August 2003
- A potential best-seller? Richard A. Bartle
- Identifying Players Scion Altera
- Identifying Players Crosbie Fitch
- Metrics for assessing game design David Kennerly
- ADMIN: Crunch thread J C Lawrence
- Mapping real money into MUD money Alex Chacha
- Mapping real money into MUD money Katie Lukas
- Mapping real money into MUD money David Kennerly
- Mapping real money into MUD money Kent Peterson
- Mapping real money into MUD money Peter Tyson
- Mapping real money into MUD money Matt Mihaly
- Mapping real money into MUD money Paul Canniff
- Research in the Gaming Industry Damion Schubert
- Research in the Gaming Industry Kerry Fraser-Robinson
- Research in the Gaming Industry Richard A. Bartle
- Research in the Gaming Industry Matthew S. Ayres
- Mapping real money into MUD-Money Henrik Johansson
- Java or LPC (DGD)? Ben Chambers
- Java or LPC (DGD)? Ammon Lauritzen
- Java or LPC (DGD)? T. Alexander Popiel
- Java or LPC (DGD)? ceo
- Java or LPC (DGD)? Lars Duening
- Java or LPC (DGD)? Torgny Bjers
- Java or LPC (DGD)? Ryan Underwood
- Reputation systems: a possible path for investigation J C Lawrence
- Reputation systems: a possible path for investigation david.l.smith@mail-x-change.com
- Reputation systems: a possible path for investigation Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Reputation systems: a possible path for investigation Andrew L. Tepper
- Reputation systems: a possible path for investigation Matt Mihaly
- Reputation systems: a possible path for investigation Vincent Archer
- Reputation systems Castronova, Edward
- Reputation systems J C Lawrence
- Mapping real money into MUD-Money Ren Reynolds
- MudDev Faq - part 2 Marian Griffith
- PHP muds Peter Harkins
- PHP muds Torgny Bjers
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Christer Enfors XW {TN/PAC}
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Dave Rickey
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Evan Harper
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Richard A. Bartle
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Tamzen Cannoy
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Kerry Fraser-Robinson
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Richard A. Bartle
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Dave Rickey
- Slashdot story about review of Bartle's new book Marc Bowden
- The lack of Creativity and Beauty a game user james_nesfield@nesfieldcapital.com
- Artists and Copyrights Derek Licciardi
- Artists and Copyrights Paolo Piselli
- Artists and Copyrights Marian Griffith
- Artists and Copyrights Paul Dahlke
- Using Windows Scripting Host Owen Matt
- Using Windows Scripting Host F. Randall Farmer
- Using Windows Scripting Host Karl Dyson
- Using Windows Scripting Host Tess Lowe
- Better Game Design through Data Mining David Kennerly
- Better Game Design through Data Mining Chris "Diamonds" Stewart
- When Will Player-Avatar Integrity Be a Feature of Persistent Worlds? vladimir cole
- When Will Player-Avatar Integrity Be a Feature of Persistent Worlds? Martin Bassie
- When Will Player-Avatar Integrity Be a Feature of Persistent Worlds? Craig H Fry
- When Will Player-Avatar Integrity Be a Feature of Persistent Worlds? Matt Mihaly
- When Will Player-Avatar Integrity Be a Feature ofPersistent Worlds? Michael Tresca
- When Will Player-Avatar Integrity Be a Feature ofPersistent Worlds? Baar - Lord of the Seven Suns
- [Fwd: Metrics for assessing game design] ceo
- Examine/Look Elia Morling
- Examine/Look Ammon Lauritzen
- Examine/Look Marc Bowden
- Examine/Look Lars Duening
- Examine/Look Eamonn O'Brien
- [BUS] Account-management systems ceo
- [BUS] Account-management systems Rayzam
- [BUS] Account-management systems Christopher Allen
- Job opportunity on Star Wars Galaxies Koster, Raph
- NCSoft yearly report Mathieu Castelli
- MUD using the .net framework Norman Beresford
- MUD using the .net framework John Buehler
- MUD using the .net framework James F. Bellinger
- MUD using the .net framework Linder Support Team
- Virtual property lawsuit in China Koster, Raph
- Virtual property lawsuit in China Nicolai Hansen
- Virtual property lawsuit in China Daniel Anderson
- Virtual property lawsuit in China Kerry Fraser-Robinson
- Virtual property lawsuit in China Vladimir Cole
- Virtual property lawsuit in China Ren Reynolds
- Virtual property lawsuit in China Nicolai Hansen
- Virtual property lawsuit in China ren@aldermangroup.com
- Expected value and standard deviation. Jeff Cole
- Expected value and standard deviation. Scion Altera
- Expected value and standard deviation. Jeremy Hill
- Expected value and standard deviation. katie@stickydata.com
- Expected value and standard deviation. Ben Chambers
- Expected value and standard deviation. Zach Collins {Siege}
- Expected value and standard deviation. Ben Chambers
- Expected value and standard deviation. Robert Zubek
- Expected value and standard deviation. Kwon J. Ekstrom
- Expected value and standard deviation. Eamonn O'Brien
- Expected value and standard deviation. Kwon J. Ekstrom
- Expected value and standard deviation. Freeman, Jeff
- Expected value and standard deviation. Zach Collins {Siege}
- Expected value and standard deviation. Bernard Graham
- Expected value and standard deviation. Freeman, Jeff
- Expected value and standard deviation. Jeff Cole
- Expected value and standard deviation. Koster, Raph
- Expected value and standard deviation. Katie Lukas
- Expected value and standard deviation. Fidelio Gwaihir
- Expected value and standard deviation. Katie Lukas
- Expected value and standard deviation. Matt Mihaly
- Expected value and standard deviation. Martin Bassie
- Expected value and standard deviation. Katie Lukas
- Expected value and standard deviation. Matt Mihaly
- Expected value and standard deviation. Paul Schwanz
- Expected value and standard deviation. Matt Mihaly
- Expected value and standard deviation. Koster, Raph
- Expected value and standard deviation. Paul Schwanz
- Expected value and standard deviation. Amanda Walker
- Expected value and standard deviation. John Buehler
- Expected value and standard deviation. Kwon J. Ekstrom
- Expected value and standard deviation. Jeff Cole
- Expected value and standard deviation. Paul Schwanz
- Expected value and standard deviation. Dr. Cat
- Expected value and standard deviation. David Loving
- Expected value and standard deviation. Pat Ditterline
- Expected value and standard deviation. Michael Chui
- Expected value and standard deviation. Matt Mihaly
- Expected value and standard deviation. Kwon J. Ekstrom
- Expected value and standard deviation. Chanur Silvarian
Raph Koster wrote:
> I don't think you're going to succeed at rewriting the human brain
> and finding game designs that don't have a boring way to play them
> unless you design games with infinite possibility spaces. There
> aren't many games like that. Some of the ones I can think of:
> - player vs player activities (assuming a playfield of
> sufficient complexity. The human body makes for a nicely complex
> playfield, for example, hence sports--simple games like tennis
> still having big possibility spaces).
> - media. Writing, music, and dare I say it, game design.
This idea goes to the heart of what I think is missing in almost
every multi- player game out there, massive or otherwise. What is
missing is players being enabled to change the game's puzzles or
create their own.
Allowing players to change or create the puzzles in the game allows
for the infinite (or at least near infinite) possibility space that
Raph speaks of here.
The only one that I've seen that has come close to doing this was
UO. There were four key factors to player enablement in UO; ability
to change the "physical" world (dropping a sword it looked like a
sword not a bag), ability place dialogue on an NPC in the world (the
bartender NPC), ability to leave text for others to read (books),
and ability to "create" a MOB spawn.
Now some of these were more limited than others, but with those five
items any player could create a new adventure in the game. This
created an infinite possibility of puzzles in the game. Here is an
example of an adventure that I ran myself...
1)I got a treasure map from another player.
2) I then wrote a book with a long text about an adventuring party
getting lost, the book was supposedly the journal of the
expedition leader and contained clues to where the adventurers had
gone (ability to leave text for others to read).
3) I told some friends that I'd gotten the journal off of an orc,
handed out copies of the journal, and we went to look for this
lost party of adventurers.
4) When finally at the correct location, I produced some bones
(ability to change the physical world) and had them dig. Here I
had enlisted the aid of a friend who had a treasure hunter
character and he actually had the treasure map, but it had the
intended effect.
5) Produced a nice challanging monster attack for the finale with
the aid of the treasure map (ability to create a MOB spawn).
6) Produced a nice treasure to hand out, again with the aid of the
treasure map.
Ok, so I had to use an item outside of its intended purpose to do
it, but my point is that most designers are failing to realize the
power of player enablement. The thing that I have missed most in
every game I've played since UO is the ability to write in a book.
The reason that I've missed it is because it is the singular biggest
thing that can be done to allow player created content. The second
biggest thing is being able to drop an item and have it look like
the item intended. The third is the ability to add dialogue to an
NPC.
With those three items, player content will flow and your gamespace
becomes infinite. Unfortunately drivel and profanity will also flow
<sigh>. The other two biggies are changing the physical world (even
if you don't want housing in your playspace, make a sword look like
a sword regardless whether it is on the ground, in a backpack, or
equipped) and ability to create a monster spawn.
I will add one final thing on player enablement, UO did fall down
with not allowing players to have unique items and everyone else
fails to let them have unique content. A player wants to have two
things, a unique challange (puzzle) and a unique reward for that
challange which equates to a unique gaming experience for every
player. It is difficult to give every player a unique challange in
any multi-player game unless you let the players create that
challange themselves, but it is really easy to give them unique
rewards.
I know that this has sounded very UO-centric, but that was the only
game I've seen that even began to approach any level of player
enablement. EQ doesn't allow for any of these enablement items that
I know of, DAoC doesn't either. SWG allows for a few (even missions
could be used for a monster spawn) but without being able to write
or give NPC dialogue it is extremely limited in ability to allow for
player created content.
Anyway, that's my two bits on how to reach your infinite gamespace.
- Chanur Silvarian - - Expected value and standard deviation. Katie Lukas
- Expected value and standard deviation. Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- Expected value and standard deviation. Oliver Smith
- Expected value and standard deviation. Daniel Anderson
- Expected value and standard deviation. Koster, Raph
- Expected value and standard deviation. Nicolai Hansen
- Expected value and standard deviation. Dark Lamenth
- Expected value and standard deviation. Fidelio Gwaihir
- Expected value and standard deviation. Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Expected value and standard deviation. gbtmud
- Expected value and standard deviation. Tom "cro" Gordon
- Expected value and standard deviation. Sheela Caur'Lir
- Expected value and standard deviation. Roger Hicks
- Expected value and standard deviation. Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Expected value and standard deviation. Freeman, Jeff
- Expected value and standard deviation. Matt Mihaly
- Expected value and standard deviation. Tom "cro" Gordon