Online strategy games
Friday, November 28, 2003
Thursday, November 27, 2003
So check what the heck is PBM?
We're glad you asked...
Play-By-Mail gaming is a unique system where you play with hundreds of people at the same time. This style of gaming gets its name from the fact that when the industry first started, all turns were sent via the regular postal system. Of course, in today's modern world, most companies will also receive turns using electronic mail, fax and phone while sending turns back both postal and email.
Although often run for "fun" by individuals with too much spare time on their hand (like us over a decade ago), PBM takes on a new level when you try a game with a professional moderator. Under a company, you can enter a game and play for years, knowing that your results will be timely and service will be excellent (else you get to complain in a meaningful manner - with your wallet).
A good PBM game will use the media itself to enhance your gaming experience. By using the pacing of turns, the internal newsletters and the variety (and limitations) of actions that you can perform, a well designed PBM can give you hours of fun every week for just a few dollars. In addition, most PBMs will force you to communicate with other players to decide on strategies, work out tactics and to increase your knowledge base. The extra comradery as you work with (or against) others towards a goal increases the playing enjoyment to a level that few other types of games can hope to match.
*** Era of Eidolon
The first worldwide multiplayer roleplaying game for the mobile phone.
Going into beta test on 1st Dec.
I think its being built on Symbian OS using Java.
Persistent vs non-persistent games
If we do go with non-persistent games, then we could aware victory points and give titles to players with large amounts of accumulated points (like Total Conquest)
*** Big World Games
Middleware for MMOGs - a server engine for managing massively multiplayer online games
1483
Email based game, but based upon a board game.
The play-by-email version of the game differs slightly in rules of play in order to speed up the rate at which players get turns. 72 players take their turns simultaneously, adding an additional level of strategy and political intrigue to the game. A player's turn is submitted via e-mail to a human game moderator who then processing the actions of the turn and updates the game maps and nation charts. Turns are traditionally updated once per week, giving players the time between turn to contact each other and conduct diplomacy and coordinate alliances.
With 72 players, it is far more than simply a military strategy game. You must make pacts with
other players and form alliances. No one nation can march forth and conquer all others with military might alone. It takes a delicate balance of warfare and political savvy in order to continue to win battles and gain more territories. Beware the alliances you make, for no bargain between players is enforceable in game terms, except for trades. If you establish a non aggression pact with another player, there is nothing but that player's good word preventing them from breaking it.
*** Tibia Mobile Edition
Tibia Micro Edition (TibiaME) is the first massive multiplayer online role-playing game for mobile phones.
Charges apply for data transferred during game play. On average 400 kbytes of data are transmitted per playing hour.
Tibia is available for the mobile phones Nokia 7650, Nokia 3650, Nokia N-Gage and Siemens SX1. Support for other devices will follow. The installed application requires 400 kbytes of memory space. During installation further 150 kbytes of memory space are needed. The game is only available to customers of T-Mobile UK, T-Mobile Deutschland and T-Mobile Austria who are connected to the internet over a GPRS-connection.
*** World in War - mobile MPOG
Inspired by Diplomacy and & Allies.
Not yet available to public. It was the first massively multiplayer mobile game.
Nice flash demo.
The game looks sexy.
Features ppl like in their online games: [add to this boys as we go]
Active user group (on forums etc and helping new people)
Very helpful moderators/admin etc
Hi, it's me. Maybe you could summarise the goal of this coalition for me. I guess it's got something to do with strategy games. Online. What are we trying to achieve.
I don't have time to look at all these links because I have a job right now. So I say we put it to the vote. Should I quit?
In conclusion. Boobies.
Nic: I love Boobies.
Sim Country
Web-based game
This combines running countries with the ability to run the corporations that live in the countries.
"As president, you are faced with many challenges. The economy in your country is changing. The population is growing and schools, hospitals, factories, roads and train tracks are built. You are the chief commander of the army: you plan the country's defense strategy in times of war and you make sure the army is well equipped with the best weapons. If needed, you secretly plan attacks on your enemies and you sign peace treaties with Others. There are many corporations in your country and you decide on their business strategies, salaries, contracts and product prices.
"As CEO you can build a global enterprise by acquiring businesses around the world and by building new corporations to make products that are in short supply.
"Simcountry is an Internet game. You play with or against 8000 users world wide. You can contact other players at any time using the chat or bulletin board system. If you play well, your name will be on the list of 300 best presidents or CEO's.
"Simcountry offers hundreds of features. Your country can produce more than 200 products. 100 different weapons and ammunition can be produced and used by the land forces, the air force, the navy and the strategic forces. "
Tartarus
Why should I play?
If you enjoy war games or tactical computer games you will like this. It is not a real time multi-media experience, but a go-per-day game. The game is designed so you can easily slide out and rejoin after days or weeks, the combat is designed to ensure your clan is not destroyed in one foul swoop, and if you do get obliterated you can restart. Contact with other players is encouraged through emails, but this is optional and your address is hidden and cannot be seen by other players.
Dark Galaxy
Is apparently very well thought out game, with its only major deficiencies being that its not all that original, and that its not persistent.
Massively multiplayer - At it's peak a game of Dark Galaxy will hold upto 40,000 people with over 100,000 planets and thousands of alliances.
Alliance Wars
Interesting in that it is a tick-based game. Activities each take a certain number of ticks (perhaps measured in real hours) to complete.
Shadowmere
"one of the best browser-based strategy games on the Internet today. When this game was first being developed, the only goal was to make it the best in the massively multiplayer genre. That goal was reached beyond a doubt many months ago, and there are still many improvements already planned. This game is non-graphical, but you will find that the depth of game play can be very intense. "
Soccer management game - each person has a team that plays a season. New teams start in lower grades.
The CyberBoard The CyberBoard board gaming system makes playing board games by mail and electronic mail a more enjoyable experience. The system allows you to easily graphically design the various parts of a board game on your computer. The players can make their moves and exchange recorded versions of the moves with their opponents. The opponent can then play back the moves. Although many types of games may be created using CyberBoard, games that use counters or chits such as war games work particularly well.
CyberBoard is not an artificial opponent. It provides no artificial intelligence capability.
My goal for CyberBoard was to duplicate the experience of actual paper counter style gaming--at least to the extent that this is reasonable. In its current form the system does a pretty good job of this.
Different themes of the game:
- Earth-based war game (btw countries, btw states of a specific country)
- Different eras of earth (modern day, 1940s, 1920s, knights + castles, roman, etc)
- Fantasy lands (new maps, fantasy creatures/armies - trolls, elves etc)
- Space-based (interplanetary travel, single character or armies)
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
RichMangame.com
RichManGame is a massive multiplayer online game of business strategy with very simple rules. Your goal is to maximize your networth through various corporate actions and make yourself the richest person in the RichManGame.
In the game, you will have to develop a portfolio of assets in order to generate cash. Every good businessman learns that it takes money to make money. So, with the cash generated from assets you have, you can start building a stronger and larger asset base. Your score is calculated as below:
Networth = Cash + Total Asset Value (TAV)
The person with the highest networth at the end of each round wins the game.
Diplomacy - by Avalon Hill owned by Hasbro
AH has many other games of similar ilk, including Axis and Allies.
