Designing and developing a Massively Multiplayer Online Game

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Designing and developinga Massively
MultiplayerOnline Game
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The Concept Team

• Frederik Tang, 3rd semester, DKM
• Anne Yvind, 4th semester, DKM
• Thomas Hansen, 4th semester, DKM
• We have been playing and studying MMOGs for quite
  some time
• Conceptual design
• Social aspects
• Narrative aspects

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Our thesis

• We are starting our thesis this coming semester
• Social aspects of MMOGs
• How it might be possible to improve on these
  aspects through the design
• One thing led to another

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What is a MMOG?

• Online world
• Thousands of players
• No final goal
• Persistent State World
• EverQuest
• The Sims online
• Eve Online To mention a few

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A lot of gameplay

• Baldurs Gate II 250 hours
• EverQuest 1429 hours, 31 minutes and counting
• Dont get scared. We are NOT making this only a
  prototype ?

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Why make such a prototype?

• Gain experience in working with MMOGs
• It will be great to have it on our CVs
• The actual prototype
• Having worked on a production with other teams

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In a bigger perspective

• Such a project have never been attempted on the
  ITU before
• Cooperation between the various lines of study on
  the ITU
• Cooperation between institutions
• Create a world that future students at the ITU
  and other Universities in Denmark can expand

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Formalities
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Before writing your thesis at ITU

• You must have completed a year of study at ITU
  (60 ECTS)
• You must have completed one subject (7.5 ECTS)
  appointed thesis preparation

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Secure your own work

• Make sure you have an academic formulation of the
  problem you are going to work on.
• Make sure your thesis / project will be able to
  stand alone with only your part of the production
  and still meet the academic standards of your
  line of study.
• Contact a supervisor as soon as possible.

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Possible thesis/project problem

• Programmers
• Analyze an game engine
• Elaborate on a problem that you solve (e.g.
  ineffective infrastructure in the engine)
• Relate the implementation to known theory and
  methods.

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Possible thesis/project problem

• Graphics
• Implementation of graphics in games
• Low polygon modeling
• Immersion in games related to graphics

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Possible thesis/project problem

• Sound
• Functionality of sound in games
• Using sound for immersion in games
• Music composition for themes and worlds

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Possible thesis/project problem

• Project Management
• Handling communications between teams
• Overview and strategies
• How to handle several individual groups working
  on the same project
• To implement theories and models to the project
  teams

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Cooperation

• You can always ask another group in this co work
  for help and advice
• Helping out other teams with their problem
  solving
• The responsibility ? The entire team

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The Teams

• Aiming for the same ambition level
• There will be deadlines during the period that
  must be held for a successful outcome these
  will be made by all of us

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The Teams

• Task teams will be formed consisting of members
  from all groups
• Communicate with the rest of the team on a day to
  day basis
• Be honest about your abilities and about your
  ambitions

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Practical info

• There will be a meeting primo January. Details in
  your e-mail and on the website
• If you are interested
• Supervisors are present now
• Within the first 2 weeks of January we will
  arrange meetings for each group please contact
  a supervisor before that.

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What is needed?

• Programmers, 3D artists and a sound crew
• Names and e-mails
• Work of interest (e.g. 3D, character modeling)
• Check out the engines
• The programmers (and anyone who is interested)
  have to do this (in collaboration with us).
  Hopefully before mid January.

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Possible Team Structure
IT Project Management 2-3 people
Theory Concept 3 people
3D Modelling Graphics 2-4 people
Sound Music Development 2-4 people
Programming Infrastructure 2-4 people
Programming Graphics 3D 2-4 people
Task Team Usability 2-5 people
Task Team Functionality 2-5 people
Task Team Implemenation 2-5 people
16 Weeks project 2-4 people
16 Weeks project 2-4 people
16 Weeks project 2-4 people
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Questions