Twitch + MMO = Naughty
by Jonathon Stevens · in General Discussion · 08/03/2006 (1:58 pm) · 28 replies
I've seen a few posts here and there where people talk about adding twitch to an MMO or even building MMOFPS's. I don't think an MMOFPS is realistic based on today's technology. My point is backed up by the Godfather of virtual worlds Mr. Richard Bartle in his text 'Designing Virtual Worlds':
"In a regular computer game, players can be expected to make timed runs through windmill sails or giant steam pistons or pendulum scythes, but in a virtual world there's no guarantee that when the player sees a gap on their client the server is actually implementing one. For this reason, players can never be called on to make reflex actions, which means virtual worlds have little or no twitch."
Lag happens to ever person on the planet. It doesn't matter if you are sitting in the building next to the servers. If you aren't directly on the network or even server machine, you will experience lag, albeit small, but it still exists.
Hell even CS:S has slight lag even when I have a ping of < 25 on a Minnesota server.
Thoughts?
"In a regular computer game, players can be expected to make timed runs through windmill sails or giant steam pistons or pendulum scythes, but in a virtual world there's no guarantee that when the player sees a gap on their client the server is actually implementing one. For this reason, players can never be called on to make reflex actions, which means virtual worlds have little or no twitch."
Lag happens to ever person on the planet. It doesn't matter if you are sitting in the building next to the servers. If you aren't directly on the network or even server machine, you will experience lag, albeit small, but it still exists.
Hell even CS:S has slight lag even when I have a ping of < 25 on a Minnesota server.
Thoughts?
About the author
With a few casual games under his belt as CEO of Last Straw Productions, Jonathon created the increasingly popular Indie MMO Game Developers Conference.
#22
08/06/2006 (1:35 pm)
Well you don't say... well thanks for the info. 
#23
08/06/2006 (2:39 pm)
So Donald, you play Neocron or just tried it briefly? I think it's quite a nice game.
#24
08/06/2006 (2:59 pm)
It was an awesome game play experience. I don't play any longer because the servers are to empty and the company never listen to its users. One of these I do hope to create something that will be much better than it. Anyone who wants to make a MMOFPS should check out that game.
#25
I remember logging on and my character had been swapped with someone else's just temporarily.
Still, great game.
08/06/2006 (3:07 pm)
I agree, great game but too small userbase and kinda bugridden sometimes.I remember logging on and my character had been swapped with someone else's just temporarily.
Still, great game.
#26
08/06/2006 (4:31 pm)
Yeah the most memorable part of that game that I love was the skill system. It was a hard grind at times but I love how you use X and only X would increased to an extent. The droner was a very cool idea. A little poor on the implementation but an awesome idea. I am sure the game can be remade and marketed it could be a great game. sigh man i miss Neocron.... 
#27
www.brokeassgames.com
We're still in beta but we did it.
Ruin Online based off of Torque.
I'm also happy to share code and practices.
Ari
08/10/2006 (9:23 pm)
Talking about it?www.brokeassgames.com
We're still in beta but we did it.
Ruin Online based off of Torque.
I'm also happy to share code and practices.
Ari
#28
Being an Australian, I had an average 400ms ping to the SWG servers, and I was able to play the NGE without much trouble at all, both ground and space. I was also able to play Planetside without any trouble.
Except for the view making me nauseous in both games. SWG was fine until they implemented the over should camera. Planetside unfortunately made me sick quite quickly. Come to think of it, 10 minutes in HL2 makes me violently ill too. But that's about it.
I think MMOFPS is definitely viable. It may not be perfect, but it can work.
08/11/2006 (3:38 am)
I was the Doctor and Medic Forum Correspondent for SWG for a year. The way SOE makes decisions is pathetic to say the least. It is an example that should be studied by all game developers as a way to absolutely NOT do business.Being an Australian, I had an average 400ms ping to the SWG servers, and I was able to play the NGE without much trouble at all, both ground and space. I was also able to play Planetside without any trouble.
Except for the view making me nauseous in both games. SWG was fine until they implemented the over should camera. Planetside unfortunately made me sick quite quickly. Come to think of it, 10 minutes in HL2 makes me violently ill too. But that's about it.
I think MMOFPS is definitely viable. It may not be perfect, but it can work.
Torque Owner Stefan Lundmark
Neocron has been in development for pretty long over at Reakktor and that's the only reason it looks like it does - it's old.
No no no.
1. Graphics have nothing to do with network latency like was said a million times previously.
2. The CPU does not 'paint' the screen. Even if it did, it would never be so busy that it couldnt send any network packets. No one cuts down on graphical features so the CPU can send packets, because there's no need to and a computer today can handle it just fine.
3. Since the 1990's we have had something called a GPU.
No offence, but you've been misinformed and you're underestimating the power of computers :)