My first game: Rebel

[mrncxx]

As I haven't received much registrations since the beginning I'll advertise schamelessly for my first game here:

Rebel
Rebel is a text-based persistant browser game in which you play a rebellious freedom fighter, in which you organize attacks against the corrupt government of The Netherlands. You need to develop your character to perform better attacks and get the support of the residents. You compete with other factions in gaining the most power to defeat the government!
www.rebelgame.net

Screenshots


As this game is still in bèta, I am also curious for any comments you have. Thanks!

[Harkins]

Very nice site template, really adds a lot of atmosphere to the game.

Your email validation code on registration isn't working right -- it thinks a + is invalid and it's not. About the only reliable test you can do is .*@.*\..* (well, you can test more, but it's really not worth the gigantic pain).

Would be nice to see errors inline on the form -- so instead of a separate page saying the email address is invalid, show the form again and highlight the field that was wrong. That way users can fix any problems immediately without having to hit back and deal with browser issues ("Are you sure you want to POST..." or dropping form contents).

Uh, no other comments. Didn't get into the game.

[mrncxx]

Thanks for pointing that out! I believe you are right. I changed the registration page accordingly.

[Nox]

I think it would suit much more for postapocalyptic game like Fallout

Kidnaping children it's kind of too wicked for me, don't know if I will play it

Your player name should be between 4 and 20 characters! :-P discrimination

Frames technology is quite ancient...use php include and normal coding instead
Missing clickable header
In Opera I have to click to travel map to bring it to life - but I like the map though
Rankings are not in English...and how come I'm not in there?

[Chris]

A very consitent layout (colours), I like it a lot.

Theme not for me, won't play as a terrorist If you are doing this for profit then it's bad since you risk losing older players who usually have cash. If for hobby the theme should be fine.

Go to pbbgexchange panel and change the banner code to "disable PG13", this will prevent displaying adult and other nasty banners on your site (it won't change anything to you, you get the same impressions amount back).

[Mufasa]

very nice (so far). Did you code this yourself or modify a script? Unique gameplay idea too (even if a bit over the top)

[mrncxx]

Chris:
Yeah I know, the terroristic topic could be a bit over the top. On the drawing table the idea was to make an over-the-top humoristic game to play a terrorist. Eventually I had to choose between gameplay and topic, in which I decided in favor of the gameplay. I'm sad I lost this humoristic flavor, maybe I can incorperate it sometime.

The eventually goal is to earn some money, but I realize I first need to get a solid user base in order to realize that. I thought the terroristic theme wouldn't scare many people off. Target group is male and about 12 to 25 years old I guess.

I don't understand where I need to put "disable PG13", could you elaborate? This would be indeed desirable.

Mufasa:
The design is made with Photoshop using all sort of textures found on Google Images, and placing everything with CSS. The php scripts and mysql database are all written by myself (as far as I can reckon, probably I copy-pasted some handy php functions from the web).

Nox:
About the frames technology: this is needed for the cloaking of the URL, as I can't find a better way in doing this. I have my hosting at a different company than the domain.

[KoI]

Good concept, and good design. Like most browser games, it took me awhile to figure out what I was supposed to do first.  Once I figured out what I was supposed to do first, it took me awhile to figure out how to do it (i.e. organize the attack, join the attack, and then execute the attack... a lot of steps just to pick pocket someone).

What I have done for my own game, is implement a basic help system on every page where the user needs to interact, or understand the basic concepts of the functionality of that page.  The help system can be turned on/off by the end user for those individual pages.  If just breaks down what the user is supposed to do on that page in just a few bullet points.  So for instance, after someone clicked "Organize Attack", you might instruct them on what they should be doing:

1. Determine the type of attack you want to organize
2. Click "Details"
3. Join the attack yourself or invite someone else
4. Execute the attack

I'd also move your game specific navigation that the player will be interacting with most often, to the top of your navigation bar.  For instance, news, help, account, search, etc. shouldn't be used all that much, or at least as much as what the premise of the game is, which is attacking. So move the functionality that your user will be using, to the top.  I would probably redo your navigation top to bottom to be something like:

Attack
-Organize An Attack
-Joined Attacked
-Browse Attacks

Money
-Inventory
-Shop
-Market
-Bank

General
-Travel
-Players Online
-Rankings
-Player Stats
-Search


Settings
-Account
-Log

Misc
-News
-Help

Also, I didn't notice any kind of general overview page... maybe I just missed it.  But it might be nice to have the player load into a screen that displays their stats or something, rather than a general news page which is probably infrequently updated.

[Chris]

I might be biased (probably I am ) when it comes to theme, but judging from my playerbase such theme would not be the best choice. Also another thing, when I looked at the screens and saw "kidnap the kid" I thought "another mafia game", but then I could not find the usual features of that genre and the map was very unique so I got quite confused

Personaly, I would retheme it, I think the amount of players whe dislike such theme outweight those who "always wanted to play as a terrorist". Unless you have access to some very niche forums/audience such theme does not provide commercial value (on the other hand Harry Potter is a more balanced one since there are plenty of people who hate it and would never play but at the some time there are plenty who love it and would play no matter what, when it comes to terrorism there are almost only people who hate it...).


How to disable questionable banners at PBBGEX:
- Go to pbbgexchange.com
- Select "Get Exchange Code"
- Check all boxes except "PG-13" (don't ask why they named it like that, but this channel is for adult games, gambling, etc...)
- Regenerate the HTML code and put on your site

[mrncxx]

About the theme, I will consider making it a bit less terroristic. I don't know where you are from, but maybe this is a sort of cultural difference between American and Dutch people, as we have no direct experience with it. I do reject terrorism but can appreciate jokes or games about it. Who doesn't play Counter-Strike? At least I haven't seen an text-based terrorism game before.

Thanks for the PBBGEX tip, the PG-13 category is indeed puzzling..

KoI, I guess coding a decent tutorial is indeed the next item on my to-do list.

Thanks for all the advice!

[Chris]

"a bit less terroristic" is a bad move which won't satisfy anyone, I would either go all the way or retheme it.

Change domain to something like terroristbattle.com (so you get almost all search engine traffic from the hard die fans of playing terrorism game) and make the front page more aggresive (blown up cars, snipers aiming at presidents and things like that, preferably real photos).
It needs more spice, it is too tame for a "real" terrorist game while being "too much" for those who dislike the theme. You can go half-way with all kind of fantasy games, these are good for it, but the trick won't work with terrorist game, it will never be "family game" no matter what you do With such theme you just have to focus on niche players.

As for cultural differences for games in English you should expect: US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Phillipines (assuming you use English speaking targetted promotion).

[Scion]

I think the suggestions regarding theme are valid.......Just to show you what sort of reaction this theme could raise ... There is no way i will ever play a game that blatantly glorifies terroriism...Im in that camp myself and I very much doubt im alone in this regard... further more, you may find that the theme raises some other legal issues that might limit its availability.

If i may make a suggestion though, one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter....  change the wording to freedom fighter....set it in another time or in an alternative universe and presto...what was an off putting theme now makes the players heroic....If you need to stay with the netherlands.....what about a NAZI dominated europe....there arnt too many people out there that will complain that your ecouraging your players to blowup Nazi's ...or if you remember TV shows of the early 90's, V like, fighting the aliens....we all love to splater aliens, especially if there trying to take over the world..

[travo]

I agree. If you say freedom fighters rather than terrorists, alot more people will be willing to play, and I cant see any legal issues that could be formed.

Just keep real president's names out lol

[jannesiera]

Just keep real president's names out lol

I don't think that would be to much of a problem, since the Netherlands don't have a President (though, the Queen is much more sensetive at the moment).

About the theme, I also dislike the terrorist thing, but I like the rebel idea. Especialy in times of crisis and global dissapointements in leaders and people with much power. So if you would be a rebel, indeed some sort of freedom fighter, leading your people to freedom. That would be exciting!

[mrncxx]

I really liked the freedom fighters idea, and I found out I can pretty much incorporate it in the game without compromising on the gameplay. I feel this is a bit more etical So I applied that today. A total retheme is possible but I postpone that for a while. So please play and tell me what you think!

By the way, I also re-arranged the links so the most used pages are at the top. I'll see how this is experienced by the players.

[Chris]

Now you got even deeper into ethical issues Before it was a simulator of a terrorist, they were blowing up cars and kidnap kids because they were bad terrorists. Now, Freedom Fighter is a different thing, you imply that blowing up cars and assasination of politicians is a good an moral act

Imagine a strategy game about WWII fighting where you play on Germans side. The title is:
1) "German Offensive" - neutral, you are a general of an army, this is a historical game about historical events.
2) "Through the Nazis Eyes" - a bit spicy, the game implies showing it as a supporter of an unethical regime rather than a country. Some might find it unethical, some not.
3) "Saviours of the Human Race" - now ethical-addicted people kill you and if this was a retail game it would be banned in several countries
The game is the same, just the title

[Forgotten]

Imagine a strategy game about WWII fighting where you play on Germans side. The title is:
1) "German Offensive" - neutral, you are a general of an army, this is a historical game about historical events.
2) "Through the Nazis Eyes" - a bit spicy, the game implies showing it as a supporter of an unethical regime rather than a country. Some might find it unethical, some not.
3) "Saviours of the Human Race" - now ethical-addicted people kill you and if this was a retail game it would be banned in several countries
The game is the same, just the title

I don't see how "Through the Nazis Eyes" would make the game sound like it supported the nazis'. To me I see that as exactly what it states.......a game through the eyes of a nazis...... Reminds me of a show on the History channel......

Now I agree with the other two points, number 3 being the most sounding like it supports the nazis.

I think your doing what a lot of people now a days are doing. Your looking way to much into the name of the game, and drawing conclusions that the game creator never implied........If people would just play the game and not worry about what it's called, they may have fun.....

[jannesiera]

Imagine a strategy game about WWII fighting where you play on Germans side. The title is:
1) "German Offensive" - neutral, you are a general of an army, this is a historical game about historical events.
2) "Through the Nazis Eyes" - a bit spicy, the game implies showing it as a supporter of an unethical regime rather than a country. Some might find it unethical, some not.
3) "Saviours of the Human Race" - now ethical-addicted people kill you and if this was a retail game it would be banned in several countries
The game is the same, just the title

I don't see how "Through the Nazis Eyes" would make the game sound like it supported the nazis'. To me I see that as exactly what it states.......a game through the eyes of a nazis...... Reminds me of a show on the History channel......

Now I agree with the other two points, number 3 being the most sounding like it supports the nazis.

I think your doing what a lot of people now a days are doing. Your looking way to much into the name of the game, and drawing conclusions that the game creator never implied........If people would just play the game and not worry about what it's called, they may have fun.....

Well, if that's what people nowadays are doing, then the game designer should worry about that. We can't change how people act, what they look at, we can only change our game. So when you say they could have fun by not worrying about the title, some people will have fun, but you won't have to much players.

People always draw conclusions, if we like it or not. That's just a fact. Not only in games, but acctually even more in real life. How many people conclude that if someone's ugly they can't be intresting enough to hang out with? Or that everyone who didn't go to school must be stupid?

I don't see how "Through the Nazis Eyes" would make the game sound like it supported the nazis'. To me I see that as exactly what it states.......a game through the eyes of a nazis...... Reminds me of a show on the History channel......

A movie is different. In a movie you watch how things were for the Nazi's (or something like that). But in a game you are a Nazi, doing things Nazis did.
In the first case you watch, in the second you act.

[mrncxx]

I believe this discussion is getting kind of irrelevant. First, in the game you are a freedom fighter in which you fight against the ruling party, and if you compare it with WWII: You are more like the defensive "Het Verzet" (the resistance) than the offensive 'guilty' nazi's.

Second, I don't believe it is harmful if you play the role of the bad guy. There are many examples in which you do this (murderer in Manhunt, Terrorist in Counter-Strike, Nazi in Medal of Honor, Battlefield), but as far as the psychological research has found (that I know of) there might be effects, but only short-term (like increased aggressivity for an hour), but no long term effects (bad morality).

We can all have different ideas about this, but I think as long as the player keeps in mind it is only a game and it is not a reflection of reality, a game won't influence you negatively. We can discuss this further, but I think you all made your point Thanks for that! (if you want to react though, please do so)

Besides the theme, do you have any other tips? The biggest problem I'm facing right now is getting people to play it I don't know if these discussions are appropriate in this subforum, if this topic should be moved, please do so.

[jannesiera]

I believe this discussion is getting kind of irrelevant. First, in the game you are a freedom fighter in which you fight against the ruling party, and if you compare it with WWII: You are more like the defensive "Het Verzet" (the resistance) than the offensive 'guilty' nazi's.

Second, I don't believe it is harmful if you play the role of the bad guy. There are many examples in which you do this (murderer in Manhunt, Terrorist in Counter-Strike, Nazi in Medal of Honor, Battlefield), but as far as the psychological research has found (that I know of) there might be effects, but only short-term (like increased aggressivity for an hour), but no long term effects (bad morality).

We can all have different ideas about this, but I think as long as the player keeps in mind it is only a game and it is not a reflection of reality, a game won't influence you negatively. We can discuss this further, but I think you all made your point Thanks for that! (if you want to react though, please do so)

Besides the theme, do you have any other tips? The biggest problem I'm facing right now is getting people to play it I don't know if these discussions are appropriate in this subforum, if this topic should be moved, please do so.

Nobody is talking about the possible negative effects of "playing the bad guy" on the player's behaviour. We're talking about what is seen by a majority of gamers as ethical. So we do to make sure you are aware of the amount of possible users you scare of by setting your team the way you do. And according to Chris you changed the theme to "freedom fighter" (instead of "terrorist") but didn't change the actions the player undertakes.

A terrorist might kidnap children, but a freedom fighter does not. A freedom fighter saves the children, or his mates in prison, or whatever. But the moment he kidnaps children (even if it's the child of a dictator) people will see him as a terrorist. It's like this : Existence precedes essence (in the sense a person is judged accordingly to how he acts. If he acts cruel, he is cruel. If he acts right, he is good. Not the other way around, where a cruel man will always act cruel and a good man wil always act right.)

[mrncxx]

Nobody is talking about the possible negative effects of "playing the bad guy" on the player's behaviour. We're talking about what is seen by a majority of gamers as ethical. So we do to make sure you are aware of the amount of possible users you scare of by setting your team the way you do. And according to Chris you changed the theme to "freedom fighter" (instead of "terrorist") but didn't change the actions the player undertakes.

I also changed the actions. But I have to apologize for my misunderstanding, it is clear now, thanks for explaining. I will keep the theme as it is for a while, I still believe it is original and thus will attract new players. The gameplay should stick the players around eventually.

[mrncxx]

I have updated and upgraded the gameplay, to have more things to do and made it a bit simpler. Hope you like it