logging in or signing up smsdes Demetrio Download Post to : URL : Related Presentations : Share Add to Flag Embed Email Send to Blogs and Networks Add to Channel Uploaded from authorPOINTLite Insert YouTube videos in PowerPont slides with aS Desktop Copy embed code: (To copy code, click on the text box) Embed: URL: Thumbnail: WordPress Embed Customize Embed The presentation is successfully added In Your Favorites. Views: 147 Category: Education License: All Rights Reserved Like it (0) Dislike it (0) Added: January 22, 2008 This Presentation is Public Favorites: 0 Presentation Description No description available. Comments Posting comment... Premium member Presentation Transcript SMS Game Development: SMS Game Development Making the Most of a Sucky Technology Greg Costikyan www.ungames.com www.costik.com costik@costik.comWhat Is SMS?: What Is SMS? Short Text Message Service Built into GSM from the start so everyone in Europe can “text” everyone else 20 b + messages exchanged every month Not yet successful in North America carrier walled gardens breaking down but lower prices for voice & pager/IM availability may continue to keep this smaller hereWhy Develop SMS Games?: Why Develop SMS Games? Everyone in Europe texts Comfortable with technology Perceived as cool (while “WAP sucks”) Potential large audience (and market) Carriers & Aggregators eager for SMS titles In North America, too, where they’re waking up to the missed opportunityHow Does it Work?: How Does it Work? Originator inputs phone number & message. Sends message over air to SMSC. SMSC forwards message over Internet to recipient’s SMSC. SMSC sends message over air to recipient.SMSC Can Send & Receive with Game Server: SMSC Can Send & Receive with Game Server User requests game by sending SMS to that number Server is assigned a “Phone Number” SMSC must know that phone number = server’s IP address—game service must have a deal with the carrier! Header info identifies user’s phone number; server parses, processes, responds to user.SMS Costs Money: SMS Costs Money Typically 10¢/message (7p in UK) Carrier can choose to charge more or less for a game’s messages, or to charge a flat fee for a game. Revenues shared with game service Marketing cost in making users aware of phone number to messageGame Should be Playable in Just a Few Message Exchanges: Game Should be Playable in Just a Few Message Exchanges Otherwise will be too costly for many players Try to keep it to <10 messages per game (or 1-3 per day for games played over a period of time)Each Message Must Advance the Game: Each Message Must Advance the Game In most games, the result of interaction can be minor (turn left 30 degrees; a card is played). With SMS, a handful of interactions must combine to a satisfying game. A non-trivial design challenge.Each Message <=160 Characters: Each Message <=160 Characters That’s a =hard= limit. Can break into multiple messages, but each costs money… That’s basically 25 words or less. Localizing generally increases the number of characters in text. Tricks to Help: Tricks to Help 2, not two. Abbrev. if can keep clear. Cn u use txting abbrevs? Edit ruthlessly. Put rules in separate “Help” message. Test all boundary conditions.No Graphics Means...: No Graphics Means... Hard to show physical layout with pure text. Text adventures (N thru Door)—but a lot of text used for navigation. Text representations (Ship 2 > 3,7)—but hard to visualize.Can’t Rely on a Monospace Font: Can’t Rely on a Monospace Font This: looks like this: CNRQKRNC PPPPPPPP ........ ........ ........ PPPPPPPP CNRKQRNC CNRQKRNC PPPPPPPP ........ ........ ........ PPPPPPPP CNRKQRNCAvoid Games that Depend on Locations: Avoid Games that Depend on Locations Most electronic games are an exploration of space But it’s not true of all game styles: Word Games “Choose a Maneuver” Fighting games Tamagotchi Hammurabi #conquestA Player’s Orders Are Text: A Player’s Orders Are Text A command-line environment. Syntax Must be Transparent Syntax Must be Forgiving Demand the least text entry possible. Allow “stackable”orders.Latency is Off the Scale: Latency is Off the Scale Typically, a minute or more. Interaction at discrete, separated moments. Each message really must countDealing with Latency: Dealing with Latency Turn-based games. Round-robin Simultaneous movement “Act whenever” games. Limited by real time “Slow update” games.Multiplayer or Die: Multiplayer or Die Head-to-Head games Limited-interaction large-scale multiplayer games Handful of players In-game messaging“Smart Messaging”: “Smart Messaging” Message concatenation (459 characters) B&W bitmapped images (72x28) Ring tones (single voice) EMS: Enhanced Message Service: EMS: Enhanced Message Service Message concatenation (3-6 messages) Flip animations (32x32, 4-frame) B&W images, max 1k (32x32) Ringtones & sounds 10 pre-installed soundsMMS: Multimedia Message Service: MMS: Multimedia Message Service GIF89a animations, PNGs, JPEGs 640x480 in theory, in practice 174x133 Sound: AMR, WAV No limit to message lengthPunisher: The Mobile Game: Punisher: The Mobile Game www.punisherthemobilegame.com www.riot-e.comBotfighters: Botfighters www.botfighters.com www.itsalive.comFisu: Fisu www.fisupeli.com www.smallplanet.fiMobile Rome: Mobile Rome www.gripstudios.comDoing Better: Doing Better Messaging & Challenges Persistence Algorithmic, not InstantialURLs: URLs Nokia information & emulator for MMS: http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/1,35452,1_2_7,00.html (requires free registration) Ericsson info & emulator for MMS: http://www.ericsson.com/mobilityworld/sub/open/technologies/messaging/index.html?PU=messaging (requires free registration) You do not have the permission to view this presentation. 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smsdes Demetrio Download Post to : URL : Related Presentations : Share Add to Flag Embed Email Send to Blogs and Networks Add to Channel Uploaded from authorPOINTLite Insert YouTube videos in PowerPont slides with aS Desktop Copy embed code: (To copy code, click on the text box) Embed: URL: Thumbnail: WordPress Embed Customize Embed The presentation is successfully added In Your Favorites. Views: 147 Category: Education License: All Rights Reserved Like it (0) Dislike it (0) Added: January 22, 2008 This Presentation is Public Favorites: 0 Presentation Description No description available. Comments Posting comment... Premium member Presentation Transcript SMS Game Development: SMS Game Development Making the Most of a Sucky Technology Greg Costikyan www.ungames.com www.costik.com costik@costik.comWhat Is SMS?: What Is SMS? Short Text Message Service Built into GSM from the start so everyone in Europe can “text” everyone else 20 b + messages exchanged every month Not yet successful in North America carrier walled gardens breaking down but lower prices for voice & pager/IM availability may continue to keep this smaller hereWhy Develop SMS Games?: Why Develop SMS Games? Everyone in Europe texts Comfortable with technology Perceived as cool (while “WAP sucks”) Potential large audience (and market) Carriers & Aggregators eager for SMS titles In North America, too, where they’re waking up to the missed opportunityHow Does it Work?: How Does it Work? Originator inputs phone number & message. Sends message over air to SMSC. SMSC forwards message over Internet to recipient’s SMSC. SMSC sends message over air to recipient.SMSC Can Send & Receive with Game Server: SMSC Can Send & Receive with Game Server User requests game by sending SMS to that number Server is assigned a “Phone Number” SMSC must know that phone number = server’s IP address—game service must have a deal with the carrier! Header info identifies user’s phone number; server parses, processes, responds to user.SMS Costs Money: SMS Costs Money Typically 10¢/message (7p in UK) Carrier can choose to charge more or less for a game’s messages, or to charge a flat fee for a game. Revenues shared with game service Marketing cost in making users aware of phone number to messageGame Should be Playable in Just a Few Message Exchanges: Game Should be Playable in Just a Few Message Exchanges Otherwise will be too costly for many players Try to keep it to <10 messages per game (or 1-3 per day for games played over a period of time)Each Message Must Advance the Game: Each Message Must Advance the Game In most games, the result of interaction can be minor (turn left 30 degrees; a card is played). With SMS, a handful of interactions must combine to a satisfying game. A non-trivial design challenge.Each Message <=160 Characters: Each Message <=160 Characters That’s a =hard= limit. Can break into multiple messages, but each costs money… That’s basically 25 words or less. Localizing generally increases the number of characters in text. Tricks to Help: Tricks to Help 2, not two. Abbrev. if can keep clear. Cn u use txting abbrevs? Edit ruthlessly. Put rules in separate “Help” message. Test all boundary conditions.No Graphics Means...: No Graphics Means... Hard to show physical layout with pure text. Text adventures (N thru Door)—but a lot of text used for navigation. Text representations (Ship 2 > 3,7)—but hard to visualize.Can’t Rely on a Monospace Font: Can’t Rely on a Monospace Font This: looks like this: CNRQKRNC PPPPPPPP ........ ........ ........ PPPPPPPP CNRKQRNC CNRQKRNC PPPPPPPP ........ ........ ........ PPPPPPPP CNRKQRNCAvoid Games that Depend on Locations: Avoid Games that Depend on Locations Most electronic games are an exploration of space But it’s not true of all game styles: Word Games “Choose a Maneuver” Fighting games Tamagotchi Hammurabi #conquestA Player’s Orders Are Text: A Player’s Orders Are Text A command-line environment. Syntax Must be Transparent Syntax Must be Forgiving Demand the least text entry possible. Allow “stackable”orders.Latency is Off the Scale: Latency is Off the Scale Typically, a minute or more. Interaction at discrete, separated moments. Each message really must countDealing with Latency: Dealing with Latency Turn-based games. Round-robin Simultaneous movement “Act whenever” games. Limited by real time “Slow update” games.Multiplayer or Die: Multiplayer or Die Head-to-Head games Limited-interaction large-scale multiplayer games Handful of players In-game messaging“Smart Messaging”: “Smart Messaging” Message concatenation (459 characters) B&W bitmapped images (72x28) Ring tones (single voice) EMS: Enhanced Message Service: EMS: Enhanced Message Service Message concatenation (3-6 messages) Flip animations (32x32, 4-frame) B&W images, max 1k (32x32) Ringtones & sounds 10 pre-installed soundsMMS: Multimedia Message Service: MMS: Multimedia Message Service GIF89a animations, PNGs, JPEGs 640x480 in theory, in practice 174x133 Sound: AMR, WAV No limit to message lengthPunisher: The Mobile Game: Punisher: The Mobile Game www.punisherthemobilegame.com www.riot-e.comBotfighters: Botfighters www.botfighters.com www.itsalive.comFisu: Fisu www.fisupeli.com www.smallplanet.fiMobile Rome: Mobile Rome www.gripstudios.comDoing Better: Doing Better Messaging & Challenges Persistence Algorithmic, not InstantialURLs: URLs Nokia information & emulator for MMS: http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/1,35452,1_2_7,00.html (requires free registration) Ericsson info & emulator for MMS: http://www.ericsson.com/mobilityworld/sub/open/technologies/messaging/index.html?PU=messaging (requires free registration)