Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

challenges to consider. How do you keep the player engaged while waiting for action
in right field? What do you do if the player currently pitching loses his or her connection
to the game? How do you manage unruly players who want to run around blowing
the game vibe? And there are a zillion other considerations besides.
This is the first attempt to try to build an MMOG sports title of any kind that I
know about anywhere. Why aren’t more of these titles in production? There are
many reasons. First and foremost, publishers are hesitant to take on the extremely
sizeable technology issues and potential large-scale costs of such an undertaking.
There can be little doubt, however, that from a pure content perspective, this title attempts
to innovate. That spirit to innovate against large odds, and a love for baseball
itself, is what attracted me to the title initially. Whether the title ultimately succeeds
or fails, it will certainly have tried something new. Either way, I was fortunate. How
many titles these days are trying anything new?
I mention all of this simply because it suggests something about one possibility in
the near future for MMOGs. Every kind of MMOG that succeeds (sports included!)
helps make another one possible in some sense. With the large numbers of very dedicated
sports players out there, always ready to get the next Madden 2003 title for the
next available platform, and with the consoles moving online, there is a sports-playing
storm waiting to happen. More importantly, this storm will pass over into other genres
as well.
Bringing traditional sports fans, fantasy fans, action/fighting fans, and science-fiction
fans into the MMOG arena for PCs or online consoles is exactly what gaming
needs in order to grow. As a designer, think about—and examine closely—each of
these dedicated groups of fans. Remember, in MMOG design we’re looking to create
play scenarios for groups using social forces.
Each group’s dynamics and particular affections bring dimension to the MMOG
world. Consider how you might go about making MMOG content to bring one of
these groups together in a persistent gaming environment. What are the social issues?
What are the emotional hooks? Which “twitch” or thought behaviors are most compelling
or exciting? Do they hold up over repetition? What behaviors best serve the
fantasy socially, emotionally, and actively?
MMOG Opportunities
C H A P T E R 8
As MMOG titles mature, and technology becomes more stable, it will become easier
for this type of title to be produced. The budgets will come back from orbit, and so
might the timelines. MMOGs really are little immersive/persistent worlds. This idea
is attractive to many at the pure concept level. The collision of concept worlds and
game technology is one of the most exciting aspects of MMOG growth. The forthcoming
Star Wars Galaxies is a perfect example to illustrate this idea; it uses much of
the development experience gained in the creation and support of Everquest to create
205
Design Considerations for Massively Multiplayer Online Games