The Gaming Gods

The Age

Monday October 3, 2005

JASON HILL

The new generation of multiplayer, interactive games is eye glue for millions of addicted fans. Jason Hill finds out what drives two of the world's most successful designers.

BRUCE SHELLEY and Brian Reynolds are gaming gods who have created entire civilisations. They have enabled millions of computer players worldwide to enjoy omnipotent powers.

In the young interactive entertainment industry, US-based games designers Mr Reynolds and Mr Shelley are veterans and pioneers. Former colleagues, the pair are now fierce competitors, and their every release is highly anticipated. When players become addicted to their strategy games - such as Civilization, Age of Empires and Rise of Nations - they lose all sense of time.

"They are really compelling, engaging and entertaining, especially against friends," says Mr Shelley, lead designer at Ensemble Games. There is a lot of rich, broad and deep game play, and a lot of replay ability."

Mr Reynolds, president of Big Huge Games, says the secret to making engaging games is to present the player with many interesting decisions. "What is unique about our entertainment medium compared to movies, music and books is that our medium is interactive. Players can be in the story, so we need to provide interesting and important choices that affect the outcome."

Mr Shelley and Mr Reynolds are the Spielberg or Kubrick of the games industry, and their titles are enormously popular. Mr Shelley's Age of Empires titles have sold a staggering 16 million, and Mr Reynolds has masterminded the design of an unbroken stream of hit strategy games for more than a decade.

"It's one of the strengths of our games that they have appealed across cultures and audiences," says Mr Shelley.

"We've done a good job of "We've done a good job of making sure the game is fun for the casual player and the hardcore gamer. There's something for almost everyone."

Both men have specialised in PC strategy games, and their titles have enduring appeal in an industry in which products usually have a shelf life of a few months. Mr Shelley believes games such as Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and Age of Empires are timeless because they are infinitely replayable. "All those games have systems where you can play over and over again and try something new. They're rich, there's lots of different ways to play."

Shelley and Reynolds spend much of their time developing smart computer opponents to challenge players. "I'm constantly looking for things that the AI (artificial intelligence) is doing that look stupid, that a human player would never do, and things that are clever where it is learning its lesson," says Mr Shelley. "A good AI should beat you every time because while I've got a better CPU unit, they've got a better interface. It's very difficult for me to tell them what to do one after another, whereas the AI can do that in an instant. I'm really handicapped by my hand and a mouse."

Many strategy fans play alone, but the internet has enabled players to pit their wits against real opponents. "Obviously with a human you've got a built-in military-level AI, but there's also the social aspect of playing games multiplayer," says Mr Reynolds.

Microsoft Xbox visionary J Allard has imagined a future with "massively multiplayer" games in which commanders on PCs could direct hundreds of real soldiers. "A game where you had one player on a PC and another on a console and they had different roles in the game is a very exciting concept," says Mr Reynolds.

But Mr Shelley is not convinced. "A lot of the appeal of games for me is that I'm the hero. The big advantage of games over other media is that I drive the story. But when I start trying to direct other individuals who might say 'no', I'm not sure if that's going to be fun."

Today's computer games are the result of huge teams of specialist developers, but some designers such as Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima have identifiable styles and strong followings. Mr Reynolds and Mr Shelley work with teams of more than 50 people and say it is important to have input from all the development team, but they are the ones ultimately responsible for the game's features and direction.

"You do need people who carry the vision of the game because otherwise it will be design by committee, and everything gets watered down," says Mr Reynolds. "You can't make a creative thing that way; you have to have a keeper of the vision. But at the same time, one person can't think of everything - it's people working together, stimulating each other and brainstorming creative ideas."

At Empire Games everybody in the studio is considered a designer, says Mr Shelley. "We try to work with a consensus to ensure wide appeal. Brilliant, innovative games might come from individuals but we're more like gamers than designers, making a living out of our hobby." The difficulty is in balancing the desire to innovate and keep old fans happy at the same time.

"We always want to offer new features" says Mr Reynolds. "We might try 10 ideas and keep just two. Leaving mediocre ideas will create clutter in the player's brain space." But in entertainment there's always the desire for something new and interesting. "If we standardised everything it wouldn't be fun, it would be like an Excel spreadsheet," says Mr Reynolds. "People come for new concepts, new visuals and new takes on old ideas."

Rise of Nations and Age of Empires each feature built-in editors to allow fans to create their own worlds. "I know it's controversial," says Mr Reynolds. "Some people feel like it's their creation and a piece of art that has moral integrity that shouldn't be messed with. But I've always tried to make an open architecture so people can turn it into a whole new game experience."

Strategy games used to be the sole domain of the PC, but with the upcoming release of powerful next-generation consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the viability of the PC as a games platform is being challenged.

"The consoles are going to grow but I don't think PC games are going to go away," argues Mr Shelley. "It's still the place where all the innovation takes place in terms of technology, and a lot of the innovation in game play. Small independent developers can't sit down and make console games today, but they can do it with a PC."

Computer strategy games once resembled board games, yet new games such as Age of Empires III and Rise of Legends are as graphically spectacular as anything on the market. The detail is stunning and the games use realistic physics, with troops thrown around the screen like rag dolls following explosions and buildings collapsing realistically.

"The physics and graphics are part of the attract mode - you want people to try your game," says Mr Shelley. "Then we hope people will keep playing because of the traditional emphasis on game play."

Games such as Age of Empires are used in some Australian classrooms, but Mr Shelley and Mr Reynolds are uneasy about their titles being labelled educational. "I think people can learn some things from games," says Mr Shelley. "But I would draw the line that I'm teaching history, because we approach it the same way Hollywood approaches history. It's a great resource for images, characters and events, but we're basically trying to entertain people."

Mr Shelley believes more recognition of the value of games and developers will come.

"When a generation grows up playing games, there will be a different attitude all around the world. They'll have a different perspective," he says. "I think games are art, and art can be entertaining."

Age of Empires III will be released on October 28; Rise of Legends is expected early next year.

© 2005 The Age

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