The Price to Play

Massive online games have really come into their own as a genre. We are in the middle of a boom in new game production, though we have yet to see how many of the boom time games are able to support themselves over the long term. Much of what I wrote in the State of the Game series of articles is being overturned. While innovations in play style, theme and content create new and interesting experiences, innovations in business model and payment structure cause us to question how we relate to the genre as a whole. Today we take a look at the payment structures for three different online games, two of which are online now and one of which will be entering Beta soon. Their unique payment plans present interesting alternatives to the traditional buy the game and then pay $12.95 a month plan popularized by Everquest et. al.

Disclaimer: Properly reviewing a MMORPG takes a sizeable time investment. While I have played two of the three games discussed herein for the double-digit hours required for basic familiarity, by no means do I have the double-digit days required for extensive knowledge of either. (I have, of course, no time with The Chronicle, given its' pre-release status.) As this game is primarily concerned with the economic implications of business structures, limited experience should not be an obstacle. However, readers are advised to take comments regarding interface, playability, etc. with a grain of salt.

Guild Wars is the flagship game for alternate payment plans. Having been on retail shelves since April,, Guild Wars remains free to play after the initial purchase. While their stated intent is to maintain revenue through continually releasing "Chapters," the first nine months have shown no retail level expansions, only content drops through patching. (Guild Wars claims not to have patching. It does. The patching, here called updating, is done in the background during play rather than up front through a different application. Time will tell which version delivers superior interface quality.) To match the revenue stream of a traditionally structured MMORPG, Arena Net would have to produce one chapter approximately ever four months. As they have shown no sign of doing so, we must conclude that they are working with less revenue/user and thus have fewer resources to throw into development/support, etc. Guild Wars focus on pvp content in the endgame will help to abate this somewhat. First, PVP content requires less investment. Because of the evolving nature of competition in a complex environment, players will in some sense create new challenges from one another with only a baseline level of tuning required on the part of the game's creators. Secondly, competitive players are extremely motivated to buy expansions. Despite the ridiculous claims of the Guild Wars FAQ that you can still compete with players who own more chapters than you, if a new chapter has any options that are better than, or even as good as, existent options, every player wishing to remain competitive has to rush out and buy it immediately, lest they fall behind. Hopefully, this competitive player base will be enough to provide Guild Wars with the income potential it needs on the long term, as its' success will be a big step toward validating the possibility of payment structures beyond simple subscription.
Flyff is another game without a monthly fee. Flyff takes the free plan a step further by providing its client software for download. (Try it. You can download the game, patch it and be playing in a couple hours without investment.) The only revenue generated by Flyff's owner/maintainers comes in the form of sales of items from a "premium store" stocked with in game merchandise (and, to a lesser degree, sales of residual real world merchandise.) This premium store model, while an interesting way to allow the hardcore to support the game for the general player base, is not going to support the level of income necessitated by corporate underwriters. This is fine, of course, because Flyff is clearly a labor of love and not intended as a massive moneymaker. The game shows much more coding genius than it does commercial polish and is exceedingly light in the showing new players around department and while it will never be the next big thing it will very likely last until progressing technology erodes the influx of new players.

The Chronicle is a monthly subscription game by MMOCenter.com. While you do pay a monthly fee to play, you pay for an account that expands across all current and future MMOCenter games. They are presenting the transaction as buying a service rather than a product. While this has interesting implications for ownership of your characters and their items, they are no larger than those presented by online games in general. Interested readers are encouraged to take a look around MMOCenter's site. Their plans are ambitious and if they manage to pull together even some of what they suggest, their games will be well worth the larger than normal ($20) monthly fee, particularly given the rather generous preorder offer. It seems that the monthly fee being spread across games will cause lessened development on a per game basis, but we must wait and see whether this results in an increase or decrease in overall play quality.

These three are far from the only games proposing to roll over the basic one game one month one free structure. When making your mmorpg decision, stop and think about what you pay, what you get, and what they claim. All three have to line up to make the experience worth your while.

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Mathematica Algorithms and Puzzles

If you studied math, engineering, or computers in high school and college then you most likely have heard of "Mathematica" software. Mathematica is a robust software program that can complete a multitude of functions. For example, you can use it to graph and understand complex Calculus problems or you can use Mathematica to model an engineering problem such as the New Orleans levee system. (Apparently they didn't use Mathematica software to test the strength of the levees!)

Mathematica is not just any math and science software program. It can cover such a wide range of situations with different parameters and factors that it is an exciting piece of software. Mathematica is based on sets of algorithms that are unique in nature. Mathematica software was created by physicist Stephen Wolfram in 1988. It is used in many secondary schools, colleges, and universities around the nation. I have used it in my calculus, physics, and engineering classes.

The reason I am writing about Mathematica today is that Stephen Wolfram authored a book in 2002, titled "A New Kind of Science" that I think any puzzle fan would like. This extensive book will spark the interest of not only math lovers, but puzzle lovers as well. Math and puzzle aficionados can relate to the joy of spending time trying to figure out the solution to a problem.

"A New Kind of Science" attempts to explain the mysteries and puzzles of the universe. Stephen Wolfram has devised a new method and perspective of looking at these mysteries including engineering laws of thermodynamics and biological explanations. He tested his theories by creating software programs that are based on various algorithms. He wished to show that a simple algorithm will not always yield a simple answer. And vice versa, a complex algorithm will not always yield a complex answer. He has set out to prove that he can solve any puzzle that comes his way by using specific algorithms.

This is not an entirely new perspective, but the depth at which he has done his research and presents his solutions makes it a credible point of view. Perhaps different industries will take note of his findings. Computer technology is advancing at a rapid pace everyday and he is looking for ways to improve various software systems and code protocols.

What is exciting is that he is attempting to create a new form of science. He seeks to solve the puzzles that were once deemed unsolvable. Isn't that what we all strive to do as puzzle and game lovers? Solve the puzzle before everyone else does or create a puzzle of our own for others to figure out? Creating a puzzle is a puzzle in itself!

Want to learn more about Stephen Wolfram and his "New Kind of Science"? You can actually download and read his book at his website: http://www.wolframscience.com. He discusses the algorithms as they relate to everything from biological issues to finance. For example, in the Finance section he discusses the notion of randomness as it relates to stocks, bonds, and commodities.

So take a look at Stephen Wolfram's work if you feel like taking a break from your puzzle or game. You can learn the behind-the-scenes information about problems and puzzles that is really fascinating. It will help you to appreciate and marvel at the complexity of puzzles and games.

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City of Villains - Part 2

In part one of this review we talked about the larger issues surrounding City of Villains as it relates to City of Heroes and possible ethical concerns parents may have with its content. Today we get to talk about the interesting stuff: Gameplay.

Characters:

No question about it, your character is a villain. Your options for visual customization are incredible, with combinations likely numbering well into the tens of millions. Even more so than City of Heroes, you will run into other characters and think "wow, how did he get himself to look like that." The options are also a little more extreme than in CoH, with devil tails, skull heads and satyr hooves among the more pedestrian options. There is also a random selector that comes up with interesting, if monochromatic options for the less fiddly among us.

Once you've gotten over the playing dress-up portion of character creation you have to make a few initial power and archetype choices. Do not make these lightly, as they will have a greater effect on how you character plays than anything else you do over the course of the game. It's not uncommon, in fact, to restart several times until you find a power set that fits your playing style.

Your primary choice is that of Archetype. The five Archetypes are notable both in how they differ from one another and in how they compare to their City of Heroes counterparts.

Brutes: Brutes are straightforward damage dealers. Their secondary powers come in the form of damage abating armor. They also have a third bar below health and stamina that measures the amount of built up rage in the Brute's system at the moment. This rage acts as a direct multiplier to damage. It builds as you fight and degrades over time, motivating the Brute to rush into combat, possibly before he and his party members are ready. This also pushes forward the primacy of any and all methods to conserve stamina so that you can fight longer. Brutes make fascinating solo characters, forcing you to balance health and stamina, sometimes turning off your armor powers mid fight so that you can have enough fuel for one more group of enemies while you're still angry.

Stalkers: Stalkers hide. All the time. While this doesn't sound that exciting, what it means in a practical sense is that a stalker will start every fight with a free double damage hit on the enemy of choice. Once the Stalker has blown his ambush, he is a lot like a brute with different weapon/armor options and no rage bar. Stalkers, particularly when solo, have a number of interesting options for hit and run tactics which really come into their own with level 14 and the acquisition of one of the travel powers (super speed being the most exciting for this application, though leaping is never far behind.)

Corrupters: Corrupters are the Blaster of City of Villains. Their primary focus is on ranged damage dealing and they have an ability called Scourge that boosts their damage against weakened enemies. Unlike City of Heroes Blasters, Corrupters actually have useful secondary powers, with an array of heals, self and party buffs and enemy debuffs making your choice of a secondary power set potentially more defining than your primary which will, at the end of the day, be all about lobbing damage in the direction of the (other) bad guys.

Masterminds: Masterminds lead minions. Each of the four types of mastermind (Zombie, Mercenary, Ninja and Robot) can summon an array of minions and then empower those minions to go out and fight the Mastermind's battles. This makes them a very complicated, but very powerful class. The distinctions between the four different minion types exist, though they are often more thematic than practical. You should certainly choose the one that most appeals to your character concept rather than sucking it up to go with a more powerful choice. The Mastermind is a great choice for players who always want things to do. At the higher levels, you will have the ability to individually command six minions in battle as well as managing your own powers.

Dominators: Dominators excel at making certain a situation stays under control. Each of the different Dominator power sets has a variety of holds, slows, immobilizes, etc. to make sure that your enemies can't effectively take action against your party. In response to the common criticism that City of Heroes Controllers took forever to kill anything after they'd used their control powers, Dominators have secondary powers that do ranged damage rather than buffing the party. This makes for a more interactive experience, though it means that you really can't make a pure support character within the archetypes.

The five archetypes, each one having four to six primary power sets and a similar number of secondary options make for plenty of variety in play styles and team composition. New players should experiment until they find something that suits.

Once you've settled on a character, you traipse about the Rouge Isles either engaging in mindless violence (which is fun, but only for a while) or doing missions for various contacts, starting with a few Arachnos operatives on Mercy Island and branching out a bit after that. New to City of Villains is the newspaper/broker system which serves as a method of new contact acquisition as well as giving characters that have exhausted their contacts a source of steady, if unexciting, missions. While this does alleviate the common problem in City of Heroes where a character would run out of missions a full level before getting new contacts, it also destroys some of the cohesion in moving through a grid of contacts and the feeling of knowing people who know people. It also creates some very frustrating moments when you do a series of newspaper missions and return to a broker expecting to be introduced to a new contact only to be sent on your way after doing the broker's heist or worse, just told that the broker (who left you a message in the paper) simply has nothing for you. The game is in desperate need of some additional guidance to tell players what they generally should be doing at any given time.

The only other significant complaint we have about the game is that there is a fair bit of lag. The amount varies quite a lot from system to system and zone to zone, but everyone who has a travel power that carries them above the roofline has learned to use it carefully, lest the view cause potentially dangerous slowdowns. This problem has also kept us from exploring the game's PvP areas in much depth, as mobility and response time are crucial in that environment. We are, however, looking forward to putting together a large enough super group to participate in the game's base raiding system, which promises to get rid of a lot of the large area lag problems we have in the open PvP areas.

Speaking of Supergroups, the base editor is a building level version of everything that is right about character creation. You can have whatever type of base you want, though there could stand to be a little bit better explanation of the function of each base component. Bases serve both a recreational function and as your defensive area for the raiding function, making design an interesting exercise in balancing form vs. function.

All in all, City of Villains is a good time. It lacks the breadth that a World of Warcraft (to which all mmorpgs will be compared for some time) has, but the core play is enjoyable enough to merit a purchase and at least a few months of subscription. CoV is also a much easier game to play for short periods of time, making it an excellent choice for groups with busy schedules.

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City of Villains - Part 1

City of Villains is Cryptic Studios latest entry into the MMORPG genre. As with City of Heroes, Cryptic has paired with prolific inline game publisher NCsoft (Lineage, Auto Assault, Guild Wars, etc.) We'll look at the game from a high level perspective in the first part of the review, considering the implications of the release format and some of the ethical and parental problems that a game like this creates. In the second part of the review we'll get into the game mechanics and minutiae.

Like any MMORPG, City of Villains has depth. This is a game you can play for a very long time without feeling that you've done quite everything. What it lacks, however, is breadth, at least at the low end. All characters go and identical introductory mission and then have almost identical experiences for the first 6 or so levels. While there is some variation, there isn't enough to make creating a new character seem like somewhat of a chore, which is a shame given the beautiful creation and costuming system. This linear early game feels like a regression from City of Heroes, which had two starting areas and multiple paths within each, creating the feeling that each character was having a unique experience from the get go.

Speaking of City of Heroes, there was a lot of speculation before CoV came out regarding the relationship of the two games. The publishers have been very vocal in stating that CoV is not an expansion of CoH, but is a standalone game in its own right. While it is true that you could by City of Villains alone and play it that way, the statement rings a little hollow. Heroes and Villains occupy the same servers. Indeed, you select them from the same login (though you get more character slots with both games, creating ample space.) They even interact with one another in various mid to high level PvP areas. That said, City of Villains isn't exactly a normal expansion either. While it does contain content for City of Heros characters in the form of bases and the aforementioned PvP areas, the vast majority of the content can only be experienced with Villain characters. (Heroes and Villains cannot generally visit one another's home zones. Some missions take place there, but they are in instanced versions of the appropriate area, not the actual player spaces.) In the end, City of Villains is something new, neither exactly a new and distinct game nor merely an extension of the old. Cryptic has done a good job of integrating the two games and of separating their launches enough that City of Villains could incorporate enough new material to make it feel fresh.

Some of that new material may create parental concern. Make no mistake about it; your character in this game is a villain. You would have to be extremely careful in your mission selection to avoid robbery, extortion, blackmail, kidnapping and a host of other crimes. The game stops short of explicitly spelling out murder, though a number of your missions use euphemisms. It's left to the player to imagine the exact outcomes of his or her actions which, given the hospital grid built into the City of Villains world isn't entirely clear. Violence in the game is very abstract. You spend the vast majority of your time hitting/blasting/blowing up assorted other bad people, but you don't generally see blood. Corpses look for the most like they've passed out and there is no graphic violence whatsoever. You do, however, enact your cartoon style violence on a number of what would be considered good people, most notably the local police force. This is a rather interesting ethical statement from a company that took a large and well developed faction of Neo-Nazis out of City of Heroes. Remember, kids: Its okay to punch a cop, but don't fight Nazis, because they're too evil and you might get some on you. The violence, particularly when it is exalted by many of the in game characters, may create some parental concern. It is certainly a different sort of violence than you would find in a military FPS or in a Grand Theft Auto, but it is there and must be acknowledged. That said, were I to have children, I would let them play this sort of game after a discussion of what parts of it are, and are not, examples of things not to do in the real world. How said children would manage to get the game away from me to log any significant play time is, of course, another matter.

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Children and Online Games

by Laura Rupert

There are some concerns which have been expressed by parents these days regarding computer games and kids. Some of the concerns relate to content while others deal with the computer games taking up all of the children's time which should be spent doing homework. However, computer games are the farthest thing from worthless distractions and can in fact provide certain benefits to children who play them.

Computer Games Get Children to Think

Although there seems to be conflicting opinions over the beneficial aspects of computer games for children, the fact remains that many computer games enable children to develop their thought processes. There are particular games which really get kids to think such as word games. Word games come in a variety of types including crossword puzzles or Scrabble-type games. These games are ones that produce no harmful effects for the children and help them to improve their vocabulary while having fun.

Some Games Help Children with Their Spelling

There are many skills children can improve upon by playing computer games. One skill in particular which children can improve upon by practicing is that of spelling. Many computer games focus on words and vocabulary which help children learn how to spell a variety of words and improve their spelling on the words which they already know. Spelling is an important part of an individual's life and improving this skill at a young age will make a big difference.

One game in particular which will help children improve their spelling is online Scrabble. This entertaining game is one which makes children spell words and use their minds to come up with new words. There are varying levels of Scrabble which one may increase each time that they play this game online. Spelling skills are definitely ones which can improve through the use of online games.

Aid in Improving Problem Solving Skills

Good problem solving skills are important for individuals of all ages but especially children. Improving problem solving skills can be done in a number of ways and one way in particular where individuals can work on their problem solving skills is by playing logic games and other thought provoking computer games. Playing these types of games online are beneficial for a few different reasons. First, the child who plays these games online can do so alone and does not have to have another individual to compete against, as the computer will provide automated competitors. Secondly, one who plays games such as these online versions will find that there are a number of different games to choose from and one can always locate a new game to play should they complete the one which they are currently working on.

Summary

Children constantly need to be enlightened and entertained and both of these things can be accomplished via online games. Not only do games such as these enable the child to have fun but they provide an educational basis for the kids as well. What better way to educate a child than by way of a technique which adds in the fun factor as well.

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Challenging Minds with Games

by Sandy Baker

Do you have a favorite thinking game? As a child growing up, I used to love to play games that were puzzles, something to challenge me not physically but challenge my mind. We used to do simple things like create objects out of clouds or find out what would happen when too much water was added to the mud pie. Nevertheless, it seems that many children in our society today are rather uninterested in those types of games. They now just do what the Game Boy tells them to.

Recently, playing a Game Boy game, I found it to be amazing that the game was so simplistic in that it often told me what to do when I was lost or maybe unsure of what to do next. Now, I am not a regular player nor do I know if this is common, but what happened to the fun of trying to figure the puzzle out? How do you get through the door or find the missing item? You keep trying until you do, right?

The good news is that you don't have to allow your children's brains to go whoosh! You can offer them computer games that are more mind challenging rather than time fillers. Games like Mah Jong encourage people (children included) to develop a plan for solving the problem at hand. This plan is one that will keep you focused on the goal ahead and keep your brain trying to figure out the next move. There are hundreds of others that use all sorts of skill including solving problems.

So, just what does all this mean for you? Should you give your child these mind challenging games and rip away the games they currently play? Unless you are out for them to hate you, we don't recommend that. But, allow them to have the ability to access these games and you may find that they are often drawn to them. Children's minds are like sponges, soaking up whatever is thrown at them. So, they don't find their own puzzles to play with anymore. That doesn't me they don't need those problem solving skills.

Have you ever been in an environment where a child just can not do anything for themselves? They need mom or dad to tie their shoes. They need mom or dad to fix their problem with friends. They can not solve their own problem. This is a large problem and one that parents need to take notice of. Can playing computer games that encourage problem solving skills really help? They are not the whole answer but they can be part of the solution.

What you can do is provide games like puzzles, word, math and even card games that children can play on the web or download them to your computer. These will help to strengthen their skills in problem solving, in dealing with reactions, and in preparing for the unknown. Guess what? It's also a really fun thing to do with your kids too! Make it mean something even more by playing along with them!

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