Order of Eris

This is the idea I have about how naming should work in an online multiplayer game (such as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars). The current method is that a player picks a name and logs into the game (or world), and everyone else knows who they are by the name they have picked. This isn’t unlike being born into the real world with your name tattooed on your forehead. Everyone knows your name, even if they have never met you. This also means that no two people can have the same name. So if you want to be “Joe”, too bad. The only real advantage with this system is that everyone has a name that is unique and you can, therefore, single people you don’t know out from a crowd.

But, what I propose is that no one in the game has a name by default. When you see someone, you see them, without some magical name floating over their head. At this level, you are lost in a sea of nameless people, so I will discuss the two ways people get names. The first method is to meet and play with people in the game. You can assign any name you want to these people. It can be a friendly name that you know them by. You can also name them “Jerk” if you don’t like them. The other method is to apply a name to someone you know in real life. Each person’s characters in the game has a unique identifier (number or maybe an e-mail address) that you can add with a name to make sure you know your friends when you see them in game without having to arrange a meeting.

No more seeing “L33tDud3” wandering around your server. No more Legolass, Leggolas, Leegolas, and Gandalph wandering around … unless you want to see them. It means you are giving someone a name that means something to you. Of course, all this means that you will be known by your relationships to other people, as well.

I was given Guild Wars for my birthday a few months ago. The lure of free monthly online play made it an ideal gift for me since I could play it at my leisure without worrying about wasting money. It turns out that some of my LAN party friends are also playing Guild Wars and I joined their in game guild for the times during the week I play. I’m also still playing World of Warcraft.

I think Guild Wars is the weaker of the two games when it comes to interface, design, and quality of code and content. But, it simply comes down to playing with a group. I’ll play either game based on who I can get a group with more than how much I enjoy the game.

This is a post from a long time ago that I feel is still relevent today. I wrote this when playing Asheron’s Call 2 and it applies to World of Warcraft, too.

Hate is the new cool and it’s got all new packaging so it’s flying off the shelves! Some people with a vision create a product and no matter how much better it is than what has come before, it’s nothing but crap. Or, at least that’s how vocal fans paint it.

I’m sure that when someone decides to create a PC game, they imagine that having some forums would allow them to open lines of communication with their consumer base and/or fans. The thought of hundreds of people logging into your official forums to voice praise, point out flaws, and read your own views on their topics is a welcome idea. It would almost be foolish to NOT create an official forum that is centered on your new venture. But if you actually think any of that, you’re still living in a fairy land and wearing gumdrop hats while you dance with pixies and leperchauns.

The reality of the PC gaming community is that no matter how much work you put into your product, or how `good’ it is, people are going to line up to punch you in the stomach for ruining their lives. That’s right, I said `RUINING THEIR LIVES’. Little do you know that by fabricating a new game with the intent of providing enjoyment for many people like you (and make some money to feed and house yourself), you’re actually forcing people to purchase, play, and experience every single flaw with your game. A rational person might argue that a few problems or bugs can’t possibly ruin someone’s life, but these consumers are nowhere near rational. Every single flaw in the product causes them physical pain not unlike having their nuts in a workbench vise while being hit in the chest with a sledge hammer. Not owning and playing the game would mean certain death. Stopping AFTER you start to play would be even worse (however that’s possible). How does anyone know this is the case? Simply read the official forums of a PC game, such as Asheron’s Call 2. It will become obvious that even when you set out to create a fun, exciting, evolutionary game, what you are in fact doing is forcing people to buy it, then ENDURE the pain of playing your game. The developers few bumps in the road to the ideal game are life-shattering, nerve-wracking, moments of pure torment that will never end for the forum posting game player. Nevermind that your new game might offer tons of features that make it more exciting and enjoyable than any other game like it. Put aside the thoughts that all your patches and fixes to the game have been based on forum posts and customer feedback. You’ll never be good enough and nothing you do or say will change that you are the worst person to ever have lived. Even the smallest word from you or anyone involved in making the game will be turned into bona fide evidence of your conspiracy to spit on people’s hard work and to make their lives meaningless. Don’t even bother trying to argue against the vocal minority of the forums. Your pathetic attempts to appease anyone will be swept assunder in the waves of constant bitching, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

But won’t these people just quit? Oh no! Even if, by some miracle, they decide to actually stop playing your game, there’s no reason for them to not keep posting to the forums. They must make sure that no one else is ever lulled into enjoying the game or purchasing another copy. These valiant souls will throw their every waking hour into keeping others from ever possibly having to experience the game that ruins people’s lives. And probably to also make sure you never forget how bad the game was for them to play. That’s some real dedication.

A few years ago, I was approached by a friend about appearing in a documentary about online multiplayer gaming. This friend, DevilStick, has released his documentary to the world now and I encourage you to check it out.

This documentary was made when the gaming community seemed to be building at an incredible rate. LAN parties were huge and it seemed most everyone was playing one or two games. These days, there’s a lot more fragmentation. Grabbing random gamers from a single geographical location won’t net you 50% Quake II/III players and 50% Counter-strike players anymore. You would more likely see eight or ten different games being played, like Battlefield 1942, Counter-strike: Source, Unreal Tournament 2004, Doom III, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Everquest 2, and so on.

I hope DevilStick decides to do a follow-up to this sometime in the future. There are so many interesting facets to the gaming community that I think are fascinating to learn about and to explore.