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Massively Multiplayer Baseball

Posted by Zonk on from the something-completely-different dept.

Next Gen is reporting on Netadmin's upcoming Ultimate Baseball title, which is designed to take the MMOG market into the sports genre for the first time. From the article: "We also looked at the MMOG landscape at the time. Everything was some variation on a fantasy theme. Kill the dragon, rescue the village and such. We were interested in the MMOG business model but looking ways to do things differently and sports just made sense..."

8 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Baseball! Oh boy! by ActionJesus · · Score: 3, Funny

    3 points:

    1) Geeks, as a rule, hate sport. Yes, there are exceptions.
    2) Jocks, as a rule, hate computers. Yes, they can work them.
    3) Everyone in the world, as a rule, hates baseball. Yes, there are americans.

    So how well, exactly, is this gonna do?

    1. Re:Baseball! Oh boy! by jtwJGuevara · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "Even something like football - if you're not the quarterback or a receiver, is it really going to be fun?"

      Short answer, yes.

      Having other positions non-ai controlled allows more actions to be taken by those positions and I would love nothing more than a football game that lets you take control of a player besides the ball handler. I'm a former football player and nothing pisses me off worse in football games than the lack of depth in the number of actions that an ai controlled position can make, generally lineman. Personally, I would love a football game that would let me take control of an offensive lineman, let me control the way I block (fighting to gain helmet position for leverage, handfighting, sealing, turning out, cutblocking, timing your punch on pass protection, etc. etc.). Of course I'm probably in an extremely small minority here. But nonetheless I personally think playing another position in a fully online football would be fun.

  2. I've seen it by generic-man · · Score: 4, Funny

    My brother played the beta. When you're in the field it's about as boring as you imagine it'd be, except the outfield chatter is replaced with "wtg lol" and there are about 700 fielding errors on any play. It's like watching Little League play with adults.

    For an approximation, join a weekend softball league that brings a keg to every game. :)

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  3. When development just stops by QuantumG · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Ya know what annoys me. When MMOGs are "finished" being developed and players are let in, the live team basically fixes bugs and adds new content. Development just stops. Compare this with MUDs. Every week new features will be added to a MUD. Submit a good suggestion to the devs and you're almost guarenteed to see it implemented.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  4. OH YEAH! I can play and have time for TV too by gothzilla · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Watch baseball on tv and tell me how often each of the outfielders actually has to move and do something, then tell me if you want to sit in front of your pc doing the same thing.
    Why in the hell would anyone want to play online baseball and spend 90% of their time sitting and waiting for something to happen?
    Maybe the dugout will be like a singles chat room or something.

  5. I dunno... by rogabean · · Score: 2, Insightful

    While I don't see this becoming a major MMO player... I can see it becoming quite a niche MMO (in the way I consider COH to be a niche MMO)

    There are enough exceptions to everything...

    people assume nerds don't like sports... but I am a nerd and while I don't care for playing real sports, I quite enjoy a sports themed computer/console game. It's a break from the normal [hack/slash/shoot/quest] of the typical game. And if I'm going to pick a sport to watch (which I can imagine alot of this game turns into.. watching other people at times) baseball is my choice.

    I can't be the only one that thinks this.

    besides... it's something different! I'm gonna give them credit for that if nothing else.

    --
    "why don't you just slip into something more comfortable...like a coma!"
  6. They should have went with.... by rubberbando · · Score: 2, Interesting

    sports like basketball, soccer, or hockey.

    At least in those sports, each player has a chance to get the ball/puck.

    Also, with basketball, the game is somewhat scaleable on the amount of players in a game (1 on 1, 2 on 2, 3 on 3, etc).

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  7. Decathlon by chris_mahan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Now, that would be a funner mmorpg game than baseball.

    A better mmorpg would be "The Mall" where you can buy items, take them to the car, go home, get dressed in those items (mod your appearance) and go back to the mall.

    Of course, with the interesting (what, you're out of size 5?) and the obligatory foodstuff shops that make you gain weight so you have to buy more.

    Also, demand or lack thereof on particular items would either make them hard to find, or go to the 70% off rack (in which case you don't want to be caught dead in them).

    Finally, the people could trade items.

    Now, the really fun thing is that you can have "stores" in the mall that have real online presences. For example, I'm in this virtual mall, and I'm in the computer section, and I'm browsing the bookshelves, and I look at a book, and I want to actually buy it (as IRL), so I click on the (purchase in real life) and it's automatically added to my border.com account.

    Also, as I walk around the virtual mall, slurpee in hand, trying to scope out the best-dressed avatars, I see the in-game advertising provided by Vitoria's Secret and Macy's for their Fall Collection.

    Finally, this mall would be open 24x7, and you could just, like, hang out with your friends and chat all day...

    come on, take the idea and run with it, somebody. I want no credit for the idea, take it, go, go!!!

    --

    "Piter, too, is dead."