A combination of 3G, 3.5G, Wi-Fi and flat rate phone data charges provide lots of possibilities for internet gaming on the new N-Gage platform. Take part in our new poll and let the world know which kind of online gaming you most want to see on N-Gage, or even tell us if you don't want online gaming at all.
Read on in the full article.
Related to this story, Snakes Subsonic is due out next week and it will feature real time online multiplayer for up to four people.
Best would be that a game would support different multiplayer combat types depending on the connection. I.e. Systemrush has currently only blind combat for 3G as it is now. But with a wifi or bluetooth connection, I'd love to see my opponent show up in my track and being able to shoot him, lay down mines (yes I know I could hit them myself next round)... And more...
First person action games would need low network latencies (bluetooth, wifi). Tactical more strategical games could live on 3G 😉 And Nokia would do well to design a dual function 'bluetooth gamecontroller'/'phone recharging LitiumIon pack'. A travelcharger packed with a bit of 'fun'.
Krisse, that poll link is broken when viewed from the mobile AAS site.
@snoryt,
Network connection methods like 3G , 3.5G are extremely expensive to make use of in a number of countries.
In my country, Nigeria , the 'sad' GPRS standard is the predominant - you'd feel so sorry for n-gage gamers here. Though a 3G network exists, its not being efficiently utilized. We dont even have data rate plans.
In contrast, for other tariff friendly countries; your take on the combination of varying multiplayer methods would very be applicable.
It would be nice if (at least) bluetooth (local) connectivity was implemented into most of the games. Not to mention online multiplaying.
Learning from the Nintendo DS's strategy - where some games can be played locally and online - Mario Kart DS as a case study, (still on top of the list of DS racing games) where we have 1-8 players locally and 1-4 online.
True, the mobile phone isnt the DS, but n-gage game developers can learn from it.
Another thing is concerning this Leaderboard / World ranking system. There was an article , a while ago , about mobile gaming not going to be predominantly global but local.
I agree with this notion. And would suggest to Nokia to not just create only world ranking system for games but ,"" if possible "" , also a 'regional ranking' system.
The average n-gage gamer will 'never' get near the top 10 on world ranking system. But might have a shot , at the regional leaderboards. And this would carry several gamers along - not to mention increase nokia's mobile gaming penetration.
Nokia can then make it such that those on the top 10 boards in the regions of a particular continent - be brought together to compete for a continental tournament . The winners of this can then compete on the continental stage . i.e. 7 contestants from the top of the list of the 7 continents - competing the "world title" in the various n-gage games.
" You'd actually wonder if some of the names on those world boards aren't just computer generated names !? "
At the same, the existing online multiplayer system of games such as System Rush ; need serious fine -turning. Because presently it can be summarised to be just what Krisse said -- Blind multiplaying.
Ability to see what your friends are doing, or the games their playing, not mentioned a more refined client chatroom , will all be implemented soon to the client. I guess we all just have to wait.
Implementation of GPS into the client and games would be a nice idea. Although, not everybody likes to be watched !!
Network connection methods like 3G , 3.5G are extremely expensive to make use of in a number of countries.
Yes, but that number is going down, and that should eventually happen everywhere.
In many countries it's already extremely cheap, here in Finland you can have unlimited 3G/3.5G access (with no data caps) for 10 euros a month.
It would be nice if (at least) bluetooth (local) connectivity was implemented into most of the games.
Totally agree, though I wouldn't call that online gaming as it doesn't involve the internet.
Bluetooth would be really good on the new N-Gage games because so many people have compatible phones, and if they don't have the correct game they can download it and buy it straight away. It's much much easier to have a Bluetooth match on the new N-Gage phones, so it's a shame the new games don't support it yet. They will do though, if Nokia's publicity department is correct.
The average n-gage gamer will 'never' get near the top 10 on world ranking system. But might have a shot , at the regional leaderboards. And this would carry several gamers along - not to mention increase nokia's mobile gaming penetration.
Yes, I've made this point in several of my reviews so far, and regional boards would be a good way of solving this problem. Another solution already in use is seen in games like Hooked On Creatures Of The Deep, where the leagues are divided up into resorts, species and tournaments so there's often at least one league where you're vaguely near the top.
Implementation of GPS into the client and games would be a nice idea.
This has been suggested many times, including in articles on AAN, but I suppose Nokia might want to wait until more compatible phones have GPS.
Learning from the Nintendo DS's strategy - where some games can be played locally and online
Much as I greatly admire what Nintendo have done for gaming as a whole, I don't think they're a very good example for online gaming.
The DS's online services are truly awful IMHO. When I had a DS I had several online games but thanks to the dreadful friends system it was virtually impossible to find anyone to play. Even when I did swap friend codes for Animal Crossing, we then had to email to agree when we would both be online, and also had to agree who would enter whose game world because there was no way to check if someone was waiting. Very very bad implementation, players had to do so much work, most people didn't bother.
Even on Mario Kart which allowed anonymous matchups, there was usually only one other person online, partly because Nintendo staggered the release dates over the world so by the time Europe got it the Americans had given up.
Krisse, that poll link is broken when viewed from the mobile AAS site.
The mobile site hasn't yet been overhauled, it's still got the old gen artwork on it. We'll try and get it revamped and fixed at some point, but we've been concentrating on the main site so far.
snoyt wrote:Best would be that a game would support different multiplayer combat types depending on the connection. I.e. Systemrush has currently only blind combat for 3G as it is now. But with a wifi or bluetooth connection, I'd love to see my opponent show up in my track and being able to shoot him, lay down mines (yes I know I could hit them myself next round)... And more...First person action games would need low network latencies (bluetooth, wifi). Tactical more strategical games could live on 3G 😉 And Nokia would do well to design a dual function 'bluetooth gamecontroller'/'phone recharging LitiumIon pack'. A travelcharger packed with a bit of 'fun'.
Exactly. Allowing for local (either BT or Wi-Fi - or even IrDA if needed) connections would be of big help.
This is a poll about online gaming. Bluetooth games and other local games are NOT online games. In practical terms local games aren't any different to playing on a console with two controllers, except it's much harder to find people for local games.
Local games are notoriously useless for most people because it's very unlikely you will be that near someone with the same hardware and the same game who wants to play at the same time as you. Local games sound great in theory but in reality most people will never be able to play local games.
Online games (i.e. internet games) are totally different because it's far easier to find people to play against. The internet allows everyone in the world with a particular game/hardware combination to meet in one place, and the only variable is when you meet.
ChatFire wrote:@snoryt,
In my country, Nigeria , the 'sad' GPRS standard is the predominant - you'd feel so sorry for n-gage gamers here. Though a 3G network exists, its not being efficiently utilized. We dont even have data rate plans.
Low data rate 3G or GPRS, I did not mad any distinction. 3G tends to have still network hiccups anyway. Particular if my phone starts doing its rss update or mail check 😉
GTA. Im serious.
The handsets could cope with GTA 1 style games, and I dont see too many problems with playing multiplayer (having played the SA mod, and also a quick go on GTA 4s multiplayer).
krisse wrote:This is a poll about online gaming. Bluetooth games and other local games are NOT online games. In practical terms local games aren't any different to playing on a console with two controllers, except it's much harder to find people for local games.
- Wifi, 3G, GPRS, bluetooth all support transporting TCP/IP connections. Why make a big distinction? It should be rather easy to allow any 'internet' connection to be made. But connection speeds should determine the possible gametypes. There is only a distinction between playing local or via the nGage network. And even those scores and n-gage player points can be linked to the world rankings.
QUOTE=krisse;377536] Local games are notoriously useless for most people because it's very unlikely you will be that near someone with the same hardware and the same game who wants to play at the same time as you. Local games sound great in theory but in reality most people will never be able to play local games.[/QUOTE]
Local games are played with friends while sitting in the pub having a beer, waiting during boring commercials in the cinema. Waiting for the train or your plane. Buy the kid the cheapest n-gage capable game, play with your son. Play with your girlfriend in coop or in combat. There is nothing better than an occasional game of digital tag, if you are too grown up to run around wildly when you are getting bored.
P.S. Admittedly for playing with strangers you'd need a 'n-gage' corner in the pub or at least at the 'geek convention'.
Most games on the original N-Gage could be played locally or over the net. We used to make small gatherings of N-gage enthusiasts and play using Bluetooth. It was a lot of fun and would drive our wives/girlfriends mad. Favourite games were Pathway to Glory, Collin Mcrae rally and a very simple tennis game that took a lot of skill to be good at. There were many others and almost all were astoundingly good.
that was exactly our approach to ngage games. we didn't buy the phone or games to play against people you are never going to meet because they live on the other side of the planet. we bought them to play with our friends.
I hate to go online if I want to play with my friend in the same room, it's just a waste of bandwidth, battery power and money.
saying that "local games are notoriously useless for most people" is largely ignorant to say the least. you don't have (and you cannot have) anything to back it up other than a desperate attempt to find an excuse for it being a missing feature. online only multiplayer games encourage kids to sit in the corner alone playing with Noname979 (who is either just another lonely kid or a raging pedofil) while local multiplayer parties are truly interpersonal experiences. unfortunately nobody seems to recognise this, that is why split screen multiplayer is disappearing from consoles, bluetooth multiplayer is considered to be "pointless" in the mobile world. it is sad to see that this approach is not being hammered here but pretty much the opposite.
I know the poll is not about multiplayer games but ONLINE multiplayer games but I think there should have been a poll before this one to see if players prefer online ONLY or online and local modes.