![]() ![]() To take full advantage of this concept, games could be designed such that content created though gameplay in one aspect of the game could be shared and used by other players in another aspect of the game.įor example, shaping one game world at the macro level can create and customize other game worlds at the micro level. While created content in Spore has little value beyond visual variety, user creations that are made through gameplay, affect gameplay, and are noticeably distinct from one another can add significant value and increase a game’s life span.įor instance, if SimCity were designed such that interactions with neighboring cities were complex and varied with the nature of those cities, user-created cities could keep those interactions interesting and unpredictable across many games.Įach game could randomly select a handful of neighbors from among hundreds of thousands of user-created cities, each one hand-built by numerous gameplay decisions over many hours or days.ĭesigning Around Advanced Content Sharing These types of games, and any games where players can shape a game world into something unique, are usually well-suited for an automated content-sharing system like Spore’s. Other examples of such games include Dungeon Keeper (dungeon customization tools), Tecmo’s Deception (trap placement), and The Incredible Machine (placement of objects). For example, gameplay in SimCity consists primarily of using an editor-like interface to build a city. Of course, in some games, gameplay and editing are more closely intertwined than they are in Spore. The player would still be generating interesting content for the rest of the player base, but in this case it would involve no specialized content tools, only normal gameplay. ![]() While the editor can be great fun in itself for many people, the ideal situation is for players to create content simply by taking normal gameplay actions and making normal gameplay decisions, not by using discrete creation tools.įor example, if Spore were a game about manipulating the environment to influence computer-simulated creature development indirectly, the player’s creatures and worlds would still become unique entities, shaped by a combination of algorithms, the player’s gameplay actions, and random factors. In essence, the game forces players to create content with an editor in order to play the game editing is not the game itself. Spore’s arrangement is not quite ideal, however, because gameplay and editing are two separate activities. And, more importantly, there is no barrier to entry all you have to do to send and receive content is log on and play the game.Ĭreating content is nearly as easy because creature editing is necessary for gameplay, the game turns each player into a content creator. It has beefy features like Sporecasts (essentially, a subscription to a specific content stream) and tracking of other players’ gameplay interactions with your created creatures. What makes Spore special is the robustness and universality of its system. High-profile games like LittleBigPlanet and lower-profile ones like 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures allow players to create and share levels.Īnd is downloading new levels, characters, and other modifications via an in-game browser really that conceptually different from downloading them from a website or, in more primitive times, a BBS? Many first-person shooters have game servers that automatically send players missing levels when necessary. On a basic level, Spore’s content sharing isn’t new or unique. Still others are related only tangentially to Spore, if at all, but they all fall within the bounds of innovative uses of connectivity in single-player games. Many of the ideas that follow build on Spore’s noteworthy accomplishments others are inspired by its missed opportunities. Although currently limited to propagation of superficial user-created content and hampered by the shallow and disjointed gameplay experience they are paired with, Spore’s connectivity features are clearly fraught with potential and will inspire many new applications for player-to-player connectivity beyond traditional online gaming. ![]()
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