Integrating External Community Services Into Gameplay

[Flatfingers]

I just read the new article "Building Social Communities for Your Game: A Primer (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3828/building_social_communities_for_.php)" by Peter Ryan, published over at Gamasutra.

The point of the article was to examine ways that game developers can better integrate their outside-the-gameworld community services (such as Web forums) with the game itself. Naturally, that got me thinking about Star Trek Online. Should this game have features outside the gameworld that display information about what's going on inside the gameworld?

Turbine execs have commented (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20595) that it intends to more tightly couple its online game services and its Web-based community services with social networking services. What about Cryptic? Would that be a good competitive move for them to take as well? Or should they let Turbine take the risk and see what mistakes they make before committing to it themselves?

I'd like to hear what the community here thinks about this idea of tighter integration between external community services and the internal world of the game itself. Would you like to be able to use some Web interface to keep track of things happening in the gameworld of Star Trek Online? What kinds of things would you want to be able to follow? Are there any kinds of data available in the gameworld that you think should not be available outside the gameworld?

The article talks at length about leaderboards as one example of how to show externally what's happening internal to a game. For the kinds of games the author was focused on -- competitive, action-oriented stuff -- that could make sense. But while satisfying to many Achievers, how could this work for Explorers, who don't benefit when all the secrets of a gameworld are posted on a Web site so that there's nothing interesting left to discover?

The article also discusses the possbility of feeding data created externally by players back into the gameworld, again from the point of view of simple arcade or shooter type games. Again, while that could work for competitive, numbers-driven games, what about story-driven games?

Do games that try to create a narrative-based, character-oriented secondary world need to have their "magic circle" kept intact from outside-the-gameworld interests? Or could stories written by players outside the gameworld somehow be usefully imported into the gameworld? For example, what about the idea of letting players write "books" (or "library entries" in a science fiction genre game) that, under appropriate circumstances, could become objects or data within the gameworld? Are there other ways of using external interfaces to help create communities that support gameplay within the game itself?

Overall, what kinds of external community services, starting with but not limited to a discussion forum like this one, could help to make roleplaying or following dramatic storylines inside Star Trek Online more enjoyable?

If Cryptic decided to integrate their Web-based community services with Star Trek Online, how far should that integration be taken?

--Flatfingers

[ravenkind2]

I've always held the belief that humans are social creatures. There are tons of games out there that a person can play by themselves, yet the new wave of games is MMO's or competitive games against other people. I can't see how integrating features from the game to social sites could be a bad thing. Are there ways to do it better then others, I'm sure there is. Even while out of a game though people still want to show off their character or just check in on their character. I say offline interaction is a great thing for a company, because it keeps us drawn into the game, which is kind of bad for us since we say bye bye to our lives.

[Flatfingers]

An article I read today reminded me of a thread I started earlier. It didn't get much traction then, but maybe I just caught people at the wrong time. :)

Gamasutra has published a very interesting conversation (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21716) with Ryan Schneider, marketing director for Insomniac Games, developers of (among other things) Resistance 2.

The focus of the conversation is Insomniac's decision to tie the Resistance 2 web presence (MyResistance.net) very closely to the game. Not only does the web site dynamically pull and display player statistics from the multiplayer portions of Resistance 2, developers of that game are encouraged to actively communicate with the "vocal minority" of gamers on the game's official forum. All of this, according to Schneider, is a conscious public relations effort intended to support sales by making the game more of a broadband entertainment experience.

Our philosophy at Insomniac -- at least, my philosophy, and I think a lot of other people agree -- is that video games have become much more than the content that is on a disc. All we're trying to do is extend the gameplay experience into other realms, whether it's an alternate reality game like Project Abraham, or if it's MyResistance.net.

All of those components should create a more encompassing game experience. The more engaging an experience you offer a consumer, the more likely they are to stay in your universe over a period of time, tell their friends, and wait for the next game that you make and eagerly anticipate it.

I mention all this not to laud Insomniac or promote Resistance 2, but to stimulate some discussion here on the general question of online games and their official Web sites (including forums), as well as the specific question of Cryptic and Star Trek Online: to what degree should this official site serve as PR for Star Trek Online?

Developers like Insomniac and Turbine are trying to extend their games with "external" Web interfaces like integrated forums and even social networking tools like Facebook. Cryptic may be considering something similar for their upcoming games.

So where should this forum fit in that strategy?

Would you want to see some statistics from the Star Trek Online universe displayed for you in semi-realtime on Cryptic's main STO site, or through Facebook/MySpace notifications or even RSS-style data delivery?

What statistics (bearing in mind that we still don't know much about the game yet) would you find useful or fun? Are there some stats that you think should not be provided?

Although hard numbers are obviously useful for those who enjoy looking for competitive advantage over other players, what kinds of in-game information could be fun for those players of Star Trek Online who are more interested in the emotional satisfaction of compelling stories and the intellectual pleasure of discovery through exploration?

Bottom line: to what extent should information from within the game world be exposed to us outside the game?

--Flatfingers

[Roy_Vash]

1. an in game store linked to STO

Given the number of Trek marketing items that already exist, it would be a no brainer to link a store with in game data. I could buy an uniform shirt that has my rank, ship id, and fleet. Same with beer glasses and any thing you could buy as a souvenir at a college bookstore.

2. historical data

Anything that can be recorded and shared through a compiuter interface in the 25th century (which should be quite a lot). Here's where we can see those combat ladders and reports of battle. Your ship should have a subspace communications device that works like a computer/phone/TV/DVD/etc. All info that can be collected, saved and propagated should be. Movies of actual combat should be available for study.

3. mechanima capabilities

We make our own Star Trek movies. Now fleets will need to cast well!

4. libraries

Let the third party sites die on the vine. All STO info is available in the Starfleet library.

5. massive mail system

From everything like posting things for sale/want (eliminates the Bazaar syndrome) to whatever.

6. a forum within the game

7. mercenary tickets

8. interstellar arbitrage

...the list is practically anything we presently can access over the internet.

[Citationpilot]

I travel constantly and dont always have access to a gaming comp. I'd like the ability to communicate through the in-game communication system from an outside source. Perhaps a forum on a cryptic operated webpage that posts to an ingame forum. Possibly setup similar to a data-burst (VOYesq) allowing us offliners to relay our arrival time or maybe just to see what the plan is for the evening.

Making the page compatible with PDA's would be sick too.

I think a function like this would help keep the community involved, but not distracted, even while at work or otherwise preoccupied.

[Kinneas]

At the time the first official Star Trek communicator cell phone was to come out from SONA mobile we asked Paramount/CBS and Perpetual to consider using the platform to deliver STO forums, Fleet Communications, UFP/Fleet Media and possibly even let you do some minor things in game as it was already scheduled to deliver media and the entire community forums for StarTrek.com.

Politics was always a hot topic and people wanted a way and a widget to follow the news and vote on internal UFP or other empire matters.

We have not heard much on that phone since then and I think it was scrapped.

The i-P.A.D.D. and I Phone were the next lovely platforms to start talking about and i-P.A.D.D. is supposedly on the way.
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Does this qualify? Our podcast and our segments: We've tried from day one to create a social networking arena for folks all across the ST gaming community. Segments like Fleet Radio were created to be always in-character 24/7 news, entertainment station specifically for STO. A station folks can get information from (in or out of game) as well as a platform for folks to state in character opinion in a talk radio fashion.

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If it were any other MMO I would not see toooo much of a need for these things. But this in no ordinary crowd. To many...this is a lifestyle and STO is going to be a 24/7 deal.

[doam]

At the time the first official Star Trek communicator cell phone was to come out from SONA mobile we asked Paramount/CBS and Perpetual to consider using the platform to deliver STO forums, Fleet Communications, UFP/Fleet Media and possibly even let you do some minor things in game as it was already scheduled to deliver media and the entire community forums for StarTrek.com.

Politics was always a hot topic and people wanted a way and a widget to follow the news and vote on internal UFP or other empire matters.

We have not heard much on that phone since then and I think it was scrapped.

The i-P.A.D.D. and I Phone were the next lovely platforms to start talking about and i-P.A.D.D. is supposedly on the way.
--

Does this qualify? Our podcast and our segments: We've tried from day one to create a social networking arena for folks all across the ST gaming community. Segments like Fleet Radio were created to be always in-character 24/7 news, entertainment station specifically for STO. A station folks can get information from (in or out of game) as well as a platform for folks to state in character opinion in a talk radio fashion.

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If it were any other MMO I would not see toooo much of a need for these things. But this in no ordinary crowd. To many...this is a lifestyle and STO is going to be a 24/7 deal.


I'm going to have to say No for the exact reason you say Yes.


But then, I'm an employer, not an employee. I'm also fairly selfish in that I don't want people to die/go crazy (crazier...) while playing STO, simply because that's more fuel for anti-gamers to get games banned.

[Kinneas]

Hmmm. Social networking a Star Trek MMO workforce in game and out of game.

As an employer I'd only want to hire STO people and make sure they all had communicators an access to gaming computers during any breaks...and lots of coffee and technical manuals.

Star Trek folks are hands down some of the brightest and best people in the world. Unlike those World of Warcraft people (just kidding! Totally just kidding since employers have been making a big stink lately about WoW playing employees being the worst! )
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Getting DIGG and the other social networking sites to allow one to register as a member of the Star Trek /Star Trek Online sub-culture?

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[cv_coco]

I kinda like the idea as long as they don't go overboard. Links to player stats in the forum and general statistics for each faction and fleet, maybe a map with secured/contested/open sectors would be nice.

[joriandrake]

I kinda like the idea as long as they don't go overboard. Links to player stats in the forum and general statistics for each faction and fleet, maybe a map with secured/contested/open sectors would be nice.

I actually hope for holodeck acticities like golfing, fighting in ww2, playing fooball (soccer), or impersonate Sherlock Holmes. A working and entertaining holodeck would multiply the longlivity of STO by ten