Something a bit different this week. I want the brilliant people here to put a bit of effort toward thinking about different online games.
The RPG currently reigns supreme. For a good designer, it is easy to see why: it is a popular genre in single-player games, these games provide a lot of replay value, the cumulative character structure is excellent for taking advantage of persistence, and there are many opportunities to interact with other players to accomplish goals. In short, RPGs were made for the online medium.
But, there are more than just RPG type games in the industry. Other popular genres include the FPS, RTS, and sims. Yet, these genres haven’t been translated to the online medium very well, if at all. Planetside shows that you can do an online FPS, but it won’t necessarily be a runaway hit. The Sims, a phenomenal hit offline, didn’t make the transition to online very well at all.
So, this weekend’s challenge is to consider the RTS game. What could you do in order to make an “MMORTS” game?
Some issues to consider after the break.
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