MULTI-PLAYERBarkan TOPRAK

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OVERVIEW

Difference between single player games and other pursuits Single player games: Illusion of another player or designer

Reality concept in a multiplayer game Battling, cooperating or simply socializing It has a much greater importance than any single-player

game can ever manage

Examples from well-known games Single-player: Solitaire has extreme minority of available

choices Multi-player: Chess, Monopoly

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MOTIVATIONS

Multi-player games satisfies “What Players Want”

Replacing AI opponents provides much deeper and more unpredictable behavior

Opponents will learn as they play: as players improve, so too do their opponents Desire to be challenged is met!

Many people play multi-player games just to socialize

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STARCRAFT 2 TOURNEMENT

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MOTIVATIONS

Multi-player feature of a game can change player’s perceived importance of playing the game

Brag and shame feelings

Alternate realities

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MOTIVATIONS

Much more dynamic experience than interacting with a computer alone

All “wants” that multi-player games satisfy: challenge, social experience, potential for bragging rights, emotional payoff, deeply interactive experience

It is important for designers to keep this list in mind

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MOTIVATIONS

Allowing the use of mechanics may not work in single-player games

Some titles are ideally suited to being single player, others are can only work on multi-player experiences

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THE FORMS

Single System Multi-Player Pong, Mario Bros., sport games, fighting games Same portion of the game world, both visible Can be problematic Split-screen New technology: same screen but different displays Advantages: much fun from interaction

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THE FORMS

Online Multi-Player Players invisible to each other

Quake, Counter-Strike, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Ultima Online, WoW

Extremely social experience

Provides chat and voip

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DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Significantly different challenges in their design “Pause moments” Let players know how much time they will play “Hope” is important: Mario Kart example Customization Multi-player game designers have much less

dictatorial control over players’ experiences

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DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Changing AI to real players may not be enough Take cue from multi-player non-computer

games Cooperating creates a unique experience that

cannot be replicated in a single-player game Protect newbies, they are vulnerable & valuable

for long-term success Single player training Level limitation

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CALL OF DUTY END-GAME SCOREBOARD

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DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

People play to socialize Some games allow players to chat or talk with each other

but some don’t Communication types

Playing games with people that we already know VS people that we just met

Every feature or mechanic you add to our multi-player game should be examined to determine how it impacts the players’ social experience

Though not every feature needs to be a social one.

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DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

Development teams must decide: multi-player, single-player or both

Play-testing and user feedback You never can anticipate what players will attempt to do Closed & open beta: sometimes not enough

Patches Listening to community Monitor behaviors: Used most and used least

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CONCLUSION

The future of multi-player gaming looks bright

Single-player games will probably continue to be more popular because the players can start and stop whenever they want

Multi-player games provide unique experiences

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THANKS

Thank you for listening, any questions?