How is designing an MMO different? Adam Martin NCsoft Europe

What’s an MMO?

Massively

Multiplayer

Online

Massively Multiplayer Online (game)

mouthful

“ MMO”

acronyms suck

WHY?

(“online”)

play alone

(“multiplayer”)

(“massively”)

What does a typical MMO look like?

...like this?

( )

what else?

top-10 MMOs?

only 5

others?

What’s an MMO?

MMO != MMORPG

MMO != 3D landscape

MMO == Virtual World + Game

def: Virtual World Provides extra contexts for your activities social (relationships; audiences) environmental (persistence; progression)

Provides extra contexts for your activities

social (relationships; audiences)

environmental (persistence; progression)

#1: social interaction

audience

what you do matters

BONUS:

do things ... to other people

# 2: stage

existence (avatar)

geography (local + not-local)

good for community

sub-communities

Summary 1/5 MMO == Community + Game

MMO == Community + Game

MMO #1

RPG

RPG + chat

=

MMO #2

traditional game

traditional game + community

(400k simultaneous players) =

?

another kind of MMO

MMO #3

social network

social network + game

“ Calan’s levelling up ... don’t fall behind”

poking

"Enough with the Poking, Lets Just Have Sex" A Facebook group which, as of September 2007 , has more than 250,000 members.

another kind of MMO

MMO #4

novel game

novel game + novel community

$200,000 prize

$200,000 prize (yes, really)

Timeline... June 2005 February 2007

Timeline... June 2005 February 2007

50+ fake websites Hacking email accounts Live events with actors 5+ blogs of in-game characters Phone calls, email trails, encrypted newspaper articles, ...

50+ fake websites

Hacking email accounts

Live events with actors

5+ blogs of in-game characters

Phone calls, email trails, encrypted newspaper articles, ...

...black helicopters...

...emergency extractions...

who’s that?

who’s that?

3P == The Third Power “ an ancient society of very secret intentions”

What the **** was that all about?

(a new identity) (“O1”)

“ an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform” (an Alternate Reality Game)

another kind of MMO

Summary 2/5 MMO == Community + Game MMO != MMORPG

MMO == Community + Game

MMO != MMORPG

Design techniques?

massively multiplayer online game

massively multiplayer online GAME

MMO design == normal design ?

MMO design == normal design ?

Reason 1 MMO == Community + Game

MMO == Community + Game

(come back to later)

Reason 2 Revenue model

Revenue model

subscription

micro-payments

advertising

TIME == MONEY

TIME == MONEY

TIME == MONEY

play the game,

keep playing,

never stop

stop playing == MONEY

problem?

20-40 hours total (traditional retail game)

20-40 hours per month (typical MMO game)

“ Over 200 hours of gameplay”

= less than a year (typical MMO game)

not so bad?

power-levelling

twinking

approx 1 month

Launched: 1997

Launched: 1997 ... 10 YEARS (and counting)

ARRGH!

keep coming back

If you keep coming back...

Summary 3/5 MMO == Community + Game MMO != MMORPG MMO Designers do more than just extra balancing

MMO == Community + Game

MMO != MMORPG

MMO Designers do more than just extra balancing

MMO Designers...

Content designer (including: writers)

Environment designer (a.k.a. World Builder)

Systems designer

Balance designer

Quest designer

Summary 4/5 MMO == Community + Game MMO != MMORPG MMO Designers do more than just extra balancing Many different types of “Game Designer” on an MMO

MMO == Community + Game

MMO != MMORPG

MMO Designers do more than just extra balancing

Many different types of “Game Designer” on an MMO

How do we design for this?

History Lesson

1978

1978

a small software company

a small software company

Richard Bartle

Dr. Bartle

“ one of the pioneers of the massively multiplayer online game industry”

“ one of the pioneers of the massively multiplayer online game industry” (Wikipedia, so it must be true)

...time passed...

"What do people want out of a MUD?"

The Debate several hundred bulletin-board postings 15 individuals almost the entire set of active wizzes during that period When the participants had finally run out of new things to say ...

several hundred bulletin-board postings

15 individuals

almost the entire set of active wizzes during that period

When the participants had finally run out of new things to say ...

The Results “people habitually found the same kinds of thing about the game "fun", but there were several (four, in fact) sub-groupings into which opinion divided”

“people habitually found the same kinds of thing about the game "fun", but there were several (four, in fact) sub-groupings into which opinion divided”

Killers

Achievers

Socializers

Explorers

ACTING INTERACTING PLAYERS WORLD

stereotypes, not people

http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

(will repeat address at end)

How do we design for this?

How do we design for this? Use Bartle’s types as a yardstick What does your game offer Killers? ...Achievers? ...Socializers? ...Explorers?

Use Bartle’s types as a yardstick

What does your game offer Killers?

...Achievers?

...Socializers?

...Explorers?

How do we design for this? (+ standard game design)

(+ standard game design)

Summary 5/5 MMO == Community + Game MMO != MMORPG MMO Designers do more than just extra balancing Many different types of “Game Designer” on an MMO Use Bartle’s-Types to check your game-design

MMO == Community + Game

MMO != MMORPG

MMO Designers do more than just extra balancing

Many different types of “Game Designer” on an MMO

Use Bartle’s-Types to check your game-design

The End MMO Games rock! Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm Contact details amartin @ ncsoft.com http://tmachine1.dh.bytemark.co.uk/blog

MMO Games rock!

Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades

http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

Contact details

amartin @ ncsoft.com

http://tmachine1.dh.bytemark.co.uk/blog

Extras... Community MMO as “Location in which to Socialize” (pub)

Community

MMO as “Location in which to Socialize” (pub)

Extras...

Extras...