Did you know that at this very
moment people are immersed in a 3-D world playing
multiplayer
computer games against
other gamers from all over the world?
Multiplayer FPS Games
Multiplayer FPS
(first person shooter)
gaming first made headlines
back in 1996 when a company called id Software, well-known for its
DOOM and Commander Keen games, released what was considered a
gaming phenomenon — a multiplayer test version of its
Quake game.
Quake used a
3-D game engine that provided gamers with the capability to play a
FPS game in a true 3-D world where objects in the
game could be viewed by the player from any angle. Just as amazing
was the technology that allowed gamers to play multiplayer
deathmatch games via the
Internet. Internet play was made possible
through the use of a
client/server architecture. Anyone could run a
server on a
computer, which would track the game environments,
physics, and players in the game. Other players with the same
version of the game could could connect to the Quake server and
voila — multiplayer
deathmatch!
Naturally, the game connections had
issues. For example, a player in Eastern Canada on a 56kps
modem
playing on even a fast
T1 server in the Western part of the United
States, for example, would experience such horrid lag in the game
that it would almost be unplayable. By the official release of Quake,
however, id Software had addressed some of the many bandwidth
problems in the game, but how fast and smooth your multiplayer game
ran was largely dependent on your Internet connection and the
location of
the server you were joining.
In addition to the technological
advances offered by Quake and the subsequent games that followed,
the face of gaming changed due largely in part to the interactive
nature of multiplayer games and the communication advantages of the
Internet itself. Suddenly people could go into a store and buy a
multiplayer game, go home and get online with it and find themselves
becoming involved in the social and community aspects of the game.
Not only did these games offer you the opportunity to play
head-to-head against others, but it also allowed you to join teams
and play co-operative multiplayer.
Groups of players would band
together as a team, called a
Clan, and challenge other clans over
the Internet. Frag counts would be posted, people would banter back
and forth in IRC chat rooms and on
Web site forums bringing a whole
new social aspect to multiplayer gaming. The image of a
gamer also
changed as time progressed. The stereotypical view of a gamer was
that of a teen-age boy with a
joystick in his hand, but over time
people began to accept the notion that people from all walks of
life;
professionals, students and even women played these games.
While the mid to late '90s seems to be the
time where games have made the most of technology and the way gamers played,
this was not only happening with popular FPS games. Games like Activision's
Interstate '78 racing game and Blizzard's Diablo
RPG title, for
example, were making the
rounds. These titles along with many others put an emphasis on Internet
multiplayer capabilities. For gamers on the Internet this increased the
gameplay value of the game. Not only could you play a full-length single
player game, but you could extend the life of the game by playing with
friends and family on the
LAN or connect to Internet servers to compete
with others. |
Key Terms To
Understanding
Multiplayer Gaming
deathmatch
Deathmatch, or DM, is a type of gameplay mode found in
first-person-shooter games.
FPS
Capitalized, FPS is short for first-person shooter, a game genre.
gaming
The act of playing a video, Internet or computer game.
gamer
A person who plays video, Internet or computer games.
MMORPG
Short for massively multiplayer online role-playing game it is a
type of game genre.
multiplayer
Multiplayer is a mode of play for computer games and video games
where two or more gamers can play in the same game at the same time.
More Related Terms From
Webopedia
console game
DirectPlay
Easter egg
ESRB
frag
gameplay
Internet game
mod
multiplayer
PC game
|
Massively Multiplayer Games
In gaming circles there is some debate as to who started the multiplayer
phenomenon. Many gamers, mostly those who have a passion for FPS games,
credit id Software's Quake as being the game that started it all. In
the RPG world of games, however, you'll find that the credit going to Origin
for opening the Ultima Online alpha test in 1996.
MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer
Online Games) and
MMORPGs (Massively
Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games)
hit the scene and gamers quickly adapted to the concept of purchasing a game
and then paying monthly for a subscription to keep playing the game.
MMORPGs take place in a persistent game world, where the
gameplay and
game world itself is constantly evolving and changing. To this end, the game
developers will continue to update the game servers and
gamers pay the
price of this persistent world through additional monthly fees.
MMOGs are truly massive and allow thousands of
gamers to join the game world and simultaneously interact in that game. When
you join the game you continue playing, regardless of who else is on at the
same time you are. Unlike most games, MMORPGs do not offer an ending. Your
goal is not to play the game to beat it. Instead it can be compared to a
never-ending world which, if the game survives in the market, you could
literally play for years with the same character. A character that grows,
learns new skills, and acquires new items for as long as you play. Each game
server in a MMORPG
usually holds at least a thousand players and the server runs the
environments for a particular part of the game world. Good MMORPGs will be
made of of several servers, each providing a part of the world and will
allow gamers to traverse between the servers in essence, allowing gamers to
travel to different parts of the game world.
Much like the forming of
clans for the
popular multiplayer shooter games, the community aspect of MMORPGs is
brought together through gamers creating guilds and making alliances and
friends within the game. The heart of an MMORPG is based around a social
aspect and the games will often offer additional support and help for clans
and guilds which form in these games. The roots of MMORPG and MMOGs
are believed to have stemmed from MUDs,
Multi-User
Dungeon and browser-based multiplayer games.
Multiplayer Internet Games
For those gamers not interesting in shooting things, taking tactical control
of an army, or completing quests in a fantasy world, there are still
other ways to be involved in multiplayer gaming.
Internet
multiplayer games are those that require a
connection to the
Internet to play, and is a type of
PC
game. Internet games are online only games which you play in your
browser without
having to purchase
software. The game servers you connect to are provided by the game
service such as the MSN Gaming Zone, Yahoo! Games, and Pogo
to name but a few Internet gaming
Web sites. To
game on these services you generally have to create an account on the Web
site and log in to play. Most of these services offer the account for free
(although you may have to view an ad or two), and may offer exclusive
features and games if you do decide to pay for a subscription to the
service.
Internet games offer the casual
gamer the
opportunity to belong to a game community without having to commit hours
everyday to playing at a time. On different game sites you'll find
genres of games
that include
arcade, cards, casino, sports, and even mini strategy and action games.
The Internet game service will track your statistics and offer forums and
in-game chat rooms to communicate with other players in your game. You can
also create a buddy list within the game service which will notify you when
a friend logs on and what game room they are playing in so you can easily
join them.
Multiplayer PC Games — The Way of The
Future
Many of the PC games on the market today offer some type of multiplayer
capabilities where you can play at home on your LAN or through the Internet
in head-to-head deathmatch or competition. It depends on the game itself but
some will even have options that allow you to play co-operative multiplayer
against other people or computer AI players. The game itself will usually
take you step-by-step through the process of configuring your game for
multiplayer and offer a way to search for game servers right from the main
menu of the game.
Many gamers prefer multiplayer games for the
simple fact that these games will generally offer a single-player games plus
the multiplayer capabilities add a whole new gameplay and replay value to
the game. For those causal gamers out there who aren't interested in
spending money and time on stand-alone multiplayer games, the popularity of
Internet game services offers you many choices and a social atmosphere for
gaming.
Regardless of the type of game you like to
play in today's ever-changing world of gaming there is no doubt that you can
find a multiplayer game suited to you!
|
Did You Know...
Internet gaming: At 10PM EST on April 20, 2005 over 130,000
people were online playing games at Pogo, over 73,700 players
could be found at Yahoo! games, and over 94,700 gamers were
logged into the MSG gaming Zone. |
Vangie 'Aurora' Beal
Writer, www.Webopedia.com
Last updated: April 22, 2005
Webopedia Gaming Category
Dictionary definitions for words in the Multimedia/Computer
Entertainment/Gaming category.
id Software
As a renowned leader in the industry, id Software forged such frenetic titles as
Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, DOOM II, QUAKE and QUAKE II.
Ultima Online
Ultima Online is considered to be the first
MMORPG. The game is played online in a fantasy setting.
Gamasutra
The Art & Science of Making Games. Free registration required to access some
parts of the Web site.
GameGirlz
Your Source for Games - From a Girlz' Perspective. Web site includes game news,
reviews, interviews, and other features.
CPL
The CPL (Cyberathlete professional league) is the first organization in the
world to advance computer game competitions to the level of a professional
sport.
POGO
Pogo is an online
game site that is a part of the Electronic Arts brand. Pogo gives players a
chance to compete online against other players, or to play single player games
free of free of charge through your web browser.
MSN Gaming Zone
Everyday players from around the world gather online
to play their favorite games, chat with friends, offer help to new members,
compete in MSN Games tournaments and more.
Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Games is a collection of free, Java-based games on the Web. Some of the
games are multi-player games and can be played with anyone connected to the
Internet, while other games are single player.
Computer Games Station
Online video game store for PC, Xbox, Playstaion2, and GameCube games.
Blue's News
Daily updated Web site chronicling the events and news happening with Action and
FPS games.
E3 Expo
E3 is the world's premiere trade show for computer and video games and related
products. The show is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). |
