Tag Archives: online gaming

Urban Terror: Close the Door

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Since leaving the development team and Urban Terror, nearly 2 years ago I have yet to return to online gaming. The motivations for my departure and retirement were purely personal. For me, I had gone as far as I could with development as it was quite clear the game would never flourish as I had hoped for during the early years.

It’s quite rare I even bring the name, Urban Terror up because it’s a part of my past and I have moved on, leaving the community, the web sites and activities to others in order to cultivate. I still have an informal tie to the community as I continue to hold the rights to the domain name.

I happened upon a conversation today with an individual who is still around the community and as I understand it, the community and the game are not the same. I can’t speak to that, but can only surmise the problems plaguing the community/game now. While I never had a direct hand in any development, it was the community who drove the game to the success it had upon my departure.

Of course the development team was at the core of the community, with talented individuals leaving their mark and moving on. The early years were truly the “best of times” for me personally. Being courted by id Software, visiting their offices, participating in Quakecon, jet setting to Los Angeles for E3, being featured on Tech TV are just some of the highlights I take with me. Of course those days are all in the past and rarely do I even cast a glance at the newest PC games on the market because it’s “more of the same.”

With that said, there is still something to say about those individuals who continue to support the game after so many years. I have a few individuals in mind who, through thick and thin stuck it out with the development team. Not sure if I were on the outside looking in, like I was with Action Quake II if I could have continued for nearly 10 years even with a game I enjoyed

Being in the rare position I was, between the community and the game I had a unique perspective and seemed to get opinions from everyone. For many, I was the voice/face/name of Urban Terror, but never did I attempt to take credit. While I was involved, I left the real development/design to the talented individuals that knew how to code a feature, or create a model, uvwrap it and skin it. I was highly impressed with those who were level designers, but that was not my calling.
Unfortunately, it was “never quite good enough” for some. The worst place to be the day of a point release was on the community support forums. This was my domain, a place I controlled and supported and nurtured from the beginning. It was a unique feeling creating a community from virtually nothing to a strong community of supporters we had when I departed. I was amazed at the success and the ride I had been privy to.

Maybe my departure gave rise to someone with new ideas and new blood to bring something into the community to improve the game. While some may disagree I took a lot with me the day I left. Much of the unwritten history left with me. Many gigabytes of files continue to reside on my archived hard drives that will most likely never be accessed again.

Most of all I remember the people, behind every alias, either in game, via e-mail or on IRC there is a person. I was fortunate enough to meet a small percentage of these people over the years. The strongest bonds were between the long standing development team members. The same can be said for the long time supporters in the community, the people I entrusted files or hosting to. There were some great people behind the scenes who rarely got a mention. Maybe they hosted files or ran a web site or always put in a word of praise to the community, game or development team. While I will probably never communicate with these individuals again, they were a special part of the community and one of the things I held close though out my tenure.

Often times I was referred to as, “not a developer” because I did not provide any content for the game. While that is a true statement, it could not be further from the truth. I was a development team member and played an integral role that was often overlooked. Many individuals involved couldn’t or wouldn’t do what I did over the course of 10 years. While not the most important aspect of the game or community, I brought Urban Terror to life though the use of shoutcasting, when online gaming radio stations were still in their infancy.

My use of the radio medium introduced a new dimension to online gaming that was rarely seen previously. I attempted to stress the importance of the community, wanting feedback and information from supporters in order to strengthen the radio show on a weekly basis. By far, the most important portion of the show, aside from my bad, 80’s music was the development team update. This was sometimes a futile attempt to provide up to the minute information about development.

The second part of this new medium was acting as a commentator during online matches. I spent many hours a week dedicated to my radio shows and broadcasts. It would have been enough to just cover the match, but our community was something special and they deserved more. I had a pre and post game report, as well as commentary and sometimes guest casters on air.

This, to me was my calling for the game and it went a long way in the community. Yet some failed to see the connection. In the end I was burned out, tired. Maybe it was the years of abuse I took never really striking back or going off, unless completely necessary. A few examples spring to mind. When I initially got involved I wanted to see this development through to a defined end. For me, that will never happen as I dropped everything in a blink of an eye and walked away, never to return.

But, as I said early on the friendships you make will last a lifetime. The memories remain, but may fade as years go by. For the most part these were good times, never great, but good enough to keep you going for just a bit longer. Hopefully those involved now have an idea of where the game came from and of those who came before.

The ARG.

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It’s rare to have anything to discuss when it comes to computer gaming. In my mind the thrill and excitement of gaming has lost it’s luster. This is not because I have become jaded after retiring from game development and supporting the game community for nearly 10 years. I am still impressed to see new games come to term, unfortunately many companies and distributors today don’t give a shit about the gamer, but the bottom line. I guess that makes sense, get some dumb bastard to spend $60 bucks on a game, take WoW for example and then charge them a money service fee to play. Better yet, charge the end user for new content. Nearly all games use some component of this today. I know I have been taken in by it with Rockband 2 and well as a few other XBox 360 games recently.

Back in the late 90s, the actual year is fuzzy and I have not been able to search and find the exact title of the game, there was a game that was played real time, in real life by gamers. The only way to describe it now is by calling it an alternate reality game or “an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants’ ideas or actions.”

I happened to stumble upon this game concept when reading a thread on a UFO hoax at ATS yesterday and they mentioned ARG. I found the concept rather perplexing and decided to give it a further look. Currently, I am reading up on a ARG called SF0 of SF Zero. Your character is “You” and You are tasked to complete objectives, submitting proof when you accomplish a task. There are more dynamics involved in the game, but this is the general principal.

I find the concept rather interesting and definitely off the main stream of computer gaming, yet gaming nonetheless. While computers are involved they are not the primary means of interaction. I am continuing to read about SF0 but the concept does interest me. Just like the original text adventures that paved the way for future games to follow.

** EDIT: Majestic produced by EA was the ARG I was thinking of, which debuted in 2001 and was discontinued a year later.

Kid Leaves After Xbox is Taken Away

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Computer gaming has become prevalent in society these days with gamers taking on an entirely different online persona. Prior to becoming involved in PC gaming with Quake 2 back in 1997 and game development in 1999 I knew nothing of this “digital world.” Knock some of this off to the fact I was raised on an intelligent machine, the Apple Computer, unfortunately when it came to gaming, Apple’s selections were very slim.

As kids of my generation enter their late 30s and early 40s, their lives included computer gaming (and console) as part of growing up. I am sure some never partook in this sort of entertainment, but it is truly a mainstream form of entertainment now than it was 25+ years ago.

Today, out of Canada comes the story of a 15 year old kid who ran away from home because his father took his Xbox away. Microsoft offers reward for missing Xbox gamer the headline reads on Yahoo. What I find most ridiculous from this story, outside of irresponsible parents is the fact that MS has put up a portion of the reward. *sniff* *sniff* Smells like they are trying to avoid a lawsuit if you ask me.

Parenting is not easy and I am only speaking from 2 years worth of experience. “I just took away his identity, so I can understand why he got so mad and took off. Before, I couldn’t understand why he was taking off for taking his game away,” said this kid’s father. LOL. Funny how he only realizes this AFTER his kid runs away from home. I guess if parents took more of an interest in what their kids are doing we would see kids less dependent on video games as a form of socializing.

I had an online alias and I was a very different person than I was if you walked up and had a beer with me in real life. Unfortunately irresponsible parents don’t seem to understand that, “I didn’t realize how in-depth this was until I took his Xbox away,” Steve Crisp told the Globe and Mail. “That’s like cutting his legs off.” LOL. No it’s not! Yet, go ahead and believe you did the wrong thing. I bet the moment this kid returns daddy gives him his Xbox back. Never mind the fact there were changes in the kid’s behavior.

Take it from DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, “parents just don’t understand.”

Gamer’s Bill of Rights

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In my research for an upcoming series I will post on the site I ran across an interesting tidbit. I found the post on Pixelantes and was created by developer, Stardock. This is a Gamer’s Bill of Rights when it comes to software and they games they purchase.

  • Gamers shall have the right to return games that don’t work with their computers for a full refund.
  • Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
  • Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a game’s release.
  • Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.
  • Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will play adequately on that computer.
  • Gamers shall have the right to expect that games won’t install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their consent.
  • Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
  • Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
  • Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.
  • Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.

After spending [and wasting] nearly 10 years of my life on development, gamers have no rights when it comes to software or the games they purchase. As long as the developer and publisher get their money, no one cares less what end users do. Sad, but true. Rarely, if ever do developers support a game for more than a few months with fixes and updates, possible a few years (not including new development , as expansion packs). So as PC games continue to climb in price, remember what rights you have when you shell out your hard earned dollar. Nothing, even though this Gamer’s Bill of Rights is an interesting concept.

Forum Goers

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I guess it goes without saying, on the Internet you can be anything or anyone you want to be. Behind an alias/screen name you can take on an entirely new persona. I should know after spend 10+ years going by “Oswald” while being involved with a development team creating an online FPS. I am sure my online persona contrasts my who I am in real life.

After spending a decade or so with online activity such as IRC [Internet Relay Chat], ICQ, MSN, as well as the worst offender, forums I have come to the realization people are all the same, regardless of the genre, activity or hobby that brings them together.

Online gaming has a negative connotation attached to it to begin with. Game associated deaths usually make the headlines, just ask Rockstar or id Software. It has happened in the past, but that is a story for another day. Gaming seems to be associated with kids, usually of the immature type. But my generation grew up with some of the first consoles and PC video games, so it is not surprising those “kids” are 30-somethings now.

I thought amateur radio was a cut above when it came to the individuals involved, at least that is how I always pictured with. Then again, I was living vicariously though my father in the 70’s and early 80’s when he was heavily involved. Everyone I met was cordial and there seemed to be a commeradie that I rarely saw growing up. Even sports teams I was on there was always competition and tempers flaring.

Forums seem to be the work of the devil, regardless of what it is centered around. It was for the game I was involved with and is also seen in amateur radio, as well as the resotration of my Mercury Cougar. The harsh reality is people are assholes! There are those who seem to think the forum is their “bitch box” and use it as such.

Gamers feel they are usually owed something or know better than those behind the game. Amateur radio seem some “troll” topics as well radio modification, band usage and of course those amateurs who are “know code” or “no code” hams. The commonality is the activity of the individual behind these rants. While their percentage is in the minority they usually cause the most headaches and trouble.

These people definitely ruin the enjoyment and “fun factor” for those involved in a community. Yeah, I already hear some of you saying, “So what? You don’t like it, don’t read it or move onto something more substantial.” You are right, but the fact remains I have lost a bit of respect for those who attempt to ruin that enjoyment. It usually is uncalled for and not necessary, but try convincing those individuals. You can’t.