Posts Tagged ‘player’

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Black Prophecy Preview at GDC 2010


Posted in Gamechangers

MMOGs seem to be boldly going into space with a higher frequency these days as gamers shed their shields and throw down their swords to take up the role of intergalactic explorers. One of the more highly anticipated titles comes to us from Gamigo in the form of Black Prophecy, a ship based space combat MMOG that puts players in the cockpit of a highly customizable craft and sets them loose upon each other in a faction based struggle for galactic domination. We sat down this week at GDC with Falko Böcker of Gamigo to get the inside scoop on this German import from Reakktor.

Fans of Black Prophecy know that this game has been in development for several years and that it almost didn’t make it to market. Originally slated for a 2009 release, the game had planned on being a subscription model MMOG to be published by the now bankrupt 10tacle studios.  Reakktor refused to give up on the game however, and development continued with hopes for finding a publisher that would do the epic title justice. While reaction has been mixed to the announcement of Gamigo as the games new publisher, mostly due to the related announcement of a microtransaction based free-to-play model,  fans need not worry as both companies are committed to delivering a top notch product that will satisfy free-to-play veterans and subscription model adherents alike. Advertorial info : games for money online

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The Game Loop


Posted in Gamechangers

Introduction
The game loop is the heartbeat of every game, no game can run without it. But unfortunately for every new game programmer, there aren’t any good articles on the internet who provide the proper information on this topic. But fear not, because you have just stumbled upon the one and only article that gives the game loop the attention it deserves.

Thanks to my job as a game programmer, I come into contact with a lot of code for small mobile games. And it always amazes me how many game loop implementations are out there. You might wonder yourself how a simple thing like that can be written in different ways. Well, it can, and I will discuss the pros and cons of the most popular implementations, and give you the (in my opinion) best solution of implementing a game loop.
The Game Loop
Every game consists of a sequence of getting user input, updating the game state, handling AI, playing music and sound effects, and displaying the game. This sequence is handled through the game loop. Just like I said in the introduction, the game loop is the heartbeat of every game. In this article I will not go into details on any of the above mentioned tasks, but will concentrate on the game loop alone. That’s also why I simplified the tasks to only 2 functions: updating the game and displaying it. (more…)

On MMOGs and Skill


Posted in Gamechangers

It’s not uncommon to see MMORPGs criticized for being games that are decided solely on the basis of how much time you put into leveling your character, rather than your incredible skill as a player. We’re all familiar with this argument, raised once again in a recent article on GamerDad. The author extolls the virtues of PlanetSide because it brings the manual aim and fast reflexes required by shooters into a massively multiplayer online environment. Even if it’s not entirely fair to say that RPGs require no skill, it does bring up some interesting points about what makes a game enjoyable.

Before I go any further, I should point out that game “skill” is not necessarily limited to one’s proficiency with mouse, keyboard, and joystick controls. Knowledge of what works best in different situations, team organization, even the ability to be diplomatic with enemies, could be considered valuable skills in many games. Nevertheless, it is apparent that a lot of gamers find typical RPG combat somewhat lacking, so it’s worth looking at the relative strengths and weakness of combat in these very different types of games. Advertorial info : Printed Promotional Umbrellas (more…)

Gaming for Money: Trading Game Assets (1)


Posted in Gamechangers

In the world of MMORPGs, one thing you can’t help noticing is that player vs. player (PvP) combat is not typically the central focus of the game, even if they offer certain servers and options that make it possible. While there are almost always ways in which two players can have it out if they both consent, the focus of most MMORPGs so far has been player vs. environment (PvE), where groups of players fight cooperatively against computer controlled monsters. Furthermore, for a host of reasons, PvE is clearly the preference of the overwhelming majority of MMORPG players. Shadowbane set out to change all that by shifting the emphasis onto PvP, team on team conflicts, sieges, and territorial domination. Considering that, because of the obvious imbalances created by level differences between characters, PvP in most MMORPGs leaves a lot to be desired, this was a rather risky move. Today, some gamers consider Shadowbane the only decent option for serious PvPers, while others point to it as a perfect example of why PvP in MMORPGs is, quite simply, no fun.

Background
Player built cities and guilds are central to Shadowbane. Unlike many MMORPGs which have pre-defined realms warring with each other, in SB there are as many sides as players choose to form. Any player with sufficient resources may start a guild, found a city, recruit other players, and lead their kingdom to greatness. Advertorial info: fun games for girls (more…)

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