[MUD-Dev] Online Games Resource Guide

[Valerio Santinelli]

Gamasutra has published an interesting guide about online games that
covers some of the programming and design efforts in delivering an
MMOG.

Here's a snap of the main page:

  http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20020916/index.shtml


Distributing Object State for Networked Games Using Object Views by
Rick Lambright

  http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20020916/lambright_01.htm

As game developers, we are continuously challenged to create richer
and richer game worlds. Whether we are developing a 16-player
multiplayer game, or a 10,000-player persistent world, making richer
game worlds efficiently means we must be increasingly intelligent
about how we distribute the everchanging state of our game
objects. This problem is further complicated by the diversity of the
network connection characteristics of each player. This feature
describes a technique for managing the distribution of object state
using an encapsulation mechanism called an object view. Object views
provide a means for managing the distribution of object state on a
perobject basis that is flexible and transparent to the game
object. In order to describe what they are and how they are used,
we'll also peer into the workings of a distributed object system
designed for multiplayer games.


Implementing Stories in Massively Multiplayer Games by Chris Klug

  http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20020916/klug_01.htm

If the players will create their own drama, why bother trying to
tell stories in massivley multiplayer games? Why not just make a
sandbox and let people play? You're already telling a story, whether
you meant to or not. Every single thing you do when you create a
game, from the look of the interface to the colors of the spaceships
to the way the avatars move to the amount of grass you put on the
ground tells a story.


Of Internet Servers and SQL Databases: Designing the Backend for
Power and Performance by Pete Hallenberg

  http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20020916/hallenberg_01.htm

As online games proliferate, a growing number of Internet servers
are being created and deployed by game developers. These servers
must deal with massive quantities of data generated by the games
that connect to them. Off-the-shelf SQL database software seems like
the ideal way to handle all this data, but which RDBMS system is
right for your project, how will it impact server performance, and
how should the data be structured and used? This feature will answer
these questions and many others. It is intended to give programmers
a clear and practical understanding of the things databases do well
and the things they do horribly. Using a database without this
knowledge is a virtual guarantee of lousy server performance. Topics
include server architecture, ODBC vs. proprietary connection APIs,
keeping the query optimizer from killing you, and everything you
never wanted to know about designing tables, indexes, and stored
procedures to make your servers fly.


Creating Effective Groups and Group Roles in MMP Games by Mike
Sellers

  http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20020916/sellers_01.htm

Massively multiplayer games are built on a social foundation. They
differ from other games in that they encourage people to do fun
things as part of a group, and to keep up their group ties over
months and years. These games lure players in with visions of heroic
battles and individual character advancement, but ultimately succeed
when they provide meaningful, interdependent roles for people to
play as part of a group. In this article, This feature provides some
design principles to follow based on how current MMP games are
encouraging (or not) players to be part of groups within and around
the game, with an emphasis on temporary and permanent groups,
designed and emergent roles within groups, and where this might lead
in the future.


The Music of Anarchy Online: Creating Music for MMOGs by Bjørn Arve
Lagim

  http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20020916/lagim_01.htm

In any game, it is important to know what the goal of the music is,
and how it should interact with the player. For Anarchy Online, we
wanted a musical tapestry to compliment the beautiful graphics, and
we wanted music that would last beyond the first few hours of
playing. We wanted the music to change according to the location and
actions of the player, and we wanted CD-quality music. The most
obvious challenge was to create music that wouldn't get repetitive
or irritating to the player. AO has potentially thousands of hours
of playing time, and this meant that we had to come up with a method
of both presenting the music and composing the music that would be
suitable for many hours of exposure.


--
c'ya!

Valerio Santinelli
tanis at mediacom.it
HateSeed Gaming Magazine http://www.hateseed.com/
My Lab http://tanis.hateseed.com/
In Flames Italia http://www.inflames.it/
One Man Crew http://www.onemancrew.org/

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