tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33521555893221400932024-03-14T10:52:02.756-04:00That's a Terrible IdeaA tag-team MMORPG and game design blog. We aim to gain and relay an understanding the mechanics of current MMORPGs while presenting ideas for the future.motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-56090619844808953092012-10-13T22:55:00.000-04:002012-10-13T22:55:29.295-04:00Save-scumming is Perverse Optimization<p>XCOM uses a technique that Firaxis also used in Civilization games since Civilization III to prevent save-scumming: the seed used to generate psuedo-random numbers is saved along with your scenario, so when you reload and do the same actions again, the exact same results will occur.</p>
<p>It seems like a strange thing to do, and directly against a meta-game tactic that players may use to achieve desired results in a game. It merits an examination of save-scumming as a result of game design; when does it happen and why? How can we avoid it--and should we even try?</p>
<p>The practical definition of save-scumming is somewhat controversial. I think the safest way to describe it is "using a save-game feature to manipulate the outcome of events by repeating the same passage of play until you get the results you want." (If you think I'm missing a key part of the concept, please let me know in the comments.)</p>
<p>In order to predict save-scumming behavior in a given game, we must come to an understanding of why a player would even want to save-scum. Save-scumming isn't a particularly fun thing to do in a game: it consists of the administrative tasks of managing saves and, in many games, repeatedly sitting at loading screens, and repeatedly doing basically the same few actions in the same context. This is the kind of repetition that I think most gamers would say games should dispense with all together, yet gamers find themselves obliged to do it.</p>
<p>So why would anyone save-scum?</p>
<p>When the consequences of failure in a game are significant and may snowball into large amounts of player-time loss, save-scumming becomes a common behavior if the saving mechanics permit it. This is a natural defense mechanism, and actually fits the original purpose of saving your game, which is to prevent the time-loss caused by having to replay the game from the beginning every time you boot it up. </p>
<p>I argue that save-scumming is a reaction to poor game design. Game designers are responsible for the level of fun optimal play allows their players. If optimal play involves save-scumming, I believe the player experience is usually compromised by optimal play--I don't find the administrative juggling of save-games to be fun. The best games benefit from forcing the player to accept failure and work within the confines it may impose. This isn't easy to do in game design, though, and most mainstream games have no interest in even trying because it's just too potentially dangerous to marketability and accessibility. The Demons' Souls and Dark Souls have had partial but notable success in this area, which may begin to turn the tide.</p>
<p>Players will save-scum when they feel that is the only way to play optimally and prevent what they feel may be excessive time-loss. I would not fault players for this behavior, because it could be made impractical or avoided entirely by alterations in game design. Games should only allow save-scumming when it's designed into the content and systems. Failure can be an enriching experience that does a great job of contextualizing success, though, so I would not advocate designing save-scummy games just because it's easier.</p>
<p>Games that force you to save and reload frequently can seem save-scummy, but frequent saving and loading may be an important design feature in certain kinds of games. Some games are intense tests of the players' ability to execute maneuvers with a low margin of error. Super Meat Boy or I Wanna Be The Guy allow you to keep trying the newer-to-you parts of the game without having to ceaselessly replay hard parts that you've already struggled with and overcome. A save point can be a reward in such a case, and I hesitate to claim that the constant dance of failure and automatic reloading is save-scumming. It seems to fit the design of those games well, and, as such, shouldn't have a negative connotation attached to it.</p>
<p>Limited player agency may also push players to desire save-scumming. If you get a series of bad dice rolls in an RPG that causes some serious consequences, it's understandable to be upset and feel that the game is being unfair. When I play Madden games, I often have a strong desire to quit the game because some ridiculous event occurs during play that is so unrealistic and unpredictable to me that I feel it has compromised the representation of football. Sometimes it's just an emotional reaction to throwing a dumb interception, but most of the time it's from terrible dice rolls or omniscient linebackers who behave as if they can see out of the backs of their helmets. When a game disenfranchises me as a player, I don't have any qualms about reloading a save and trying again. If a game is well-designed, you shouldn't feel the need to reload in this fashion.</p>
<p>But what if you want players to accept the results of randomness and incorporate the variable nature of results into their strategizing? You can build in re-roll mechanics so that players can even take some agency in randomness and don't feel like they have absolutely no recourse against results that are obviously out of their control. You can also place a barrier to save-scumming by doing what XCOM did: store your random number generator seeds with the save-games to make it impossible to scum on that scale. A little push in the right direction can break the spell of save-scumming and let players have fun playing the game as it was intended. </p>
<p>Saving mechanisms in games provide a way to mitigate time-loss, but also let the player do some repetitive result-selection outside of the game mechanics that can lead to optimal play being boring. With careful design, I think we can remove save-scumming from the games we make, and continue to use saving for its intended purpose and not as a perverse optimization tool.</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-56860631431319546132012-09-19T16:59:00.000-04:002012-09-19T16:59:20.566-04:00Games From the Ground Up: Primordial Play<p>In order to understand game design, you must first understand play.</p>
<p>Play is experimentation. The concept of playing with your food and the concept of eating food are distinct because playing with food involves using it not for its primary purpose, but experimenting with alternate purposes. Building a tower out of mashed potatoes is an experiment that shows you the structural properties of mashed potatoes; rolling carrots around on your plate shows you how their conic shape leads to a unique rolling pattern, and how their irregularities in form lead to them rolling at different speeds and bumping around in different ways. Once you establish the physical properties of the carrots and mashed potatoes through experimentation, you can continue your play by further experimenting with extremes: how high can my mashed potato tower get? Can I get my carrots to roll to this specific spot on my plate? Experimentation is fun, and we have to be stopped from doing it by force--either by force of the displeasure of your parents, or by physical restraint--or complete (enough) understanding.</p>
<p>Play is a natural behavior exhibited in mammalian species. There are myriad reasons why those who tend to play would not have been evolutionarily weeded out of the gene pool. Compare the fitness of two primordial people: one of them lazes around when not hunting; the other spends a portion of his non-hunting time throwing spears at a circle he has carved into a distant tree. Who will be more socially prepared and well-adjusted: children who play at being mothers and fathers and mime responsibilities they'll have in adulthood, or children who spend that time eating or sleeping or sitting quietly? Play prepared our ancestors for the rigors of life, both social and physical. Play seems to fill the role of simulating future experiences so that those who perform well in play will perform better than average on those activities when they must be done for real.</p>
<p>Children will enjoy playing solo when they're learning about their environment and capabilities. They will play to test their abilities and mimic the behaviors of those they look up to. Play is often free-form and solo, but can involve cooperation, even at a very young age. Usually the play of children is not obviously confined by any rules but those of the physical universe. Rules become apparent and emerge naturally when play becomes a social activity. Children arrive at rules while playing in order to express their will and establish conventions so that the play of other children can interact with shared resources amenably. Rules are social conventions. Rules mentally communicate the imaginary "laws of the universe" that the child tacitly invents for his toys. Now, of course, the child won't necessarily keep these rules constant within a play session, but clearly the child's decision of who can and does do what action isn't entirely arbitrary. In play there seems usually to be a sense of world-modeling: the child represents in his play world ideas and processes he's been exposed to, often recombining those ideas in novel ways instead of merely repeating them as practice.</p>
<p>Social cooperation leads playing children to attempt to establish rules, but these rules aren't all we need to arrive at what we would today call games. In order to solidify the experience of play within a system of rules, those rules need to be institutionalized and recognized by players--not merely ad hoc created to resolve social conflicts as they arise during play. In my next post, I will address this process of institutionalizing play, and discuss how an individual game is born.</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-26502609873663570692012-07-28T12:53:00.000-04:002012-07-28T13:02:22.955-04:00Stagnant MMOs<i>This is a response for a discussion in the comments on Spinks' post <a href="http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/bring-on-the-clones-sometimes-all-you-want-is-a-new-setting-with-same-core-mechanics/#comment-20264">Bring on the clones</a>.</i><br />
<br />
I find that both the ways in which players interact and the game systems (not necessarily just Combat) of the MMO space have been mostly stagnant for the last 8 years. There have been minor attempts to mix it up (e.g. AoC's melee combat, Aion's jet packs, Public Quests, Dungeon Finder), but the developers still copy "the same black and white, two-faction faux war with safe and 'contested' zones; the same action combat with the same pace, hotbars, and skills; the same solo quest grind with the occasional dungeon run; the same poo-pooed crafting system that has little consequence to players; the same 'hyrbid' classes which really aren't hybrids at all, but rather 3 min-maxed role specializations that are the Holy Trinity through and through" (<a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/2011/10/get-your-story-out-of-my-mmo.html">link</a>).<br />
<br />
I play very few games. I find one that has enough complexity and depth (often requires multiplayer in order to uncover that depth) such that I stick with it for years until I've exhausted its playability. I love First-Person Shooters, but I only really love 3 of them: Goldeneye/Perfect Dark, Counter-Strike, and Team Fortress 2. These are all vastly different games. They all play differently; they have distinct strategies, resources, tactical considerations, objectives, moods, etc. To highlight a variation, Counter-Strike is about concealment and weapon accuracy/bullet spread; TF2 is about evasion, keeping or closing distance, and reloading. Never mind that a shotgun in both games is the same; the situations and tactics for using it are very different (and must be learned).<br />
<br />
I've <i>played</i> very few MMOs as well: FFXI, WoW, and now Eve. I have purchased or trialed many others (EQ2, LotRO, WAR, Guild Wars, AoC, Chronicles of Spellborn, Tabula Rasa, Global Agenda, Champions Online, Ryzom, Aion, Rift, Vanguard, Dawntide, Darkfall, FF14, and The Secret World). FFXI, WoW, and Eve have drastically dissimilar game systems.<br />
<ul>
<li>FFXI is about cooperation: working with players to level up, complete challenging quests, or make money. Crafting was a motivator for me to expand my character's available classes and gain more levels. It has an extremely friendly community and many group activities: slower-paced, group-oriented combat, XP groups, epically long quests, arena-style fights to earn money, raids, PvP, and group crafting.</li>
<li>Eve is deceit and information warfare. It is a struggle between knowing that you need friends to move up in the world and not knowing whom to trust. Its community has an outward appearance of borderline psychotic, but within Corporations, players are friendly to each other and willing to do activities together. Eve is a sandbox and has the most content of any MMORPG ever, and thus newer players have a monstrous time just getting their barrings. Nothing in Eve is simple, and there are <a href="http://swiftandbitter.com/eve/wtd/">many ways</a> to enjoy the game.</li>
<li>WoW offers convenience and satisfying gameplay. It has extremely snappy and fast-paced combat, and very little in terms of a virtual world. It is about using people as briefly as possible to acquire the next achievement. WoW is two distinct games: the leveling game, and the game at level cap. Hop in for a few minutes, do a quest or two by yourself, and log out without interacting with anyone. Or if you're at level cap, you do chores by yourself, queue up for a dungeon without speaking, or maybe you have a scheduled raid where you recite a dance that has no transferable knowledge or skills (to another raid).</li>
</ul>
<br />
Most of the games I listed in parentheses above are very similar to WoW. While the classes might look different, or the spells be named something unfamiliar, or the setting be changed, they all follow the same template.<br />
<ol>
<li>A solo leveling game with a dungeon/raid-heavy "end" game produces the same community as I experienced in WoW. </li>
<li>Since everyone must be capable of soloing mobs, the combat abilities can't vary too wildly between classes. </li>
<li>If combat is fast-paced, players have enough time to launch two, maybe three attacks before moving on to the next mob; this necessitates that combat be wholly uninteresting since you only need to use 3 abilities. </li>
<li>Typically the mobs are not varied enough to require players to consider a different set of 3 skills, because that would be too disruptive and slow down the pace of leveling.</li>
</ol>
<br />
When developers describe a system akin to Public Quests, they are talking about an exception. I can read between the lines: combat is normally performed by yourself, but then the game has these exceptions scattered about where you work with other players. The sad part is that very little coordination is required during the PQ, and people rarely converse. Playing alone together at its finest.<br />
<br />
If I can look at a list of game features, and envision my entire career with the game (solo quest grind, occasional dungeon, switch class, solo to max, chase after gear and reputation), then I've already played it in another form, and thus I'm not interested in playing it again.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-17964311429574370472012-07-20T14:17:00.001-04:002012-07-20T14:17:34.242-04:00Uncapped PvE Content and PrestigeSpinks <a href="http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/wow-bits-and-pieces-about-mop-future-of-raiding-dailies-all-the-way-down-pay-for-more-powerful-pets/">pointed out</a> the irony of WoW's 10-man raids: namely that the raids are too small to sustain a guild around a 10-man raid team. Raids were reduced in player count because of logistics and accessibility concerns. Now they are so small that they cause logistics and accessibility issues. /ironic<br />
<br />
This reminded me about uncapped PvE content. WoW used to have uncapped encounters in the form of <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/World_boss">world bosses</a>, and it will be getting some <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/World_of_Warcraft:_Mists_of_Pandaria#New_zones_and_types_of_zones">new ones in Mists</a>. Rifts are uncapped, as well as other forms of Public Quests. PvE content in Eve has no player count limit. Many of the original raids in EQ and FFXI were also uncapped.<br />
<br />
It's important to note that there are no "balance scaling" mechanics in these systems. Mobs don't receive extra HP with every player at the fight. Nor does more money or gear drop depending on the raid size.<br />
<br />
There are some advantages to unrestricted PvE encounters:<br />
<ul>
<li>Bring as many friends as you want. No one has to be second string or on the bench.</li>
<li>Bring as few friends as online. You don't need to cancel the raid if one player doesn't show up, because the encounter is not necessarily attuned for <i>X</i> number of players.</li>
<li>Risk and Reward are inherently balanced. Larger the party, the less risk involved, but fewer payouts per person.</li>
<li>Challenge is self-ordained. Make the fight as easy or hard as you want.</li>
<li>Pick-up-groups could do any content. ++Accessibility</li>
</ul>
I see four reasons that players raid:<br />
<div>
<ol>
<li>Story/Content</li>
<li>Power (e.g. character progression, money, gear)</li>
<li>Challenge</li>
<li>Prestige</li>
</ol>
Players interested in fulfilling the needs of Story, Power, and Challenge will have their needs met by the uncapped system. Players can easily experience any content they wish; they simply need to bring enough bodies. They can toy with risk and reward to modify the power payouts. And they can adjust the difficulty by inviting a different number of raiders.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Those seeking Prestige, however, will not be happy with an uncapped raid. If the encounter were a signal of prestige, and because of its challenge or accessibility, predicates that the access or completion of the content is rare, then Prestige players would want as few people in that elite club as possible. The scarcer the resource, then the more valuable it is deemed. The rarer the achievement, then the more distinction it bears. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some times there is confusion regarding the difference between Prestige and Challenge. Prestige certainly can and often does derive from Challenge. If a task is difficult, then fewer people are capable of completing it, thus making the success rarer. But Prestige can come from a time commitment: e.g. level 99 in Diablo 2. If everyone were dedicated enough to reach level 99, it would not be prestigious (like level 85 in WoW).<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
The Achievements you unlock, the gear you wear, and the stories you tell are trophies that signal your prestige. The more people with those trophies, then the less special they are. But the players seeking content, money, and challenge will all be having fun.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
From a development and design perspective, less time needs to be allocated to meticulously balance and rebalance fights. Obviously the encounter payouts need to be in line with other content so that players have an actual choice. But there is no need for a scheduled nerfing or complex algorithms that adjust the difficulty based on the number of players. Let us decide our level of risk, reward, and challenge.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-29256809533406115792012-06-13T08:21:00.000-04:002012-06-13T08:23:20.778-04:00Towards Smarter Loot Systems<p>The typical way that I see loot working in ARPGs is simple randomization of attributes based on item type and a percentage chance. Roll a many-sided die and look up the result in the table, repeat this several times and you have your loot.</p>
<p>I don't think this is the best way to calculate what drops in an ARPG.</p>
<p>What matters is that players have interesting decisions to make with regards to gear--decisions that aren't as simple as seeing that 10% more damage is less than 15% more damage. You can generate interesting decisions here in a much more directed fashion than just dropping fully randomized but scaled-by-level loot.</p>
<p>When designing a loot system, we have to answer two questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>How often should you be upgrading your equipment? </li>
<li>How often should you see a piece of gear that you have to consider as an upgrade? </li>
</ul>
<p>We can think it through and exert control over it, or we can put some percentage chances in a loot table and hope that everything turns out OK. I'd prefer to design the loot system to guarantee as fun an experience as I can. That means taking more control over the kinds of modifiers that appear on items dropped for each class. </p>
<p>I think that if you have to consider a lot of loot and a high percentage of that loot has no value to you even before you put it in your inventory, you feel like you're wading through crap. The longer you go without interesting drops, the more bored you will become. This produces a feeling of "farming", which I don't think is a positive experience. It has negative connotations because gamers don't like doing it--farming is a reduction of the game to a tedious harvesting task that you could easily hire daylaborers to do and be better off. Tasks like that don't belong in games, they're an artifact of artificial difficulty and/or poorly or underdesigned gameplay.</p>
<p>The game should be aware of what would be an upgrade for you and what wouldn't. Upgrades should be dropped based on what you fight within a certain number of minutes of "challenging" combat. Don't even bother dropping trash. Only drop loot that is a sidegrade or an upgrade, and only drop loot that is equippable. Based on statistical and forum feedback the algorithm can be tweaked.</p>
<p>The game should be able to learn what modifiers people tend to pick on their items, and what people tend to put together. Based on these patterns for each, sidegrades can be generated that suit the kinds of builds that people actually use. In the beginning, such as system would need to be seeded with playtester-approved build information, and some noise would need to be added to the weights in the randomization of items in order to ensure that every character isn't siphoned into one of a few builds.</p>
<p>I think the current set of modifications and the way they work in Diablo III is well-suited towards this kind of system. If the longevity of the game is predicated on farming, as Diablo III's seems to be, my idea can still be effective, but may not be in the developers' best interest. What you really need is an <em>end</em> to the game--a feature that makes roguelikes great and has been lost along the development of ARPGs away from the roguelike foundation. But that's a topic for another post.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-70384984717271683022012-05-19T10:15:00.000-04:002012-05-19T10:39:17.763-04:00The Specialization Trap<p>A trap that many ARPG designs fall into is overspecialization in the face of relatively permanent character advancement decisions. <a href="http://www.pathofexile.com/">Path of Exile</a> is a great illustration of the pitfalls of optimal play revolving around specializing your character using permanent decisions over a long span of play time.</p>
<p>PoE has an extremely large and <a href="http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/">intricate skill tree</a> which allows significant specialization: down to the weapon type level--swords, axes, etc and element (fire, lightning, etc) level. You'll need to look for specific weapons and items that suit your specialization choices. </p>
<p>This is damaging to the ARPG model. ARPGs are a combination of various treadmills that complement one another: loot, character level, ability levels, and perhaps a few more (<a href="http://www.soldak.com/Dins-Curse/Overview.html">Din's Curse</a> had "reputation" which would grant you a relatively viable rare weapon upon leveling up). An emphasis on specialization limits the character construction decisions (once you've picked the specialization, you jump pump points into that indefinitely) and loot decisions, cutting off significant branches of the decision tree. The more equipment-related specialization, the fewer pieces of loot a character will find that can possibly be upgrades. A character can easily go from having a 20% chance of finding a relevant piece of loot because he specializes in one-handed weapons, to a less than 5% chance because he has been forced to specialize further, perhaps into one-handed swords, in order to continue getting damage and/or accuracy bonuses from new passive skills.</p>
<p>ARPG players are familiar and fond of systems that involve an extreme amount of character choice permanence. Diablo II's attribute and skill points were non-refundable, and the pattern of severely punishing the uninformed by making character decisions irreversible does not enter the consideration of the majority of ARPG-players who grew up playing Diablo and Diablo II. Titan Quest and Din's Curse made a step forward in this regard by allowing point-by-point respecs at escalating prices. Torchlight, the most casual-friendly ARPG I have played, doesn't have respecs built into the game at all--the only way to respec is to use a console command to spawn a respec potion.</p>
<p>Overspecialization leads to minute-by-minute play being less interesting. If you need to invest a high percentage of your points into a very small number of abilities to make them effective, then you're naturally going to be filtering your ability choices by which abilities you have spent points on. Abilities available are further filtered by what loot you have available to you. In the majority of ARPGs you end up in a situation where you have at most <a href="http://www.d2tomb.com/sor_strategy.shtml">two or three useful abilities</a>--sometimes you'll only have <em>one</em>. When you have no more than two or three tools to work with, it's harder for combat to remain engaging. </p>
<p>Spamming a single ability and watching everything die can only remain fun for a little while unless you are specifically looking for a relaxing experience. Unfortunately, the theorycrafting involved in making an adequate character often is beyond the interests of a relaxed player, so they wouldn't get to the point where they could effectively do one ability spam. The mechanical systems thus lead to patterns of play which are not appealing to the kinds of players that have the capacity to use that style of play. </p>
<p>Permanent point-investment schemes also lead to perverse incentives for building characters. You really shouldn't spend points on skills beyond what you specifically need to get to that highest level skill that you want to specialize in. When optimal play is to <em>not participate in the character advancement</em> and be underpowered for tens of hours so that you can be somewhat above average later, the game clearly suffers.</p>
<p>The reasoning and evidence above would indicate that specialization-focused design is poor design.</p>
<p>So why do players seem to <em>like</em> it so much? A game like Diablo II is a complexly layered system of rewards that vary in intensity and frequency in such a way as to draw us in and addict us. Players have trouble separating the fun and not fun mechanics of a game when they are layered as they are in Diablo II. The rewards systems are strong and interleaved into all other mechanics of the game, so it's hard to separate skill tree manipulation and loot sifting from the enjoyable feeling of character progress. Those activities do <em>contribute</em> to character progress, but their design isn't trivial to separate from that positive feeling.</p>
<p>Good ARPG design is much more than simply causing the player to have the positive feeling of character progress, it's optimizing that feeling to happen in as intense and frequent a way as possible without it being diluted by overexposure. It's a difficult balancing and timing act, and different players have higher engagement at different points along the spectrum between constant rewards and rare rewards, large rewards and small rewards.</p>
<p>In games that feature overspecialization, you'll notice that combat tends to reduce to the repeated use of a couple of skills at most. This trivializes combat and turns it into a chore. When combat is a chore, in order to enjoy the game you must enjoy the minmaxing of character construction, which in ARPGs is done via loot sifting and planning/spending skill and attribute points. So the games' fanbases naturally require their members to enjoy that minmaxing and not mind somewhat boring combat.</p>
<p>ARPGs can have exciting combat and enjoyable character advancement. Diablo III is proof. I hope to discuss Diablo III's success in a future article.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-36687012917842908792012-05-18T10:38:00.000-04:002012-05-18T10:38:28.570-04:00"Fun", Biases, and Game Design Analysis<p>I prefer to analyze games as mechanical systems that can aim to produce certain kinds of experiences that fall in the group of experiences we classify as "fun."</p>
<p>You can also analyze games along the different--and, I believe, orthogonal--axis of artistic merit.</p>
<p>The focus of this blog has been the deep analysis of mechanical systems and not "higher meaning." The analysis of higher meaning can indeed be valuable and will be more valuable in the far future, but the most interesting problems I see in gaming are honing mechanics to generate fun experiences, and also honing mechanics for fun competitive and cooperative play. </p>
<p>Fun alone is not a particularly useful term because we all experience it and categorize it differently--sometimes so differently that one person's fun is entirely distinct and unrecognizable from another person's fun. Two people may not enjoy ANY of the same games. We need to break the vague concept of "fun" down into a few categories that can be concretely examined without running into such immense walls of subjectivity. Here are several classifications I've arrived at through lots of reading and playing:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Relaxing</strong> by doing something easy with nice graphics and tickling rewards.</li>
<li><strong>Slot-machine/Skinner Box</strong>--big exponential pay-offs that keep you on edge and keen to see what happens next.</li>
<li><strong>Spectation</strong>--see what happens because you are invested in the result and enjoy the drama of the situation.</li>
<li><strong>Physical Mastery</strong>--become engaged with the tasks the game puts before you and learn how to do them best, fastest, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Intellectual Curiosity</strong>--become exposed to increasingly interesting problems to ponder and solve, where planning your solution is the enjoyable experience.</li>
</ul>
<p>There may be more than that. I welcome you to comment with additional classifications or flaws in what I've stated here.</p>
<p>Different people will experience these kinds of fun to different degrees in various contexts. A player's capacity to experience each type of fun depends on personality, mood, physical ability, mental ability, and social factors.</p>
<p>My interests primarily lie in the last three of those categorizations. My analysis is biased in their favor. You should be aware of this and keep it in mind when you read my other articles. My perspective will be most valuable to you if you are interested in the design of competitive and/or cooperative skill-oriented games.</p>
<p>As a pundit in the game design field (I'm hoping to actually make a game to show off, but there are always more excuses to be found) I think it's in everyone's best interest that you disclose your biases and preferences so that people can be less angry and antagonistic. If we acknowledge our biases and the ways in which we think about games, we can make progress towards avoiding talking past one another and, I bet, have productive discussions more regularly.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-37142260546935568872011-12-28T07:00:00.000-05:002011-12-28T10:09:22.785-05:00Horrible Ball of FireI've been playing EVE for over four months and really enjoying it. Although I only have a couple hours a night to play, I don't think I could handle more time with it. PvP and piracy can be intense, and living in low-security keeps me on edge constantly. It's emotionally draining to just travel around. The environment provides the exact grand emotions I originally sought, yet I admit I occasionally wish for more meditative gameplay (e.g. mindlessly farming mobs).<br />
<br />
I've created a more informal journal for my EVE experiences and thoughts: <a href="http://horribleballoffire.blogspot.com/">Horrible Ball of Fire</a>. The higher level design articles related to EVE or MMORPGs I will continue to post here on TATI, but any play session that I feel is story-worthy, no matter how inconsequential, I will record on Horrible Ball of Fire. I often video record fights so that I can review them later and identify mistakes, but I also post them on youtube to share.<br />
<br />
My favorite article thus far is about my attempt to destroy a battleship with my tiny frigate: <a href="http://horribleballoffire.blogspot.com/2011/12/so-wolf-and-armageddon-walk-into.html">So a Wolf and Armageddon walk into an asteroid belt</a>. My heart was racing and my stomach was full of butterflies from the moment I spotted the ship on scanner until the fight was over. It was the most emotionally intense experience I've ever had an in video game.<br />
<br />
So if you are interested in reading more frequent and informal stories and analysis, then be sure to check out Horrible Ball of Fire. I try to keep the jargon down, but some times I forget.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-68668084735047215402011-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:002011-12-26T08:00:00.320-05:00World PvP: A Common Model<div>
World PvP comes in many forms, yet there is a simple environment model that gets used over and over again. It can be seen in World of Warcraft, EVE, Darkfall, Dark Age of Camelot, and many other past and future games.</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Rewards for engaging in PvP.</li>
<li>Risk associated with entering "PvP" areas.</li>
<li>Non-PvP content/rewards in those areas.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
This simple list describes Isle of Quel'Danas, Tol Barad, and world bosses in WoW; low-security space in EVE; dungeons in Darkfall; Passage of Conflict in DAoC; and any resource node or choke point in any MMORPG with PvP capabilities ever.</div>
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Rewards include crafting materials, mob access, safe passage, money, abstract currency (Honor), and loot. Note that territory control is not a reward in itself--owning land for the sake of owning land is meaningless and players will not value that "resource" unless it gives them an advantage or creates wealth/value, including vanity (player houses). Territory control is often an objective in competitive multiplayer games, but at the very least players win the game by claiming control--most MMORPGs are not "won". Compare the difference in activity between the Zangarmarsh control points in BC WoW (gaining a +5% experience boost in the zone), to the Spirit Towers around Auchindoun (allowing bosses to drop Spirit Shard currency). <i>[TC rant over...]</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Risk is "exposing (someone or something valued) to danger, harm, or loss". Something must be risked to have infectious PvP. It could be as minute as lost time on a corpse run, or as harsh as the entire net progress of your character (permadeath). <b>The severity of the potential loss directly correlates to the emotions conjured during those risky situations.</b> The more the player risks, and thus the greater the consequences, then the more intense the emotions associated with PvP events (fear, thrill, fiero, agony, anger). Adrenaline can be addictive and binds players to the game (or makes them run in terror). <i>"What a rush!"</i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
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People are risk adverse and are afraid of losing value. But the beauty of MMORPGs is that none of it matters! It's all make-believe. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.wikia.com/wowwiki/images/d/d3/Golden_Gryphon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://images.wikia.com/wowwiki/images/d/d3/Golden_Gryphon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Make-believe squid-monster riding giant eagle-horse.</span>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
The Non-PvP content in the zone attracts "grazers": players that are not looking for a fight, and will be tackled by a tiger if they don't pay attention. These players serve as content for the hunters (and the hunters provide thrilling experiences for the grazers--hooray symbiosis!). If this hunter/hunted paradigm is used, it is a good idea to include tools that allow players to evade or to truly hunt other players (foot tracks, dead mobs, chat, scanners, etc.).</div>
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Do not think that grazers are innocent victims. Players will alternate between hunters and grazers rapidly depending on what their immediate goals are. Also, longer term grazers ("carebears") who engage in risky behavior to amass rewards at an accelerated rate are the ones trying to cut corners. ;)</div>
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<div>
Assuming players are frequenting zones that follow this model, it is likely that World PvP will foster. The combat itself has to be vaguely interesting in order to motivate players to use it, so dull combat can thwart any attempts to create this environment. World PvP is an emergent dynamic and a powerful aesthetic of combat, aggression rules, and scarce resources. The fundamental mechanics need to be solid first.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-67665818995326654272011-12-23T15:05:00.002-05:002011-12-24T11:18:09.578-05:00World PvP Case Study: EVE Online<div>
During my <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/2011/11/defining-world-pvp.html">definition of World PvP</a>, I explained that PvP in an MMORPG is inherently unfair, and World PvP is simply a mindset. It isn't knowing how to attack, but when, and for what purpose. World PvP is less restricted, and involves nudging a situation in your favor.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I expounded on this concept with <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/2011/11/world-pvp-case-study-wow.html">a look at WoW's history</a> to help illustrate that world PvP is much more of an emergent behavior, sitting on the Dynamics layer. WoW uses rewards in particular to guide players, perhaps accidentally, in one direction or another.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A very different game with very different architects is EVE Online. World PvP in EVE is so encompassing, so defining, that it is difficult to dissect. Put simply: there are safer locations, but nowhere is "safe"; and your ship is forfeit as soon as you undock. The most popular mantra (warning?) of EVE is, "Don't fly what you can't afford to lose."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>(It is important to change the way one thinks of "possessions" in MMORPGs when playing EVE: ships, modules, buildings, and commodities are all tools for content. If one becomes attached to these virtual items, it is emotionally difficult to risk and lose them.)</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
EVE has significant information warfare. Knowing where, what, and how your opponent is flying is paramount to success. Players must capitalize on this knowledge while not showing their own hand. It is a game of buffing, baiting, taunting, misdirection, and downright dirty tactics where players let the enemy think they have the advantage, only to seize it away.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Baiting is the act of letting the enemy think there are fewer ships in the engagement. When the bait is taken, players are prevented from docking or changing solar systems for 60 seconds. In that window, friendly ships undock, enter the system, or warp into the fight. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Solo vessels can also employ bait tactics: if a ship has some form of health repair, they could artificially sit at low health trying to provoke a target into attacking a damaged hull. Once engaged, the ships are prevented from docking/jumping, thus the ship repairs his health and kills the target that preyed on the weak.</div>
<div>
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Hiding half a fleet, using cloak, and "hot dropping" capital ships are all within the realm of possibilities. Undocking in "High Security" space with an expensive ship or cargo could get you suicide ganked.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A less "honorable" form of PvP is "gate camping", where unsuspecting ships warp to a gate, only to be surrounded by hostile players with fast-locking ships or warp disruption fields. In these situations, as soon as the player made the decision to use the gate, they lost the fight. EVE provides maps and intelligence tools (solar system statistics, directional scanner, and proactive bookmarking). Failure or unwillingness to use these resources is as fatal a mistake as not turning on weapons.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It could even be said that the economy and marketplace of EVE is a form of PvP. Arbitrage, undercutting, speculation, and <a href="http://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Scams_in_Eve#Simple_Schemes">many inventive scams</a> exemplify a player vs player system where knowledge brings riches and haste is punished.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
World PvP in EVE involves significant preparation; many fights are not won on the battlefield. EVE also comes with the expectation of PvP everywhere: assume a fight is around the corner. Pick any Sun Tzu quote, and it applies to EVE.</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.</blockquote>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-64041850456321816152011-11-21T19:33:00.007-05:002011-12-24T11:24:18.830-05:00World PvP Case Study: WoW<div>
During my <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/2011/11/defining-world-pvp.html">definition of World PvP</a>, I explained that PvP in an MMORPG is inherently unfair, and World PvP is simply a mindset. It isn't knowing how to attack, but when, and for what purpose. World PvP is less restricted, and involves nudging a situation in your favor. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While WoW's PvP isn't the cream of the crop, it makes for an interesting case study since the capacity to engage in "world pvp" hasn't changed, yet the popularity of it has. WoW helps illustrate why World PvP is a presumption outside of the game mechanics.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some of the best moments of leveling a WoW toon involve situations where players fight other players for access to resources. These resources are almost always quest mobs. A high level character "ganking" lowbies for the perverse thrill of exercising power is not world PvP, and actually leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the inexperienced. But that is a problem with game rules, not world PvP.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>A brief history of PvP in WoW:</b></div>
<div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
</div>
<div>
No honor system. Many people questing. Many people, including lowbies, engaging in open world town raids for the novelty of it. No lasting consequences.</div>
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677614286490328514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKetVdfjnlbB70x2Aj-gcLlp4r-LRHG0XQQH5l_4TSufijHQ2w887UbjjffveMgNDW1iqkP5VJ9R2CaAlrVH7Con8TUmWaLVTuBpkmDF9vPm_TwcTX0XVdmpLLXh80NXeobCOEkqItEI0A/s200/pvp07.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span">Spontaneous Horde raid on Menethil Harbor.</span></i></div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
World bosses introduced. Large scale fights to obtain boss loot. Scouting of enemy faction becomes paramount to knowing when to engage boss.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Old Honor system, but no Battlegrounds. Many fights between Southshore and Tarren Mill. Fighting to mutually gain Honor.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Battlegrounds. Much World PvP stomped out since Honor is easier to get in BGs. Without huge gear discrepancies yet, small pockets of world PvP still seen in Plaguelands. Blackrock Mountain has much PvP fighting over dungeon and raid access.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blizzard creates "outdoor PvP objectives" in Eastern Plaguelands and Silithus, and iterates on them in Burning Crusade. These largely flop. Massive gear discrepancies and prevalence of BGs shatter world PvP expectation. Minor fighting around raid portals.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
End of Vanilla saw bored raiders running 5-man PvP excursions while waiting for Arenas and BC. Ad hoc and arranged group fights while roaming.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Arenas are introduced in Burning Crusade to the lauding of "fair and balanced" PvP folks. Resilience is added as a gear attribute. "PvP" is now an official route of character progression, and thus everyone sits in instances to optimize their gear acquisition. World PvP is a dirty word equated to ganking.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Isle of Quel'Danas is added at the end of Burning Crusade to house Sunwell and a fresh batch of chores. This popularizes World PvP in WoW again. Players form parties for protection and fighting; they expect combat while questing. Isle of Quel'Danas implements a common model for World PvP that I will discuss later.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Achievement system is added; reward to kill world leaders is introduced. Cities are in faction-owned zones, and thus combat is opt-in. These raids are not very disruptive to the empty towns.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Wintergrasp experimentation with zone PvP with raid access reward. Like AV, Wintergrasp is just a larger Battleground. Vault of Archavon predictably and regularly changes hands between Alliance and Horde. World PvP is dead throughout Wrath, but accessibility is through the roof.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blizzard repeats success of Isle of Quel'Danas with Tol Barad at beginning of Cataclysm. World PvP makes a slight comeback. But people quickly get their reputation rewards and leave.</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is fascinating to see interest in world PvP ebb and flow as Blizzard tweaks PvP progression rewards. WoW is very elder game heavy, and thus all the resource warfare is at max level: quest access, raid access, & tradeskill material access. Cataclysm seems to have eliminated many contested quests for Horde and Alliance, so any PvP experienced while leveling is ganking or in a Battleground instance. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I definitely believe there are players in WoW who enjoy world PvP very much, and they would engage in that type of play more often if the rewards were not stacked against them. In the current game, once players gain all the reputation or gear they need from Tol Barad, there is little reason to go back. No other location in WoW comes with the expectation of PvP, and thus there is no world PvP outside of TB.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some of the comments on my Definition post called into question "influencing the world". While not necessary for world PvP (illustrated with WoW's world PvP: no one would say they hold influence over that world), it is a strong motivator and part of Risk & Consequences that change the emotions conjured by the game, but not the game itself. I hope to expound this soon.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-58911682986093414492011-11-18T11:38:00.007-05:002011-12-23T13:27:09.169-05:00Defining World PvP<div>I am a huge fan competition in video games, both direct player vs player and cooperative competition. Competition creates efficiency; it catalyzes and motivates the exploration of a game system. It is through contention that games become e-sports, that dungeon crawls turn into speed runs, and players employ clever uses of game mechanics.</div><div><br /></div><div>Player vs player conflict can also conjure immense emotions such as fiero and agony, which make lasting impressions in memory.</div><div><br /></div><div>I consider Go, TF2, and Aion to all contain direct, explicit player competition. PvP is a broad category. However, there is clearly a distinction between Battlefield 3 matches and PvP in EVE. It boils down to fairness. Games of StarCraft begin and end; each player starts at a strategically balanced state; and it is through the game rules that deviations occur in power until one player succumbs and is defeated.</div><div><br /></div><div>PvP in an MMO, specifically "world PvP", is inherently unfair. One or more players have an objective, quantifiable advantage over others. One side will have higher levels, better gear, or more participants. Any game with persistent character progression will have this imbalance manifest. A fair fight can occur coincidentally, but it is certainly not something to be expected. </div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>MMO PvP happens within a larger context, thus world PvP transforms into more than a simple combat affair between two parties. PvP starts as soon as the player logs in. Events preceding the actual engagement ripple through the world and can affect fights. Actions that happen before, after, and during combat make world PvP an unbounded arena spatially and temporally. Without borders, players scout, hunt, run, hide, and most importantly are vulnerable before and after the actual combat.</div><div><br /></div><div>A simple analogy: Fair PvP is a cock fight, and world PvP is the African Savannah.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiGrNP_4pFpO4vSL8FEEN73Q7-Ol8goV3P-qSwuyFRsrGW-T0ZWK4WfsA9kKGpyRCjpcPnFYBYWo3s18KqAylCCXKcJ8LyM2wC-EjOdHa2-ghLyP3b7zZkaRyq2wgFVqq4Ex5wRBFivB4/s320/pvptypes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676377025049866642" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 320px; " /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>World PvP requires players to be mindful of the environment. Not just navigable terrain, safe spots, and avenues of retreat, but also the entire possibility space of events. Does the enemy have backup? How many? How long until they arrive? What are my chances?</div><div><br /></div><div>This is clearly an all-encompassing mindset of playing. It is more than action-oriented twitch combat, and more than efficient resource management; it is expecting the unexpected through planning and preparation. <b>World PvP is an expectation in the minds of players.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Different mechanics can be layered on top of that expectation to change the level of risk and consequences, and thus the intensity of emotion the game provides. There are also many forms and implementations of world PvP.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did a very brief and informal survey--"What is world pvp?". These were some of the answers:</div><div></div><blockquote><div><i>unrestricted warfare</i></div><div><i>being able to pvp throughout the entire "game world"</i></div><div><i>you walking around and someone ganks you</i></div><div><i>using environment to your advantage</i></div><div><i>cooperation</i></div><div><i>unknown, different factors you control, rather than just being fair</i></div><div><i>no rules</i></div><div><i>not worth my time</i></div><div><i>waiting until situation is in your advantage</i></div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div>What is world PvP to you?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-90931977050125575632011-11-05T13:21:00.006-04:002011-11-05T16:40:17.657-04:00There's Something in the Water<div><blockquote>We don’t want level-85 players to have a reasonable shot at level-90 dungeons and raids (or PvP opponents) just because that content is balanced for gear that isn’t much better than what the level-85 players have.</blockquote><blockquote>--Ghostcrawler</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>What a truly baffling sentence. <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/3885585/Dev_Watercooler_-_The_Great_Item_Squish_or_Not_of_Pandaria-11_4_2011#blog">Ghostcrawler is reflecting</a> on the exponential attribute power progression in WoW, and I think this sentence says, "We don't want level 85s doing what is designed for level 90 characters." He never goes into the reason this is a design mantra for WoW, but I can't help but think of the movie Idiocracy:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1fKzw05Q5A">It's got what plants crave!</a></blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Unquestioning and steadfast in their decisions, the WoW designers make seemingly contradictory choices. Why doesn't GC want level 85's to do higher level content? I could only assume it's so players do the leveling "content" first. Yet they constantly assault the leveling game, "The amount of experience needed to gain levels 71 through 80 has been reduced by approximately 33%." That's a patch note from the recent PTR, and those keeping score will know that they've already reduced that experience curve before. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's almost as if Ghostcrawler trusts no design of WoW-past, not even his own. Only the current design and content is relevant to Mr. Street. </div><div><br /></div><div>The article goes on, discussing various methods which could bandage WoW's broken attribute system, and then he unloads this gem: "If your answer is that stat budgets don’t have to grow so much in order for players to still want the gear, our experience says otherwise." Silly plebes with your naive remedies; I have <i>data</i> to dismiss your predictable suggestions!</div><div><br /></div><div>Ignoring the arrogance, what metrics could they possibly have to discredit this simple solution? They can't use data from PTR, because that has bitten them in the ass before (There are huge discrepancies in motivation between PTR and live realms. Honor item costs had to be adjusted after players were getting them in a few hours on live realms.). They can't compare vanilla raiding to BC raiding because there are way too many variables. The only timeframe that I think they could refer to would be the beginning of the Burning Crusade, when after much bitching by players, they increased the attributes on T5 gear to make them more "worthwhile" than T4. (Aside: People don't know what they want, often desiring the <a href="http://www.overcomingbias.com/tag/hypocrisy">opposite of what they say</a>.) </div><div><br /></div><div>But even this event isn't in a vacuum. Let's assume that after T5 attributes were increased, Blizzard saw a huge swell of players entering T5 raids. Ghostcrawler would like to say this was caused by an increase in reward value. What if players simply finished the T4 content and moved on the T5? What if players had every intention of doing T5 for the marginal rewards, obliged to work their way there slowly by using T4 as a stepping stone? With the margins highly increased, raid leaders rightly assumed T4 was useless and skipped it. Blizzard is in the business of making content obsolete as quickly as possible.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-62374744815839069252011-10-25T11:09:00.004-04:002011-10-25T12:31:42.211-04:00Get your Story out of my MMO<div>With all the WoW and SWTOR news, something just hit me. I knew this was true, but it didn't really set in until now. <i>It's been seven years since WoW released, and SWTOR is about to launch as the same exact game!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The same black and white, two-faction faux war with safe and "contested" zones; the same action combat with the same pace, hotbars, and skills; the same solo quest grind with the occasional dungeon run; the same poo-pooed crafting system that has little consequence to players; the same "hyrbid" classes which <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/2009/07/horizontal-progression-and.html">really aren't hybrids</a> at all, but rather 3 min-maxed role specializations that are the Holy Trinity through and through. </div><div><br /></div><div>And then, as if lack of innovation isn't enough, Bioware is going to completely eradicate players stories. The "fourth pillar" already existed in MMORPGs: there wouldn't be countless blogs devoted to retelling events that players experienced if "story" didn't exist (and unsurprisingly, Eve has the most numerous and varied story blogs I've ever read). </div><div><br /></div><div>Let's assume Bioware is the leader in crafting video game stories. They create the most compelling canned stories anyone has ever written for a video game. They are still Bioware's stories! They are not player stories. Stories are born from extraordinary events. What would a SWTOR story blog look like? "Last night I had this really humorous and emotional dialog scene with these NPCs. I chose this light side option that resulted in an awesome cutscene!" The comments will read: "me too". What is worth telling if everyone experiences the same thing?</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, developer story has been done numerous times before; Bioware isn't doing anything new. Speaking from experience, FFXI had fun in-game cutscenes with your character in them and told some really amazing stories. But contrary to SWTOR, FFXI also put players in challenging situations and let extraordinary events transpire that morphed into player tales. </div><div><br /></div><div>Developer stories, like graphics, are a selling point, but not important once the playbrain takes over. Games are systems. Choices are identified, outcomes are weighed, predictions are made, and then the brain gets a little shot of endorphins if it guessed correctly. MMORPGs are immensely layered and complex systems with an added layer of socialization. The interaction with other, irrational human beings spices the systems to the point of addiction. Humans crave knowledge and social interaction. Developer stories are an initial motivator, a driving force, an excuse to start down the path of playing a game, but they are not an ends of a game. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's a lot of tall talk, but <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-17/tech/finishing.videogames.snow_1_red-dead-redemption-entertainment-software-association-avid-gamers?_s=PM:TECH">look at the numbers</a>: "Only 10% of avid gamers completed the final mission, according to Raptr, which tracks more than 23 million gaming sessions." As expected, once the game system is mastered, the vast majority of players don't care about the "story" and see little reason to continue playing. </div><div><br /></div><div>If SWTOR has the same systems we've all mastered seven years ago, and everyone is trapped in instances not experiencing extraordinary events around which to socialize, what is the point of playing? This seems like a way to charge $15 per month for KOTOR 3.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-1140437453238853672011-10-03T13:51:00.000-04:002011-10-03T13:52:43.934-04:00Mojang up, Minecraft down.The success of Minecraft severely damaged its development. When minecraft went viral and became a cash-cow, Notch decided to make Mojang into an honest-to-goodness software company. Mojang would make less money from rapidly improving Minecraft than from creating new products and selling them to new markets--markets which are augmented by the existing Minecraft fanbase.<br />
<br />
The community would've done Notch's work for him if he let them. He could have started shifting the development of Minecraft to a model where the base game is a sandbox into which content makers can plug in different kinds of mechanics. But Notch didn't do this, he implemented a few nice, bigger features (like biomes) and a lot of piddly stuff (like more flowers, dyes, and such). Contrast Minecraft's content level with Terraria's: Terraria has been public a small fraction of the time, yet is continually adding new content and significant outstrips Minecraft in most meaningful measures of content.<br />
<br />
Here's an example of where business gets in the way of game design and fun when it could have just as easily stayed out of the way. Here's where what is short-sightedly best for a company is not what's best for a game.<br />
<br />
It also highlights the fading "games as platforms" trend. Notch could've turned Minecraft into a great platform for mods, but instead he has spent a significant amount of time implementing features that could've been designed and implemented better through the work of the modding community. The Minecraft community is large and the number of modders doing great work suiting the game towards different playstyles continues to grow. People have done all this work before Minecraft even had a real modding suite--these people had no sanctioned tools for modding, yet they did work of higher design quality and with fewer bugs and issues than the new content implemented by Notch himself. Imagine what they could do if they were given the full support of development tools and APIs specifically for their use. Minecraft would be a platform for a myriad of amazing games. Now people are doing that anyway, but the progress is significantly slower and Mojang actively impedes this progress through implementing more features that only a fraction of the community care about.<br />
<br />
Minecraft passed up on the long-term business decision of becoming a platform upon which hundreds of good and fun games rely and instead opted for the short-term route of continuing Minecraft development conventionally and deallocating resources from it to work on other projects. The damage this does to Minecraft's future is palpable and frustrates me every time I play.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-3749106848028869602011-09-29T15:27:00.002-04:002011-09-29T15:34:30.248-04:00Bethesda Copyright NonsenseThis <a href="http://notch.tumblr.com/post/8519901309/bethesda-are-suing-us-heres-the-full-story">Bethesda v. Mojang</a> "Scrolls" <a href="http://notch.tumblr.com/post/9038258448/hey-bethesda-lets-settle-this">lawsuit</a> is completely <a href="http://notch.tumblr.com/post/10814623188/the-eventual-release-and-the-legal-documents">ridiculous</a>. I didn't know <i>Oblivion </i>was actually titled <i>The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion</i> until this nonsense started to appear on Notch's tumblr.<br /><br />Not related to the lawsuit, but I also didn't know that <i>Modern Warfare</i> is actually titled <i>Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare</i> until a week ago. I always thought that they were two separate games.<br /><br />Granted I don't play any of these games, but this still seems quite frivolous. <div><br /></div><div>I wonder if Wargaming.net is going to get a <a href="http://worldofwarplanes.com/">knock on the door</a> from Blizzard...</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-89046759322622120412011-09-20T11:33:00.004-04:002011-09-20T11:43:06.214-04:00TF2 Screenshot of the YearPosted from our server, I don't think I've ever seen a more majestic screen shot. It captures the essence of TF2: one man with deer antlers wielding a pickaxe sailing towards another man wearing a samurai Kabuto and a pickaxe of his own--their destiny yet to be determined.<div><br /><img src="http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/540653520154483029/76E89C0B3FF36564541BCB73162B13BA52BF62FA/" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 312.5px;" border="0" alt="" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Credit goes to <a href="http://www.teamfuncom.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=22004#p22004">Tai</a>.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-76039075335559252522011-09-19T23:40:00.004-04:002011-09-20T00:23:15.941-04:00Biting the Bullet<img src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080706174359/eve/images/1/1e/Rifter.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 256px; " />This weekend was wholly uneventful in EVE which is 100% my own fault. EVE requires players to actively engage it, and that's what I did tonight. I convinced myself to pick a fight (and most likely lose it). There is no use sitting on all this ISK if I'm not going to spend it.<div><div><br /></div><div>There are a few systems known for their PvP. One of which is <a href="http://evemaps.dotlan.net/system/Amamake">Amamake</a>. I hopped into my Tech-2 fit Rifter and charted a route.</div><div><br /></div><div>The last time I was in lowsec, I found myself dying in a <a href="http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Gate_Camp">Gate Camp</a>. This time I was extra cautious--I inspected the systems for kills on the Star Map and even warped to nearby celestials so that I could scan the gate before approaching it. This is how things are learned in EVE: you die in a horrible ball of fire and then try to minimize that occurrence. </div><div><br /></div><div>I got to Amamake without incident, warped to a bookmark I had in the middle of nowhere, and started to chat up local. I like playing the Mildly Naive Optimist: it's a nice foil for all the Internet Tough-Guys. </div><div><br /></div><img src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080707203661/eve/images/d/d9/Vexor.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 256px; " /><div>After a few minutes of banter, I warped to an asteroid belt to see who would bite. Eventually a <a href="http://eve.wikia.com/wiki/Vexor">Vexor</a> shows up on scanner. I know it's a Cruiser, but I do a quick Google search to make sure; yep, a Cruiser. "Ok," I think, "I know I can beat Cruisers with this Rifter." The Vexor lands, and I begin approaching using a manual orbiting technique like a pro. My heart is pounding throughout all 150 KMs. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>We get in range of each other and start the dance. Lock, scram, Confirm this Dangerous Act (take a standing hit), web, orbit, guns. My <a href="http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/150mm_Light_Autocannon_II">150mm Light Autocannon IIs</a> are eating through her shields like butter.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bet a lot of EVE vets can guess what happens next.</div><div><br /></div><div>Five Hobgoblin II drones appear. They begin attacking me. I turn on damage control, but it is just too much. I don't even have drones on my overview; I'm trying to manually target them, but no luck. I pretty much smile and concede defeat at that point. I last a few more seconds; <a href="http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=14246507">pop</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I warp off to a station (and immediately pray that the station won't fire at me since I was the aggressor. Thankful it did not). We talk a little in local; I'm her first kill :) Apparently I'm not the only newbie in EVE.</div><div><br /></div><div>I consult the notes I took from the <a href="http://www.rifterdrifter.com/">Rifter Guide</a>, and lo and behold the #1 ship listed under "RUN AWAY" is Vexor. Primarily because of their drone capabilities. Horrible ball of fire. Minimize occurrences. Thus I won't trying to fight Vexors next time ;D</div><div><br /></div><div>What a rush! It was unbelievably exhilarating, and I cannot wait to load up a few more Rifters and head back. These ships cost about 5 million ISK, and I can easily steal that in 15 mins. Every time I think I'm drifting away from EVE, I do something incredibly risky and end up loving it again.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-78364659670074365672011-09-15T21:35:00.004-04:002011-09-15T22:54:14.186-04:00Back in the EVE Saddle<div>A month ago I began my third trial of EVE Online after reading a <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/17/eve-evolved-learning-to-let-go/">convincing article</a> (<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/24/eve-evolved-getting-into-your-first-pvp-frigate/">part 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/07/eve-evolved-upgrading-to-a-pvp-cruiser-minmatar-and-caldari/">part 3</a>). I decided to jump in the deep end and stir up trouble. Previously, I had fallen into pitfalls or <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/2009/06/boy-am-i-sick-of-time-sinks.html">made up reasons</a> why I discontinued playing. Friends of mine will cite the same excuses for not playing, so I decided to enumerate and debunk them.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>"I can't fly the ship how I want."</b></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Players often expect avatar control to be transferable across games. WASD is the de facto control scheme for any game in which the player assumes a character. Players expect familiar interfaces. How a planar movement model would work with three dimensional space is an unaddressed question. If not WASD, players expect something akin to a flight simulator or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlG8GCNS-9k&feature=player_detailpage#t=173s">Tie Fighter</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>The issue really stems from the simplification of the controls. In EVE a destination is selected, and then the Approach/Orbit/Warp button is pressed. Manual flight is as simple as double-clicking anywhere in space. Players' ship controls are abstracted to the point where player agency feels stifled. Fumbling over controls to move from A to B can be frustrating. </div><div><br /></div><div>This awkwardness can be overcome, but it feels like <a href="http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html">relearning to walk</a>. While the tutorial does have content to help the player move about in space, it takes several sessions to get accustomed to it. It becomes second nature eventually.</div><div><br /></div><div>I should also point out that EVE is not a space flight simulator nor a shooter--don't expect the game to meet those genre criteria. The game <b>must be</b> approached with an open mind; it is unlike anything else.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>"I have no idea where I am."</b></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>This attitude also derives from the control abstraction. Players move about with what seems like lists of planets, stations, and warp gates. How all these objects relate to each other spatially can be a mystery. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are two tools in game that I think can be helpful: the Map and the Mapbrowser. The map (F10) defaults to the Star Map of the whole galaxy and can be confusing. In the World Map Control, there is a button labeled "Solar System Map". This is a navigable view of the current solar system. It displays all the planets, stations, and warp gates in positions such that players can understand where these objects are. </div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally there is a Mapbrowser (F11) which displays 4 panes on the side of the player's screen (Universe, Region, Constellation, and Solar System). Only the bottom, Solar System pane is useful: it displays a flat representation of the system as well as a white cone showing the direction the player camera is currently facing. It helps to put celestial objects in perspective. </div><div><br /></div><div>The maps at <a href="http://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Domain">Dotlan</a> are also very helpful.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>"Combat is boring."</b></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I agree that solo combat against mission NPCs is boring, which is why I don't do missions. But EVE is not really a fast-paced action game. It is slower and tactical. Where, when, and how to approach a target is paramount. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc631NHqqXI">Knowing when to activate</a>, "pulse", and overheat modules assures victory against smarter or better-armed opponents. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is also worth noting that there is no such thing as a fair fight in EVE. PvP in MMORPGs is about exploiting advantages, cheating, using every trick up your sleeve to win the day. This is what "world PvP" is, and exactly what Battlegrounds and Arena are <b>not</b>. An unwritten rule of EVE is "always assume your target has friends". Kill him before they arrive :) When I want a fair fight, I play TF2 or a board game.</div><div><br /></div><div>PvP is emotionally charged. This is the sole reason I gave EVE another chance--the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat after my heart races and my mind defends that which could be lost. I can analyze and read literature explaining the exact effects and chemicals that I am experiencing, but adrenalin and fear of loss are visceral, and I want to be swept away by my animal instincts. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>"I can't be competitive."</b></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Since training is all time-based in EVE, players assume that they cannot catch up to the veterans. While they may never catch up in raw Skill Points, they could catch up in a singular role. EVE is very wide, and veterans can fly a variety of ships, but only one at a time. As long as players set their sights on a single ship and fit, they get get there quickly and be competitive. And skills are often prerequisites and stepping stones for more powerful modules and ships.</div><div><br /></div><div>To give you some numbers (for PvP):</div><div><ul><li>Within a week, you can fly a throw-away Cruiser.</li><li>In a week and a half, you can fly throw-away Battlecruisers.</li><li>Within 2 weeks, you can fly a tech 2 fitted Frigate.</li><li>In 5 weeks, you can fly a tech 2 fitted Interceptor or Assault Frigate.</li><li>In a month an a half, that Cruiser and Battlecruiser can have tech 2 modules.</li><li>In 3 months, you could be sitting in a very formidable tech 2 Cruiser (AKA Heavy Assault Cruiser).</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>Cruisers and Battlecruisers are staples of small gang PvP. Even though newbies won't be packing much heat without tech 2 guns, they are still an asset to the fleet. These ships can get really cheap, too, which helps when players are learning the ropes. I calculated that the Rupture cruiser I bought cost me 8,836,500 ISK. Insurance pays out 6,875,000 ISK, meaning the total loss would only be 2,360,500 ISK. That is practically free. (I would equate 1 million ISK to 1 WoW Gold.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Players can easily earn more money than they can spend if they leave the beaten path and try things other than missions. Within a few hours and in cheap frigates, a fresh character can make 40 million ISK an hour from ninja salvaging and hacking. Or you could scam your way to trillions.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>"I don't have the time."</b></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Some players think that they need to invest vast amounts of time or know everything about EVE in order to play. Null-sec territory wars might require players to log in for 6 hours at a time while a station is being attacked, but small gang PvP can be very spontaneous and take only an hour block. </div><div><br /></div><div>If long sessions are few and far between, there is plenty to do solo in and out of game. I spend half my EVE time reading about EVE. That includes fits and modules, planning training, how wormholes work, can I fight a ship belonging to a certain class, and <a href="http://jestertrek.blogspot.com/2011/08/sons-of-bitch.html">miracle stories of raid fights</a>. EVE is as much a context for my learning about EVE as it is a game. I am enjoying the whole package. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>EVE really is about finding the fun. The game will not deliver fun-cakes to you, but instead give you ingredients to bake your own, or a machine gun to steal someone else's. Other players are my content, and I am content for other players. Players who are willing to learn and are open minded about the game will find it to be a treasure trove.</div><div><br /></div><div>Within a month: I've roamed around lowsec looking for fights that never happened; stole millions of ISK from players running missions; lost ~10 frigates; was podded in a gate camp; joined a player corporation which received a Declaration of War a week later; and prepared for war that ended in 2 days. And all of it was really fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>Plus all my ship names come from the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHlJ2voJHY">Space Mutiny episode</a> of Mystery Science Theater 3000.</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>Congratulations on the insurance on your ship. A very wise choice indeed. This letter is to confirm that we have issued an insurance contract for your ship, Stump Beefgnaw (Rupture) at a level of 100.0%.</blockquote></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-75609633683284350552011-09-01T09:14:00.003-04:002011-09-01T09:31:45.381-04:00You Don't Talk about FF14Final Fantasy XIV has been undoing many changes over the last year. It is slowly letting itself become... *dramatic pause* <strike>Tyler Durden</strike> FFXI.<div>
<br /></div><div>Most recently in development has been an official <a href="http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/22774?p=318823#post318823">Job System</a>, with unlock quests and everything. It has moved away from the convoluted Physical Level and Job Rank nonsense into a more traditional Level and Experience system. It's added Chocobos and Air Ships (albeit not unique to FFXI). They've removed the poorly designed Stamina combat system and replaced it with a more traditional <a href="http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/17007-patch1.18-Patch-1.18-Notes">cooldown and autoattack system</a>.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Something unique they are working on is a <a href="http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/277">Materia System</a> (related to FF7's Materia only nominally). Use weapons, convert 'experienced' weapons to Materia, socket Materia on to new weapons.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The combat system chances are on-going, and it will take at least 2 more patches until things are "balanced". So maybe the game will be worth playing right when SWTOR arrives on the scene to steal its thunder. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-69956396450562868212011-08-11T09:02:00.002-04:002011-08-11T09:07:15.458-04:00The Power of External Rewards Compels You<a href="http://darthhater.com/2011/08/10/morality-gear">This seems like the quickest way to make sure no one reads your painstakingly created cut scenes and dialogue trees</a>. <div>
<br /></div><div>I don't listen to my friends' stories unless they entice me with candy. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-29257973068015966882011-08-02T21:52:00.003-04:002011-08-03T08:41:07.732-04:00Time, Money, and the JourneyA discussion of the Diablo 3 $AH took place on our <a href="http://www.teamfuncom.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1852">TF2 forums</a>, and someone commented:<div><blockquote>it all just seems silly to me.. why play the game if you're going to buy your way to the end result? I've spent $4 on tf2.. and I still look at it as a waste.. items will come and go, and there is always trading.. same goes with diablo3, why pay for pixels that you can obtain yourself and they're obviously going to continue releasing bigger and better weapons that you're going to replace said weapon with, and I see it happen in WoW all the time.. people pay for gold, buy the new shiny off the auction house, and the next day they win a drop in a raid thats better.. $20 down for a days' virtual satisfaction. Its all fickle to me lol</blockquote></div><div>The following was my response.</div><div><br /></div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>Diablo, like other action-focused computer RPGs, is designed to be very Achievement oriented. The heavy Goal-Oriented-Play coupled with high-accessibility (and very few set backs, i.e. punishment) fosters an environment where the ends of playing the game are the achievements themselves. For many Achievers, there is no longer any fun in the journey--they want as many vacuous trophies as quickly as possible. There is nothing wrong with getting your jollies from virtual shinies, but here is where the contention lies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Traditionalist gamers have been, I believe, vaccinated from these psychological lures. They have seen leaderboards and Skinner boxes for decades. If they play a game, they enjoy learning the system, assuming that system is complex enough to hold their interest. If they play strategy games, they enjoy complex resource management. If they play RPGs, they like the journey. They are OK with gating content, with stratifying players into Haves and Have-Nots. </div><div><br /></div><div>They have been trained to believe that Time and Skill equates to Power. To Traditionalists, games are a great equalizer. The Real World does not leak into their synthetic worlds, and each player's reputation (and Power) are built via in-game means only. This is a fallacy. </div><div><br /></div><div>The person playing the game has a certain amount of real world resources and real world dexterity. Resources come in the form of Time and Money. Dexterity is both Mental and Physical. Different game genres tap these 4 attributes differently. MMORPGs typically require Time. TF2 takes Physical and Mental dexterity, as well as practice Time. What we are seeing in the Game Industry is the incorporation of Money resources. </div><div><br /></div><div>This transformation is occurring because many Traditionalists are opting for other responsibilities: jobs and families. They no longer have 10 hours a day to throw at Everquest or StarCraft. They can't wait around for 2 hours to get a game started; they need high-accessibility games. Lowering the barrier to entry is also allowing brand new players to enter the scene. This is the explosion of Casual and Social gaming. These players have Money, but no Time. And quite a few of them are willing to trade their Money for Power. Believe it or not, there are markets that enjoy <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/bcousins/paying-to-win">Paying to Win</a>. This makes Traditionalists exclaim, "WTF ARE YOU DOING?!"</div><div><br /></div><div>The Time-rich no longer have the upper hand, and that makes the status quo feel as if their time isn't as valuable. And they are correct: with the inclusion of Money, it inflates the resource supply. Buying characters, power leveling, and gold was and still is seen as cheating in various online games primarily because it devalues the achievements (i.e. Time) of players. </div><div><br /></div><div>To more directly answer your question, "why would someone drop $20 for such an ephemeral trophy?" we really have to answer why humans trade resources for ANY status-signalling good. Fashion, competition, self-worth, belonging to a group: all of these are deeply rooted social instincts. The next time you do a farming run for a piece of loot, ask yourself why are you trading your time for these synthetic goods. And then ask if you'd rather trade money instead. If the goal is the trophy, it really doesn't matter how you got it. If you value the story attached to the trophy, then hopefully the journey is worth taking--and that is something money can't buy.</div></blockquote><div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-71928961550280763272011-07-06T11:48:00.003-04:002011-07-06T19:58:09.709-04:00Farmville's merits as a game do not matter.What of heroin's merits as a drug? Does it do a great job of expanding people's minds and letting them see mundane experiences in new and interesting ways? Does it bring people together to help one another? Can it help people who have legitimate medical problems by reducing their suffering?<br />
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People don't do heroine because of its abstract, broader merits as a drug. They do heroin because it feels good and because doing heroine makes you want to do more heroin. We don't analyze heroin in the hopes of discovering how to make commercial drug products more addictive and deride heroin for being "not a drug."<br />
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Farmville is an effective social parasite and advertising mechanism. The game is designed directly to extract money from players. Analyzing it as only a game is pointless, because its manifestation as a game is just the very blunt tip of a sprawling iceberg. Analyze it as a business. Compare it to direct mailing, viral videos, and banner ads.<br />
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Farmville is the ultimate sign of the commoditization (not really the traditional sense of the word--the mass marketization is more what I mean) of gaming. The games industry is maturing. "Make games we want to make and hope we get paid for it" has been replaced by "make games that we will get paid to make." The same happened to the music industry--and will happen to any art-based industry as it matures. The business model now drives, not the content. The cascade of free-to-play games and nickle-and-diming DLC are the first steps large steps down this long road. Sequelitis is merely a symptom. We can't go back to the good old days (if they even existed), we must recognize the shape of this beast and confront it directly.<br />
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This is another reason why I have stopped playing MMOs.<br />
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[EDIT: Made some corrections thanks to an anonymous commenter who apparently deleted his comment...]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-27850436683940983102011-06-29T13:56:00.003-04:002011-06-29T18:16:45.208-04:00Investment Hurdle<div>I stopped playing Vanguard the day I wrote my <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/2011/06/vanguard-wait-what.html">previous blog post</a>. I chose to partake in some other activities, and by the time my friends and I had an evening together to play, none of us cared anymore. Not even off newbie island, I didn't feel like investing more time into the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>I always seem to reflect back and compare MMORPGs to FFXI. That game requires even more investment than Vanguard, and I've always warned people that the first 10 levels are the worst, since they are soloed. (With the addition of solo kill quests, I'm sure the first 20 levels are now awfully boring.) I played with friends, and the majority quit before level 5. Why did I put up FFXI? Was I naive? Did I illogically try to recuperate the sunk cost of the retail box? </div><div><br /></div><div>Even World of Warcraft sucked me in, but later instantiations of it (AoC, LotRO, WAR, Aion) had no draw, no power over me. I paid for boxes for some of those games, yet didn't want to invest in them any further.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do MMORPGs need to be shockingly different for me to want to play them? If that were the case, I would have fallen in love with EVE or Darkfall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe I need long-term goals. I remember wanting to be a Summoner/Dragoon in FFXI (which is completely ridiculous, but drove me to get over the investment hurdle). I was in love with Infernals ever since WarCraft 3--I played Undead for that very reason--and I played a Warlock in WoW just to have that ability. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am curious if you remember your first long-term goal in your MMORPGs of choice. Was it a story arc, an ability, a feature? Do you find yourself running into brick walls after a few hours with a new MMORPG? Would seeing a cool looking sword or amazing spell effect persuade you to continue?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>motstandethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296441082624422375noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352155589322140093.post-14975164833852421312011-06-26T12:38:00.000-04:002011-06-26T12:38:49.854-04:00Measuring Micromanagement In DesignI have been struggling with how to actually quantify micromanagement in strategy game design. Which designs lead to more required micro and which kinds eschew micro for broader strategic manipulation and planning?<br />
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I still hold to the concept that strategy games should be about testing your planning capabilities against an opponent's. There are games in the "strategy" genre that focus on execution more than planning, astute observers usually refer to these games as "Tactical."<br />
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This post will summarize a number of factors involved in determining how much micromanagement a game design will require of its players. <br />
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<b>Mechanical Scope</b><br />
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The scope of a game acts as a multiplier for individual unit micromanagement requirements. A game like Company of Heroes has a severely limited scope. You have perhaps ten manipulable units on the field at the height of an average game. Note that we don't care about the literal soldiers on the battlefield here, we care about manipulable units. What the manipulable unit consists of doesn't matter--all that matters is that when you issue orders, you must give them to the entire unit.<br />
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Scope can be confusing to think about, because Company of Heroes and Men of War share the same metaphorical scope--that being less than ten squads of infantry and less than five vehicles. If you examine mechanical scope by thinking about then number of manipulable units, you'll see that Men of War has a wider mechanical scope because each individual soldier in each squad can be manipulated, whereas you can never subdivide squads in Company of Heroes.<br />
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<b>Orders per Unit</b><br />
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Once you have figured out how many units players handle when they play the game, you then have to examine what each of those units can do. In turn-based games, this is easy because you can look at possible orders per unit per turn. In real-time games the calculus becomes a bit more difficult because you must look at the number of orders that can be given to units as well as the number of units that may demand attention at once. (I'll address the issue of unit count variance throughout matches at some later time.)<br />
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How many kinds of orders can you give to units on a given turn? In Tactics Ogre, you can move, attack, and turn each of your units in each turn. Silent Storm, in comparison, allows you to do any combination of moves, attacks, turns, pose changes, and aiming actions in a turn. Clearly units in Silent Storm require more micro-management. In a turn-based game this affects how fast the game can be played. Games with a lot of micromanagement should have battles resolved in a relatively low number of turns, lest the player tire of the endless manipulation of his units.<br />
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We can also look at the number of kinds of unit actions in an RTS as well. In Men of War, you can give your units a wide variety of orders--there are easily over ten kinds of orders (ex. attack, attack-move, move, change stance, reload, change ammo, lay sandbags, lay barbed wire, lay mines, rotate, change weapon, manage inventory, etc.) Men of War has a wider mechanical scope than Company of Heroes, and Company of heroes has fewer than half the number of kinds of orders. Generally a unit in CoH will be able to attack, attack-move, move, change firing mode, and use one or two special abilities. We can therefore categorically say that CoH requires less micro to play effectively than Men of War does.<br />
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Complexity of terrain also plays a role. If terrain is very complex, like in Men of War where each wall, building, and piece of debris can be used as cover from any side, the fine-positioning of units matters which causes the player to have to move units more often and with more precision.<br />
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Analyzing individual orders</b><br />
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Playing a strategy game consists elementarily of multiple players (some of them may be AIs) giving orders to units. We've examined the nuances of order volume and how it effects micro-management, but we must also examine how the game designer defines the game world and how orders interact with it. We must examine the nature of orders and note how much attention they demand and how much physical precision on the part of the player they require.<br />
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In Men of War, you have to take line of sight and line of fire into account whenever you position a unit. You need to make sure there isn't some small rise in the terrain between your unit and what you want it to shoot at.This means that you have to minutely tweak the movement of individual squad members so that they will stand in a optimal-enough position. The difference between a decisive victory and a terrible defeat can be as small as a machine gunner standing slightly out of cover or being in the wrong stance and not having line of sight on an area. There's a lot of micro required when even issuing individual orders in Men of War.<br />
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In Company of Heroes, you move an entire unit and its members decide where to stand. Line of sight and line of fire are pretty easy to intuit based on what the map looks like. Rarely are there small hills that will maddeningly block your line of fire without being immediately noticeable. You also know that the simulation isn't terribly precise in Company of Heroes, so if one guy is standing out of cover but you still have the green shield next to your unit's icon, the unit is OK and you don't have to make more adjustments. When giving movement orders in Company of Heroes, you need to do less work--there's less micro--than when giving movement orders in Men of War.<br />
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As we've seen, strict simulation can lead to a signficant increase in micromanagement requirements.<br />
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The amount of tweaking you have to do to each unit also is greatly effected by the interface. Men of War gives you no particularly good way to check the line of sight and line of fire of your units, so you have to press a number of keys to check to see if your machine gunner can fire over this overturned crate or if they'll just stand there staring dumbly at it as the enemy mops up the rest of his squad.<br />
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<b>Too dumb to leave alone?</b><br />
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In RTSes micromanagement requirements also stem from poor or non-existant AI. If you have to constantly babysit your units in order for them to survive, as you do in Men of War, the micro-requirement balloons. RUSE has a lower requirement for micro, though, because units will make attempts to kite enemies who have shorter range and generally try to fire at the most important targets first.<br />
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</b><br />
<b>What else?</b><br />
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Please leave a comment if you think I've missed something. I'm sure I haven't touched on all the factors--I've primarily focused on combat. <b><br />
</b><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>
Originally posted on <a href="http://www.thatsaterribleidea.com/" target="_blank">That's a Terrible Idea</a>
</p></div>evizaerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836136474835816824noreply@blogger.com2