When I read the title of this article, "The Secret World Might Be Microsoft's Killer App", I immediately thought of Project Natal. There's no mention of Natal in the article, but it got me thinking...
Has anyone thought about how gesture control systems like Project Natal could be used to design an MMO?
Showing posts with label motion control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motion control. Show all posts
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
bugs
Since I grew up in a sup-tropical climate, I'm very used to bugs being absolutely everywhere. I was shocked when I traveled to Paris and was able to lay down in grass without anything deciding it would rather walk over me than around me. Until then, I thought people lying carelessly in grass and fields, or sitting against a tree, was the stuff of movies and fairy tales.
Still, even people in rural areas don't like having tiny things crawling on their skin. Unlike larger animals, you're often unaware even when they're right on top of you. It can be hard to kill a fast-moving bug. And when you've got a dozen or more on you, as happens with ants, you're likely to get bitten before you can swipe off all of them... or even find all of them. Walking by a nest of yellowjackets or hive of bees is even more fun.
In other words, bugs are a universal symbol of creepiness. Worldwide, cross-culturally, being covered in bugs or surrounded by them is a bad thing.
Dead Space included a scenario in which the player's character is covered and frantically swipes them off. I'm not sure how many other games have something like that.
It occurs to me that Project Natal might be able to make such an experience feel more real, more terrifying. Unfortunately, games can't yet simulate the sense of touch beyond rumble effects. But I imagine using fully real motions to brush spiders and such off an avatar's body could be fun and very creepy.
Still, even people in rural areas don't like having tiny things crawling on their skin. Unlike larger animals, you're often unaware even when they're right on top of you. It can be hard to kill a fast-moving bug. And when you've got a dozen or more on you, as happens with ants, you're likely to get bitten before you can swipe off all of them... or even find all of them. Walking by a nest of yellowjackets or hive of bees is even more fun.
In other words, bugs are a universal symbol of creepiness. Worldwide, cross-culturally, being covered in bugs or surrounded by them is a bad thing.
Dead Space included a scenario in which the player's character is covered and frantically swipes them off. I'm not sure how many other games have something like that.
It occurs to me that Project Natal might be able to make such an experience feel more real, more terrifying. Unfortunately, games can't yet simulate the sense of touch beyond rumble effects. But I imagine using fully real motions to brush spiders and such off an avatar's body could be fun and very creepy.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Natal dance game
So, yesterday, I talked about Natal hardware. Now, I want to propose potential games for Project Natal. Here's my first idea.
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
That's a Steve Miller Band song, if you're not familiar.
Natal could easily compete with Dance Dance Revolution, a very popular game. Just as Microsoft's demo game Ricochet showed a see through form to represent the player, this game would use such a character to prompt player movements. The goal of the game is to roughly mimic the avatar's dance movements as they are happening. If the avatar twirls to the side and points an arm left, the player does the same simultaneously. Hand graphics would be accented so they can be seen clearly through the avatar's body.
Simultaneous motion is possible because the dances are set, rather than random, so the player can gradually learn different dances. The game would also allow players to create and record their own dances, and perhaps even share those online.
Another mode might play like Simon, with the avatar performing an increasingly complex series of moves and the player repeating this series for as long as he or she can.
The simultaneous mode could include a historical campaign in which the player learns many of the famous dances of the past century and even before (potential DLC) with the music of those time periods. Players could also learn these dances separately. This history mode is important because it is what would attract older people... people who would remember such dances from their childhood or films.
And this game could even include cooperative multiplayer. Two players could dance together, leading to some funny moments when one player gets it right and another keeps messing them both up.
This game has a ton of potential for downloaded content and microtransactions (such as period music and settings). It appeals to a wide variety of gamers, and even non-gamers. And you just know it would find its way into bars and other public venues.
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
That's a Steve Miller Band song, if you're not familiar.
Natal could easily compete with Dance Dance Revolution, a very popular game. Just as Microsoft's demo game Ricochet showed a see through form to represent the player, this game would use such a character to prompt player movements. The goal of the game is to roughly mimic the avatar's dance movements as they are happening. If the avatar twirls to the side and points an arm left, the player does the same simultaneously. Hand graphics would be accented so they can be seen clearly through the avatar's body.
Simultaneous motion is possible because the dances are set, rather than random, so the player can gradually learn different dances. The game would also allow players to create and record their own dances, and perhaps even share those online.
Another mode might play like Simon, with the avatar performing an increasingly complex series of moves and the player repeating this series for as long as he or she can.
The simultaneous mode could include a historical campaign in which the player learns many of the famous dances of the past century and even before (potential DLC) with the music of those time periods. Players could also learn these dances separately. This history mode is important because it is what would attract older people... people who would remember such dances from their childhood or films.
And this game could even include cooperative multiplayer. Two players could dance together, leading to some funny moments when one player gets it right and another keeps messing them both up.
This game has a ton of potential for downloaded content and microtransactions (such as period music and settings). It appeals to a wide variety of gamers, and even non-gamers. And you just know it would find its way into bars and other public venues.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Natal thoughts
In response to the GameTrailers discussion of Project Natal and competitors...
First, let me repeat that Microsoft stands to leave Nintendo and Sony in the dust if they make Natal useful for general TV viewing. If they can design Natal software that mimics the basic functions of TV remotes, then many non-gamers will bite into an intuitive product which frees them from ever again needing to hunt for a TV controller. Considering that the Xbox's original purpose was to move Windows into the living room, this makes all the more sense.
Certainly, a couple hundred bucks is a lot to pay to replace your TV remote, but not if the same hardware acts as a DVD player and on-demand TV/movie service. How far this strategy would take Microsoft's console would depend largely on the targeting and substance of its marketing campaign. But this basic Natal application could explode the market, attracting consumers far beyond the boundaries of present gaming audiences.
Reliability seems like the main issue to me. I still disbelieve projections that the 360 will remain Microsoft's primary console for another five years. The console has survived its dismal reputation for hardware failure largely thanks to the warranty. Once present owners are no longer comfortable under that umbrella, a new wave of bad publicity will pour down. And, like Windows Vista's reputation could not be saved from the mistakes of its early presentation, the 360 cannot shake its original failures even if new models perform better. The 360 market won't collapse completely when hardware replacement is no longer guaranteed, but it will definitely be shaken. A fresh start will be necessary by 2011.
Pachter has suggested Microsoft might come out with another version of the 360 soon, instead of a wholly new console. It's possible. But, as I said, anything that looks and feels basically like the original 360 will suffer from its RROD reputation.
That avid or "hardcore" gamers are not rushing to buy Wiis just to play The Conduit and Metroid Prime 3 is no surprise. Some people do buy consoles just for one or a few games, but that is certainly not average consumer behavior. The success or failure of hardcore Wii games offers little insight into potential Natal game sales because the Wii is not a comparable console. Even among occasional gamers (such as those who buy only a sport game or two per year), the Wii is popularly defined as a family or kids' console because that describes the majority of its games. Present gamers and non-gamers alike who are disinterested in the more dazzling Wii titles will be attracted to similar content on Natal, simply because the 360 console has a different general focus and appeal.
Really, the more the 360 becomes the multimedia console, offering TV/movies and other non-game services, the less the Wii and 360 will be direct competitors. If Nintendo continues to focus exclusively on games and offer an obviously unique experience, then Microsoft and Nintendo might soon compete only in the way that DVD manufacturers compete with the iPod -- the consumer only has so much money, but buying one product doesn't affect one's desire for the other.
I agree 100% with Pachter that controllers are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Motion control is an exciting alternative, not an unqualified progression. The most obvious reason is that physical activity is not always welcome. Gamers will always want to game from the couch on occasion.
Will some genres always demand a traditional controller? I doubt it. Even a system like Natal, which seemingly enables 1:1 representations of player movements, isn't limited to 1:1 animations. I don't need to wave my arm completely to have my character wave his arm completely. A game could be designed so that a small movement on my part results in an exaggerated movement on-screen. Thus, a game like Mortal Kombat won't necessarily have players leaping and twisting around in their homes. I can't think of any basic style of game which is impossible to translate well into motion control.
Natal's proposed ability to incorporate the unique objects of individual players could play a major role in games. For example, as a guitarist, I own guitars which are different from the guitars of other musicians. If Natal can scan a guitar of mine so that others can see it, that ability to share in an active environment online is a great appeal. Even without the online component, I'd love to play with my own guitar in Rock Band 2.
The scanning function could be applied to many games to match the protagonist's body proportions and clothing to the player's. This would personalize heroes, but there are other benefits. Imagine your character looking a little different every day, just as you do.
Anyway, I've focused mainly on hardware here. I'll probably write another Natal article focusing on potential games. In the meantime, any thoughts?
First, let me repeat that Microsoft stands to leave Nintendo and Sony in the dust if they make Natal useful for general TV viewing. If they can design Natal software that mimics the basic functions of TV remotes, then many non-gamers will bite into an intuitive product which frees them from ever again needing to hunt for a TV controller. Considering that the Xbox's original purpose was to move Windows into the living room, this makes all the more sense.
Certainly, a couple hundred bucks is a lot to pay to replace your TV remote, but not if the same hardware acts as a DVD player and on-demand TV/movie service. How far this strategy would take Microsoft's console would depend largely on the targeting and substance of its marketing campaign. But this basic Natal application could explode the market, attracting consumers far beyond the boundaries of present gaming audiences.
Reliability seems like the main issue to me. I still disbelieve projections that the 360 will remain Microsoft's primary console for another five years. The console has survived its dismal reputation for hardware failure largely thanks to the warranty. Once present owners are no longer comfortable under that umbrella, a new wave of bad publicity will pour down. And, like Windows Vista's reputation could not be saved from the mistakes of its early presentation, the 360 cannot shake its original failures even if new models perform better. The 360 market won't collapse completely when hardware replacement is no longer guaranteed, but it will definitely be shaken. A fresh start will be necessary by 2011.
Pachter has suggested Microsoft might come out with another version of the 360 soon, instead of a wholly new console. It's possible. But, as I said, anything that looks and feels basically like the original 360 will suffer from its RROD reputation.
That avid or "hardcore" gamers are not rushing to buy Wiis just to play The Conduit and Metroid Prime 3 is no surprise. Some people do buy consoles just for one or a few games, but that is certainly not average consumer behavior. The success or failure of hardcore Wii games offers little insight into potential Natal game sales because the Wii is not a comparable console. Even among occasional gamers (such as those who buy only a sport game or two per year), the Wii is popularly defined as a family or kids' console because that describes the majority of its games. Present gamers and non-gamers alike who are disinterested in the more dazzling Wii titles will be attracted to similar content on Natal, simply because the 360 console has a different general focus and appeal.
Really, the more the 360 becomes the multimedia console, offering TV/movies and other non-game services, the less the Wii and 360 will be direct competitors. If Nintendo continues to focus exclusively on games and offer an obviously unique experience, then Microsoft and Nintendo might soon compete only in the way that DVD manufacturers compete with the iPod -- the consumer only has so much money, but buying one product doesn't affect one's desire for the other.
I agree 100% with Pachter that controllers are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Motion control is an exciting alternative, not an unqualified progression. The most obvious reason is that physical activity is not always welcome. Gamers will always want to game from the couch on occasion.
Will some genres always demand a traditional controller? I doubt it. Even a system like Natal, which seemingly enables 1:1 representations of player movements, isn't limited to 1:1 animations. I don't need to wave my arm completely to have my character wave his arm completely. A game could be designed so that a small movement on my part results in an exaggerated movement on-screen. Thus, a game like Mortal Kombat won't necessarily have players leaping and twisting around in their homes. I can't think of any basic style of game which is impossible to translate well into motion control.
Natal's proposed ability to incorporate the unique objects of individual players could play a major role in games. For example, as a guitarist, I own guitars which are different from the guitars of other musicians. If Natal can scan a guitar of mine so that others can see it, that ability to share in an active environment online is a great appeal. Even without the online component, I'd love to play with my own guitar in Rock Band 2.
The scanning function could be applied to many games to match the protagonist's body proportions and clothing to the player's. This would personalize heroes, but there are other benefits. Imagine your character looking a little different every day, just as you do.
Anyway, I've focused mainly on hardware here. I'll probably write another Natal article focusing on potential games. In the meantime, any thoughts?
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