2004 Web and Downloadable Games White Paper 

IGDA Online Games SIG 

6. 

Smaller Project Size 

The smaller project size in online/downloadable projects reduces the financial risk somewhat, although 

even a budget that is tiny in console development terms can represent a significant amount for a small 

development shop.  

Larger projects tend to be riskier because of opportunity cost, resulting in higher requirements for a single 

title to perform. Thus risk management may play as big a role as bandwidth does in limiting game 

size/scope.  

7. 

 Design and Development Methodologies 

Developing a more formalized approach to both game design and game development is a risk 

management strategy that all developers should explore. Obviously, a rigid methodology will not apply to 

all game projects, but some guidelines can ensure that common (and costly) mistakes are avoided. See 

Nicole Lazzaro's case study later in this section, for an example of one developer's more formalized 

approach to the design process. 

Representing a PlayStation 2 game on the Internet 

Written by Simon Oliver, Head of Research and Development Random Media 

Random Media has worked on several web sites for PlayStation 2 games published by SCEE. 

This  case  study  will  discuss  one  of  the  most  recent  sites  we  have,  for 

EverQuest  Online 

Adventures

, at http://www.eqoa game.com. 

The  aim  of  the  site  was  to  provide  an  experience  of  the  PS2  game,  rather  than  just  provide 

information  and  screenshots  and  the  usual  material  found  on  games  sites.  This  information  is 

already  provided  on  the  PlayStation.com  site,  allowing  us  to  concentrate  on  providing  an 

engaging experience to the user.  

What we wanted to do with the games aspect of the site was to communicate some of the key 

aspects of the PS2 game without attempting to replicate the game wholesale. Trying to reproduce 

a game such as 

EverQuest

 within a browser would obviously be an impossible task, and the end 

result would only cheapen the game itself. By sitting down and playing the game and researching 

online about what people thought of the game and the community surrounding it, we were able to 

get  a  feel  for  the  most  interesting  aspects  of  the  game,  enabling  us  to  piece  together  a  game 

design that would reflect these aspects. 

Some of the most striking aspects of the game were the community aspect (

EverQuest Online 

Adventures

 is one of the flagship PS2 titles compatible with the new network adapter), the strong 

emphasis  on  teamwork  and  the  open ended  nature  of  the  game  (the  game  never  ends,  new 

content is constantly created by the players and by the game's developers) 

Game Design 

The first aspect to be tackled in the game design was that of teamwork. Within the game, many 

people  join  together  to  form   parties   in  order  to  tackle  the  bigger  challenges  in  the  game  that 

would  be  near  impossible  for  someone  to  complete  on  their  own.  There  have  been  numerous 

games in the past that have placed teamwork at the center of gameplay. 

Head over Heels

 and 

The Lost Vikings

 are great examples. The idea of these games is to combine the unique abilities 

of  each  of  the  characters  in  order  to  solve  puzzles  and  progress  through  the  game.  This  is 

something that lends itself very well to 

EverQuest

 as within the game there are numerous classes 

and  races  each  with  their  own  abilities,  strengths  and  weaknesses  (for  example  trolls  are  very 

strong, but not very intelligent, or elves have an affinity with nature). We decided to go down the 

path of creating a game that relied on the player strategically controlling different characters with 

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