[gameprogrammer] Re: MMO Idea
- From: "Laurence Grant" <larrygrant@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <gameprogrammer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 01:11:26 -0500
Thanks to Bob Pendleton for pointing out the fact that I posted a request
for help under the subject "3D C++/DirectX programmer wanted" but I didn't
really spend any time discussing my vision and how I believe it differs from
any other MMOPG out there. Therefore, I thought it appropriate to spend
some time presenting this. Since we already have the "MMO Idea" thread, I'm
using it instead of the thread I started.
To start with, my frustration is that just about all the commercial MMOPG's
are the same thing. The graphics are a little different, some might be
space based, and some fantasy, but the basic game play is still similar.
There are many discussions about point systems and leveling, but before I
get into that I want to talk at a higher level. They call them Massively
Multi-Player, but what do they really mean by this? I don't believe any of
the games available today are massive by my definition. Now before you go
jumping down my throat, let me explain. How do most of the MMOPG's start?
You begin with a character, pick your race and profession and start
training. In the beginning your training is more or less as a single
player. You might see hundreds or thousands of other players and except for
some chatting, most of the game play in the beginning is as an individual.
Then you level up to the point you can't do it all alone, so here comes the
multi-player aspect where you team up with 10-15 other players at a similar
level and play as a team to battle NPC's and monsters. Please tell me how
this is different from playing a normal, non subscription multi-player game?
Ok maybe the persistence is different in that your character does evolve,
but really, can this be classified as massively multi-player? Most of these
games go on like this for the duration of the game. You are always striving
to better yourself, but in the schema of the game, you have very little
effect on the universe at large, and most of what you do has no impact on
those around you. This isn't very conducive of a massively multi-player
concept.
Furthermore, the main genre is usually focused in one area. Everquest for
example is an RPG centric game, whereas Planetside is more of a FPS or Third
Person Shooter. If we stop and ask why historically games are single genre
we can say it's because the single player market is trying to appeal to the
largest audience for each genre, and there are more people playing RPG's
than playing RPG and RTS both. So as you add more genres to a single player
title, you decrease your potential market. The same can be said for an
online environment, if every player has to participate in every genre, but
if that were the design in a multi-player system, it would be a bad design.
My vision therefore is for a mutli-genre environment, where the focus is not
on the player and not on leveling the player, but on the team, clan, or I
prefer corporation you are affiliated with and how working together you can
level the corporation, thereby enhancing your personal experience with the
rewards of a larger corporation.
I want players to improve with time for the things they spend time doing,
but I don't want players to be locked into a specific category, or to focus
on leveling. I want players to be excited about getting armor upgrades,
vehicle upgrades or weapons upgrades, and in order to do that they need to
make their company more successful. If they start losing or sacrificing
themselves haphazardly, this will cost the company and have a direct impact
on their success. I don't want to see teams of Red Green and Blue, with
hundreds of independent squads running around doing their own thing. I want
to build a corporate enterprise. If the corporation has to assign people to
manage resources and build vehicles, then there are only a limited number of
vehicles available. If you as a pilot/driver keep losing your vehicle
because it gets destroyed, there might not be any more for you to replace,
and you management might decide you aren't cut-out for a pilot and demote
you.
Imagine as the President or CEO that you want to build a space fleet. To do
this you'll need to grow your resources. You'll need a team of people to
manage the resources (RTS) style. Now that you're accumulating resources,
not all of them will be adequate for a space fleet, and some resources might
not be mine-able in your current surroundings, so how do you get what you
need for a space fleet? Your RTS guys can buy, trade, sell the goods being
produced to get what you need. As you acquire more resources though you'll
be vulnerable to attack or theft, so you need to build up your defenses
first. Here you might train combat troops (FPS/3rd) to protect the
resources. Next you realize there is a particular material you don't have
and no one will sell it to you. Do you try and take it? Maybe you need a
scout to do some reconnaissance on the other companies. Check out their
defenses and determine what it'll take to defeat their systems. Will you
send in a spy to sabotage or just go brute force? If your mining isn't
going fast enough maybe you'll need to get some players to mine for you
(SIM) style.
As a newbie you might want to fly a $15 Million dollar space fighter, but
your corporation might think it better to have you haul materials around in
a cargo carrier until you gain some experience, but it's all for the
corporation.
You see, unlike other games, these are predefined missions or NPC's running
the corporations. These are real people trying to grow a virtual business
and in the process hiring other real players to carry out different tasks
and work their way up through the ranks.
Imagine a player in-game walking into a building, walking up to a computer
station, sitting down at the station and having the view go from a FPS style
to an RTS style god view of the area just outside the building. You choose
construction options from the controls and begin construction of a new
weapons plant. You then exit the console back to FPS view, walk outside,
and see the building being constructed before your very eyes.
I won't have leveling, at least not visibly. Internally players will
improve their skills with practice and repetition, but they won't see it
directly. No game today does a good job at having players affect other
players. You might hunt with a party of 10-15 players, or you might enter a
PvP area and fight individually, but that's not massively multi-player. My
vision is more of a corporation making money, managing resources, building
facilities, compounds, vehicles and weapons, training an army, marines,
pilots, specialists, and engaging in various types of corporate and gorilla
warfare. In my vision players will have different responsibilities to their
corporation and it's only as a well oiled machine that the company will
thrive and players will achieve goals.
This is my vision for the "Holy Grail" of Games.
Thanks,
Larry "QUAD" Grant
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