Observing games

[Walter Bender]

As I recall, the Connect activitiy was set up to let the first two
players "play" and everyone else who joined "observe."

-walter


On 2/5/08, Don Hopkins <dhopkins at donhopkins.com> wrote:
> I want the multi player version of Micropolis (SimCity) [the new one
> based on Python that we're developing, not the old X11/TCL/Tk multi
> player version] to support different roles, including observing and
> chatting.
> Some roles (like observing and commenting, or wrecking destruction by
> playing the monster or tornado) would be simpler and easy for young kids
> to play, and others would be more advanced and require more skill and
> trust and communication with other players.
> Each player who joins the activity could be shown on the map as an
> animated sprite (color coded of their XO user colors) which depicts
> their role, that they can move around on the map.
> For example, to just observe and comment on a game, you could fly the
> helicopter around, and speak to other nearby players through the "PA
> system", but not edit the map or change the tax rate.
> Different roles come with their own abilities and simple focused user
> interfaces (playable with the game controller buttons), like editing the
> map with various tools.
> Roles could be dealt out to different players like pokemon or magic the
> gathering cards, and players could switch between the roles they've been
> dealt, instead of everyone playing in "god mode" with all actions
> available at all time.
> Players, possibly including observers, could vote on various issues,
> like building zones, changing the tax rate, electing other players into
> offices or jobs, like treasurer in charge of finance, demolition
> bulldozing, building roads, zoning land, etc.
> Players should be able to publish remarks (time stamped and geocoded)
> and articles with screen snapshots (and graphs and charts and map
> overlays) in the city newspaper, a blog-like journal that's saved with
> the game.
> You should be able to view all geocoded articles as icons on the map
> like "point of interest" markers, and also on a timeline with a calendar
> like a blog.
> The Micropolis journal would be something like the stories in The Sims
> "Family Albums" that you can upload to The Sims Exchange along with the
> game save file, to share with other players.
> But it would be more geographically oriented, and more like a regional
> newspaper than a family album.
>
>     -Don
>
>
> Edward Cherlin wrote:
> > While talking with Josh Waitzkin about the chess software he would
> > like to donate, I realized that it would be very helpful if there were
> > a way to share games on XOs not just with players, but with observers,
> > including kibitzers who want to comment on a game in progress, or have
> > a discussion with the other observers. This function is provided on
> > most game servers, with the players unable to tap into the discussion
> > channel. Chess TV in Russia especially, and weiqi/go/baduk TV and
> > xiangqi/janggi/shogi TV in China/Korea/Japan also have expert
> > commentators discussing games in progress, and there is a market in
> > DVDs of commented games.
> >
> > What would we have to do to the XO collaboration model to make that happen?
> >
> > If we can do that, what would it take to extend it to games with
> > multiple players or even teams online? Chaturanga, the earliest form
> > of chess, was a four-way battle. Many combat card games permit fairly
> > large matches, although I haven't seen any larger than eight players.
> > World of Warcraft has team voice communications that the other team
> > doesn't get to hear.
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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-- 
Walter Bender
One Laptop per Child
http://laptop.org