Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FarmVille
With the growth in social networking sites such as Facebook, the way companies
have tried to reach their audience has changed. This has also meant a change in
the way games are presented to the users. Facebook has become a focal point for
people to exchange information with friends and acquaintances. Users can post
information about their current location, indicate their status, and upload
images. Users can also allow games that they play to upload information
about how well they are progressing. FarmVille is one such game that has
been rumored to have millions of users playing it. The game is all about owning
a farm, plowing fields, planting seeds, and watching your farm grow. The game
is free to play on entry, but like many games, it has a coins system that allows
you to pay cash for in-game items and money, which can then be spent on
improving your farm quicker than if you were playing in free-to-play mode.
FarmVille is not a traditional MMO with many users running around the same
space, but you can add your Facebook friends as farm neighbors and view what
they are doing within the farm. Even though FarmVille (and Mafia Wars
mentioned later) is not the type of MMO you
'
ll be making in this topic, it
'
s
worth a mention and a look.
You can find out more about FarmVille at www.farmville.com.
Final Fantasy XI
Released in 2002 first on the PlayStation 2 platform and then on Windows, Final
Fantasy XI is an MMO based on the extremely popular Final Fantasy games.
The game has also been released on the Xbox 360, and is therefore the first
MMO to be cross-platform. The game has a user base of around 500,000 and is
particularly popular in Japan, from where it originates.
You can find out more information about Final Fantasy XI from http://www.
playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml.
Free Realms
Free Realms is one of a number of MMOs being released by Sony that will
work on both the PlayStation 3 platform and the PC. Free Realms is aimed at
the younger age market and will be trying to capture some of the users
currently using RuneScape. It has a very cartoony feel to it, and allows the
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