Survey On Teamwork In Online Games

Marik_Steele

<div class="IPBDescription">Let your voice be heard about NS &others</div> <!--QuoteBegin--wwwPlanetHalfLife.com+--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (wwwPlanetHalfLife.com)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Effective Teamwork In Online Games 
10/29/2003 15:50 PST | Community | by redef
Tobias, a student of the SAE Institute in Zurich, Switzerland, is currently conducting a <a href='http://www.the2ndsky.ch/survey2k3/' target='_blank'>survey</a> for online gamers who play team-based games. The information gained in the survey is to be used in his final research project to identify methods to improve online teamwork. If you feel like giving him a hand check it out. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Just finished it myself, and actually enjoyed talking about how much I prefer some games over others and why. I'm curious as to what the results will be. Of course it won't be an accurate survey unless there's a large enough group being questioned, so...head on over!

ZERG

Nice and short survey. I thought it would be one of those 1000 question surveys that never end.

CForrester

I love his idea for the RTS/FPS gameplay type. I think that maybe Flay should create a special test version of NS that uses this system, to see if it works out.

Catpoker

i put in my input, nice little survey.

Swiftspear

my reply to the question as to weather the "system" would work in a real gaming situation

No:
players who play online often are mad L337. They have far more range in stratigic processing in thier given situation than any commander can have. In NS a good player doesnt always follow the WP's, cause he knows better, and the commander doesn't always know best. Teamwork is most blatantly an issue when your whole team does the same thing, the only real use of a commander would be direction. Restrictions placed on a good player instantly staple his ability to act diversly in apropriate situations, and therefore staple the fun he has playing the game. Many a player will drop his sniper for a carbine in DoD, when he realizes that it won't help him rush the flag.

Scythe

I think that the only way to get teamwork working in an online game is having a strong sense of kinsmanship with your team. Anything else, ala. punishments for not following orders, is just going to stifle the experience. Once you've got the basic framework for teamplay down, like a commander, you can let the people playing it take care of the rest.

--Scythe--

Geminosity

I think the whole commander thingy is a good idea, but I always preferred free-flow teamplay like you get with the aliens or as a party in games like Phantasy Star Online; each unit can fufill a role but is bolstered by teammates doing what they can't and generally being helpful =3

Aaron

I couldn't fill out this survey because the options were so fixed. I think what facilitates teamplay is differentiation - in goals, in skills, in tasks, etc. Not necessarily by introducing fixed rules or classes, nor necessarily by introducing a commander (although that works great in NS). Also the game has to be architected so that it there are actual penalties for not using teamwork, otherwise everybody just rambos anyway, even in "teamwork" mods (e.g. CS, Firearms).

Stoneburg

I voted CS for both Best and Worst teamwork experience. I would like to have voted NS but it just hasn't reached the same level of consistent competence yet.

Forlorn

I voted for CS as worst, TFC and NS as best for sure.

I also gave him a huge response on why his idea was rather flawed.

AUScorpion

In my thinking teamwork is a fickle thing in online gaming. My thoughts on what makes a game more teamwork viable for the average joe:

1. The individual player must be at a very low power state. If the player decides to to anything on his/her own without serious thought, he/she will probably be culled quickly.

2. The conflict the teams are involved in should be low to medium intensity. This does not mean the conflict cannot be bloody, there should be times when there is a big push and plenty casualties. It simply should not be the same atmosphere that appears in Quake style games (UT2K3 is a Quake style game). The lowered intensity as a whole allows players to truly appreciate the high intensity ("heart pounding") moments, makes the game more fun, and allows the players to think.

Game making is just like music making. In order to startle someone with a sudden orchestra hit or some such, you must allow them to calm down first so they feel secure. Constant hits will not do a darned thing since it is expected.

3. There must be a common goal. This goes without saying.

RoCkIn_RiCkY

I had nothing but good comments to say about NS. Every other mod got ripped to pieces, especially DoD.

Fieari

I also had good things to say about Natural-Selection, commenting on the RT<b>S</b>S aspect... the Real Time <b>Social</b> Strategy. I find teamwork in NS because the game fosters social interaction between players. I've never played ANY game ANYWHERE else on the net that uses vocal communication so much. Even with players that don't have a mic, they're constantly typing... typing about hives, about resource nozzles, about all kinds of crucial information. It's this communication that really encourages teamwork... not the presense of a commander.