Civ on Facebook

[Wardancing]

The difference is that a web-only game on Facebook will NOT have all the assets of a fully-featured PC game (or they will be extremely limited).

No videos, soundtracks, voice overs, textures and models that a client-side game can have.

I dont understand why a web-based game cant support videos, soundtracks, voice overs, textures and models... Quake Live is a webclient game, and it contains all of these things.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

I dont understand why a web-based game cant support videos, soundtracks, voice overs, textures and models... Quake Live is a webclient game, and it contains all of these things.

And does Quake live compare to modern games in terms of production values and graphics?

It's old enough that modern PCs can handle it as a web game.

So like I said, the assets will be limited.

 

[kamian2345]

Come on Zimbu, niall78 was obviously joking around...

and if he wasn't joking around, he means that he thinks that Civ 6 will be a facebook dream fully realized. <shudder!>

Are you sure about that? I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Civ6 in the thread below:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=391085




Some humor come from truthiness and some truthiness come from humor. (Is truthiness still not a word yet?)

 

[Krall]

What are facebook games?
Things you play for 5 or 10 minutes during a break.

Does anyone here see some compatibility?
I don't.
It's a different game concept, you can't really craft civ on facebook AND preserve what has made Civ great.

Have you ever seen some people play Facebook games? I've seen family members spend the whole day on one game as if they were playing Civ...

And not to beat a dead horse but if Civ V is any consolation then the direction we are headed with the franchise is Facebook. You don't have to like it, I don't have to like it, but as the OP is hinting at 2K shareholders would be beaming at the thought of putting out a game that costs little in costs and infrastructure while generating millions in revenue.

 

[The_J]

Have you ever seen some people play Facebook games? I've seen family members spend the whole day on one game as if they were playing Civ...

That horrifies me. A whole day of dullness.
Where was the game pyschology thread, where the skinner box was mentioned?
Seems gaming is going straight down, a shame.

And not to beat a dead horse but if Civ V is any consolation then the direction we are headed with the franchise is Facebook. You don't have to like it, I don't have to like it, but as the OP is hinting at 2K shareholders would be beaming at the thought of putting out a game that costs little in costs and infrastructure while generating millions in revenue.

But that bussiness model can't hold endless companies.
It seems there are new firms created and their bussiness model is "we'll create a game and hope enough advertisement comes in". I don't see that as a serious model on which you can rely on. Facebook is still not making any profit, right?
I can't see how than anyone could trust in making enough profit with such a stuff, and that even when you have a (partially) working model (well Take 2 is not always making profit, but has for a long time).
In some years that bubble will explode and will leave only a few companies behind, like the "new market" bubble.

 

[Skwink]

The way they are putting Civ on Facebook is good. Putting Civ VI on Facebook would be terrible. It would be WAY toned down, and it would be another App I would block because of all the people saying "look at my score!" etc.

 

[Krall]

That horrifies me. A whole day of dullness.
Where was the game pyschology thread, where the skinner box was mentioned?
Seems gaming is going straight down, a shame.



But that bussiness model can't hold endless companies.
It seems there are new firms created and their bussiness model is "we'll create a game and hope enough advertisement comes in". I don't see that as a serious model on which you can rely on. Facebook is still not making any profit, right?
I can't see how than anyone could trust in making enough profit with such a stuff, and that even when you have a (partially) working model (well Take 2 is not always making profit, but has for a long time).
In some years that bubble will explode and will leave only a few companies behind, like the "new market" bubble.

I suppose like PC gaming, you'll have the EAs, 2Ks, Activisions whom own many other companies in a way to control the products.

I don't know about Facebooks revenue, but I just did a little search on Farmville which is a popular Facebook game and happens to have been created by a pretty well known name in these parts, Mr Brain Reynolds (dammit Brian where's my Rise of Nations 2!) and here's a guess on income:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ent...-games-make-money-lessons-from-farmville.html

"To start with, Reynolds threw out some bare bones data:

* Social games cost between $100,000 to $300,000 to make.
* Between 3% and 5% of people who play social games pay money for virtual goods in the game or sign up for advertising "offers" that generate cash for the developer.
* Farmville is played by about 31 million people every day.

Now let's suppose that, given these ballpark figures, that each person who plays a social game generates, on average, a penny a day. Multiply that penny by the number of days in a year, 365, and you get an average of $3.65 generated per year per person.

If you are Farmville, you multiply that by the number of people who play your game on a daily basis:

* $3.65 x 31 million people = $113 million a year"

 

[Wardancing]

And does Quake live compare to modern games in terms of production values and graphics?

It's old enough that modern PCs can handle it as a web game.

So like I said, the assets will be limited.

Ok, after very little searching on the net, i come across Poisonville. Its being funded by Playboy, its got a 2010 gamescon trailer, so i think its more recent than quake live

Heres the official trailer (this is a web based game)

Official Poisonville Trailer - Gamescom 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MBe21dnvrU

I would have to guess that web based games arent held back by web technology, but more by the developement teams, so they are more accessable. But that Poisonville looks pretty advanced, im seeing shadows, explosions, etc, and according to the comments, it wasnt even produced by a major developer, a small group of people were making it and Playboy just bought it out.

 

[Skwink]

I suppose like PC gaming, you'll have the EAs, 2Ks, Activisions whom own many other companies in a way to control the products.

I don't know about Facebooks revenue, but I just did a little search on Farmville which is a popular Facebook game and happens to have been created by a pretty well known name in these parts, Mr Brain Reynolds (dammit Brian where's my Rise of Nations 2!) and here's a guess on income:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ent...-games-make-money-lessons-from-farmville.html

"To start with, Reynolds threw out some bare bones data:

* Social games cost between $100,000 to $300,000 to make.
* Between 3% and 5% of people who play social games pay money for virtual goods in the game or sign up for advertising "offers" that generate cash for the developer.
* Farmville is played by about 31 million people every day.

Now let's suppose that, given these ballpark figures, that each person who plays a social game generates, on average, a penny a day. Multiply that penny by the number of days in a year, 365, and you get an average of $3.65 generated per year per person.

If you are Farmville, you multiply that by the number of people who play your game on a daily basis:

* $3.65 x 31 million people = $113 million a year"

I gotta start up a Facebook Game!!!

 

[The_J]

I don't know about Facebooks revenue, but I just did a little search on Farmville which is a popular Facebook game and happens to have been created by a pretty well known name in these parts, Mr Brain Reynolds (dammit Brian where's my Rise of Nations 2!) and here's a guess on income:

Good point.
But that's farmville.
And maybe Mafia Wars and some other games.
But how many games can get that big?
I don't think that many.

Additionally, these are probably not the games most people here want to play.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

Ok, after very little searching on the net, i come across Poisonville. Its being funded by Playboy, its got a 2010 gamescon trailer, so i think its more recent than quake live

Heres the official trailer (this is a web based game)

Official Poisonville Trailer - Gamescom 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MBe21dnvrU

I would have to guess that web based games arent held back by web technology, but more by the developement teams, so they are more accessable. But that Poisonville looks pretty advanced, im seeing shadows, explosions, etc, and according to the comments, it wasnt even produced by a major developer, a small group of people were making it and Playboy just bought it out.

That trailer sure does look like in-game graphics and gameplay...

Here's the real thing:

http://mmohut.com/browser-games/poisonville

It looks much worse than Quake live, graphically speaking.

 

[Krall]

Good point.
But that's farmville.
And maybe Mafia Wars and some other games.
But how many games can get that big?
I don't think that many.

Additionally, these are probably not the games most people here want to play.

I used to think like that and I don't know if you are right or wrong but for example I live in a city with 60k. We have this one dealership that owns every make and model. They easily have 1/6th the population in cars and you would think there's no way they could stay in business. There's no way people buy that many cars, but somehow they do and they aren't the only dealership in town.

I guess markets expand, maybe Facebook takes away sales from PCs and consoles. Maybe people spend more time gaming then doing laundry.

I dunno, but I'm with Skwink Caesar, I gotta start up a FB game

 

[Wardancing]

another thing to keep in mind is these are all free to play. tack on a $50usd pricetag, and im sure the results will vary. also, imo, changing from the 3d fps to an overview like civ, you'd be able to make it look very similar, maybe the clouds wouldnt be as fluffy?

i guess i just dont put too much stock into how the game actually looks, and more into gameplay itself, but the original comment i was responding to, was saying that web based games cant support videos, music, voice overs, textures, and models, and if they do, extremely limited. extremely limited in my opinion would be something from the NES days.

shrink down the human models from poisonville to the size of units in civ5, would you really be able to tell all that much difference at that size?

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

I don't know how long it will be when Facebook games like Farmville, Mafia Wars, or others will be upgraded graphically and technically to the levels seen in games like Halo 3, cIV (FU CiV), or Uncharted. But it would be unwise for any publishers/developers to neglect some funding into the project as of now till the technology of software, hardware, and internet providers get faster, better, and smaller.

 

[Drakarska]

Good point.
But that's farmville.
And maybe Mafia Wars and some other games.
But how many games can get that big?
I don't think that many.

Additionally, these are probably not the games most people here want to play.

At last count, according to their dedicated civ nation page on FB? 76k + who are eagerly awaiting any kind of tidbit of info about it. I'm sure the 2K wondertwins would have PR field.... my bad, I mean a consumer rep field day over there.

Realistically, that would be a cash cow bonanza for Take2/2K. Even in just advertising alone. Then let's look at all the available options for the game. Spped up build times? np, just pay a buck or two. Want a nifty "collectors only" promo for your troops? again, np, just cough up 5 bucks. The potential list would be endless.

I've played MP on Civ IV via GS ( which IMO, really sucked as a server), at least most of the times the games would be fair, according to whatever set up options you choose. Can anyone honestly state the same for a facebook app, that there will be a level playing field? no, they cannot. And in the meantime, 2k will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Personnally, I really don't want to play that type of game. I enjoy the SP aspect of civ too much. On the rare occasions when I wish to play MP, I do so with friends and/or family, on a level playing field, testing my skills versus another, and not having to test them versus another persons wallet, which is what it would boil down too.

Oh, and for those of us who are anti-steam? some of us actually have valid personal reasons for being so.