Frank the Tank: BZFlag MMO

The interaction of many users in online gaming environments is a focus of fascination, and has been since MUDs and MMOs first emerged in this world. A lesser-known, and more focused game out there, BZFlag (bzflag.org), is such an environment where users have a unique set of interactions through the gameplay. Although the number of users never really registered in the hundreds of thousands, there is still enough of a community involved to exhibit many of the symptoms of MMOs as described in the readings. Having played this game, off and on, for a couple of years now, I have noticed patterns in both the gameplay and in user interactions, which have been confirmed in the readings, as well.

 

BZFlag (Battle Zone Flag) is an online game where each user controls a tank from a first-person view. These tanks can all jump and shoot and can pick up special flags which afford certain abilities (Guided Missiles, Shockwaves, Flight, Stealth, etc.) or disabilities (No radar, distorted vision, confused controls). Communication, via text, could be sent to all players, only teammates, and specific players on the server.  All kinds of stats were also kept on every player, most of which were only there simply to be seen, but others determined game leaders and how often a player kills their own teammates (a high number here would get you kicked). There are three types of game modes: Capture the Flag, Free for all, and Rabbit chase. Most of my own experiences have been in a handful of Capture the Flag servers that were one team versus another. I found that this was the embodiment of Bartle’s summarization of MUDs, where players like to have something to achieve. This gave the Blue team a reason to venture into the Red team’s base, as well as attempt to work together.

 

Names followed many of the patterns mentioned by Curtis, but also took on a new branch due to an interesting aspect of gameplay. The game would also tell you who shot, and therefore killed you. For example, the game might say “You were shot by a sleepy yellowjacket”, which means that the player’s name who shot you is “a sleepy yellowjacket”, making that you’re identity. It was also possible to steal someone’s name if they hadn’t registered it, but it was always possible to tell who was registered, making it easier to recognize a returning name versus a coincidence.

 

In BZFlag, users define the objective by the way they play, as well as by the way they customize arenas of play. Many of them design arenas for battle or competition, while others attempt to make obstacle courses, like the “Olympics” server, where multiple tanks can race along a creative course. Other still create fantastic arenas that are more art than battleground, affording the exploration that Bartle talks about. All these exhibit the symptom of flexibility in “Productive Play”, where the game allows users a variety of experiences that few traditional computer games could possibly offer anyone.

Gabriel Halley

halley@gatech.edu