choice that many couples will play together, with women tending to enjoy them more
than most games. These games are much more open-ended in their design, emphasiz-
ing multiple paths to success and allowing players to spend their time how they choose.
Players can go on quests, get a job and build up a home, or just spend all their time
socializing with the other people they meet there. Indeed, some have charged that
these MMPs are really just cleverly disguised chat rooms. However,Ultima Onlineand
Star Wars Galaxieslead designer Raph Koster is quick to point out that players will not
play these games solely for the social experience. Since they can do that over e-mail or
ICQ, there will be no incentive for them to keep playing the game (and paying the
monthly subscription fee that most of these games charge) if all they are doing with the
game is socializing. For it to be successful in the long term, the game must provide an
interesting enough game that facilitates socialization in conjunction with other
rewards.
Each of the different forms that multi-player games can take determine the kind of
interaction players will have with each other while playing. This in turn dictates which
type of games will best succeed in those forms. Having both players share a single view
of the game-world demands cooperation between the players if they are going to prog-
ress to new areas. Having a split-screen means that, if the game is competitive, players
will be unable to avoid seeing what the other players are doing. Having players at sepa-
rate systems means they will be able to have proper blind-play but will be significantly
hindered in their ability to interact with each other while playing the game, no matter
what the game designer does to facilitate socialization. All these types of games can be
fun if, from the start, the designer is fully cognizant of the strengths and weaknesses of
the type of multi-player game he is building and designs the game to work optimally
within that paradigm.
Design Considerations ...........................
Of course multi-player games present significantly different challenges in their design
than do single-player games. For example, the pacing of multi-player games needs to be
more varied than it is in single-player games, for the simple reason that in a
multi-player game players cannot pause the game, since the other players would need
to simultaneously pause as well. Though most single-player games provide a variable
curve with peaks at high tension and valleys in calmer moments, getting this curve
right is even more important in a multi-player game since players are unable to create
their own valley by hitting the pause button. Without being able to pause their game,
players run the risk of being slaughtered by the other players if they let their guard
down for even a moment. It is human nature (at least, for everyone except for the most
hard-core) to need breaks from any activity, and a designer should plan his game so it is
possible for players to tend to the needs of the real world without needing to quit the
game. This may mean letting them choose how long to wait to respawn after dying, pro-
viding safe places in the world for them to hide without the immediate threat of death,
or having a short enough game duration that wanting to pause is not a major issue.
If possible, you want to predetermine how long it will take players to play your
game, at least on average. You want to pick a time that will be a reasonable investment
for your target audience, and then try to make the design of your game support that
242 Chapter 13: Multi-Player