More research on MMO

So in looking around at some new MMOs coming out soon I came across a few that are implementing systems similar to what I would like to set up.  Firefall is looking to be very interesting, especially since it is:
1. Free to Play
2. Players will be able to change roles by equipping "battleframes", which is something similar to what I was hoping to set up.
3. They will have microtransactions, but they are insistent on making sure that cash items will not effect game balance.
4. It's an FPS MMO set up in a persistent world setting.

I'm not able to play it yet as they are still in the early stages of beta, but I'll be sure to analyze it once I get the chance.  There are a few others too, but this one really caught my eye.

The long road

So I am coming to a realization that programming is an art that is easy to get the basics of and extremely difficult to master.  The amount of information that goes into games can be pretty overwhelming, and I now see why they have a very long list of names in the credits of high end titles.  It seems that there is a plethora of programs out there already, but the best programs are guarded very closely so no one can copy them.

I feel like programming is like cooking.  There are really a very large amount of flavor combinations that can be made, and through experimentation and a little luck one can find those combinations that make for very delicious food.  The problem that happens is that when someone learns of a simple combination that makes for great food, they make it a secret and try to capitalize on it by making it so they are the only ones who one can get this delicious food from.  I feel like the community of software creators are very proud of the products they have created and are not very interested in helping new programmers learn the art of code slinging.  This is not true of everyone who programs, but just read the average EULA for most programs to see wording to the effect of "Thou shalt not reproduce, reverse-engineer, decompile, or anything else that shows you how this product was made".  It's basically saying

When I embarked on this project I admit that I only had the viewpoint of the end user or consumer of video games.  Now that I have learned some of the processes that go into making them, and the lengths that some companies go to keep their "recipes" secret, I can see that this will be a longer process than I had originally thought.

Discipline

I am home sick today and so I think I will take some time to post a little something.  I am a little concerned with my level of discipline related to programming.  I have been getting the concepts well enough when I look at examples of programming, and I have been able to write short programs well enough.  The problem comes when I need to work on programming for an extended period of time.  I quickly become disinterested as it is something akin to writing a paper.  I know that the end product will be a (hopefully) enjoyable gaming experience, it's just a rather long and tedious process getting there.  I'm also running into the problem of feeling overwhelmed and inadequate all at once.  I know that I don't have to do it all at once, but at this point I have been having a hard time just keeping up with my classwork let alone working on this game.  Granted I took a rather heavy load this semester and I hope that future semesters won't be quite so cerebral, but from what I have heard graduate school is all about pushing ones brain to the limit.

At any rate I think that I have the basic concepts for the game set out, and now I need to move into the implementation phase.  I will work on getting textures and models during my school breaks.  I am learning a lot of good and useful things despite my feeling of inadequacy.  Thanks for your patience those who are sticking with me on this.

Use case scenarios

So I've been learning to make a little game based on pong.  The amount of work that goes into making even a simple game is pretty mind blowing.  I think the best way to put it is that computers are incredibly dumb, and therefore programmers have to write out explicit instructions on how to react to every little thing that a player may do.  And so one exercise we are going through is to think of every possible way that a human interacts with a game write up what the system should do if a player does something.  These are called use cases, and every button or thing that someone can click on really needs to have something written up or the system doesn't know what to do and cries in a corner making everything stop.  It really is pretty mind boggling how we have programs and systems in the first place.  At any rate I'm going to start working on a monstrous document going through every menu and every possible key press that a player may decide to do while playing the game.

In other news I'm starting out in my C++ class on a program that allows a user to log in to a system and/or register for something.  I hope to have this be my starting out point for the main program, as the first thing players will do will be to log in.  I have until December to get it up and running.  I know it's not much, but it is a start.  I think that during winter break time I will also try to work on more artwork.

Powerups - Same look different function

I have been thinking a bit about how to handle the graphical aspects of armor and weapons and how they will interact with the game.  As I was explaining the game to someone and I told them that the "Aliens" have encased the players in suits that keep them from all harm, then I was trying to explain things like armor and weapons they pointed out that a graphical armor would be pointless since they are already encased in an all harm reducing suit.  Also there was the issue of the armor only covering certain areas, like would it protect the torso if you have the standard shoulder pad type armor.  This also led to me thinking about this from the perspective of an experiment, where much of what is going on has to be simulated to be like war, but not actually be like war.  Anyway the short story is that I am rethinking how these will happen in the game.  Rather than have a brand new graphic for weapons and armor I will make them more like the slot system in FFVII.  this will mean that the powerups for weapons and armor will be represented by little globes which when they are "equipped" they will do things like make the player's suit glow brighter or make the weapon fire differently.  This will mean that the "Aliens" will be able to introduce and temporarily disable all kind of things without necessarily changing anything in the reality of the simulation.

So what this means is that every player comes equipped with the suit, a distance weapon, and a melee weapon that then can change depending on what class they are.  The powerups are then applied to these already existing items to simulate a weapon change or increased armor.  They will still have to be "hacked" in order to be compatible with a given faction, and certain power ups will require the correct class to use them.  They can still take up the pack space as I talked about in armor a while ago.

Anyway a quick update about school.  I am very busy doing the projects for my classes, though I am still learning a lot of valuable information.  I won't be able to work on this project extensively in the near future, though I have a good idea of what I need to do to get started now.

Programming is a lot of work

I have to take my hat off to all of the programmers out there who make things like the internet and computers possible.  Programming is fairly challenging and I think under appreciated work.  I have been doing homework assignments for simple things like minor calculations, and realizing just how much math and programming it takes just to do simple things like graphics and game physics is pretty mind boggling.  I now understand a little better why people say to start out with a small project and forget the big ambitious plans.  I still want to complete this goal, but after over a month of school I feel like I'm not any closer to realizing this project.  I know that I will need to take years to get it right, but I need to do some serious planning way above and beyond where I'm at now.  On the plus side I am getting valuable information on how to create complex programs.  I'm going to be pretty busy with homework in the mean time, so for the few followers I have just know that I may have some pretty long breaks between posts.

Financial argument for Free to Play games

It was pointed out that as an aspiring game developer one has to be able to articulate to potential investors how the investment in a game will not be the equivalent of throwing money away.  Many people in control of money may not be familiar with the world of video games and the very idea of "free to play" sounds as though a game will not generate income in any way.  So I'm going to create an argument for free to play models and why someone should invest in them.

#1 Is audience.  If someone has to pay up front for a product, especially an unknown product, they will be reluctant because it creates a commitment to that product.  If people are able to try a game for free then that sense of commitment is not there, and so there will be a greater willingness to try it out at the very least.  This will mean that the initial audience will be much greater than before, and let's face it without an audience a game will make no money.

#2 Is micro transactions. This means that people can pay real money for items or services in the game that will make the playing experience much more enjoyable.  In many games this comes in the form of premium memberships, aesthetic upgrades for ones avatar or in game property, better or unique game items which will give an edge over the competition, etc....  This means that while a game is free to play for everyone, those who pay will progress faster or will spend less time doing menial or boring tasks which is often referred to as "grinding".

#3 Is that a game need not remain free forever.  Commonly games will build up a following of players during a free to play time period when the game is stable and playable but not finished, which is often referred to as the beta period.  During this time players get used to the game and decide whether or not to buy the game once the "beta" period is over.  Often these periods will not include the entire game and often are equated to a demo or a sneak peak of the game.  This is most effective with large scale AAA titles, meaning that there has been millions of dollars and hundreds of man hours from a large team of developers invested into the project.  This also only works if effective marketing strategies have been put into place.  For the sake of my game argument #3 will not really be applicable.

#4 Is that if players truly enjoy a game they will do what they can to ensure it's success.  There have been many games that have been started through the gaming community's support effort with tools like kickstarter.  Some games have been perpetuated by community support long after the typical shelf life of the game, and with the internet becoming as large as it is specialized communities are popping up all over the place.  If one is able to cater to one such community and gain their respect there can be a huge response in the way of financial support.

I'll have to expand on these arguments and think of others as I go along.