Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

C H A P T E R 8
Another outstanding element to UBO is that it tries to extend the genre categories
for the MMOG. If MMOG-based gaming experiences are going to survive, they have
to move beyond an RPG core. There is nothing wrong with the MMOG titles out
there—I think they are brilliant game feats—but much work remains to be done in
scattering around the kind of content they offer to the player.
Again, success or failure for UBO will not change the fact that the development
team tried to extend the genre offerings for MMOGs. Innovation is painful. Bumpy
development histories are okay. Some developers believe that if you haven’t shipped
every title you’ve ever touched, you must not be very good at what you do professionally.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Talk to the creators of many of the
best-made and best-selling game titles available and you’ll hear another story. If you
catch them in the right mood, they’ll tell you all about the games that got away and
didn’t ship. It’s part of the growth process.
Plenty of the technology developed in the course of building UBO can be used in a
number of other ways. This is true for other developers of MMOG titles as well. They
can reuse their technologies to offer other types of game or game-related content.
Probably most important in the development curve of an MMOG is the experience
gained that can be directly applied to your next venture. This is true, of course, for
non-MMOG titles as well, but it’s particularly true of MMOGs because they are so
wide in scope.
If you are developing an MMOG title or are planning one in your mind, take some
comfort; remember we’re all in this together. At the end of the day, what we’re really
looking for are new opportunities to grow gaming. MMOGs will continue to be a very
important part of that plan into the future.
usiness courses, computer courses, all excellent ways to prepare. Nothing makes a
hiring manager feel better than hiring the right qualified person for the job and
I NTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL WEINER
Michael Weiner has been in the game industry since 1989 when he joined what was then Buena
Vista Software (now Disney Interactive) to start both its Customer Support and Quality Assurance
departments. After a couple of years with Disney, Michael moved on to Sierra Online (then still in
Oakhurst, CA) and took his first formal QA manager position with Sierra’s daughter company, The
Sierra Network. From there he went through a series of positions with Sega of America, Acclaim
Entertainment, Disney Online, 3DO, and Hasbro. Michael has also worked as an executive recruiter
for Studio Search in Las Vegas, NV and is currently doing consulting for the Ultimate Baseball Online
team. His work with them centers around helping ensure proper QA practices and procedures are
followed as well as running their remote testing teams. Michael has twice been a selected speaker
at the industry’s Game Developers Conference (2000 and 2002).
209
Design Considerations for Massively Multiplayer Online Games