Enhancing MMOG world design with believability
- Utilizing natural science principles and methods in MMOGs
Project summary
The MMORPG believability project forms part of my private research, and basically aims at developing cost-benefit effective methods for the design of specific aspect of fictional world settings and environments, as well as consistent and dynamic content and new forms of player challenges. The approach we suggest is based on utilizing knowledge about the real world from the natural sciences, in combination with principles of MMOG design and development. Especially features of ecological systems in nature, simple evolutionary systems and deep, consistent world construction knowledge appear to offer new inspiration for MMOG worlds.
Despite researching computer games, I have a background in the natural sciences with a masters degree in geology, geography and biology, specializing in large-scale bio-faunal patterns. It is this knowledge, combined with game design techniques, that I together with a couple of colleagues, are trying to model to suit MMOG world design.
Information disclosure: We have assembled some initial thoughts in a brief design document, however, we cannot share this freely on the internet due to Intellectual Property issues. If you would like to get a copy of the material, please contact me for a non-disclosure agreement, which I will need signed before releasing the document. Below are some brief notes on the project - we would be very interested in collaborating on this with a MMOG developer.
Crafting MMORPG Worlds
The design, construction and management of virtual world systems in MMOGs can be approached from a variety of angles. When it comes to the design and management of the virtual environment itself, the traditional approach has been to hand-craft the environment top-down to accommodate already defined gameplay and game design. An alternative path is to design the virtual world first, defining any causal relationships, and utilize this as a basis for designing the gameplay. This latter approach is utilized in virtual world simulations and games that place weight on simulated, realistic environments or functions, such as A-life games. The advantages of the simulation approach are for example that the consistency and logical realism of the thereby created game worlds is much stronger than in the hand-crafted versions, providing a much richer and immersive experience to the player, which possibly boosts retention. Furthermore, complex systems tend to generate emergent gameplay which has to be pre-planned for in hand crafted systems. Proponents of the hand-crafting approach argue however, that simulations are not necessarily fun – the real world being a primary case argument – and therefore not supportive to games design. Furthermore, that the realistic feel provided by simulations often can be achieved by using stagecraft.
It is not the purpose of the MMOG believability project to advocate either approach, but rather the approach that aims at creating believable worlds. This approach attempts to merge the complexity of the simulation approach with without compromising the core game design.
In practice, most MMOGs lean heavily towards the hand-crafted side with elements of a believability or simulation approach mixed in. Game comes first, the game world follows. This is causing massive problems with consistency and logic in many games, which however is not a cause for low subscription numbers, as is the case with e.g. World of Warcraft, GuildWars and Dungeons and Dragons Online. Despite the success of World of Warcraft, this is far from the only MMOG running successfully, and the game does not appeal to all types of players. For example Saga of Ryzom is based on a more believable environment with a simple ecosystem dynamic integrated therein. It is therefore relevant to ask:
1) If consistent world logic and possibly even simulated environments would be of interest in MMOG design?
2) If games like World of Warcraft could be enhanced, attract more players and better retain them using certain parts or tools from the different paths of thinking about MMOG world design?
The Belivability Approach
Believability is not a new concept in MMOG design, however, we suggest to amplify the basic believability approach by investigating and selectively incorporate knowledge from the natural sciences disciplines in MMOG world design, at the desired phase(-s) of the design and development process, and to the extent required in the project in question.
The approach can be illustrated using examples to put theory into practice, e.g. utilizing simple ecological principles in the design of content on top of an existent MMOG design - deep world history design, evolution of MOBs and believability principles of MOB behavior:
Deep world history: In comparison with Earth, the history of MMOG worlds is generally based on the design of a history of the civilizations inhabiting the world. This history is generally marginally utilized. By looking beyond the history of civilizations to geological and biological history, game designers can gain access to a cheap resource of content and environment design material, ensuring a consistent world design and increased believability in the fictional world.
Evolving the MOB: Integrating evolutionary algorithms in MOBs is a computationally intensive process and requires substantial development and design, and carries inherent problems for balancing MMOGs. “faking” evolutionary algorithms can however provide comparable results at less cost. Additionally, the use of evolution principles offer ways to enhance the regular MOB of MMOGs and provide more engaging player challenges.
Believable MOBs: It is not necessary to simulate a complex environment in order to create a believable MOB behavior and cause the generation of emergent content and challenges. Simple behavior principles can provide a believable experience that is however computationally non-intensive and which can act within the existing MMOG rules system.
In practice, a consistent geological design can be combined with the development of the biological parts of a fictional world as well. Imagine a world modeling guidance system that combines not only the physical appearance of the world, but also climate systems, MOB distribution and even civilizations into one big, coherent system where the interdependencies of each sub-system can be modeled and visualized. A possible path towards the development of such a system lies in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) methods.
There are two primary venues for adapting GIS to MMOG design: 1) As a guide in modeling logical and consistent worlds 2) As an aid in creating worlds that are dynamic and resistant to player disruption, this without requiring massive amounts of processing power.
Summary
It is not the purpose of this project to develop methods for revolutionizing the way MMOGs are designed, but to point at some possible methods for increasing believability in the virtual, fictional worlds utilized in MMOG design, which correlate with available resources and development time. The ideas is to modify and tweak existing approaches in specific aspects of MMOG design, producing results that may not be earth-shattering in their implication, but highly useful and flexible. The core hypothesis presented here is that there is an untapped potential in utilizing natural sciences experiences and knowledge in the design of MMOGs (especially those that attempt to create a believable world environment). This both to circumvent some of the challenges with utilizing simulated environments, and with presenting specific solutions to specific problems, or provide new inspiration for content generation. This requires out of the box thinking.
As promoted by e.g. Chris Crawford and Raph Koster, seeking inspiration outside the traditional sources for games design is important in ensuring the continued development of computer games and other forms of interactive entertainment. In this case, there is an entire world and hundreds of years of real world modeling, to mine for data.
