Persistent world: Difference between revisions
→Offline persistence: Made the MineCraft link work |
→Overview: added Hydlide 3 |
||
| (One intermediate revision by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
The persistence comes from maintaining and developing a single or dynamic instance state of the world in the game around the clock shared and viewed by all players. Quite unlike other types of [[computer and video game|games]], the plot and events in a single permainstance world game continue to develop even while some of the [[player (game)|players]] are not playing their [[player character|character]]s. That aspect is similar to the real world where events do occur regardless if they are directly or indirectly related to a person, as they continue to happen while a person is asleep, etc. Conversely, a player's character can also influence and change a persistent world. The degree to which a character affects a world varies from game to game. Since the game does not pause or create player-accessible back-up files, a character's actions will have consequences that the player must deal with. |
The persistence comes from maintaining and developing a single or dynamic instance state of the world in the game around the clock shared and viewed by all players. Quite unlike other types of [[computer and video game|games]], the plot and events in a single permainstance world game continue to develop even while some of the [[player (game)|players]] are not playing their [[player character|character]]s. That aspect is similar to the real world where events do occur regardless if they are directly or indirectly related to a person, as they continue to happen while a person is asleep, etc. Conversely, a player's character can also influence and change a persistent world. The degree to which a character affects a world varies from game to game. Since the game does not pause or create player-accessible back-up files, a character's actions will have consequences that the player must deal with. |
||
Elements of persistent worlds can be found in computer games from as early as the 1980s, including ''[[Trade Wars]]'' (1984), ''[[Wasteland (video game)|Wasteland]]'' (1988), and '' |
Elements of persistent worlds can be found in computer games from as early as the 1980s, including ''[[Trade Wars]]'' (1984), ''[[Wasteland (video game)|Wasteland]]'' (1988), and ''Orb Wars'' (1989).<ref>{{cite web |
||
| last = Koster | first = Raph | authorlink = Raph Koster |
| last = Koster | first = Raph | authorlink = Raph Koster |
||
| url = http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/mudtimeline.shtml |
| url = http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/mudtimeline.shtml |
||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
| isbn = 0-1310-1816-7 |
| isbn = 0-1310-1816-7 |
||
| pages = 14 |
| pages = 14 |
||
}}</ref> The term gained popularity in the late 1990s with the growth in popularity of [[MMORPG]]s. The term is also frequently used by players of ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' (2002) and ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'' (2006) to refer to MMORPG-like online environments, such as [[Arkaz]], [[Avlis]], [[Dasaria]], and [[The Known Lands (TKL)]] created using the game's toolkit. |
}}</ref> Several video games from the 1980s also featured persistent worlds with their own day-night cycles and [[non-player character]]s going about their own daily routines irrespective of the player, including [[Konami]]'s ''[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest]]'' (1987),<ref name="CV2History">{{Cite web |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/history_castlevania/p4_01.html |title=The History of Castlevania - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |author=Mike Whalen, Giancarlo Varanini |accessdate=2008-08-01}}</ref> [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'',<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1788/the_gamasutra_quantum_leap_awards_.php?page=3 The Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards: Storytelling (Page 3)], [[Gamasutra]], November 3, 2006</ref> [[T&E Soft]]'s ''[[Hydlide 3: The Space Memories]]'' (1987),<ref name=Hydlide>Kurt Kalata & Robert Greene, [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hydlide/hydlide.htm Hydlide], Hardcore Gaming 101</ref> Fun Factory's ''War of the Dead'' (1987),<ref>John Szczepaniak, [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/wotd/wotd.htm War of the Dead], Hardcore Gaming 101, 15 January 2011</ref> and [[Chunsoft]]'s ''[[Dragon Warrior III|Dragon Quest III]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite web|first=Andrew|last=Vestal|title=The History of Console RPGs|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|date=1998-11-02|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/nes7.html|accessdate=2011-01-06}}</ref> The term "persistent world" gained popularity in the late 1990s with the growth in popularity of [[MMORPG]]s. The term is also frequently used by players of ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' (2002) and ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'' (2006) to refer to MMORPG-like online environments, such as [[Arkaz]], [[Avlis]], [[Dasaria]], and [[The Known Lands (TKL)]] created using the game's toolkit. |
||
== Offline persistence == |
== Offline persistence == |
||
Revision as of 10:34, 21 February 2011
A persistent world (PW) is a virtual world that continues to exist even after a user exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent.[1][2] The term is frequently used in the definition of the massively multiplayer online video games and can be considered synonymous with that class of games,[3] including other narrative forms of a media franchise.
Overview
The persistence comes from maintaining and developing a single or dynamic instance state of the world in the game around the clock shared and viewed by all players. Quite unlike other types of games, the plot and events in a single permainstance world game continue to develop even while some of the players are not playing their characters. That aspect is similar to the real world where events do occur regardless if they are directly or indirectly related to a person, as they continue to happen while a person is asleep, etc. Conversely, a player's character can also influence and change a persistent world. The degree to which a character affects a world varies from game to game. Since the game does not pause or create player-accessible back-up files, a character's actions will have consequences that the player must deal with.
Elements of persistent worlds can be found in computer games from as early as the 1980s, including Trade Wars (1984), Wasteland (1988), and Orb Wars (1989).[4][5] Several video games from the 1980s also featured persistent worlds with their own day-night cycles and non-player characters going about their own daily routines irrespective of the player, including Konami's Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987),[6] Nintendo's Zelda II: The Adventure of Link,[7] T&E Soft's Hydlide 3: The Space Memories (1987),[8] Fun Factory's War of the Dead (1987),[9] and Chunsoft's Dragon Quest III (1988).[10] The term "persistent world" gained popularity in the late 1990s with the growth in popularity of MMORPGs. The term is also frequently used by players of Neverwinter Nights (2002) and Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006) to refer to MMORPG-like online environments, such as Arkaz, Avlis, Dasaria, and The Known Lands (TKL) created using the game's toolkit.
Offline persistence
Persistent worlds can be simulated in offline games, such as in the Animal Crossing series. Even though nothing happens while the game is off (due to the obvious technical constraint), the illusion of persistence is created by advancing events as soon as the game is turned on. The game generates events that could have happened during the real-world time in which the game was inactive. NPC development is also seen as a key factor in maintaining offline and online persistence. A method for creating NPCs that evolve and adapt to gameplay is seen in research done on motivated reinforcement learning agents.[11] Further persistence is possible if NPC interact with players in an adaptive way rather than a static method without regard to prior experiences.
Perhaps the first game to use that technique is the game Noctis, where the players are advised to turn off the game when refueling (something that takes a long time), or when someone stops playing and returns while landed on a planet, and can see some visible changes, like sea level changes or daytime/nighttime cycles.
Another example of an offline persistent world is MineCraft. Although still in the beta stages the world is not only persistent but also randomly generated as you explore, making the world potentially infinite. MineCraft can also be played online through a host/server system.
See also
References
- ^ Deal, David (2007). "Gamer Culture: A Brief History of Community and Digital Games". Retrieved 2008-04-06. [dead link]
- ^ Marcellino, Bill. "Neverwinter Nights: Player's Guide to Persistent Worlds". Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ James, Daniel (Ed.) (2004). "2004 Persistent Worlds Whitepaper" (PDF). IGDA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Koster, Raph (2002-02-20). "Online World Timeline". Retrieved 2008-04-06.
- ^ Bartle, Richard (2003). Designing Virtual Worlds. New Riders. p. 14. ISBN 0-1310-1816-7.
- ^ Mike Whalen, Giancarlo Varanini. "The History of Castlevania - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ The Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards: Storytelling (Page 3), Gamasutra, November 3, 2006
- ^ Kurt Kalata & Robert Greene, Hydlide, Hardcore Gaming 101
- ^ John Szczepaniak, War of the Dead, Hardcore Gaming 101, 15 January 2011
- ^ Vestal, Andrew (1998-11-02). "The History of Console RPGs". GameSpot. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ^ Merrick, Kathryn and Maher, Mary Lou (2006). "Motivated reinforcement learning for non-player characters in persistent computer game worlds". ACE '06: Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGCHI international conference on Advances in computer entertainment technology. 266: 1–3.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)