New Media Development

When Everquest was launched in 1999 I wonder if Sony really knew what they were unleashing on the world. Rater, did the world know that a new world was coming into existence for them. The PS2’s slogan is ‘Live in your world. Play in ours’ which really applies here. “Ever-crack” as it became known in the gaming communities was more than just a phenomena, it changed the way we look at online gaming and interaction. Weekly meet up a friends to take on a quest became the norm and long time role playing fans now had an online community to share experiences with. I admittedly never played Everquest because I could never get over the hurdle of buying a game then paying $20/month to continue to play it. However, the landscapes of MMORPGs has changed and this model is making some interesting turns.

The two leaders in this market are World of Warcraft and Guild Wars. WOW has recently passed the 9 million subscribers mark while Guild Wars has 4 million subscribers. Many people know about WOW due to their massive advertising campaigns but Guild Wars seems to be gaining in popularity primarily due to dissatisfaction by experienced players of WOW.

WOW has the traditional MMORPG model of $20 for the game and a monthly fee of $13-15 to access. Even if only half of the 9 million subscribers are active, that is a monthly revenue of $65 million to keep the game active. However, most of that money must be going into something other than graphics and game play. The story-lines and tie in with the Warcraft universe makes it incredibly accessible which is why it is incredibly popular. Also, knowing that 9 million people are on means that some of your friends must be playing so you have an instant community to help you through the learning curve. Where this differed from previous MMORPGs is the community is that quests and leveling were combined with interactive play and large groups. However, many long time players have felt the interface and challenges are too simple or easy in order to be accessible to that larger audience.

On the other hand, you have Guild Wars. Their business model is drastically different and untested in the realm of MMORPG. Instead of a low software cost and monthly fee, they have a higher software cost, $50-80 depending on if you buy normal or collectors editions, and NO monthly fee. Once you pay for the game, you get to play the game for as long as you want. Another major difference is the quests are quite different and don’t require you to do repetitive tasks to reach a level to attempt them. The storyline allows a character to progress and level at the same time. Also, all playable characters are capped at level 20 so you don’t have to worry about leveling and can focus on the game.

Developers for both MMORPGs originated from the company Blizzard which is why some game facets are similar. However, they are worlds apart in design and challenges. WOW currently has a very rough character design and world modeler in place that makes it look like a Warcraft game. Only one world exist with one expansions of the land. Focus is on repetitive aspects like Player vs Player in the games to keep people coming back. Guild Wars, on the other hand, currently has 3 worlds which are each playable as stand alone games. One expansion also exists for the original game which ups the level of gameplay for Player vs Environment. The story lines of the 3 worlds and the expansion are completely interwoven and the challenges are tough while being attainable. Planning and good group development will help you in Guild Wars where just a large group may suffice in WOW.

Which one is better? Neither of them. They both have their strong points and really talk to two different markets. WOW is really building off of Everquest’s original success where Guild Wars is trying to develop a new model for what an MMORPG can be. Long time role players or those who have LARPed will probably find more in dept in Guild Wars because of their attention to detail in both the story lines and environments. Those people who are long time gamers will like WOW because most of their friends are probably there and the game is very accessible.

Personally, I just love the way Guild Wars looks and plays. It really does pull you in and envelop you in this whole world experience that keeps you wanting to see what is around the corner even if it isn’t a monster. The war of MMORPGs will rage on but there definitely is room for two winners.

I have been mulling this question over in my head the last couple of days because of a very annoying conversation with a colleague. Their opinion is that if you work in languages like PERL or PHP you are a ’scripter’ and not a true ‘programmer’. They feel that scripting is more hack and slash programming to solve an issue and not true development. I am obviously in the other camp for many reasons.

First, I have never been the type of developer who lets a language define my application development. I have moved from C, to PERL, to PHP, to Java, to ASP, to C# .Net with relative ease but varying results. You see, I don’t really care what the language or the structure of a programming language is to complete a task. What I am more concerned with is the results and the speed at which I reach them.

Most self proclaimed programmers I have run into tout the structure and organization of their programs as far superior to anything a scripter could create. However, these same people refuse to document their code in a way that makes it understandable. They trust that their programming skills will speak for themselves and code documentation just won’t be needed. In the real world, however, it always helps to have a map to see what is going on. Documentation is that map that ‘programmers’ skip. Scripters can fall into this same trap but since most linear programming is done this way at least it is somewhat easier to follow.

Second, programmers are under the belief that only complex code can solve complex tasks. This is not true. Efficiently written code can solve any task. If code is overtly complex for the sake of complexity or standardized structure, you are either trying to dupe someone into thinking you work harder than you do or you are so embedded in the belief of absolute adherence to code structure is needed that you are missing the point of effcient programming. When a Zen Archer shoots an arrow, they only expend as much energy as is needed to accomplish the task. No more, no less. If the arrow is traveling 100 yards or 1 inch, it does not matter. The energy is the same. Programmers and Scripters need to adopt this philosophy. Code should be written to do what it’s intended task is. If it is written otherwise, it either lacks power to sustain itself or has unneeded levels of code or structure.

Finally, look at the major web sites out there and you will find a curious thing. Google: running on Linux with open source custom code written mostly in Java. Amazon: running on Linux using SOAP interfaces to their back end. Digg: running on Linux with a completely PHP back end. CNet: Linux servers with PHP and MySQL back ends. Yahoo: Linux based systems using a mixture of Java, Javascript, PHP, AJAX, and MySQL to drive their network of sites.

Now I ask you this, if you couldn’t write complex solutions with a “scripting” language like PHP, why would so many dynamic and technology driven sites be using it? Could it be that “programmers” need to stop worrying about their programming and should focus on their solutions no matter what language they use?

We all know that our perception of the world is molded by many things. Our environment. Our family. Our history. Our friends. Our lives. Not as obviously, our perception on life is molded by how we take in the information around us.

I have worn glasses since I was 6 years old. It has been a constant part of my life for over 30 years. I have never thought my perception of the world was different because of it. Earlier this year I had Lasek/PRK laser surgery to try and correct my vision. During the week long healing process I realized that a certain level of sharpness and clarity on how I “see” things has always been a little bent by the plastic I viewed things through. I never really realized how clear things could be without them. As the healing progressed I realized the correction had brought my eyesight back to decent but not to 20/20 normal.

I am not bitter about having to go back into glasses or that I will be having enhancement surgery this Friday to try and bring me to 20/20 this time. It has just brought into sharp relief how my perception of the world is definitely filtered behind the protection of my glasses. It’s kind of like the aged person who turns off his hearing aid to not hear a conversation they dislike. They use the technology to filter their perception to their liking. In many ways this goes back to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Your perceptions of the shadows on the wall are real because you don’t know that anything else exists. Only until you leave the cave and truth is revealed do you realize that you have been watching shadows all along.

I feel we also do the same thing with the gadgets that surround us. Cell phones help us to talk to the people we wish to talk to when we want to. PDAs help us make appointments we keep for things to discuss. Cameras help us remember the times together. But all of these things mold our perception on how to talk, meet with, and remember the people around us.

Technology has helped bring people together but it has also changed the way we view people. Maybe an adoption of simpler methods is needed to preserve a pure perspective on our lives? On the other hand, there are people who want to dive head first into altered perceptions brought about by technology and I applaud them. For me, I think I need a little less tech and more hugs.

One of the great things I have mentioned before about working out of the home is the commute. However, this creates some interesting travel issues which is not limited to the home worker.

For example, when I moved to Boston from Virginia I took advantage of the extensive public transit system for my commute to work. I would leave my house, walk to the end of the block and get on a commuter train which linked to the subway which I took to my job. This was easy, convenient, less of a headache than driving, took about the same amount of time for traveling, and cheaper than parking in a major city. The down side was when I went to start my car for the first time I needed it after commuting this way. The battery had died because of non use for about 3 weeks. I hadn’t even realized I was not using my car at all during the time because it was so easy to slip into this alternate way to get to work, grab groceries on the way home, and generally not needing to go long distances.

Home commuters have this same issue. Lack of car use means you sometimes need to remind yourself to drive the car a little bit just so can be driven. Also, if you are planning to drive to the office once a month or more, you need to be sure you car is set up for the much longer than normal commute it may need to take. Or try to find alternate means by which to get to the office which may save on car use all together.

Touching on that, I just want to remind people that there really is 3 ways to travel in the US. Auto, Plane, and Train. Auto and plane are by far the cheapest or fastest depending on where you are going or when you need to get there. Train tends to be more expensive but it has certain advantages for the telecommuter. Every seat on an Amtrak train has a 120V outlet and most trains are now offering WiFi service. So if the trip is 4 hours compared to a 2 hour car ride, you may find the 4 hour train ride more productive because you can work the whole time you are traveling.

In Burlington, we are blessed/cursed by an extensive bike path which links the northern and southern parts of the extended city with downtown. It get highly used in the Spring through Fall months. This provides another alternate means to commute which is more common outside of the United States. The curse comes when people don’t use it. Bike lanes are no substitute for private roads so it boggles my mind when I see someone who is clearly going to work on the road when they have a private road with less traffic.

The commute is changing in this country which is a welcomed event. What it changes into will hopefully reduce car use, greenhouse gasses, and provide a better world we can all share.