It LIVES!!!!! - The Next Nightmare For Productivity

So I had completely forgot about a new cccccrrrrrrraaaaaaazzzzzzyyyyyyyy idea from Id Software. Well it’s not that new and crazy but it’s the first time it’s been attempted outside of Korea. Id Software is rolling out with a free, browser based FPS using their Quake brand. I know it’s not the first time it’s been done and there are plenty of browser based MMOs out there making money hand over fist with their free services, and the browser based arcades like GameDuell are thriving corporations. This is really the first time this sort of model has been attempted with the support of a major FPS brand and geared toward competition style ladders and leagues.

It’s very possible to code, support, and serve a program on a budget. I wrote about an earlier game that did that too and was a blast to play, it also used Quake as a background.What’s really exciting about this is that Id Software is planning on fostering a community behind it. Revenue is going to come from ad sales and the sale of “premium membership” which will remove all ads and probably add some other bells and whistles.

The Beta opens up tonight, and I am pretty excited to see how launch will roll out. This launch comes hot off the heels of Gabe Newell’s DICE Keynote speech where he commented that games offered as a service was a likely route to thwarting piracy and a way to keep profits up in tough times. Gabe was one of the folks who worked with Steam, which is a digital distribution platform. Microsoft and other independent companies like Direct2Drive have started such platforms after seeing Steam's success. Since the client will be free, advertising will be very important for Id, and after working with CPA groups like LinkShare.com I am excited to see how the ads served up alongside or in Quake Live will perform.

This could very well be the culmination of the last five years of web2.0 marketing. Everything from in game ad placement, to sponsorships, to PPC, to viral tactics can be used and tweaked till the most effective method is found. This is great for me as user, because I don’t see ads that I don’t care about, and ads I may care about are displayed in the least intrusive way possible (no more ‘after these messages’). This is great for business because they can find the right pricing model that works for both sides and stay profitable.

Either way, Quake III was a lot of fun, and this is what Quake Live is based off of, so its going to be a blast. "Boom - Headshot"

For Good Or For Awesome - How To Use Google For Gaming

I like to do what they guys at Mystery Science Theatre 3000 did. When they got canceled because they couldn't afford the rights to make fun of crappy movies no one wanted to watch, they looked for new ways to do what they did better. They took technology that had very little to do with making fun of movies, and used it to make fun of movies. They created RiffTrax.com, and use their powers for good instead of evil. They used MP3s to do the job they were doing and not paying for the rights to use movies. That means they can mock big blockbusters and not have to pay for it.

Today we see gaming trying to do the same thing. There is a lot of hoopla about D&D going online. People are saying that its going to detract from the experience, others are saying it’s the next best thing since sliced bread. I say Wizards of the Coast is behind the times, they need to take a page out of Google’s book. instead of designing a show around making fun of movies, why not just take something and use it to make fun of movies. The same can be said for gaming; instead of designing a program to make it easier for your friends to kill the dragon, use a program for businesses to kill the dragon.

So, as we all know Google.com is going to one day own everything. Honestly I am more than content to go along with the ride. My day job uses Google mail, Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, Google 3D, hell my iPhone uses Google Maps, and Google wrote a better mail webapp than Apple (and they released the damn phone). But what about those of us who like to use work related things for our definitely not work related shenanigans, say like… sending a party of evil doers into the clutches of a band of waiting PCs? Or managing a weekly LARP with 20 PCs? What about discussing what game the group will be playing this week? Google makes all these things possible…

G-Mail

Never mind that G-Mail is the key to a gateway of free apps, the way big G formats your inbox is clear and concise. Ever want to be able to discuss a topic with several people, and keep things easily formatted, say like on a forum? G-mail does that, it saves e-mails as “Conversations”, letting all parties involved click to go back and review conversations, or skip the whole lot if you don’t care to read it.

As someone who receives over 200 gaming related e-mails a day (I’m on a lot of lists) I can’t thank G-Mail enough for this!

Google Docs

Never has it been easier make sure your party is informed about the world you are playing in. Whenever I DM, I usually have my players play in one world that I have slowly been working on since I started gaming. It’s a low magic feudal world. Needless to say there is a lot of information, and history. Some PC driven, some I created. The best way to get information through? Just make a Google doc and invite your players. You can edit information on the fly and it will refresh for all viewers, there is even a chat panel to discuss on the doc.

Google Spreadsheet

Easy access to forms. Setting up a secure form on a Google spreadsheet is a breeze. E-mail the form out to your players, their input is put into a spreadsheet clearly, and concisely. Most of all the other players can’t see it! Running a vampire LARP? What better way to manage the dealings of the Kindred? If the Prince wants to manipulate the press to cover the latest Masquerade the same live update feature will show you the exact second he does. It will also show you the harpy spending actions to watch the prince.

Google Maps

Track a party’s progress over a map. Just use a real world location people have never been too. Medieval landscape? England. Dessert? Death Valley. Sweltering jungle? New Zealand! You can plot points, mark encounters and land marks as well. I ran a game with one game and two tables. There was one other DM and both parties were on the same island. We would both edit the map with the parties progress and when huge events went off we the other party thought it was NPCs. Boy were they surprised.

Google Calendar

Share your gaming schedule easily. Need to change the date of that shadow run? Waiting for a game to be released? Easy as, one, two, three, go. E-mail notifications are sent out, with RSVPs, forget about Facebook.

Google Sketchup

I stole this one from one of my friends, Heather. Need to show off that dungeon? Got multiple levels? Google Sketchup is the way to go. You can easily draw castles, houses, villages, warrens, dungeons, taverns, inns, corporate buildings. The list goes on and on, all in 3d! This works great for a tactical game. When its important for all sides of a building need to be considered.