Lisa D. Brown

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Making Online Multiplayer a Better Place

In 2010, my Project Horseshoe workgroup explored ways of making online multiplayer a more accessible environment for players of all skill levels.  Since then, I've been on the lookout for good examples of some of the ideas we discussed in our workgroup report, and have decided to document them here.

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In-game Bodyguards

posted Dec 14, 2011 1:22 PM by Lisa Brown   [ updated Dec 14, 2011 1:22 PM ]


This is a fascinating example of mentorship-for-profit in the competitive multiplayer space.  I suppose that is one way that you ensure you get mentors who care about teaching and helping the new players - pay them!  The idea that they also take deaths for their mentees is one I hadn't considered before.

Battle.net RealID

posted Jun 18, 2011 12:17 PM by Lisa Brown

http://us.battle.net/en/realid/

In spite of all the hooplah about using real names on the forums, one thing that RealID does EXTREMELY well is makes it way easier to find people you know who are playing the game.  Because you can view the friends of people in your friends list, you can easily find mutual friends that you didn't otherwise know played, and adding them is very simple.  

I know more than once I've been on Starcraft 2, and none of my friends have been on, so I browsed THEIR list of friends to see if I knew anyone, added somebody, and boom, someone to play with that I knew!

SSBB's Disconnect Solution

posted Jun 14, 2011 10:36 PM by Lisa Brown

http://kotaku.com/331227/ssbbs-answer-to-disconnects

Article about the aforementioned solution that Super Smash Brothers Brawl implements for disconnects.  Good for laggy connections and rage quitters alike!  There's a link to the more in-depth version at the bottom.

Team Fortress 2 "Coach" Mentoring

posted Jun 10, 2011 10:44 PM by Lisa Brown

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/15/team-fortress-2-update-is-devoid-of-hats-full-of-training-and-t/

We thought that enabling player mentoring as part of the interface of your game would really help retention of new players seeking a safe way to learn to play.  This update doesn't mention the specifics of the system for coaching players, but the thought of it is promising!

I will be listening for success stories or otherwise.

Clever Asynchronous Co-op Idea

posted Jun 10, 2011 10:40 PM by Lisa Brown

http://kotaku.com/5762842/this-game-lets-you-play-with-your-friends-even-when-they-dont-want-to

Asynchronous game modes and ways of play were a big point of discussion in our work group, because it increases the ability of people to play with people they already know, even if schedules don't line up.  This connection can lengthen a player's commitment to the MP community, so new ways of playing games together asynchronous are great!

Juan Says..
"They beat us to the punch! But I can say we did something similar in Snowfort, our latest game. You play against your friend's team (managed by an equal level AI).

We've got nominated to the "most creative game" at the Flash Game Summit for Snowfort. Wish us luck! http://www.flashgamingsummit.com/awards.html"

Balance by Attrition

posted Jun 10, 2011 10:39 PM by Lisa Brown

http://thetipofthesphere.com/2011/01/07/balance-by-attrition/

A thoughtful article by a Bungie designer about what happens to MP communities over time.  This gives some insight into the MP community retention issues we discussed in our workgroup.

League of Legends Tribunal

posted Jun 10, 2011 10:36 PM by Lisa Brown

http://kotaku.com/5733206/a-new-and-maybe-better-way-to-stop-people-from-being-jerks-online

Will this be an effective means of utilizing the population of the community as a force to resolve harrassment issues?  Is the system fullproof enough in its anonymous matching that it would prevent another Sims Online Mafia incident?  Time will tell!

Peter says...
"Yeah, it potentially could [lead to another online mafia incident], but it looks like they're doing a lot to make sure only experienced players can do it & that there can't be collusion (judges get random cases, can't communicate, don't know how much their vote is worth). It'll be interesting to see how it plays out."

Marvel vs Capcom 3 Punishes Rage Quitters

posted Jun 10, 2011 10:31 PM by Lisa Brown   [ updated Jun 10, 2011 10:36 PM ]

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/12/report-marvel-vs-capcom-3-cheekily-punishes-rage-quitters/

Marvel vs Capcom 3 apparently tracks people with rage-quitting habits, and puts them in their own bracket. 

This article also prompted some discussion of Super Smash Bros Brawl, which dealt with dropped players by having AI seamlessly take over.

 

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