INSIGHTFUL: Laws of Online World Design

sygmas

I think everyone who plays MMORPGS could benefit from reading this article, if only to help people understand the nuances of the design of games they play.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=723&Itemid=2

sygmas

Wow, lot of good discussion material at that link and no one responds.

I guess I should have started another "WOW OR EQ2?! WEHICH ONE PLZ HAX?!!" thread.

MrPopov

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Storytelling versus simulation If you write a static story (or indeed include any static element) in your game, everyone in the world will know how it ends in a matter of days. Mathematically, it is not possible for a design team to create stories fast enough to supply everyone playing. This is the traditional approach to this sort of game nonetheless. You can try a sim-style game which doesn't supply stories but instead supplies freedom to make them. This is a lot harder and arguably has never been done successfully.

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They haven't tried EVE Online. I don't even pay attention to the dev-made story, I am too wrapped up in player-generated content in the form of alliances, pirate cartels, politics, wars, NAPs, etc.

sygmas

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Originally posted by MrPopov
Storytelling versus simulation If you write a static story (or indeed include any static element) in your game, everyone in the world will know how it ends in a matter of days. Mathematically, it is not possible for a design team to create stories fast enough to supply everyone playing. This is the traditional approach to this sort of game nonetheless. You can try a sim-style game which doesn't supply stories but instead supplies freedom to make them. This is a lot harder and arguably has never been done successfully.

They haven't tried EVE Online. I don't even pay attention to the dev-made story, I am too wrapped up in player-generated content in the form of alliances, pirate cartels, politics, wars, NAPs, etc.

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"successfully" is a bit subjective. EVE is a niche game and hasn't been 'successful' in the way the meaning is implied here.

EVE also has its own share of problems stemming from this system, and doesn't even count here because as you said it has developer created content, that law or theorum applies to games that had like, no quests etc.
( I /think/ this was UO's situation, no? I never played UO so I could be wrong)

MrPopov

good point. "successfull" now means millions of subscribers... I understand now though what you mean. EVE doesn't just provide sim-style gameplay, but a bit of both.

PCGamer released an interesting article along the lines of storyline content vs player content. View it here

kaibigan34

Wow looks Raph Koster finally learned something. I guess Star Wars Galaxies humbled him when his so called "perfect game world" came crashing down around him.

I still hate him and dont think he should ever be allowed in game design again. But looks like he is starting to learn how things work.

Kai

spookytooth

He wrote alot of that stuff way back when, I recognize some of it from years ago. He's always been into intellectualizing the whole game making process.
I've read some of his other stuff too. He sounds like a freakin' genius most of the time. He's a really smart guy. Thats why its so pondersome that he could make a terrible game like SWG. Wonder how it felt for him to apply the rubber stamp OK'ing the CU and dumping alot of his game down the drain.

And EVE has indeed implemented user content sucesfully. "Sucessful" here doesnt mean 100k+ subscribers; it means whether it works or not. And the quests are just tacked and supplemental.

Sorry if any of that sounded inflammatory. Woke up this morning feeling a little sour. Not enough caffeine...or too much.

sygmas

bah my response got lost grr