1 / 25

DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds

DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds. Week 2 Introduction to Virtual Worlds 6pm – 9pm Tuesday, July 31st, 2006 Owen Macindoe and Kathryn Merrick. DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006. Announcements.

thaddeus-bryant
Download Presentation

DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds Week 2 Introduction to Virtual Worlds 6pm – 9pm Tuesday, July 31st, 2006 Owen Macindoe and Kathryn Merrick DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  2. Announcements • We know what the problem from last week is! • A thorny networking problem • We are trying to get it fixed • How did you go with Tutorial 1 at home? DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  3. Lecture Overview • History of virtual worlds • The virtual world experience DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  4. What is a Virtual World? • A computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact with • Some authors point to the importance of • Persistence • Co-presence • Avatars • Historical overview focuses on worlds of this kind DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  5. Virtual Worlds 1978-1985 • 1978: Multi-UserDUNGEN written by Trubshaw and revised by Bartle • Inspired by text adventures • Accessible via BBSes and Essex University system • MUD is still live! MUD: telnet://british-legends.com:27750 DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  6. Virtual Worlds 1985-1989 • First commercial successes • MUD clones arise: Federation II, Shades, and Gods • Users connect through third party services like CompuServe and CompuNet • Technical advances • Building and player management tools • Separation of driver and world model DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  7. Virtual Worlds 1989-1995 • TinyMUD introduces user-generated content • Collaborative and social focus distinct from other code bases • LPMUD introduces user-generated scripts • TinyMUCK, LambdaMOO, and TinyMUSH extend the social route • DikuMUD moves in the other, game-oriented, direction • Fundamental design split still exists DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  8. Virtual Worlds 1995-1997 • MUDs flourish in the US due to cheap phone calls • Neverwinter Nights pioneers graphical online games in the US • Royalty model earns US $5 million a month for Neverwinter Nights and Gemstone III • Changed pricing model drives away players • 2,500 simultaneous players in Gemstone III Neverwinter Nights on AOL DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  9. Virtual Worlds in Korea • Korean gaming • Internet café model • Large online gaming culture • No US adoption • Nexus (1996) • Tessellated graphics • Advanced social systems • Lineage (1998) • Large scale Player versus Player combat • Peak of 3.25 million subscribers in 2003 • US$5 million in Q1 2000 Nexus: Kingdom of the Winds and Lineage DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  10. Virtual Worlds 1996 • Meridian 59 • First 3D MUD yet unsuccessful • Plagued by bugs • Per day pricing model • Poor customer service and marketing • Too early for internet boom Meridian 59 DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  11. Virtual Worlds 1997 • Ultima Online • Direct subscription model via the internet • 100,000 subscribers after one year, 230,000 by 2000 • US$12 million per year • Tessellated isometric graphics • Sophisticated economic and social systems • Player housing • First US Massively Multiplayer Online Game Ultima Online DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  12. Virtual Worlds 1997 • Active Worlds • User generated content • Limited scripting • Integrated browser • Interconnected worlds • Private servers • Agent Software Developers Kit • Popular with educators • Financial difficulties Active Worlds DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  13. Virtual Worlds 1998-1999 • Everquest • Hardware accelerated 3D graphics • DikuMUD inspired gameplay • Zone-based geography • 300,000 active subscribers by 2000 • Asheron’s Call • Zoneless geography • 90,000 active subscribers by 2000 Everquest and Asheron’s Call DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  14. Virtual Worlds 2000 - 2003 Dark Age of Camelot (2001) Star Wars Galaxies (2003) Ultima Online The Sims Online (2002) Eve Online (2003) DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  15. Virtual Worlds 2003 • Second Life • In-world 3D modelling tools • User generated scripts • Fully customizable avatars • Players own IP for creations • Real estate based subscription model • Private islands • Sophisticated economy • Support for XMLRPC • Social and educational support • 5 million unique users with 94,000 premium accounts in 2007 • First virtual world millionaire Second Life DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  16. Virtual Worlds 2005 • World of Warcraft • Capitalized on Warcraft brand • Region-dependent subscription model • Heavy use of instancing • UI mods and scripts • Evolutionary rather than revolutionary • 9 million subscribers in 2007 • Lineage had 3.25 million at peak • ~5 million Chinese subscribers in 2006 • ~2 million US & European (source: www.dfcint.com) World of Warcraft DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  17. Virtual Worlds 2007+ • World of Warcraft dominates MUD-like virtual world market • More than 120 MMOG titles exist • Many WoW clones on the horizon • Several successful niche players • Second Life leading player in MUSH-like market niche • Text worlds still exist! • Low overheads encourage innovative game designs • Small player bases facilitate close interaction with developers DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  18. Offline Virtual Worlds • Games • ADVENT (Colossal Cave Adventure) • Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake • Simulations • Flight simulators • Sim City • The Sims Wolfenstein 3D and Flight Simulator X DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  19. The Virtual World Experience • Simulated world • Persistence • Co-presence • Interactivity • Immersion DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  20. Simulated World • Physics model • Spatial model • Economic model • Avatars • Objects • Relations • Agents and mobiles Node-based spatial model in LambdaMOO DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  21. Persistence • Key feature of MMOGs in particular • Character advancement • Possessions • Lasting effects of actions • User-generated content • Content re-use issues One of SL’s oldest builds: Stellar Sunshine’s bean stalk DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  22. Co-Presence • Single-user worlds • Social systems • Collaboration • PvP • Live teams and GMs • Bartle types • Achiever • Socializer • Explorer • Killer Large-scale PvP in Planetside DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  23. Interactivity • Activities • Playing • Creating • Socializing • Exploring • Players • Environment • Live teams • Agents • Scripts • Bartle types again Surfeit Surface’s Crooked House in Second Life DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  24. Immersion • Sense of being in an environment • Roleplaying • Information hiding • User interfaces • Desktop • Headset VR • Projection VR • Haptics • Audio Headset VR and an industrial flight simulator DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

  25. Tutorial • Find your group members and introduce yourself • Create your Second Life account if you have not already done so • Complete the Orientation Island tutorial • Look for available land for your group DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, July 2006

More Related