest. The rep can then hand out flyers with the website and appropriate information to interested shoppers, perhaps even with the beta codes.
GAMERS
MMOs targeted more toward existent gamers have a different challenge. How can they limit their testers to the intended audience?
Why a developer would want to limit its intended audience might not be obvious. Afterall, don't you want to reach as many people as possible?
I'll talk more in-depth about knowing your audience in my next blog, but the basic idea is that every game feature both adds and removes potential players. For some features, this is obvious (FPS-style vs turn-based, HD graphics vs more widely accessible graphics, etc.).
So, imagine that you're trying to create a Warhammer-style game, which focuses on Realm-vs-Realm warfare and grisly humor. The game might attract many gamers who are not interested in either of those features -- even many gamers who are opposed to those basic concepts -- but who join the beta and stay in beta because they're presently without any fun MMO and your game is the closest thing to fun they have. They might even be common sights on your forums, because it's someplace to voice their opinions and desires for MMOs in general. And they might love some of your game's features enough that they'll tolerate the others.
The "closet thing to fun" bit is worth repeating. Just because McDonald's is the #1 fast-food restaurant doesn't mean the majority of their customers are thrilled with the food (though, personally, I love their McNuggets, regular cheeseburgers, and chocolate shakes). A lot of people go there because, for the price and location, there's no place better. People might flock to your game's beta because it's conveniently timed and located (advertised on the right site, or a quick-and-easy download). They might even join your game's testing because a friend is also testing. If they can hang out with a friend in your game, the game itself might not have to mean much at all to the them.
Suggestion
Include in your testing sign-up form stuff like "Which of these features interests you?" and somehow automatically monitor how each person's answers match up to his or her feedback. That way, if someone like me, who enjoys more FPS-style combat, criticizes your game's turn-based combat system, you'll have some context that may or may not color my criticism. If a lot of testers call for more active combat, you'll know how many are the FPS-desirers.
It's a tricky business. Tweaking your game during the testing phase to people outside your ideal audience might actually increase your potential playerbase. You might discover that an unexpected crowd is interested in a particular feature of your game, so making a mild shift toward that crowd's usual fare results in more people buying your game. But on the other hand, a lot of your testers may be folks who are willing to play-test your game, but not willing to buy your game. God help you if you tweak your game for a portion of your testers only to finally realize they were a part of the test-only group. =/
Difficulty is an obvious way in which feedback can be greatly skewed by the demography of testers. Take Battle for Middle Earth: 2, for example. If all of EA's testers for the game were avid gamers and RTS fans, like me, then EA would have heard that the "Brutal" computer intelligence is too easy. But if non-gamer folks like my dad had tested the game, they might have said that "Medium" AI is hard as hell.
User interface and pacing are other elements of a game in which the demography of testers can have a huge impact.
So what about the testers of MMO betas?
NON-GAMERS
Developers like SOE and Areae have spoken of reaching out to new audiences, to folks who have never played an MMO or even an online game. That's a pretty common goal these days. But how can they get such audiences involved in the testing process? If their testers are from the usual crop of MMO gamers, then their feedback will be skewed in favor of traditional gamers.
Think about it. How are beta openings usually advertised? In my experience, it's through gaming-news sites, gaming news-magazines, and emails to veteran gamers. None of those reach the audiences they seem to be aiming for.
What about advertisements on non-gaming sites, like Yahoo's homepage, or casual sites, like MSN's game zone? Do you really think just a picture a two or three lines of text is enough to coax non-gamers into trying your MMO? I don't.
My guess?
For advertising the final product and possibly for final-phase testing, mainstream non-gamer news seems like the best bet for these developers. Somehow, their publishers need to buy interview time on TV. Forget the newspapers; they've been losing customers ever since the internet emerged onto the scene, and those who still read a newspaper nearly always watch TV news as well. Don't just place 1-minute commercials. Interviews would offer more bang for you buck, since that would be more conducive to getting the point across that your game isn't just for usual gamers.
You'll probably need to augment the usual testing methods with payed representatives; more like with single-player games. Afterall, you're not just looking for non-gamers; you're looking for non-gamers who care enough to put up with an unpolished game and care enough to offer thoughtful feedback. The fact that it's "a free game" isn't enough to convince many of these folks to aid testing. Remember when you're targetting older folks that people get more set in their ways with age. It takes more for them to pay your concept the time of day.
A more unusual way for both advertising and tester-finding would be to set up computer stations with the game in supermarkets and convenience stores. The fact that it would be such an oddity is the hook. The sight's strangeness would cause many non-gamer shoppers to be insatiably curious. Those with a little time on their hands can watch the game's representative play while that rep engages the shoppers in conversation (ideally, not all game-related) to explain and peak their interest. The rep can then hand out flyers with the website and appropriate information to interested shoppers, perhaps even with the beta codes.
GAMERS
MMOs targeted more toward existent gamers have a different challenge. How can they limit their testers to the intended audience?
Why a developer would want to limit its intended audience might not be obvious. Afterall, don't you want to reach as many people as possible?
I'll talk more in-depth about knowing your audience in my next blog, but the basic idea is that every game feature both adds and removes potential players. For some features, this is obvious (FPS-style vs turn-based, HD graphics vs more widely accessible graphics, etc.).
So, imagine that you're trying to create a Warhammer-style game, which focuses on Realm-vs-Realm warfare and grisly humor. The game might attract many gamers who are not interested in either of those features -- even many gamers who are opposed to those basic concepts -- but who join the beta and stay in beta because they're presently without any fun MMO and your game is the closest thing to fun they have. They might even be common sights on your forums, because it's someplace to voice their opinions and desires for MMOs in general. And they might love some of your game's features enough that they'll tolerate the others.
The "closet thing to fun" bit is worth repeating. Just because McDonald's is the #1 fast-food restaurant doesn't mean the majority of their customers are thrilled with the food (though, personally, I love their McNuggets, regular cheeseburgers, and chocolate shakes). A lot of people go there because, for the price and location, there's no place better. People might flock to your game's beta because it's conveniently timed and located (advertised on the right site, or a quick-and-easy download). They might even join your game's testing because a friend is also testing. If they can hang out with a friend in your game, the game itself might not have to mean much at all to the them.
Suggestion
Include in your testing sign-up form stuff like "Which of these features interests you?" and somehow automatically monitor how each person's answers match up to his or her feedback. That way, if someone like me, who enjoys more FPS-style combat, criticizes your game's turn-based combat system, you'll have some context that may or may not color my criticism. If a lot of testers call for more active combat, you'll know how many are the FPS-desirers.
It's a tricky business. Tweaking your game during the testing phase to people outside your ideal audience might actually increase your potential playerbase. You might discover that an unexpected crowd is interested in a particular feature of your game, so making a mild shift toward that crowd's usual fare results in more people buying your game. But on the other hand, a lot of your testers may be folks who are willing to play-test your game, but not willing to buy your game. God help you if you tweak your game for a portion of your testers only to finally realize they were a part of the test-only group. =/
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Diabless
Sadly, IGN's recent interview with Paul Sams doesn't leave me with much hope for another Diablo game in the next year. As he said, we'll get one eventually, but he sure didn't make it sound like a Diablo game is anywhere close to imminent. Maybe in 2009?
I guess that's ok, though, since Hellgate: London is coming out soon, and there seem to be a lot of other decent games coming out between this fall and next. Maybe Blizzard will surprise me just as those are wearing off.
I guess that's ok, though, since Hellgate: London is coming out soon, and there seem to be a lot of other decent games coming out between this fall and next. Maybe Blizzard will surprise me just as those are wearing off.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Sucker!
It's sad how, no matter how many times I see release dates pushed back and no matter how often I say the dates advertised are utterly meaningless, there are always a few that I make the mistake of believing anyway.
The Two Worlds release date has been pushed back again, to August 21st.
I actually believed Grand Theft Auto 4's, too. Now, I'm thinking that one was just like Alan Wake last year: the first date was only offered to help Microsoft advertise the 360.
These dates aren't mistakes. They're lies. The developers and publishers know how difficult it is to predict the release date more than a month or two in advance, yet they advertise baseless dates anyway. It's not just bad marketing. It's selfish and immoral.
One thing I really despise is when people pretend business is somehow separate from the rest of life when it comes to morality (ethics, if you prefer). If you intentionally mislead someone at home or you intentionally mislead someone for business, it's a wicked act either way. Grow up. Treat your customers with the respect of neighbors and friends.
The Two Worlds release date has been pushed back again, to August 21st.
I actually believed Grand Theft Auto 4's, too. Now, I'm thinking that one was just like Alan Wake last year: the first date was only offered to help Microsoft advertise the 360.
These dates aren't mistakes. They're lies. The developers and publishers know how difficult it is to predict the release date more than a month or two in advance, yet they advertise baseless dates anyway. It's not just bad marketing. It's selfish and immoral.
One thing I really despise is when people pretend business is somehow separate from the rest of life when it comes to morality (ethics, if you prefer). If you intentionally mislead someone at home or you intentionally mislead someone for business, it's a wicked act either way. Grow up. Treat your customers with the respect of neighbors and friends.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Free-to-play... that's good, right?
I don't have much to say on this, because I haven't had much experience with these sort of games. I just wanted to lay out there why I'm still a little wary of "free-to-play" MMOs.
When I read discussions among developers about pricing models, there are two main points made in approval of free-to-play games:
That's fine, of course, when the games truly are enjoyable without the additional content purchases. I just have my doubts about the free experience being enough in many games.
Some games will accomplish that, but I bet many others won't. At best, they'll end up like my EQ experience following the Luclin expansion launch. I didn't buy the expansion, but my groupmates and guildmates did. It didn't bother me terribly when I found out that the graphical upgrade of Luclin meant we weren't even seeing the same colors (armors and gear looked completely different to me than to my groupmates). It did bother me when I couldn't stay with my group because they could travel by the spires and I couldn't.
Models like Flagship is offering for Hellgate: London may represent a sort of middle-ground.
Anyway, I'm not crying Doomsday. I'm just explaining how this free-to-play movement might not be all it's cracked up to be.
When I read discussions among developers about pricing models, there are two main points made in approval of free-to-play games:
- If the game is free, many more people will try the game. If only a small percentage of those players purchase additional content, it can still add up to a lot of money. 3% of 1,000,000 players purchasing micro-transactions can be more profitable than 100% of 100,000 players paying subscriptions.
- Why limit how much the player can spend? $15 per month is good, but many players would spend more than that through accumulated micro-transactions.
That's fine, of course, when the games truly are enjoyable without the additional content purchases. I just have my doubts about the free experience being enough in many games.
Some games will accomplish that, but I bet many others won't. At best, they'll end up like my EQ experience following the Luclin expansion launch. I didn't buy the expansion, but my groupmates and guildmates did. It didn't bother me terribly when I found out that the graphical upgrade of Luclin meant we weren't even seeing the same colors (armors and gear looked completely different to me than to my groupmates). It did bother me when I couldn't stay with my group because they could travel by the spires and I couldn't.
Models like Flagship is offering for Hellgate: London may represent a sort of middle-ground.
Anyway, I'm not crying Doomsday. I'm just explaining how this free-to-play movement might not be all it's cracked up to be.
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