Premier 1994

GAME DEVELOPER MAGAZINE EDITOR‘S NOTES

The Dream GGAMEAEM

have this idea about every time I play have the best porting tools? These ques- Wolfenstein. I dream about going tions are what I base my answer on. back to the press conference where the For every owner of an Atari 7800, for 386 was unveiled. As a time traveler every person who buys a cool DOS game Editor Larry O’Brien from 1994, I run past the crowds, only to find out that he or she doesn’t have Associate Editor Alexander Antoniades install Wolfenstein on the sole 386 610K of conventional memory, for every Production Editor Nicole Freeman computer in the world, and start it up. SNES owner who wants to play Sonic the Editorial Assistant Andrea Pucky The crowd oohs and ahhs as I blow Hedgehog II, there’s one more person who awayI the first guard, doubtlessly dazzled by is either tuned out, turned off, or has spent Publisher Veronica Costanza the digitized speech from the sound card I his or her way out of the electronic game Group Publisher Regina Starr Ridley installed the night before. market. Clearly, the electronic game Group Director Donald Pazour I turn around and seize the micro- industry isn’t exactly in a state of ruin, but phone from the dumbfounded speaker and issues such as quality control and over-seg- Advertising Sales Staff proclaim: “You see this world? With the mented markets need to be examined. New England/Midwest proper tools, good programming, great art- That’s where we come in. Holly Meintzer (212) 626-2275 work, and competent project management, Game Developer is written for devel- Middle Atlantic/Southeast a small group of people can assemble a game opers, prospective developers, and interest- Michele Blake (212) 626-2322 of this quality that will run on this processor ed spectators and discusses the issues of Dave Moreau (212) 626-2318 perfectly. So, now the challenge is on for code, commerce, and creativity. As far as West/Southwest game developers to surpass this game and code goes, our technical articles will help Michele Anet (415) 905-2298 show the world what can be done!” novices figure it out and help the profes- Pam Grossman (415) 905-2256 sionals do it better. Commerce topics will Yvonne Labat (415) 905-2353 Developers of Today cover the latest and greatest in computer But, alas, it is only a dream. The state of games, what went right for a company, Marketing Manager Susan McDonald the art in game development today is still where it went wrong, and why it doesn’t do Art Director/Marketing Christopher H. Clarke the state of the art, when it should be closer it anymore. Creativity will focus on the Advertising Production Coordinator Denise Temple to the norm. Ever since the first quarter artists of the electronic entertainment Director of Production Andrew A. Mickus fell through the slot of the first Pong industry from the graphic artists who make Vice President/Circulation Jerry M. Okabe machine, the industry has been shrouded in game images to the musicians who write Group Circulation Director John Rockwell secrecy. Has the paranoia that enveloped the scores. Circulation Manager John Tootill the electronic game industry on behalf of Circulation Assistant Stephanie Blake keeping a competitive edge served the Hey Out There! Newsstand Manager Pam Santoro industry well? No. That’s where we stand, take a look at this Reprints Andrea Varni (415) 905-2552 Do the game developers of today, issue and tell us what you think. We’ve who arguably have the some of the hardest tried to cover as much ground as possible as MillerFreeman jobs in programming, have the best tools at far as the range of subject matter and level A MEMBER OF THE UNITED NEWSPAPERS GROUP their disposal? Do game developers not of information. Let us know who you are, have to worry if the system they’re develop- what you think, and anything else that ing for will be viable in six months? Are comes to mind. Chairman of the Board Graham J.S. Wilson the companies making tomorrow’s com- You can contact me at (415) 905- President/CEO Marshall W. Freeman puter operating systems consulting game 2349, on Internet at 71154.676@com- Senior Vice Presidents Thomas L. Kemp, companies to make sure their needs are puserve.com, or you can write to us at H. Vern Packer, Wini D. Ragus met? And lastly, do game programmers, Game Developer, 600 Harrison St., San Vice Presidents Charles H. Benz, Vicki L. who have to port from the arcade to the Francisco, CA 94107. ■ Masseria, Andrew A. Mickus, Jerry M. Okabe, Super Nintendo Entertainment System to Donald A. Pazour, Charles L. Wrye Sega’s Game Gear to DOS to myriad con- Alexander Antoniades Chief Financial Officer Warren (Andy) Ambrose soles, portables, PCs, and arcade machines, Associate Editor

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 2 DEVELOPING WITH OLE 2.X

Let’s Go Embed

sold into the home in a month than 3DO dreams of selling in a year.” In a world where installed base means every- thing, Braun sees nothing coming to dethrone the PC as the smartest target system. Additionally, the dream of part- nering with small game developers can- not happen without the capabilities of a real operating system. As a matter of fact, it cannot happen without some advanced operating system capabilities that are only now becoming available on PCs. Braun wants to open up SimCity to other programs. People who play one game are likely to play another, and Braun wants to give them as many chances as possible to interact with Maxis products, even when they’re play- ing another company’s game. Braun Jeff Braun, president of Maxis, the company responsible for SimCity, believes games should envisions SimCity as a virtual world in be portable to all systems—consoles, PCs, even TVs. Radical though this vision might seem, which gamers will have their choice of SimCity has reached the 1 million mark in sales worldwide. Who knows, maybe this interop- myriad recreational and simulation erability idea is a good one. Braun seems to think so, and other game developers are begin- diversions. You think people want to be ning to believe he is right. SimCops, SimArchitects, or SimCar- Racers? SimCity will create the environ- ment and economic conditions, you pro- eff Braun, president of Maxis, vide the specialized functions. That’s wants to be your partner. He Jeff Braun’s dream, and you can’t do it wants to help you become rich, on a console. and he wants to help you sell games. He envisions shelves The Path to Interoperability stocked with your work. Although Braun’s vision is radical for a There’s only one small hitch; game company, it’s rapidly becoming the he wants them all to read “A common wisdom in the business soft- SimCityJ Add-On.” According to Braun, ware community, which calls it “docu- high-end console machines are dead ment-centered computing” or “compo- coming out of the starting gate. “Where nent-based development.” In many they have potential is as TV-top ways, it makes more sense for game soft- machines for interactive television,” he ware, with its broad-based demograph- says. But that’s years in the future. In ics, than for business software that is the meantime, he says, “More PCs are dominated by only three dominant

4 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 applications (word processing, databases, little more from the game company than by Larry O’Brien and spreadsheets). If Maxis can’t pull it a disciplined attitude toward data storage off, someone else will. and some documentation. The second There are three steps along the way step requires a more sophisticated inter- Developing a game to total interoperability: process communication facility that’s • Static data exchange. Data formats are generally provided by the operating sys- opened up. Maxis has already done tem. Traditionally, the performance this with Mallard and Virtus, which requirements of games have required portable across many will allow you to fly and walk, respec- developers to bypass high-level lan- tively, through your SimCity. guages and operating-system features. • Limited dynamic interface. No console Now that the average player’s PC is has the ability to run multiple based on a 32-bit microprocessor with different systems is a processes simultaneously, but all the 4MB or more of RAM and ample disk popular desktop operating systems storage, and game developers are able to (with the important exception of program in higher-level languages such DOS) have some multiprocessing and as C++, it is feasible for games to move interprocess communication ability. to this second step through the use of daunting if not With this level of interface, gamers such technologies as dynamic data would be able to interact dynamically exchange. with an active and evolving SimCity, The third step requires an even but would not be able to, for instance, more sophisticated interprocess capabili- impossible task. With dynamically change the bitmaps used ty, whereby data elements in one pro- in SimCity. gram can be exposed to modification by • Full programmatic interface. This is the another program. This is one of the big enchilada, a situation in which the goals of so-called distributed object ori- the help of high-level company creating the “server applica- entation. There are a number of tech- tion” (the gaming world) creates two nologies that could be used, but entire interfaces for the program, one Microsoft’s Object Linking and Embed- for the gamer and one for the add-on ding (OLE) 2.x is the most likely one. languages and OLE programmer. “Client applications” (the add-ons) are able to interact with The World of OLE the server application, passing data This is the point where this article veers and commands back and forth while into total speculation. When I asked the both processes are running. If your people at Maxis to name the technology 2.x, devlopers now space-race program drops a Skylab on they would be using, they rolled their your city, your SimCity window can eyes and gave me a look I interpreted as show the burning chunks raining “we haven’t made up our minds, and down and slamming into the dome of we’re under nondisclosure about the have a new window your nuclear power plant. (Hmm.... things we’re thinking about.” Since I am SimStrategicDefenseInitiative, any- speculating, from now on I’ll use as my one?) example a theoretical open gaming envi- Obviously, the first step requires ronment. of opportunity.

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 5 DEVELOPING WITH OLE 2.X

Figure 1. A Simple Container Application OLE 2.x is likely to become the dominant technol- ogy used for open gaming environments. OLE 2.x is likely to be the domi- compiler package. Although it is a late nant technology used for open gaming beta copy, anything could change by environments because the gaming shipping time. are active (if you embed a graph in a industry is so sensitive to installed Although I’m generally opposed to word-processing document, the word bases. Microsoft’s technology is com- writing about a product that hasn’t processor is the container application, plex and, according to some, poorly shipped yet, this is the only class library and the graphing program is the server), implemented. Nonetheless, it’s difficult that I’m aware of that supports OLE 2.x, while an automation server is program- to see how competing technologies and it’s my strong belief that a class matically driven by an automation client. from IBM, Apple, or Sun are going to library is necessary to insulate the pro- So an open gaming environment would convince any game developers that they grammer from as much of OLE’s com- be both a container (so new graphic ele- represent viable alternatives. OLE 2.x plexities as possible. I’ll try to make clear ments could be added) and an automa- and the C++ class libraries needed to which features are part of OLE, which tion server (so, for instance, new AI rou- handle it are Microsoft’s latest strategic are part of MFC, and which are part of tines could be plugged in at will). A weapons in the battle for operating-sys- Visual C++. gaming add-on would probably be both tem dominance. There are four types of OLE pro- a server (for display) and an automation We had an opportunity to work grams: client (for logic). with a beta version of Microsoft Foun- • Containers dation Classes that supports OLE 2.01. • Servers Containers and Servers This version of MFC, labeled 2.5, • Automation servers Containers and servers are probably what should be available in an interim release • Automation clients. you think of when you think of OLE. of Microsoft’s Visual C++ package by The naming is unfortunate, as it Figure 1 shows a simple container appli- the time you read this. The rest of this reflects two uses of the word “server.” A cation that contains two embedded serv- article is based on a beta copy of the container holds frames in which servers er frames. One server application is a text-manipulation program, the other is Listing 1. An Example Dispatch Map a simple drawing application. The frames of the servers overlap without a BEGIN_DISPATCH_MAP(CGamedevDoc, COleServerDoc) problem, and the frame of the drawing //{{AFX_DISPATCH_MAP(CGamedevDoc) server overlaps the client area of the con- DISP_FUNCTION(CGamedevDoc, "Destroy Building", DestroyBuilding, VT_BOOL, VTS_I4) tainer and the frame of the other server. //}}AFX_DISPATCH_MAP In this case, a border is drawn END_DISPATCH_MAP() around the servers; but in an open gam- ing environment, this would probably

6 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 not be the case, and the servers would be Figure 2. CCmdTarget Hierarchy able to use standard Windows drawing modes to paint themselves over the background. However, servers must be rectangular, and hit detection of overlap- ping servers is based on a simplistic Z ordering (the last embedded object receives the command). There are a few more aspects of containers and servers that are especially important to an open gaming environ- ment: • A container and server can negotiate the display size of the embedded serv- er. So, servers can be automatically placed and scaled within containers without excessive code. • A server receives different Windows messages when it is activated in place than when it receives the focus as a fully opened independent application. The really exciting capability of OLE 2.x is OLE automation. An • Informational. Every informative piece Linking to the Future automation server (remember, that’s dif- of data presented to the user by way If OLE captures the hearts and minds of ferent than a regular OLE server) creates of the graphical user interface should the game development community, it one or more of what are called “dispatch also be available to automation clients. would mean sweeping changes in the interfaces.” This is an interface for other • Programmatic Interface. Every action entertainment marketplace. Large com- programmers and is the most exciting available to a user through the graphi- panies such as Maxis, Electronic Arts, thing to happen to programming since cal user interface should also be avail- and LucasFilm would primarily work on Bjarne put the PP into C. On the other able to automation clients. creating worlds that were robust con- hand, like the rest of OLE, it’s Yet • Modifications. One of the more tainers and automation servers, while Another Microsoft Standard, which are interesting possibilities of OLE smaller companies would concentrate on notorious for being not-as-portable and automation is add-on automation adding value in the form of servers and not-as-stable as promised. clients that alter internal behavior of automation clients. Microsoft would In MFC, classes derived from CCmd- the automation server. In a gaming have enormous leverage in the battle for Target can place functions in the dis- environment, the obvious use for this the home operating system (surprise, patch interface simply by calling an would be to alter the playability-real- surprise). EnableAutomation() member function in ism-difficulty trade-offs that every Although Maxis is the first game their constructor via a dispatch map that game has. company to embrace this idea, the looks almost identical to a standard Automation clients use a text-based advantages in terms of time-to-market MFC message map. Figure 2 shows the command language to control automa- and saved effort are making an impact hierarchy for CCmdTarget. Listing 1 tion servers. All commands follow the already in the field of business software shows an example dispatch map. Data basic form AppName.Document.Verb {Para- development. Compared to business can be directly exposed, although this is meter1 Parameter2 ...}. Microsoft is programs, entertainment programs have bad programming form, since you’re leading the way by providing automa- shorter lifespans, broader demographics, relying on add-on vendors to validate the tion clients. The latest versions of Visu- and lower profit margins. All these fac- data before calling your function. When al Basic, Excel, and Word are all tors combine to make OLE an appealing they don’t and a crash occurs, it will look automation clients (obviously, Visual embed mate. ■ like your program is at fault. Basic is the most versatile, although the There are three categories of func- latest version of Excel has Visual Basic Larry O’Brien is the editor of Game tions that would be exposed through a for Applications and is only slightly less Developer, Software Development, and gaming environment’s dispatch table: useful). AI Expert magazines.

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 7 MULTIPLAYER GAMES

Designing On-Line, Multiplayer Games

entire character of the game changed. Instead of carefully studying dozens of units and carefully planning their moves, players now found they could effectively give orders to only a handful of units. Instead of having waves of troops marching inexorably forward, we now had kings marching forth with only a few hunting bishops ranging diagonally to scout enemy positions. Once it had found the enemy, the king could quickly gather a few attack pawns and move in for the kill. Now, the players who did well were Feudal, an on-line game available on CompuServe, is a great example of the work those who could think on their feet and involved when transforming a single-player or board game into a highly interactive, mul- react to quickly changing conditions. tiplayer on-line game. Here, you can learn some of the pros and cons of programming an During this process, I discovered the on-line game. first rule of on-line gaming—a true on- line game is not just a translation of an existing board or computer game; it y first on-line game began must adapt and use the advantages and as an in-house corporate even the disadvantages of the on-line game in 1980. Our compa- environment. ny had an enlightened atti- Most existing on-line computer tude and encouraged us to games have origins similar to Feudal’s. use spare computer time to On-line games can be divided into four experiment with new ideas levels of interactivity: and improve programming • Solo-against-the-computer. The Mskills. With this time, I created a classic adventure game is an example medieval wargame called Feudal. The of these solitaire games. They were units were chess pieces traversing a large novel before the PC made its debut, terrain map, trying to capture other but there’s no reason to pay on-line pieces and opposing kings. Up to 20 charges when you can play similar players could play in one game over a games on a stand-alone PC. period of weeks. You could examine the • One-on-one. This includes every- map, build new units, and give orders thing from tic-tac-toe to chess, as for the day, then issue the update order well as advanced wargames. These to execute the orders you had given. games also waste host-machine capa- During one lunchtime test, we low- bilities and resources; direct modem- ered the update time to one minute, and to-modem connections can provide the blitz-Feudal (and my first truly the same experience. interactive) on-line game was born. The • Some-on-some. Two to 10 players

14 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 participate in these games. My Air when working in the on-line environ- by Steve Estvanik Traffic Controller and SNIPER! ment. I have drawn the examples from games are examples. SNIPER!, a project I first started in • Many-on-many. For these games, I 1987. The first version of SNIPER! Thinking of getting see hundreds if not thousands of was released on CompuServe in 1989, players taking an active part in an and the first release of its graphics ongoing scenario. A few games tap interface Scope was in 1991. Updates the potential of this last category, but and enhancements continue. into the multiplayer none really fulfill that potential. SNIPER! is based on a board wargame from TSR Inc. and runs on The SNIPER! Project CompuServe. It’s a multiplayer, tactical I’ll be focusing on the challenges a pro- combat game, simulating infantry game scene? Steve grammer or designer must keep in mind actions during World War II. You Figure 1. Game Overview for SNIPER! Estvanik shares his

Global Database Global Segment (Table 1) experience program-

1 234 5 6 Individual Segment Slot on host machine ming his multiplayer A B B A r (Table 3) mpslot() in game game SNIPER!. Pro-

Game Segments gramming multiplayer Game 1 Game 2 (Table 2) games can be chal-

Maps and Scenarios lenging—and fun!

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 15 MULTIPLAYER GAMES

Table 1. Global Database Segment of which of many sectors to concentrate on. These complex, chess-like possibil- For the entire session, keep track of: ities and decisions reveal the different gstarted Track games started levels of involvement and challenge that gfinished Track games finished are available with on-line gaming that highwater Maximun players during a session cannot yet be achieved against a com- totplayer Total players during this session puter opponent. starttime Time that first player started (used to count total elapsed time) Scope and other real-time game highgame Highest number of games in play at a time highslot Highest current slot interfaces allow immediate communica- tion, but the user can also freeze some For each player, keep track of: portions of the action, at least momen- tarily. Delays of even a second or two plmission() Selected mission plscen() Selected scenario can break concentration, so the user plrank() Player rank should not be interrupted when he or plnatl() Player nationality in current game she is trying to enter a command. pljob() Job number of each player Thus, in Scope, you can enter a com- poff() Offset for player, for example, if there are 12 units, seven in the first mand at any time. faction and five in second, poff(1) = 0 and poff(2) = 7; thus the first Scope achieves this by treating unit of a side will be unit(poff(i)+1) incoming reports in an asynchronous plunits() Number of units for each faction fashion, reading data from the host plside() Faction of this player, normally 1 or 2 character by character. Only when a proper terminator is found does the Game-specific global data: program decide whether to display the plfflag() For each faction, alerts players that the other player’s program has on-screen results or merely store the done something to the unit data new data for later queries. While this is pluflag() Flags which units have been changed occurring, you can enter new com- plsmkflag() Indicates smoke has changed plrubflag() Indicates rubble has changed mands or move the map or gather other information. You can even combine these operations. command a squad of soldiers and play economy. So even if they don’t come For example, while entering a against one or more other human play- back, something in the game will have command, you can stop, use the mouse ers from around the world. There’s a changed or been updated by them being to scroll the map, gather specific infor- wide variety of missions and scenarios, there. mation about unit location or terrain, each with a unique map and various then return to the half-completed com- rules, goals, and challenges. Playing vs. Designing mand and use that information to give In addition to playing SNIPER! Playing on-line games is as different as more precise coordinates. This con- against other people, you can conduct a designing them. You don’t have the trasts with a mode-based system in reconnaissance of any other current long delays that are standard in phased which you are either in command mode SNIPER! game. Reconnaissance lets computer games in which each player or map mode and cannot easily mix you watch your future opponents for takes control of the computer to enter operations from the two modes. style of play. Do they always attack his or her turn. Instead, you must con- Eliminating modes makes a more aggressively? Or do they spend time stantly weigh choices and decide realistic interface for the user, but places carefully setting up their attack? New whether to spend time on one unit or extra efforts on the designer and pro- players can get strategy hints or other spread your time among several. In the grammer to ensure that all features are tips by watching two experienced play- game, this can be used to an advantage available and cooperate with each other. ers. And as the designer, I can get ideas against your opponent. This is one of the keys to interactive for improvements by directly watching You can place one sniper in a on-line games. The player should what people are trying to do. secure position and just give it orders to always be able to execute some type of On-line games have a lot of fire. Your opponent will be forced to action. Games such as chess and browsers, similar to lurkers in forums, react to this annoyance, while you can backgammon are usually less interesting who far outnumber the more active par- be moving other units for an attack as on-line games because players must ticipants. Although it wasn’t feasible in elsewhere on the map. When your wait for their opponents to take their SNIPER!, my goal in future games is to opponent uses the same or similar tac- turn. (This is particularly true of games involve these lurkers in the actual game tics against you in a different area of the with a connect charge from an on-line mechanics by having them drive the map, you’ll have the additional choice service.)

16 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 MULTIPLAYER GAMES

Table 2. Game Segment Data game without a computer. For board games, the best that can be done is to Items Description allow players to write orders and try to trucenegotiated Game ended with a truce execute all the orders at the same time. firstshotfired Has first shot or grenade been fired? Or you can use a third, nonplaying tpanicrecovery Time at which next panic recovery can occur umpire to control the game. endofgame Can be triggered by either player; this is the variable that plucks A real-time game has a completely players from the game different feel to it. In SNIPER!, the smoking There is smoke somewhere on the map action is constant. You never need to tdrift If smoking, the time that the smoke will drift wait for your opponent. Instead, you mpslot() Slots of the participating players have your squad carry out your plans nrubble Number of rubble areas and react to the enemy’s moves as you rublist() For scope, lists all rubble coordinates become aware of them. Continuous smap() Current terrain for map coordinates action necessitated a major overhaul of umap() Shows where units are on the map for easier checking the original board game’s features. msgflag() Signals a message is waiting for this player; allows any number of Pulses, rounds, and other stepwise parts real players of the game are gone. No longer are smoke() Smoke locations there recovery phases, but then, in a real smokeopen() Open slots in smoke array battle, the two sides don’t stop for sev- order.stack() Pending orders stack eral minutes while people go running unit() Current soldier information around trying to help others recover from panic or passing out “end of Some soldier parameters include: round” indicators and activation chits. Parameter Description The basic feel of most board games OWNER Slot of player is that of a series of specific segments FACTION Same as plside() with specific tasks to be performed in GROUP Subdivisions of a faction each segment. For on-line games, you ILOC Row location never want to leave one player waiting JLOC Column location while the other player is making deci- FACING Direction unit faces sions. In SNIPER!, I reworked the ACTIVATION Activation rating, a value from 1 to 5 original board game phases to form a TACSTAT Tactical status, one of the following: normal, moving, evading, prone, and cargo smooth-flowing background of activity. COND Condition, one of the following: normal, wnd, inc, kia, oob An important element in achieving this TPANIC Time of next panic check; 0 equals no panic, otherwise time goal was my redesign of the activation for next check concept RPANIC Relative panic rating from 2 to 5 Instead of moving a set distance or LASTMOVE Time of last move sighting and waiting for one of several NEXTTASK Time for next move phases, all activities take place whenever SIGHT Sighting and exposed flag a particular soldier is ready to perform WPN Weapon number them. Once any activity occurs, an WPNSTAT Weapon status activation rating determines the next SGRENADE Number of smoke grenades time a soldier can act. The main pro- FGRENADE Number of fragmentation grenades cessing portion of the host program looks to see if either side has orders that are ready to be executed. Each com- Considerations interplayer communication. Related mand takes a variable amount of time to On-line, multiplayer games pose chal- design problems include keeping the be executed, so orders are “stacked” for lenges similar to those of designing game interesting for both sides at all each soldier. This lets you give multi- other real-time programs, so some times and providing an enjoyable gam- ple commands to one or more soldiers, experience with interrupts, interjob ing experience in a designated amount then move elsewhere. communications, and shared data is of time. A welcome side effect of this strat- helpful. Compared with other comput- Most board games and many com- egy is the minimization of the influence er games, multiplayer games have sever- puter games use some sort of pulsed or of baud rate (speed of transmission) al additional design considerations, sequential movement. It’s difficult to used by the opponents. Each person’s including game start up and ending and make a reasonable, simultaneous action job will execute the next order on the

18 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 stack, no matter which side that unit Table 3. Individual Player Data During a Mission belongs to. So some orders of each side are executed by the slow player’s job Flags: and some by the fast one. endofwatch Allows end of this player’s mission without ending game for other I changed the activation ratings players from the board game concept to create lastrubble Last known rubble square (for requesting an updated rubble list) simultaneous, real-time action. In the lastSmoke Last known smoke (used to determine when to request updates) board game, a die roll decides whether particular units can move or act. In my Data: game, activation indicates the probable mpwho Which element in mpslot() is current player? time until the next action. From the rank Current rank game charts, I extracted four variables totpts Total points that describe a unit’s activation: an cumhitpoints Carryover of hitpoints (up to 100) tourney() Current tournament scores overall evaluation of the performance of scope Is this player using Scope? a unit—the track and activation ratings, the number of expected rounds, and a small random factor. Thus a track A unit in the board Table 4. Interprocess Communications as IPCF Structures game could expect to be active up to six rounds. The time between simple Two-Player Multiplayer actions in the on-line game is between four and 14 seconds. Contrast this to a pljob (sender) pljob (sender) type H unit whose time between similar curgame (slot) curgame (slot) actions is 10 and 25 seconds. These mapnum mapnum ptr to next player (5, 6, 7) numbers were determined experimen- Second player tally, and the tracks vary according to Third player nationality and scenario. They have to Fourth player have some spread, but not too much, or the game will be unbalanced. The details aren’t published. Instead, play- ers know that a track A is faster than a Table 5. Global Lock Parameters track B but not necessarily by how much. Lock Variable Items Affected Locked By

Mapping and Sighting lock1 Game segment variables initgame() lock2 plfflag(), pluflag() flagunit() Another major change in moving from lock3 Not used a board game to a computer game was lock4 gamepoints, hitpoints, preservation resolvegame() the map shift. People relate more natu- curgame, gstatus, lvlopp zerogame(), clearslot() rally to a square grid, where left, right, lock5 radioflag(), radiomsg() pushradio(), popradio() and diagonal have obvious meanings, lock6 Hall of Fame updates while a hex map simplifies the design- er’s job. On the computer, diagonal and sideways movement are easy to cal- culate correctly. Thus, while your Table 6. Individual Game Lock Parameters squad faces in one direction, it can move in several other directions relative Lock Variable Items Affected Locked by to its facing. This lets you fall back, for example, while maintaining covering glock1 Unit array moveunit() fire against anyone foolish enough to panic_recovery() run after your retreating squad. paniccheck() glock2 nactive Sighting requirements are different glock3 orderstack, norders, hasorders poporder(), initindividual() for on-line games. In SNIPER!, any cancel_orders() unit can sight and fire once a unit is in glock4 msgflag, msgstack, nmsg pushmsg(), popmsg() sight. This eliminates the need for spe- glock5 smoke, nrubble, rubble() pushsmoke(), popsmoke() cific-opportunity fire rules. We avoid

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 19 MULTIPLAYER GAMES

Map and Terrain View segment. By making copies of the maps, each game starts with the same map but is free to change it as the game progresses. Thus, explosions can have immediate effects on the terrain. Or, random pregame bombing can be invoked to destroy part of the terrain. Thus, the maps, while similar, differ slightly for each game. A series of interprocess communi- cation facilities (IPCF) sends messages from one job to another. One job starts a game, sets up the map and terrain, then signals the other player or players that the game is ready. Table 4 shows the IPCF used for one-on-one and multiplayer synchronous starts. In the the board game problem of having units dataset, and the contents of this seg- two-player version, the first job sends that are in known positions but that ment are shown in Table 1. This gen- an IPCF consisting of the sender’s job can’t be fired on because there’s no cur- eral information is available to any play- number, current game number, and rent spotter. er at any point in the game. It includes map number. player names, current status of each The receiving player’s job uses the Grenades and Smoke player, the state of the game, messages current game number to look up the There’s added realism beyond the board among players, and timing information. address of the game segment, and the game by having walls, floors, bridges, Once a game is started, the only people map number to ensure that both players and trees turn to rubble when hit by an who need the individual game data are are using the same map. (Current game explosion. Similarly, rubble can be the actual players and any watchers, so numbers are not predictable, since many added to maps before play starts, each game has its own data segment games can begin and end during a ses- increasing the unpredictability, since attached, as shown in Table 2. sion, and the numbers are recycled.) the rubble will be random in degree and Thus, you can swap these segments For multiple players, the IPCF is placement. in and out of memory as needed rather more complicated, since no player Smoke is generated from any than try to guess some optimum should be allowed to enter orders until explosion or from special smoke amount of memory at the start and then all have been linked into the game. grenades. Each game has a wind direc- either have too much unused memory Because of locking, only one player at a tion so the smoke drifts, persists for or not enough for the demand. Finally, time can gain access to the game seg- awhile, then fades. Smoke inside a users carry with them a quantity of per- ment, so a cascading design works here. building persists longer, making it diffi- sonal data, such as points scored, as Player A starts the game as before, cult to find people inside. Fires some- shown in Table 3. So, in Figure 1, then sends an IPCF to player B. Now, times start and spread out of control. players 1 and 3 are playing sides A and the IPCF includes the slot numbers of B in game 1. They have their own data players C and D, too. When player B is Technical Challenges segments and share that for game 1. set up, his or her job sends a similar This section describes the very different They also share the global data area IPCF to player C. (The only change is approach to program design that’s with all other players. Similarly, when that the pointer now points to player D, required for an on-line game. Sharing player 6 decides to recon game 2, being rather than C). After D is attached to data among users in traditional, single- played by players 4 and 5, player 6’s job the game segment, his or her job still microcomputer games is quite simple, locates the game 2 data segment and has the addresses of the other players, since everything is either in memory or attaches to it to be able to watch the so a message can be sent to all jobs that on a disk. For an on-line game, you game. Player 2 is logged into the game, allows the players to start the game. need to decide how players will com- but not attached to any game segment. Normally, each attachment to a municate. You need to design different All these different data segments game segment takes about one second, segments of data that can be shared by are, of course, transparent to the play- but if the system is slow, the entire different classes of users. This affects ers. But this choice gives me flexibility process might take 10 seconds or more. subsequent programming problems. I might not have with other schemes. This design ensures that the startup Figure 1 shows my solution for For example, when a game starts, I first procedure will work no matter what SNIPER!. At the top is the global read a copy of the map into the game delays occur. It can also handle the sit-

20 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 uation in which a player is disconnected steal a look at an opponent’s informa- a signal is sent to all players, and their between the request for the game and tion. To protect against simultaneous final status is determined. They’re then the actual start of the game. updates, variables or arrays can be pulled out of the game, and the game For asynchronous starts, the first locked. segment memory is freed. A game-reso- player just begins a game, and others A series of locking variables on the lution module then assigns points, can join at any time. Recon is a special global and game levels allow flexibility enters players in appropriate Halls of case of an asynchronous start in which a without destroying response time. Fame, and returns players to the confer- player has a more limited command list. Table 5 shows the global level, while ence area with everyone else not cur- Table 6 shows the game level. In most rently involved in a game. Watchers Shared locks cases, only two to four players contend are shown a short message, then popped The game-level segment contains all for game locks. For global information back to the conference area. ■ the data, even though players are unable like player scores or overall status, all to see all the data for the opposing side. players in the game contend, so these By giving both jobs access to all the functions need to be minimized, and information, a faster job can execute any updates need to be fast and reliable. Steve Estvanik is a professional orders for either side. Since this is a games designer in Seattle. He concentrates host-run system, only information End of Game Resolution on strategy, puzzle, and interactive multi- needed for displays is returned to the When the game ends (for normal or player games. He can be reached by e-mail individual PCs, so there’s no way to abnormal reasons such as a disconnect), at [email protected].

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 21 GAME DISTRIBUTION

From A Train to Zork: The Business of Game Distribution

comprises at least 90% of homes with children and from a third to a half of the 95 million households in the country. Nintendo of America almost single- handedly recreated today’s home video game industry on the ashes of Atari’s empire, selling more than 34.5 million 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) consoles in the U.S. between October 1985 and the end of 1993. That console is nearly obsolete now. Its immediate successor is the 16-bit car- tridge console, sitting in an estimated 25 million homes by the end of 1993. (Not all 16-bit owners have an 8-bit machine; thus the ambiguity over the number of video-gaming households.) Turbo- Technologies Inc. and Sega of America rushed their TurboGrafx-16 and Genesis 16-bit consoles to market in December Nintendo is famous for Mario, the plumber whose name has gone out on over 100 million 1988 and February 1990, well before cartridges. Developers, distributors, and publishers all dream of a Mario that will propel Nintendo’s Super NES (SNES) them into success. appeared in August 1991. Analyst Lee Isgur of Volpe, Welty & Co. scoffed at the notion that Sega’s ames do not sell themselves 18-month lead could have prevented any more than they play Nintendo from retaking dominance of themselves. People buy them the 16-bit market, but he notes that Sega to run on a computer or video Genesis currently outsells SNES. Never- game platform from someone theless, Nintendo alone generated sales who got them from someone of $4.3 billion in its 1992 fiscal year out else, who may or may not have of a total home video game retail market created them. This process can of almost $5.5 billion. Both numbers are beG confusing, even to many game devel- undoubtedly at least $1 billion bigger opers, but it need not be. Unlike books, already. games run on platforms: either personal Over 700 titles were released for all computers or dedicated home video video game platforms in 1993. Sales vol- game consoles. This is where we begin. umes of 100,000 are considered success- ful and only 20% of games released sell The Video Game World this magic number. Sonic 2 for the Sega Between 35 and 50 million U.S. homes Genesis has sold over 5 million copies have a video game console. That number worldwide. Starfox for the SNES was

22 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 the first cartridge to ship an initial mil- The Street Fighter II cartridge for by James Cooper lion units. Mortal Kombat shipped 3 the SNES was available a full year before million cartridges within two months of the Sega Genesis version came out. its September 13 Mortal Monday release However, Nintendo’s milder version of a Once you have a and will certainly have surpassed 4 mil- similarly successful arcade game, Mortal lion by the new year. Street Fighter II, Kombat, is being outsold more than two among all its incarnations and across all to one by the bloodier, simultaneously platforms, has sold over 8 million car- released Sega version. Nintendo’s vaunt- great game, what do tridges worldwide. Most cartridges sell ed FX chip, enabling better graphics in between 30,000 and 50,000 copies. 16-bit cartridge games, does not make Video games appeal to a younger up for the lack of a Nintendo CD- audience. “The hard-core game-playing ROM-playing add-on. you do with it? Find- public is still 12- to 14-year-old males, The Sega mascot is Sonic the so running, jumping, and shooting Hedgehog, with a higher Q-rating (an games are the most popular,” says Scott indicator of public awareness) among Pelland, editor of Nintendo Power maga- children than any other video game zine. Indeed, recent figures show action character. A typical Sega Genesis buyer ing a distributor in games generate 31% and sports games in the U.S. will spend about $255 more 27% of total cartridge sales; adventure on cartridges and peripherals during the games is the last major category. Of the first two years, says Ellen Beth Van sports total, football makes up a full Buskirk of Sega of America. Sega has a the complicated third, basketball a fifth, baseball and big head start with its CD-ROM Gene- hockey an eighth apiece, and boxing and sis add-on and other peripherals. Distri- golf each about one twentieth. The pro- bution has finally caught up to Ninten- portion of sports sales for the Sega Gen- do’s, too, with nearly 18,000 retail world of retail is a esis is higher than for the SNES. Fight- shelves carrying Sega products. Less ing games and what Bob Botch of U.S. than half as many publishers support the Gold calls “critter” games are currently Sega Genesis, but there are half again as very popular. Table 1 summarizes the many Genesis titles as there are for the tricky proposition. platforms available today. SNES. Nintendo reported a ratio of over Another company, Turbo Tech- three cartridges for each SNES platform nologies Inc. has introduced new tech- sold in fiscal 1993; that ratio for the nology even more aggressively than Game Boy was closer to six to one. Sega. TTI was formed in April 1992 as Learn where your Nintendo is famous for Mario, the a joint venture of Japanese hardware plumber whose name has gone out on giant NEC and $400 million-a-year, over 100 million cartridges. By autumn Sapporo-based Hudson. A 21-year old of 1993, over 1,300 titles had been technology house, Hudson was the first best options lie— released and over 313 million cartridges Nintendo licensee and the first to pub- sold for Nintendo’s three platforms: 231 lish 16-bit CD-ROM software in 1987. million for NES, 28.5 million for SNES, Its TurboGrafx-16 or PC Engine is the and 54 million for Game Boy. second most popular platform in Japan and what to avoid.

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 23 GAME DISTRIBUTION

Table 1. Platforms Available Today (Continued on p. 26)

Nintendo NES Nintendo SNES Sega Genesis SNK NeoGeo Nintendo Game Boy

Release Date 10/85 8/91 2/90 11/90 6/89 Installed Base 34.5 million 14 million 12 million 95,000 15 million Retail Price $40 to $50 $90 ($130 for $90 ($120 for $650 $50 full system) full system) Cartridge/CD Price $25 to $50 $50 to $80 $40 to $70 $170 to $240 $20 to $35 Titles Available 693 335 Over 500 41 330 (as of 12/93) Titles Released 55 185 (7 NOA)1 Over 110 (10 SOA)2 7 75 (6 NOA)1 in 1993 Third-Party 77 77 33 12 77 Developers Notes 8-bit 16-bit 16 bit 24-bit 8-bit arcade quality black and white

1. Indicates Nintendo of America release 2. Indicates Sega of America release

behind Nintendo’s Super Famicom, the the largest multinationals in the con- the 32-bit 3DO Multi-player introduced equivalent of a SNES. sumer electronics industry. All are avail- in October 1993, and the 64-bit Jaguar Although U.S. distribution cannot able now for about $400, except the introduced by Atari over Thanksgiving compare to Nintendo and Sega, TTI LaserActive. It costs as much as the 1993. Even more impressive than its products are carried by retailers includ- other three put together, $1,200, and can technology is the business model 3DO ing Toys R Us, Electronics Boutique, play either Sega CD or TTI Duo games: advances: no annual limits on the num- and The Good Guys. Working Designs to play both costs $1,500. None of the ber of titles per publisher, no limits on is the only third-party publisher; titles four is clearly targeted at the game mar- the source or quantity of production, and from Namco, Irem, ICOM Simulations, ket, as the few games in their libraries licensing fees and production costs at and other developers are released under show, but developing titles for them least an order of magnitude lower than the Hudson Soft label. would provide useful work experience. what Sega and Nintendo charge. CDs The NeoGeo from SNK Home Portable video game players make are cheap to make, too: about a dollar Entertainment remains the only 24-bit up 15% of the video game industry, each in quantity. home game console. Literally an arcade according to Atari director of communi- machine, it also is unique in allowing cations Bob Brodie. The 8-bit Nintendo Which Comes First? players to carry saved games from home Game Boy and its cartridges are the least This raises the chicken-and-egg conun- to the arcade and back using a memory expensive and have by far the largest drum of every computer product: which device the size of a credit card. Only installed base, larger even than any home comes first, hardware or software? Table twelve developers are licensed to this console. The others offer color. The 1 shows that hundreds of titles are avail- platform, and no more are anticipated. Lynx and TurboExpress are 16-bit able for the most popular platforms. Yet Other CD home entertainment machines. Both Game Gear and Tur- during 1993, Nintendo itself published platforms include the Philips CD-Inter- boExpress can be turned into portable only seven SNES cartridges and Sega active or CD-I, the Commodore CD32 TVs with tuner accessories costing $60 only 10 Genesis titles. The vast majority replacing its CDTV, the Tandy Video to $100. Rated best of the portables, of games come from third-party publish- Interactive Service or VIS, and Pioneer’s TTI’s TurboExpress is the only one to ers, so-called because they are neither the new LaserActive. Seven thousand Radio play the same 16-bit cartridges as its consumer nor platform manufacturer. Shacks sell the VIS; the CD32 is the home counterpart. Third-party licensees support a platform first with a double-speed CD-ROM An even newer generation of home by publishing cartridges that run on it. drive; and the CD-I is backed by one of video game machines is available now: Just as platform providers need publishers

24 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 Sega Game Gear Atari Lynx TTI Turbo Express 3DO Sega CD

6/91 12/89 1/89 10/93 10/92 3 million Not available 150,000 worldwide 90,000 to 100,000 300,000 to 400,000 $90 $80 $130 $700 (with $230 (with Crash ’N Burn) Sewer Shark) $35 to $45 $25 to $50 $20 to $50 $40 to $50 $50 to $60 About 150 72 200 (83 available) 10 to 20 45

About 40 (10 SOA)2 8 40 10 to 20 25 (9 SOA)2

14 3 0 400 14

8-bit, color head-to 16-bit, color, 16 bit, color, five-player, 32-bit, CD, RISC CD add-on to head, $100 TV tuner multiple player plays TG-16 cartridges, Genesis add-on $60 TV tunner add-on

to field sufficient titles to create demand their technology, but they’re not milking Installed Base. Robert Botch, presi- for their game machines, publishers often us. Atari is the same, being reasonable dent of cartridge publisher U.S. Gold, enlist independent design houses to exe- about licensing. You can get CDs manu- thinks, “One million and growing is a cute game development. factured locally and in small quantities good platform critical mass; 100,000 is Sculptured Software of Salt Lake vs. cartridges from Sega or Nintendo: too low. On the other hand, top pro- City is perhaps the oldest and most pro- with a minimum of 30,000 at $10 or $12 grammers prefer to work with the latest lific of these design houses; it has created per cartridge, you’re talking millions of technology. You want to keep them over 150 titles since 1984 including the dollars. Five thousand CDs and a mini- happy, so it may not be a business deci- SNES Mortal Kombat for Acclaim in mal royalty is a whole lot less risk. Fol- sion after all.” 1993. Averaging 20 projects a year, lowing the 3DO model makes it easy on Owner Demographics. SNES players Sculptured Software has developed for publishers.” are skewed toward males 12 to 14 and the PC, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari ST, His only complaint is that, for now, younger. The older NES machines are and Commodore 64 platforms. Current- “As a developer, we gave up choosing being handed down to younger siblings, ly, it is only supporting the SNES, Sega 3DO. Even with a royalty, we’ll make no reports Capcom public relations coordi- Genesis, Sega CD, and Nintendo Game money other than the guaranteed fee.” nator Erin Skiba, so the publisher of Boy. Founder and president George But for the future, he says, “We’ve had Street Fighter II is still releasing NES Metos employs over 70 people and deals big companies like Philips come out titles such as Rescue Rangers. The Sega with two dozen publishers at any given with new products and fail. Sega is a Genesis has been positioned more time. video game company. They know their toward teenage and older audiences. Alexandria Inc. is another such target market. 3DO needs to do the Portable play by females and adults is third-party publisher, developing for the same thing.” surprisingly high. Nintendo reports 3DO, SNES, Sega Genesis, and Sega almost half the Game Boy primary users CD, although it is a licensed publisher The Cartridge World are adults, of which nearly half are for none of them. Alexandria president If the availability of programmers does female. Ken Balthaser comments on the plat- not dictate platform, criteria in choosing Development Cost or Difficulty. 3DO forms available today: “We’re rooting for one might include the installed base, provides a complete development envi- 3DO. It’s better for us if there’s a high- owner demographics, development cost ronment, including clips from movies in quality platform out there. It’s less risky, or difficulty and the inevitable, arguable the Time Warner library; it’s friendlier and the royalty is a couple of bucks. It is question of potential gameplay quality. to nonprogrammers and costs about

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 25 GAME DISTRIBUTION

Table 1. Platforms Available Today (Continued from p. 24) joysticks; and several flavors of sound card. Currently optional but well recog- Atari Jaguar TTI Duo TTI nized as growth areas are Windows, CD- TurboGrafx16 ROM, modem and network capability, full-motion video, decompression hard- Release Date 11/93 10/92 12/88 ware and software, and voice recognition. TG-CD 12/89 Every PC peripheral and software Installed Base 30,000 to 50,000 Worldwide: 50,000 1.17 million standard is essentially a mini-platform. plus 100,000 TG-CD worldwide Sometimes platform lifecycles are judged Retail Price $250 plus $300 $80 by nonintuitive standards. Gametek vice $250 for CD president of product development Gor- don Walton relates how Software Etc. Cartridge/CD Price $50 to $80 $30 to $60 $20 to $50 once discount-racked all PC games 1 Titles Available 4 50 200 packaged with 5 /4-inch disks. Many of 1 (as of 12/93) (83 available) the same titles with 3 /2-inch floppies Titles Released 42040were still selling strong. in 1993 Computer games in North America sold $342 million at retail in 1992 by Third-Party Over 29 1 0 SPA reckoning—29% more than $265 Developers million in 1991, and sales of $69 million Notes 64-bit, RISC 16-bit, CD, first 16-bit for second-quarter 1993 were 22% above and SuperCD home console $56 million for the same period in 1992. Between 600 and 900 titles are released annually, of which the top 25 will sell $15,000 if you count the Apple Quadra are all kinds of entertainment products 100,000 in a year, says Gametek’s Wal- it runs on. The Jaguar offers “freedom, a that a lot of people cannot play on their ton. Half break even, 15% make money, lot more power with no operating system computers because they are not the latest and, if it lasts for three months, the aver- to get in the way,” says Atari’s Brodie. and greatest.” age title might sell 40,000. A classic like Gameplay Supported. Some games SimCity is approaching 1 million world- require the more advanced platforms. The PC World wide after four years. Civilization from Sticking with 16-bit performance, Cap- Kirk Green of Walt Disney Software MicroProse and Falcon 3.0 from Spec- com will not release Street Fighter II on sums it up, “We are inundated with so trum HoloByte, two resounding PC suc- any portables or CD, says Skiba. Sonic many different platforms. It is hard cess stories from companies that happen the Hedgehog offered unprecedented enough to keep up with something as to be merging, have sold 250,000 to speed when it debuted with the 16-bit well established as the home PC.” 300,000 each. Genesis system, and Starfox made a sim- Of over 125 million PCs and 10 The SPA reports that home educa- ilar impression in Jan. 1993 with its FX million Macintoshes worldwide, 30 mil- tion continues to beat out entertainment chip. High-end applications will no lion are in U.S. homes, claims Steve and personal finance for the strongest doubt showcase 3DO and Jaguar Eskenazi of Alex, Brown & Sons; how- growth among its three consumer cate- strengths shortly. ever, he doubts even half are used for gories. Driven primarily by Macintosh The cartridge world may seem fre- games. Paul Wheaton of Dataquest software, home education sales grew netic, but it was designed to accommo- notes that of the 12.5 million PCs sold 55% in the second quarter of 1993 over date advancing technology and has done in the U.S. in the past year, 3.4 million the same period a year ago, and total so remarkably well. Cartridges keep new or 27% went to homes. Research sup- sales of $146 million in 1992 jumped technology compatible with the large plied by Mark Pendergrast of the Soft- 47% from $99 million in 1991. The ratio installed bases of older platforms. T&E ware Publishers Association (SPA) of entertainment to education sales was Soft’s John Eaton points out that when shows that 1992 PC game purchases 2.65:1 in 1991, 2.34:1 in 1992, and less Nintendo introduced the FX chip, its totaled $267 million for DOS, $31 mil- than 2:1 in the first half of 1993. Starfox game remained playable on the lion for Macintosh, and almost $30 mil- Available sales figures for Windows same SNES consoles. “It’s an interesting lion for Windows games. educational software were well over thing. It’s something that you can’t do Historically, game developers have twice those for Windows entertainment with a PC, and you are not going to be been obliged to support graphics stan- software in 1993. Kirk Green of Walt able to do with, say, a 3DO machine. dards from Hercules to VGA, XGA, and Disney Software notes that edu-tain- Once you’ve got that hardware, it’s a very SVGA; one, two and three-button ment is growing popular, even for expensive prospect to upgrade it. There mouses; extended and expanded memory; preschoolers. “Mickey’s ABCs and 123s

26 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 were just certified SPA Gold with MicroCenter, Computer City, and quality in the product itself.” LucasArts 100,000 sales. That’s pretty good for a Incredible Universe (Tandy) Entertainment enjoys a strong brand product aimed at three-year olds.” • Mass merchants, such as Sears, advantage, and marketing manager Mary Are the rules any different for car- SAMs, K-Mart, Target, and Mont- Bihr agrees the game industry is more tridges and PC games in return policies, gomery Ward and more hits-driven. The trend is obvi- discount racking, and so on? Denny • Consumer electronics stores, such as ous, “Computer superstores and discount Thorley of Sega licensee Extreme Enter- The Good Guys, Circuit City, Silo, warehouses stock hits, not breadth.” tainment says no, “They are exactly the The Wiz, and Radio Shack (Tandy) Gametek’s Walton confirms that 90% of same. The only difference is the profit • Toy stores, such as Toys R Us and relevant storefronts carry 25 PC titles or margins.” Kaybee Toys less. Video-game store buyers base their • Discount warehouses, such as Wal decisions more and more on the top 10 Retailers Mart, CostCo, Price Club, and Office or 20 lists in consumer trade magazines “Games are like fish. If they sit on the Depot. like GamePro and Electronic Gaming shelf a week, they start to stink.” Nor- Specialty stores continue to domi- Monthly, according to Brad Berglund of man Weiss is sole proprietor of the Soft- nate, but computer superstores, discount cartridge publisher Hot-B USA. ware Library in Orinda, Calif. He is a warehouses, and mass merchandisers like Retailers think in terms of turnover, retailer. When it comes to tracking SAMs and Target are gaining fast. Toys returns, and sales per square foot. down those hoards of consumer dollars, R Us does not sell PC titles at all in Turnover had better be at least one PC the game industry relies on people like most of its stores, following a bad expe- game per store per month or your title Weiss. rience in the 1980s. Tandy is the oppo- goes straight to the discount rack, says PC games are sold in about 15,000 site; although it does not stock video Walton of Gametek. Customers return stores in North America, video games in games, if Radio Shack is carrying your about 8% of PC games, up to 50% for about 18,000. The top 10 retailers PC game, it means a sale volume of particularly bad ones, and they have no account for 75% to 85% of all PC and 7,000 to 28,000, and Tandy does not deadline for doing so. Publishers are video game sales. For video games they return products. Norman Weiss of the expected to pay freight. are: Software Library is tired of seeing his In the mall, nobody averages $1,000 1. Toys R Us wholesale costs exceeding some sale per square foot in annual sales like the 2. Kaybee Toys prices of large chains. He and 60 other food servers or a very strong jewelry 3. Wal-Mart retailers are banding together to negoti- store. Clothing, book, and gift stores 4. Target ate group purchasing arrangements. would be very happy with half that, but a 5. Sears Bob Botch of U.S. Gold says buyers Software Etc or Electronics Boutique 6. Electronics Boutique want to see three things. “In order of should be able to turn $500 or more per 7. Software Etc importance: a marketing program square foot a year easily. To see sales per 8. Egghead Software behind a product, well-recognized square foot and shelfspace perfected, 9. Babbages licenses affiliated with the product, and visit the video game aisle at Toys R Us. 10. Blockbuster Video. Publishers have direct relationships with these retail outlets through inside Atari’s Jaguar Console sales forces or independent sales repre- sentatives. Three primary retail channels for cartridge sales are: • Toy stores (40% of sales) • Mass merchants (40% of sales) • Electronics and software stores (20% of sales). The six primary channels for PC games, in approximate order of overall sales, are: • Software specialty stores, such as Electronics Boutique, Software Etc, Egghead Software, Babbages, and G+G/Captron • Computer superstores, such as Comp-USA, BizMart, CompuMart,

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 27 GAME DISTRIBUTION

Retailers collect people’s money in that’s two gross), and directly shipping to senior director Jeff Davis. To fuel this exchange for shrink-wrapped boxes. as many as 250 separate locations instead engine, Davis and a staff of eight evaluate That said, it may come as a surprise how of a few central warehouses. 2,000 product submissions a year. “We little retailers want to deal with people or A retailer’s franchise comes from look for titles with sales potential of products. They dislike walking cus- building relationships with the commu- $30,000 a month.” At this self-pro- tomers through software installations, nity. Egghead Software’s CUE Card claimed world’s largest wholesale distribu- explaining AUTOEXEC.BAT and program has almost 1.8 million members tor of microcomputer products, over 100 CONFIG.SYS files and how best to get or about 0.75% of the population. That people compose a creative department for past a puzzle. Worst of all, retailers hate is a good-sized herd of disposable marketing and sales services whose duties selling something so bug-ridden it gets income to be able to track down. include publishing an inch-thick phone- returned. More forgivable are hard-to- book-like catalogue and sending it to stack, oddly shaped boxes as long as they Distributors every retailer serviced every month. walk out the door. The biggest distributors of game titles “Believe it or not, we try hard not to Speaking of handling boxes, Maxis are Ingram/Micro, Merisel, Baker & own our stock. Think in terms of selling director of sales Ileana Seander lists just a Taylor (parent of Soft Kat), Handle- through instead of selling to a distribu- few requirements retailers might impose man’s, Avco, American Software, Beam- tor,” advised Davis at a November 1993 on a supplier: special handling such as scope Canada, and Fidelity. Nintendo seminar for the Multimedia Development preticketing, merchandising support like maintains an official list of 10 to 20 rec- Group of San Francisco. He meant it. counting stock in the field and automati- ommended distributors. Ingram/Micro keeps only about 22 days cally reordering, nonstandard pallets or “Our distribution mechanism is just of inventory in stock. Distributors can skids (288 PC games fit a normal pallet; a big engine,” explains Ingram/Micro bend the rules in their favor in many ways. Stock balancing lets them return WHERE VIDEO GAMES COME FROM older products to a publisher in exchange for newer releases; however, retailers ohn Eaton, president of North American operations for Japanese-owned PC and car- returning products will be credited with a tridge publisher T&E Soft, explains where most video games come from. “The finan- price in effect at the time of return. This cial model that Nintendo and Sega use is to control all the manufacturing for the difference could be between the $36 most part. They put the licensing fee on top of that.” Every 16-bit cartridge costs a Weiss originally paid for the game and Jthird-party publisher between $16 and $30, of which $10 is generally considered a the $10 he eventually gets back. licensing fee. An 8M cartridge with battery backup might cost $24 from Nintendo and $20 Mary Bihr tells why LucasArts from Sega. Nintendo charges more, explaining why the Genesis Mortal Kombat costs $10 Entertainment recently chose a direct less at retail, and Nintendo cartridges cost $5 to $10 more. relationship with a distributor after being “All the manufacturing” means just that: cartridge, label, manual, box, even warranty an Electronic Arts affiliated label for cards are made and assembled in Japan. A minimum first order is 30,000, and reorders many years. “Baker & Taylor is the largest are at least 10,000, except for European titles that must be translated into more lan- distributor of CD-ROM products today. guages. Until mid-1993, all licensees were limited to three releases per year; however, With the new arrangement, we will not any game scoring high enough on Nintendo’s or Sega’s evaluation scale would not to be have to accept any returns, and they will counted. place us in new storefronts including col- lege bookstores and comic book stores. “You have to buy your cartridges from them in advance. You have to put up a letter of This works out well with our CD-ROM credit to make the order, and it takes three months for your product to get manufactured emphasis and the release of our first in Japan and shipped to the U.S.; you pay for it ‘on the dock’ at Kobe. It winds up in the games based on comic books, the Sam & store about four months after you ordered it, and you wind up getting paid about six months after you put up your letter of credit,” says Eaton. Max series by Steve Purcell.” Distributors also prefer high prices A 50,000 initial shipment of a 12M cartridge like Street Fighter II with battery back-up and the bigger margins that go with would cost $25 or more—$1.25 million floated for six months. Even a bare-bones 30,000 them. This can put them in conflict with run of the smallest cartridge would tie up nearly $500,000, and you never stop owning the publishers, who want to grow their mar- cartridges, even after the shopper carries them out of Toys R Us. kets by driving price points down.

Eaton summarized, “There’s a tremendous inventory risk and a lot of money that gets tied Publishers up. A lot of people believe that there are very few software people actually making money “In a whole new business, you can make in the cartridge business. And that’s one of the things that is going to drive the move up the rules,” avows Tom McGrew, vice away from the cartridge business and towards the CD-ROM, 32-bit business. Or that’s one president of sales and marketing for the theory.” past six years at CD-ROM content pub- lisher Compton’s NewMedia. In the

28 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 absence of a platform provider pursuing ly nurtured. The new ratings system may some of the major publishers not get all the same agenda, he is right, and there is amount to no more than free publicity their products picked up by the retail no Nintendo in the PC CD-ROM for Sega, since no Nintendo title will chains.” world. ever get anything other than the equiva- Sometimes a publisher can dictate Publishers deal extensively with lent of a G rating. This is a restriction at market terms. Compton’s NewMedia everyone: consumer, platform provider, least 77 third-party publishers have been and Tom McGrew established a whole distributor and retailer, and of course willing to accept. new margin level for CD-ROM prod- developer, so we will examine each of Publishers’ fates follow those of ucts: “Content has more value than soft- these relationships. their platforms. Incentives for the two ware. This is not the software business, If platform providers create a mar- are therefore usually aligned, but, in one this is a bastard child. Because of that, ket, publishers can grow it. Compton’s recent case, the platform provider was at you can’t apply the old model. The soft- drove the price point down to $39.95 for a rare disadvantage. Capcom undoubted- ware business is dead.” How much of CD titles, and their sales climbed from ly cut into Sega sales when Street Fight- being a pioneer is obligation, and how $5 million in 1991 to $15 million in 1992 er II for the Genesis, a genuine hit, was much is opportunity? “We were the first and $35 million in 1993. Says McGrew, delayed four extra months from June to with standardized packaging for CD- “For two and a half years, we have been a September 1993. ROM products. Now guess what stan- market maker. We want CD-ROM to How do developers respond to the dard Sears and K-Mart are enforcing.” be ubiquitous. If you do not make it newest platforms? “It’s an interesting Overly assertive publishers run the ubiquitous to the consumers, then you’ll time right now in the business. Everyone risk of antagonizing their resellers and suffer the peaks and valleys of the soft- is wondering where to put their bets. It’s jeopardizing future access to consumers. ware business.” As of November 1993, risky for publishers and developers—but Norman Weiss resents the terms Compton’s International Encyclopedia more so for publishers because they have imposed by a PC publisher in the San had sold over 600,000 copies, including more riding on it,” observes developer Francisco Bay Area: “They’re like Nazis. bundling with IBM, Compaq, and Ken Balthaser. They made me sign up for a program. I Apple. Two-thirds of the 33 Sega Genesis practically had to fill out my life story, Electronic Arts is an example of an licensees also support Nintendo plat- then I got copies of every new product assertive game publisher. It has always forms. Eight of 14 Sega CD third-party whether I wanted it or not. They pioneered platforms and is now growing publishers do. Of the Jaguar’s 20 initial wouldn’t even let me quit. To this day, the multiplayer market with a four-way licensees, only two were either Sega or returning even defective products to Genesis adapter, multisided strategy Nintendo third-party publishers, but six these people is a nightmare. It reminds games like General Chaos, and eight- of the next nine announced by December me of IBM. Years ago, I applied to be an page inserts in magazines like Electronic 1993 are. With over 400 licensees and authorized retailer but they turned me Gaming Monthly, promoting Electronic counting, 3DO has clearly positioned down. Too small. Now they’re knocking Arts sports tournaments around the itself as more than a video game console. at my door, begging to sign me up. I country. To play the game, developers must won’t do it. I can’t do it. For the last More than any other group except agree to take all unsold merchandise, or three years, I’ve told my customers never retailers, publishers make it their busi- they will not be asked back. Distribution to buy IBM. I can’t go back on that. ness to understand consumer behavior. consultant and former Broderbund mar- And besides, the quality isn’t there.” Spectrum HoloByte conducted focus keting vice president Leigh Marriner What about that PC publisher’s prod- groups in the course of marketing Iron says breaking into the retail channel is ucts? “I only order them if I have a cus- Helix, reports developer Drew Huffman extremely difficult, partly because chan- tomer request.” of Drew Pictures. Such market research nel members demand protection against “Think mass market,” exhorts Tom is par for the course. Warranty cards also returns. Publishers must demonstrate McGrew. There will be changes when it help these game makers understand that they will be around next year, that is reached, warns Norman Weiss. “You game players. they will be able to make good on all can’t buy Microsoft or Symantec prod- Publishers and platform providers unsold inventory, and that they are will- ucts from the factory. Try it. They will can protect a market. Sega did so in ing to do so. refer you to a distributor or your local 1993 by introducing a video game rat- The importance of two other pub- retailer. There are none of those toll-free ings system, but the best example is, of lisher functions is waning, however: 800 numbers you see in magazine ads for course, Nintendo. Stringent content securing broad retail exposure, and field- computer games, either.” restrictions, gameplay standards, title ing a product line. U.S. Gold’s Bob Publishers want a developer they limits, and quality-driven quantity Botch says, “Getting more storefronts is can trust to deliver on the promises they restrictions throughout the 1980s all not so much a priority; getting the stores make down the chain. Botch of U.S. ensured that no Atari fiasco would strike to carry our whole line is.” Marriner con- Gold looks for developers who are the ecosystem Nintendo had scrupulous- curs: “1993 has been the first year to see proven or with whom he has worked

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 29 GAME DISTRIBUTION

Table 2. A Game Developers Glossary of Terms able. Video game designers must deal with either a platform provider, a Affiliated label A developer who shoulders most of the monetary burden except licensed third-party publisher, or at least gaining access to a publisher’s distribution channels, while keeping a design house. 3DO offers the only its own name on the box. Marketing assistance is negotiable, and exception. independence is possible after developing a brand identity. The wealth of video game platforms is a mixed blessing to developers. Older Bundling Including another product in a package, typically software with hardware. For example, a Virgin Games 7th Guest game was bun- established houses like Sculptured Soft- dled with with Media Vision CD-ROM drives, Sonic cartridges ware see an opportunity to perform more were bundled with with Genesis consoles, and Crash ’N Burn ports, conversions of the same title from cartridges were bundled with 3DO consoles. one platform to another. Younger firms like Alexandria face developing on what Copublish See ”affiliated label.” could be a losing platform: “The differ- ence between 32-bit and 64-bit starts FOB Freight-on-board indicates who pays shipping and how it is becoming meaningless. It’s ‘The Battle calculated. For example, “FOB Kobe” means the developer pays of the Bits.’ I’ll be so happy when the shipping across the Pacific. technology reaches the state where the output of the machine will allow TV-like Inventory Inventory is counted in dollars (wholesale), units, or days (before the games will probably get sold). quality. Then the consumer won’t care about the box, and we can get down to Listing fee What a mail order catalogue charges a publisher to include a creating the content: that’s what we’re all product. waiting for.” Ken Balthaser probably speaks for most developers. MDF Market development funds; also called cooperative advertising. Among PC games, there is a crop of new mini-platforms. Microsoft con- OEM Original equipment manufacturer. See “bundling.” ducted free developer conferences around the country recently to jump- POP Point of purchase. Can refer to promotions (“impulse buy”) start multimedia title development. or data collection. With its hobbyist origins, Apple has Port A direct conversion of the a game title from one platform to always devoted significant resources to another. supporting developers of all varieties of applications. When Apple declared it Price protection A distributor can collect the difference between its original intended to seed the market with CD- purchase price and what the product has been discounted to. ROM drives at cost, it was good news for everybody, except CD-ROM-drive Program An arrangement between a distributor and either a vendor distributors. (publisher) or reseller (retailer) that typically includes minimum The relationship between developer sales volumes, return conditions, prices, or some rack jobbing. and publisher is probably the most sig- Programs are more prevalent in game software than business nificant for readers of this magazine. It applications due to lower per-unit prices, $45 for a game vs. $250 can be an uneasy alliance. We know for WordPerfect. what publishers want from developers and why. Now let’s explore how devel- opers feel about their publishers, how before. If it’s time to release a new race men in a garage to a Broderbund-affili- they ought to deal with them, exactly game, whoever did his last one can be ated label to a publishing house with its what publishers do to earn their keep, trusted. Mary Bihr of LucasArts says you own affiliates. On the other hand, Sculp- and (something every developer won- need developers who accept creative tured Software reports no such publish- ders) is there any alternative? Table 2 direction, work to specification, and are ing ambitions. shows a glossary of terms used in distrib- reliable—but most important of all is “to ution channels, that is, by publishers and have an extremely creative development Developers each different distribution channel team who understand on a gut level what Developers only deal directly with plat- between them and the consumer. is fun.” form providers and publishers. PC game “We’ve always agonized over mar- Either party can evolve into the developers can still conceivably publish keting people’s actions,” confides Darren other. U.S. Gold is building an in-house themselves, but the industry has matured Bartlett of the Illusions Gaming Com- development team. Maxis grew from two well beyond the point where it is advis- pany, a cartridge developer. “They

30 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 change our names. They change our Table 2. A Game Developers Glossary of Terms audience. We developers are a little older now than our target audience. They like Rack jobber A distributor guarantees a dollar sales figure per linear foot of shelf cute animals. We like to blow things up. space for retailers and performs merchandising like shipping, But our next game is about an autistic counting old and new stock, restocking, assuring proper placement, and stickering. kid in a straitjacket.” Mutual respect is the norm. ROP Run-of-press, includes newspaper advertising, Sunday inserts, and Remember three things when deal- so on. ing with publishers. First, decide how much publisher you want: a half, a Sell-in/sell-through Sell-in is filling the districution channel by getting the product out whole, or none at all. Second, limit all the publisher’s door. Sell-through is consumers removing it from agreements with publishers and distribu- the distibution channel, hopefully not temporarily. tors by geographic region; don’t give up overseas rights, for example. Third, limit Sell sheets Descriptions of products written by publishers for retailers. all agreements by platform; you wouldn’t want a cartridge publisher handling your SKU Stock-keeping unit. This is how everyone in the distribution process keeps track of product and includes a specific title- DOS port. medium combination. The same game title for Genesis, SNES, Copublishing or affiliated label Game Boy, and Game Gear would have four different SKUs. arrangements are the half-a-publisher option, allowing developers and publish- To SKU To formally introduce a product to the market. This entails ers to do what each does best, in theory. assigning a product a unique UPC code, listing a suggested retail Maura Sparks of Pop Rocket, an Elec- price, and indicating a national street date with a time frame for tronic Arts affiliated label, describes release. their relationship as “perfect for a small company, teaming up with all that mar- SPIF Sales performance incentive fund is a wholesale rebate paid to keting muscle.” Developing exclusively distributors for each unit sold through to the next distribution level, for CD-ROM, the four-person Pop typically $1. Retailers are not usually “SPIFfed.” Rocket is looking to single-handedly SRP Suggested retail price. create a music-video-adventure genre. Three good reasons to copublish Stock balancing The right of a distributor to exchange older, slow-moving products are: for newer units from the same publisher. • You plan to become a publisher someday and want to develop a brand Street price The price a consumer can get with a little looking, usually about identity 25% less than the SRP. • You can afford to invest all the mar- keting, production, inventory, and Terms Specific payment and delivery agreements. service costs up-front • You want to maintain control and Top of mind A marketing metric indicating how much publishers, distributors, and retailers are aware of a product’s existence. ownership of the product. Copublisher’s royalties equal their Turnover Indicates how quickly inventory is replaced; divide retail sales by publisher’s. Alternatively, they might average inventory—the higher the better. agree to sell to the publisher at a dis- count 5% to 10% better than they give any other distribution channel. Drew Huffman offers the following and stick to it. lowing affiliated label programs: Comp- advice to anyone negotiating with a pub- • Don’t lose your cool; it’s the publish- ton’s NewMedia, Sony, Apple, Elec- lisher on the strength of his experience er’s job to bargain with you. tronic Arts, Maxis, Knowledge Adven- releasing Iron Helix through Spectrum • Understand what it is that you don’t ture, Davidson, Edmark, Magic Quest, HoloByte: know. Admit that to yourself, make a Paramount Interactive, Accolade, and • Ask for help from family, friends, note, and find out later. Never com- Broderbund. associates, lawyers, distribution con- mit to anything until you understand. The whole-publisher approach is sultants, and even competitors. • Never make a decision for the wrong far more common. Sculptured Software • Match the product to the publisher. reasons. controller Shelley Dahl says, “A lot of • Decide what you want, including the For CD titles, former Broderbun- the design takes place in-house, but we absolute minimum you will accept, der Leigh Marriner recommends the fol- work closely with a publisher. After all,

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 31 GAME DISTRIBUTION

Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog CD cation with all channel partners. Coordi- nating the logistics of product launches nationwide is at least one full-time job. The following prescription for a product launch, combining input from half a dozen publishers, illustrates some of the ways publishers earn their keep. Publishers start contacting distribu- tors at least six months prior to product release. A good way to think of it is one to two trade shows before release. So for a Christmas product, supply tidbits at the January and June Consumer Elec- tronic Show. The dialogue starts in earnest three to six months before ship- ment. The publisher has alerted the channels to the new title, and you must assign it a stock keeping unit, a UPC code, street price, short description, and a ballpark time frame for when it will hit the street. U.S. Gold’s Botch calls it a case of “Hollywood-style counter-programming; announce for the Fall, just not when exactly,” as publishers jockey for position against each other’s releases. Nobody wanted to release a game too close to Mortal Monday, September 13, 1993, for example. The distribution channel will need sell sheets explaining the prod- uct and empty boxes for advertising photo shoots. The publisher spreads demo disks around to buyers, reviewers, and user groups. It makes plans for advertising and promotions in stores, magazines, at special events, with coupons, and whatever it can think of. Six weeks before shipment, the publisher takes a look at the market trends and competitive environment. Hot-B USA’s Brad Berglund says you must ship by the end of October or it is their product.” Indeed, most pub- sometimes a publisher will approach a early November to be on shelves by lishers originate 85% to 90% of their developer with a license and ask if it has Thanksgiving, the start of the Christmas releases. As Cary Hammer of Unexpect- a game ready and waiting? They don’t buying season. He and Botch agree that ed Development explains, the average just mean an engine but a whole game, the Christmas quarter is as good as any video game “starts with a publisher pur- where the graphics are added, and the two quarters’ sales, 50% to 60% of the chasing a license. They may then ask a game is done in a matter of weeks. Kon- entire year. Botch adds that January and developer to ‘do it all’ or to execute their ami is one exception. Dealing exclusively February are good too, with people buy- own in-house design, to execute another with Japanese teams, it accepts only fin- ing titles for the hardware systems they party’s design, or just to do a straight ished spec games from U.S. developers, got over Christmas. Summer is the platform port.” but it no longer publishes PC games. worst, thanks to longer daylight hours, Publishers rarely accept proposals The mechanics of publishing are vacations, and travel. from developers and even more rarely simple once a project is on track, but it is A typical figure for market develop- accept entire games done on spec. But imperative to maintain close communi- ment funds is 3% of wholesale volume,

32 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 deducted off invoice. Sales performance She likens Maxis to Wyndham Hill according to The Wall Street Journal, are incentive funds can be used to push the Records: “Over 12 years, they created the CompuServe (H&R Block, 1.4 million), product further into the distribution New Age category of music; the name of Prodigy (IBM and Sears, 1 million), channel. Remember, it’s the sales depart- each new artist was irrelevant. You’ve GEnie (General Electric, 400,000), and ment’s job is to push a product into the already established an ongoing metaphor, America Online (350,000). distribution channel, and the marketing and the consumer wants the next chap- GEnie has been the most aggressive department’s job is to pull the product ter.” For distribution work-around, she of the big networks in courting game through. It can do that through advertis- finds potential for multimedia placement players, lowering its on-line charge to $3 ing, promotions like contests, coupons, in museums, sporting goods stores, and per hour. The Multi-Player Game Net- favorable press reviews, user-group-gen- even running the PC blockade at Toys R work (MPG-Net) has around 10,000 erated word-of-mouth, and of course a Us. subscribers. Delphi and National Video- high-quality product starting with the Three other viable distribution tex are in transition. The ImagiNation, box. Maxis sales director Ileana Seander channels are worth considering. formerly The Sierra Network, has 30,000 says the two biggest factors affecting Mail order accounts for 12% to 15% to 40,000 subscribers. Director of mar- store buyers’ decisions are their relation- of IBM-compatible PC game sales but keting Jeff Leibowitz says, “We are a ship with the publisher and the box. But 40% to 50% for the Macintosh, of which games network, but games aren’t really don’t go too far. Everyone in the distrib- 90% goes through three houses: Mac the point: it’s playing games not against ution channel serves a prequalifying func- Zone, Mac Warehouse, and Mac Con- the computer but against other people. It tion. Handleman’s and Tandy will not nection. “They will ask for ‘favored can be a difficult message, because people carry games with overtly sexual, violent, nation’ pricing, but don’t give it to them,” don’t want to hear that they’re lonely.” or occult box art. warns Ingram/Micro’s Davis. “Keep a Assuming you stay with the more Gametek’s Gordon Walton also says level playing field across all channels.” traditional distribution channels, what product-centered advertising is a waste of Multimedia publishing consultant Robert payoff can you expect? Consider terms, money. If you must advertise, focus on Risse of New Media Partners notes cata- feedback, royalties, and margins. company image and use home-buyer logues charge buy-in fees of $2,500 to Terms. The vast majority of pay- media or magazines like Computer Gam- $10,000 just to be listed and will request ments are advances against royalties, usu- ing World, Strategy Plus, and PC Enter- even more for advertising within their ally guaranteed so a developer will not tainment, not trade, general interest, or pages. end up owing anything if the product computer industry magazines. Co-op ads Shareware works. Take it from dies in the market. A schedule of eight in direct mail catalogues may be worth Scott Miller at Apogee, the bulletin payments is common: six milestones the money if mail order is a chosen dis- board proprietor and shareware publisher bracketed by signing and completion or tribution channel. Nintendo was thought that brought Wolfenstein 3D to market. approval payments. Weighting can be to have spent $100 million promoting all It has sold over 20,000 copies since May equal, heavier at signing and delivery titles this Christmas. Promoting Mortal 1992, generating over $1 million. Apogee stages, backloaded toward delivery, or Monday reputedly cost Acclaim $5 mil- has more than 20 titles, one to two dozen otherwise. lion. Your results may vary. under production, 70 people collecting A returns fund is maintained until a What are your alternatives? Self- paychecks, and design teams from Red- product is retired. Out of sales to a dis- publishing is not recommended. Says mond, Wash., and Canada to London tributor, 20% may be held by the distrib- Marriner, “Breaking into the retail chan- and Sydney. Miller is particularly excited utor for returns. This fund is adjusted nel is extremely difficult. It takes time to by a variant trend he calls “rackware,” every quarter, paid down over time, and work distribution deals. Going it alone which he considers free distribution closed out when the title is finally means less distribution. And, because you through thousands of grocery, stereo, and removed from distribution. are marketing your company at the same software stores as well as Wal-Mart, K- Whatever your publisher threshold time as the product, it will cost half again Mart, and Radio Shack. “All you need is was, Robert Risse of New Media Part- as much. But, most important is the pace a disk duplicating machine and screen ners lists critical details you would be of technology in this arena. By the time shots for them to put in the bags and on wise to either expect or insist on seeing in you get distribution, your product may the boxes.” a contract: no longer be state of the art.” Electronic distribution is another • Publishers’ offers often come in the Distribution consultant Solange topic that deserves its own article, but form of a term sheet. This is a good Van Der Moer of Infinity Partners paints look for The Sega Channel soon, allow- thing, pinpointing key terms without a brighter picture. “Money still talks; you ing game downloads one at a time into a any confusing legal terminology. just have to turn up the volume. Match special Genesis peripheral. Network • Sublicense fees should be computed at your product to the right target audience. games are viable already, however, and a higher rate than royalties. Your roy- Think out of the box. You’re providing they allow group play. The main net- alties on a publisher’s royalties can be information; it’s just a different medium.” works, their owners, and subscriber bases, up to 33%; for ancillary products like

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 33 GAME DISTRIBUTION

T-shirts and TV series, 7.5% to 10% is least 60% off suggested retail price. just say, ‘Ship it.’ ” typical. Tandy/Radio Shack expects 62.5% if not Capstone’s Angie Niehauf thinks • Recoupment of the advance is nego- 65% off retail, but will not ask you to “multimedia is what is going to change tiable; a recoupment percentage of accept returned products. Others average everything. Blockbuster and Sound 50% means developer royalties are 55% off street retail. Street prices at Warehouse’s rental of software just like paid out in cash as quickly as they are Electronics Boutique and Software Etc cartridges is expanding pretty fast. Every- applied to pay down the advance. or Babbages may dip 20% from $49 to body’s looking for CD product. The • Right of first refusal on future titles $39, for example, affecting your whole- retailers are asking for it. Let’s see if the should be diluted to a right of first sale revenue. The toy business is enviable, consumers are as excited.” negotiation. where all calculations are made off landed Rental. Rental may be the way to • Payment schedules are negotiable. cost. Overall, retailers and distributors jump-start new hardware standards. Typically developers are paid 30 days count on 10%, according to Jeff Davis of Blockbuster and other major video rental after publishers, which could amount Ingram/Micro. Compton’s NewMedia outlets will be renting cartridges and to 120 days without cashflow. takes 50% off suggested retail price for CD-ROMs as well as their players, Advances might be made bigger, or distributors, 45% for CompUSA, and including 3DOs, Jaguars, and Sega CDs. payment can be adjusted. 40% for retailers. Nobody knows the net effect to date of • Ask for a commitment on how much cannibalization of potential cartridge the publisher will spend on advertising The Future sales vs. heightened awareness, but mak- and promotion. I see three trends playing themselves out ing state-of-the-art platform units avail- • After verbal agreements are obtained prominently in 1994, and two more able will raise the floor of installed bases on key points, call in the lawyers. And operating in the background. if nothing else. read what they draw up to make sure it CD-ROM. 1994 will be the year of Interestingly, Electronic Arts has agrees with everything you negotiated. the CD-ROM. Cheaper and easier to already experimented with a rental-only Feedback. PC games can expect a manufacture than floppy disks or car- Sega cartridge. The John Madden window of sales no more than six months tridges, each one can hold an unprece- Championship Edition was later rere- before being discount-racked. Cartridges dented 600M of data. But the technology leased exclusively via direct mail. If you need to survive 60 days, and some last for is imperfect; data transfer rate is bad, and consider arcades a sort of time-rental, years. LucasArts’s Bihr describes the seek time is worse. Even double-speed then count Electronic Arts in on this market as “pretty aware; it has a quick and triple-speed drives are slow. David trend yet again. They formed a coin- adoption rate. We hope to recoup with Walker, a technical director at Electronic operated division in August 1993. the first shipout both marketing and Arts and co-founder of the Computer Platforms. What a war there will be development costs.” Sometimes it takes Entertainment Developers Association, in 1994 over platforms. Regardless of two or three months after release to likens it to the data cassette of 10 years which ones survive, any hit games that know if a product will succeed. Other ago. By Eric Goldberg’s standards, it has materialize will be ported to the others times, in the case of X-Wing, the entire already failed to be adopted by 50% of over time. Therefore, in the long run, initial shipment of 100,000 was yanked the populace within seven years, as the consumers will only be inconvenienced. through the channel, blowing out all VCR, microwave and audio CD have Retailers and distributors are indifferent. forecasts and inventory, over the first been. For the developers, publishers, and weekend. Sell-in from March to Decem- Nevertheless, the installed base of providers, it could be deadly. So let’s ber 1993 approached half a million, with- PC and Macintosh CD-ROM drives is squint once again into the horizon. out even a Christmas. estimated to have grown from half a mil- “The Jaguar lets you bang on the Royalties. Ballpark royalties are 7% lion in 1992 to 6 million at year-end hardware and blow by the OS,” says to 15% of wholesale, or $1.00 to $3.00 1993 and to reach up to 20 million by the Atari’s Brodie. “It is a 55 MIPS comput- per unit; they can be computed as a per- end of 1994. That would approximate er with five processors, including a 64-bit cent of sales or in dollars per units sold. today’s installed base of 16-bit video RISC, 32-bit RISC, and 68000 chip just Name developers get more. For example, game consoles. for joystick control and configuration a $50 suggested retail price game with a Tom McGrew reiterates the kind of setup.” One advantage the Jaguar clearly street price of $35 and wholesale revenue success Compton’s NewMedia is enjoy- has over the 3DO is a cartridge slot of $18 may return $2. A copublishing ing with nongame multimedia titles: alongside its upcoming CD add-on. Plus, developer would get closer to $9. A late “This is not the book business, where the Jaguar is still a cartridge machine, developer might be penalized a point or 25,000 hardbacks is a success. We’re pre- capable of assimilating new technology as two, so the rate might not be known selling 15,000 to 18,000 CD-ROMs at a T&E Soft’s John Eaton described. An until a project is completed. Sometimes time. CompUSA already has 120 CD MPEG decompression cartridge for full- there is a bonus for high volume sales. titles on the shelf, and when we ask if motion video will be available sometime Margins. Handleman’s demands at they would be interested in another, they this year.

34 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 3DO initially followed Philips’ CD- late 1980s. Europe now offers a safety Alert to the irony of her message coming I into 2,000 to 3,000 stereo stores like valve. Unexpected Development’s Cary from a company founded on the original The Good Guys, Circuit City, and Silo, Hammer, developing primarily for porta- game-without-a-category, SimCity, she positioned as a consumer electronic bles and the SNES, says the European adds, “The market has changed since five device. It suffered there. Disappointing market is taking off; Game Boy titles do years ago. You have to know the compe- from a sales standpoint, the distributions even better in Europe than in America. tition, pricing, and just how limited shelf channel strategy may have helped estab- With distribution favoring hits in the space is out there.” Today, Maxis owns a lish 3DO as more than just a game box. U.S., overflows have a place to go with- large share of the Windows and an even A respectable first impression safely out bankrupting publishers or leaving bigger share of the Macintosh game mar- made, it is now sold at Capcom’s video distribution-channel partners holding kets. Don’t expect her to give them up game retail subsidiary G&G/Captron, stale inventory. easily. among others, and will be rented at Impending Shakeout. Even with Blockbuster Videos. expansive new game markets, there’s only Distribution and You Sega’s 32 or 64-bit CD game pro- so much room at the top. The casualties Your ideas can become dollars. That’s the ject, known as Saturn, is still an unknown may not hit the ground until 1995, but good news. The bad news is that the mix quantity, but Alexandria’s Ken Balthaser Jeff Davis at Ingram/Micro already sees of inspiration and perspiration is no ventures an opinion sight unseen: “I have “way too much product looking for not longer just between you, your muse, and to bet on Sega, just because of their track enough distribution.” Everyone agrees the latest authoring tools. Everybody’s record. They’ve proven they can create the industry is being hits-driven by silver bullets must cross an economic new technology, they can introduce it, licenses and marketing. Neither is neces- landscape on the way to the firing range they can take the software and launch it. sarily related to gameplay quality, yet that on a journey that is more and more by The question is, when will they launch. is the keystone of this industry. The invitation only. To negotiate this terrain, Like anyone with a successful product in lessons of Atari and the 8-bit NES have it will help to have learned about the the marketplace, you don’t want to kill been learned, but who knows if they’ll be inhabitants and their perspectives, the rit- the goose laying the golden eggs. So near remembered. uals they follow and why, and what looms term, two to three years: Sega. Long Dick Larkin of Hudson Soft voices on the horizon for the entire ecology. term: Sony or Matsushita, the big ones. the wisest publishers’ concerns when he Packard’s Law still holds true. Every When it becomes a commodity in the says, “The challenge is how do you make 18 months, computer chip price perfor- marketplace like TVs, they’re going to it fun? That’s something we work on and mance increases tenfold. That empowers come out winners. You’ve got to go with work on and work on, and after all the the electronic entertainment industry the people who can produce mass quanti- pieces are put together, sometimes it’s with a dangerous ability to recreate itself ties at low prices.” still just not there.” It was there for every other year. It is happening again. SNK will release a NeoGeo CD SuperBomberman. The multiplayer hit The PC world keeps splintering across attachment by the end of 1994, shortly game attracted unprecedented interest in 286s, 386s, 486s, and Pentiums, with and before Sony’s CD game machine appears. TurboTechnologies’s Duo and Turbo- without multimedia CD, sound, or video Nobody’s willing to guess when or if Grafx-16, which Hudson Soft parlayed capabilities. Ken Balthaser could just as Nintendo’s 64-bit Reality Engine will into exclusive rights to a five-player easily be speaking for PCs, as he views a appear. SNES attachment. Their Multi-Tap is similar landscape on the video game On the PC side, 80% of all software now bundled in a Nintendo Super- front: “It’s a watershed time, a transition development in the DOS world is for the Bomberman Party Pak. period. 1993 was the last Christmas for Windows environment. Yet the SPA The man behind Sid Meier’s Civi- 16-bit. Thirty-two is coming.” ■ reported only $3.7 million in Windows lization put it simply at the April 1993 game sales out of $68.9 million total Game Developers Conference. Interac- James Paul Cooper sold decision sup- home entertainment software sold during tivity is the special quality that computer port software to institutional investment the second quarter of 1993. Games will games offer—not sound, not music, and managers for a global consulting firm. In have to catch up. not graphics. So given a limited budget, 1978, he joined an Arizona computer game Two less obvious trends will subtly spend it on developing gameplay. company instead of matriculating at the affect the U.S. game market in 1994. Cary Hammer feels the labor pool University of California. Since then, he has Overseas Markets. The worst thing of experienced developers has grown big founded or co-founded several game and that can happen in publishing is to push enough that he expects to see more spec software ventures and acquired an M.S. in too many units into the distribution development of cartridge games. Ileana Industrial Administration from Carnegie channel, according to Denny Thorley of Seander of Maxis admonishes any such Mellon University, where he taught mar- Extreme Entertainment. It killed the developers to take the time to conduct keting. He can be reached on Internet at Atari game industry, and even the 8-bit predesign: “Look at the market; talk to [email protected] or through NES suffered a look-alike library in the retailers and focus-group consumers.” Game Developer magazine.

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 35 DEVELOPING IRON HELIX

Drew Pictures: The Making of Iron Helix

by Alexander f Drew Picture’s game Iron Helix about their future plans. Huffman want- Antoniades had a birthplace, it would be the ed to start his own production company. Jeremiah O’Brian, a floating muse- Huffman eventually left Paracomp On the road from video um located in the Marina district to start Drew Pictures. A year later, of San Francisco, Calif. It was Carrella came on board. The company’s there that the big idea of Drew main focus at that time was video pro- Pictures founders Vincent Carrella duction and animation for commercial production company and Drew Huffman finally clicked. television and a variety of hi-tech IIt was an idea that had its roots from clients. That all changed when the when Carrella and Huffman were work- company was asked to work on a mod- ing at Paracomp. ule of a large CD-ROM project and Huffman was working as product came upon a great idea. to interactive enter- manager for a computer animation pro- gram called Film Maker. Carrella was a The Big Idea strategic marketing person who did Drew Huffman’s original concept was hands-on demonstrations on roadshows designing a game around the limita- tainment developer, with Huffman. It was during these tions of the CD-ROM. By storing the roadshows that Carrella and Huffman main program on the hard drive, the spent a lot of time together and talked designers could use the massive storage you can travel to some strange places, from an old liberty ship in San Francisco to a trip to the local

The main interface screen of Iron Helix was the final result of a balancing act between butcher shop. technical and gameplay considerations.

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 45 DEVELOPING IRON HELIX

Figure 1. The Original Jeremiah O’Brian vinced the pair that the game was tech- nically possible. A visit to the Jeremiah O’Brian, shown in Figure 1, finally made all the pieces fit. The atmosphere on that his- toric ship gave them the feeling of what they were trying to convey in the game. They even thought of doing a documen- tary about the Jeremiah O’Brian. But in the end, they decided to go into the game business instead of testing the treacherous waters of educational multi- media. They did name the game’s main spaceship after the ship in homage.

Inspiration and Perspiration They decided to use Macromind Direc- tor from Macromind as the authoring tool to create the game. J.A. Nelson, an old associate of Huffman, joined the team as its Director expert. Rich Cohen, a technical director at Industrial Light potential of the CD-ROM to store • To get smooth playability off a CD- and Magic, also joined the team as art sound and video the program could ROM drive director. access as needed. • To suspend disbelief that someone For the next year and a half, every- One of Huffman’s original ideas was playing a game. one worked out of Huffman’s apart- involved piloting a robot around a three- The CD load times were very frus- ment, trying to build a game and a game dimensional virtual environment with a trating, but they now knew they could company. Their experience showed view through a small window. The chal- overcome that limitation. The release of them how important it is to understand lenge was to justify the small window the Quicktime 1.0 animation engine for business and not just game development size. Drew Pictures designers developed the Macintosh promised consistent play- to become a successful company. To a storyline where the robot was exploring back of video animation and finally con- learn what they were getting into, they a large ship that was too dangerous for humans to explore. This led to an inter- The Jeremiah O’Brian Spaceship face design in which the player is con- trolling a robot from a safe vantage point, making what the robot sees in the view screen just a small part of the over- all scenario. While Huffman continued working in video production, Carrella started investigating the Macintosh CD-ROM market. They made a favorable business plan in which he stated that based on the success of CD-ROM games such as Spaceship Warlock and Reactor, the Macintosh CD-ROM market was potentially profitable. However, Huff- man and Carrella still weren’t sure, because of technical limitations, develop- ing a CD-ROM was the right thing to do. There were two main objectives Huffman wanted to accomplish in his game:

46 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 talked to professional game developers Figure 2. Meat or Microbe? You Make the Call! and distributors. It was about three months into development that they realized Quick- time 1.0 wasn’t going to cut it. It could not maintain the consistent frame rate the designers wanted. What they ended up using in the final game was an anima- tion engine called PACo from The Company of Science and Art. While Quicktime isn’t used in the final version of Iron Helix, the designers insist that the game couldn’t have been made with- out it. Instead of writing the story first and then developing the game, they devel- oped both in conjunction, allowing themselves to make adjustments as they ran into technical difficulties. One of the ship for pieces of the crew’s DNA, Of course, in the instances where their major complaints about CD-ROM which is used to gain access to more of the Defender kills the probe, there must games was the character interaction. the ship. However, every time certain be additional animation sequences. The One of their pet peeves about CD- parts of the ship are accessed, the developers calculated all the places where ROM games is that the CD-ROM is Defender robot patrolling the ship will the player could possibly die and decided too slow to have live video interactions. become aware of the player’s presence. to only include the most probable sce- To get around this limitation, all the The player accesses video clues left narios. In the end, out of 600 locations characters in the game are dead—the behind by the former crew, which show where the player could die, they made player views video clues they have left how to destroy the Defender robot and 250 unique death sequences and a gener- behind. the dangerous spaceship. ic death scene for the rest. As they worked more on the game, The secondary animation window eventually the whole plot was fleshed Iron Helix in the main interface screen displayed, out. The story revolves around a run- The way the story was written, most of among other things, the video images of away spaceship containing a biological the animation takes place inside two the dead crew. For those video pictures, weapon and a doomsday device. The windows on the screen. The primary they used mainly the Drew Pictures staff player controls a robot probe that is window contains the robot probe’s and friends as actors. They filmed the piloted around on a spaceship. All the remote camera view, and the other con- sequences in the office and later changed crew is dead, so the player looks around tains the interface where the player views the backgrounds with Adobe Premiere. videos and the DNA scans, among other things. The Creative Process The Darwin Probe The images in the primary display In the part of the game where the player window are all computer-generated has to find the dead crew’s DNA, a close three-dimensional images. The tools up scan appears in the same window as used to make these were Macromedia’s the videos. The original idea was that Swivel 3-D Professional and Macro- the player would manually match the model. Every segment was animated DNA of the dead crew members. Car- individually in development and is pulled rella spent two months studying DNA off the CD-ROM in real-time when the matching. He got out all his old biology probe is moved in the game. The origi- texts and even spoke to an FBI lab. In nal plan called for the probe to be able to the end, he found that real DNA match- tilt and pan in its movement, but it was ing was too hard to simulate, so that any too much work, and the developers felt simulation would be so simplified it that it didn’t enhance gameplay. In the wouldn’t have any educational aspect, end, the probe would be able to turn at which was one of the main reasons he 90º angles and move at fixed increments wanted to do it. with transitional animation linking every Making the actual image for the move. DNA samples, shown in Figure 2, was

GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994 47 DEVELOPING IRON HELIX

An Unrendered Swivel Picture of the Bridge formance of the Windows version of the Director player wasn’t good enough to use for the game. It was at this point that Bill Zettler, their director of engi- neering, programmed his own engine in C. The designers will continue using Director for development and are work- ing with Macromedia on the speed issue. Despite problems with the environ- ment, the Windows version of Iron Helix outsold the Macintosh version in its first week. “Each version is a refinement,” says Carrella, “The PC version is a better game than the Mac version.” Although, he stresses that it’s just the gameplay that’s better, not the experience. In his opinion, the PC game market is very finicky; games like Hell Cab and the Journeyman Project will do better on the Macintosh. “There’s less room for error on the PC,” points out Carrella. another story. Carrella was fond of elec- open a door, which wasn’t very popular The Future of Iron Helix tron micrographs and wondered how he with the playtesters. As a result of that The next version of Iron Helix will be could get the same effect from pho- meeting, the designers added more for the Sega CD. The designers were tographing other things. He pho- DNA , more levels of difficulty, and the thinking of doing a 3DO version, but tographed hunks of meat and chicken ability to momentarily jam the Defender. Sega’s large installed base changed their innards and used a program called Tex- The focus group consisted of hard-core minds. If they do make a 3DO version, tureSynth to make the background, gamers as well as novices to address the they want to write a new version of the mixed them in Adobe Photoshop, and games impact on a larger audience. game instead of porting the Macintosh threw in other touches to make the shots version, and the Sega version will be look authentic. Money and Markets redesigned to be faster. They are not Early in the development process, Oddly enough, the Japanese version of planning to develop a CD-I version of the designers started looking for a dis- Iron Helix was available before the Eng- Iron Helix, but the Atari Jaguar looks tributor because they knew the distribu- lish version. This was because Spectrum like a promising platform. They do, tor would be crucial to the game’s suc- Holobyte was more demanding than however, expect 3DO to become a dom- cess. They sent Gilman Louie, chair- Drew’s Japanese Distributor. The whole inant player in the future. man of Spectrum Holobyte, a descrip- game remained in English for the Japan- Since the original success of Iron tion of what they were working on. ese version, as did the French and Ger- Helix, Drew Pictures has been working Louie was interested, but he could not man versions, with only subtitles for the on new projects and looking in new negotiate with them at that time. Five specific foreign language. The foreign directions. The designers want to make months later, after they had talked to version was distributed as a test only. games that combine cinema styles with Electronic Arts, Sony, Broderbund, and Currently, the foreign CD market is too arcade-level play. Drew Pictures sees Educorp, Drew Pictures negotiated the small, and foreign sales account for less itself primarily as an interactive enter- distribution contract with Spectrum than 10% of Drew Pictures’s total profit. tainment company that makes games Holobyte. After the team successfully com- instead of a game company. As Huff- Spectrum Holobyte helped the pleted the Macintosh version of Iron man put it, “One thing I can confidently team jump a big hurdle in its develop- Helix, it started work on a PC version. say is that Drew Pictures will never make ment process by taking one of the alpha The designers chose to do it for Win- a shoot ’em up game.” ■ versions to a focus group. It was in that dows instead of DOS, so they wouldn’t focus group that many of the playability run into driver problems with the DOS Alexander Antoniades is the associate features were corrected. In the original CD-ROM drivers. One problem they editor of Game Developer and assistant game, the robot probe had to manually did run into, however, was that the per- editor on OS/2 Magazine.

48 GAME DEVELOPER • PREMIER 1994