Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

C H A P T E R 8
If you’re going to deploy a professional testing team to complement free beta-test
feedback from interested players, it’s going to cost a considerable amount of money
in staff support simply because MMOG titles are so difficult and time-consuming to
test. It will take thousands of hours to complete the test phase and insure some measure
of reliability for the title.
Worldwide Support Staff
Since MMOG titles are persistent and run in real time, we have entered the era of
“game-masters,” in which we need world support staff for our titles. Game-masters
are like world referees. They try to resolve player issues and help to keep the peace,
by acting as a police force in the live game world. Players will often get into bitter
conflicts within the game. Some players will work to destroy the play experience of
other players. They will work hard to cause problems. As a game publisher, you want
to insure a solid and enjoyable play experience for your customer. In the world of
MMOGs, this often necessitates the hiring of game-masters or world support staff to
support the game title. This is obviously a new and unique staffing requirement.
Security and Attack Issues
Since the successful MMOG is reliant on a subscription model, there is an e-commerce
element to your game. Players will need to manage their accounts and pay for
game services. This involves the exchange of sensitive information, like credit card
numbers. MMOGs require adequate and sometimes costly software security devices
to insure that players can pay for their account details securely. And, of course, there
is always the perennial problem of hackers trying to crash your game servers, crash
your account information systems, and/or infiltrate player records or commerce
information.
COPPA Issues
If your content is directed at a younger gaming audience, there are obvious safety
concerns for younger players who may be vulnerable online. For games targeting
players in the U.S., you should consult the COPPA (www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/
pubs/buspubs/coppa.htm) guidelines, effective since April 2001, for compliance.
193
Design Considerations for Massively Multiplayer Online Games