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[Men_in_Boxes]

Appointment gaming - You pick a time slot (eg Mondays @ 6:30pm ET) and over the coming weeks / months you have access to that particular session along with others who chose that time slot with you.

The disadvantage of this is pretty obvious. Life happens and people would attend their chosen slots at varying rates.

The advantage of this would be that you'd consistently be able to play & interact with the same people over a length of time. The game would provide a more interesting social dynamic as reputations could then be built. Think: Bowling leagues, basketball leagues etc...

Can you think of any games that have attempted this?

 

[cormack12]

Actually in game? No not really.



Trueachievements let's you coordinate sessions though
I'm sure playstation events did the same
And then there is LFG in xbox for schedules
They have all been 'developed' specifically for that use case.

I guess Pro Clubs on Fifa may count?

 

[ReBurn]

Kind of. Sometimes on game pass you choose the game you want to play and then you have to come back like 30 minutes later to actually be able to play it.

 

[Guilty_AI]

The advantage of this would be that you'd consistently be able to play & interact with the same people over a length of time. The game would provide a more interesting social dynamic as reputations could then be built. Think: Bowling leagues, basketball leagues etc...

We used to have that back in the day, we called them "private servers".

Someone would run a server and usually the same people would always come at around similar time-frames and everyone would get to know each other and that became their social hub.

 

[Boralf]

Like WoW raiding?

 

[Deerock71]

Sounds terrible.

 

[AV]

It's a problem that doesn't really need fixing, players are more than capable of doing it themselves, now more than ever.

 

[rm082e]

For multiplayer, this sounds like private servers. I wish more games allowed you to setup and play with them.

For single player, didn't Animal Crossing have something like that? Certain activities in the game were available at specific times? I heard people talk about it by I never played those games. I wasn't clear if you could adjust your consoles date/time settings to trick the game?

 

[Damigos]

Its called WoW raiding

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

It's a problem that doesn't really need fixing, players are more than capable of doing it themselves, now more than ever.

Everything is about incentives.

Right now, very few players are incentivized to coordinate appointment gaming because games aren't built to take advantage of it. Once that happens, rates will increase.

 

[Bernoulli]

Fortnite events , limited time game modes

 

[AV]

Everything is about incentives.

Right now, very few players are incentivized to coordinate appointment gaming because games aren't built to take advantage of it. Once that happens, rates will increase.

Is there really a large pool of people in 2024 looking to build a playgroup of strangers for a particular game that don't just go find a Discord for it?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Is there really a large pool of people in 2024 looking to build a playgroup of strangers for a particular game that don't just go find a Discord for it?

The game would have to be built around the concept to take advantage of the concept.

Right now, too many games are built around quick 24/7 matchmaking.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Everything is about incentives.

Right now, very few players are incentivized to coordinate appointment gaming because games aren't built to take advantage of it. Once that happens, rates will increase.

MP games don't incentivize it because developing deeper relationships with other players doesn't sell skins.

In fact, seeing other players as human beings and forming deeper connections with them, rather than seeing them as creatures whom you ostentate your expensive new outfit to might even disincentivize player spending. After all, no reason to fill the void with paid cosmetics when you have human warmth.

The closest thing you'll find today are coop games where you can coordinate with players outside of the game, or games that still support private servers. Even games that create events are mostly designed around selling limited time items rather than promoting player interaction.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

MP games don't incentivize it because developing deeper relationships with other players doesn't sell skins.

Fortnite, a highly social game people play with their friends, is arguably the most profitable game of all time due to...wait for it...skin sales.

In fact, seeing other players as human beings and forming deeper connections with them, rather than seeing them as creatures whom you ostentate your expensive new outfit to might even disincentivize player spending. After all, no reason to fill the void with paid cosmetics when you have human warmth.

Is that why human beings don't place value on MTX like nice clothes, cars, and houses? Human warmth? WTF? Come on broski, not your finest post here.

 

[Three]

The game would have to be built around the concept to take advantage of the concept.

Right now, too many games are built around quick 24/7 matchmaking.

What is the aim though? If the aim is to get people to always join the same group of people online then couldn't the player just do this at the system level by joining a community who schedules times to be online. Is it some event ingame that is specific to that appointment? Is it to control server load? What's the aim?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

What is the aim though? If the aim is to get people to always join tbe same group of people online then couldn't the player just do this at the system level by joining a community who schedules times to be online.

People do this for sure, but it's always based on a game with 24/matchmaking.

Is it some event ingame that is specific to that appointment? Is it to control server load? What's the aim?

The aim would be to develop deeper, more interesting interactions with opposing players. I got this idea after watching Fallout and noticing how many characters have varying degrees of trust, and therefore goals, with one another.

Right now, basically all PvP games are built around "kill fast or be killed" which leaves very little room for interesting interaction. You do see some of this stuff in games like Day Z or Rust but those are very crude attempts at the concept I'm talking about.

The way you build these kind of interactions would be if you're playing in the same world, with the same people, over a length of time.

 

[Three]

People do this for sure, but it's always based on a game with 24/matchmaking.


The aim would be to develop deeper, more interesting interactions with opposing players. I got this idea after watching Fallout and noticing how many characters have varying degrees of trust, and therefore goals, with one another.

Right now, basically all PvP games are built around "kill fast or be killed" which leaves very little room for interesting interaction. You do see some of this stuff in games like Day Z or Rust but those are very crude attempts at the concept I'm talking about.

The way you build these kind of interactions would be if you're playing in the same world, with the same people, over a length of time.

It's an interesting concept, but how would you deal with people missing appointments and since they are able to miss appointments would it not then be similar to say a shared world on a specific server you always connect to? If you don't like the people you've been put with could you leave to a different appointment?

 

[SScorpio]

The aim would be to develop deeper, more interesting interactions with opposing players. I got this idea after watching Fallout and noticing how many characters have varying degrees of trust, and therefore goals, with one another.

Right now, basically all PvP games are built around "kill fast or be killed" which leaves very little room for interesting interaction. You do see some of this stuff in games like Day Z or Rust but those are very crude attempts at the concept I'm talking about.

The way you build these kind of interactions would be if you're playing in the same world, with the same people, over a length of time.

MMOs and private servers already do this.

With private servers you see the same people again and again. While MMOs have people working together, and large groups can complete to beat different goals first.

 

[GHG]

It's an interesting concept, but how would you deal with people missing appointments and since they are able to miss appointments would it not then be similar to say a shared world on a specific server you always connect to? If you don't like the people you've been put with could you leave to a different appointment?

Fine them.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Why do people make friendships online with people they will never meet or truly know? I’m not criticizing at all but it seems so foreign to me. Why not just go meet real people? Especially in the days to come, it might not even be a person… I know for some it’s about social anxiety and that makes sense but for lots, I’d even say most, that isn’t a factor.

Honestly interested.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Fortnite, a highly social game people play with their friends, is arguably the most profitable game of all time due to...wait for it...skin sales.

The type of social you're describing here isn't the type of social you're trying to promote in the thread though.

Is that why human beings don't place value on MTX like nice clothes, cars, and houses? Human warmth? WTF? Come on broski, not your finest post here.

I mean, you're literally describing consumerism, something that has been widely argued to have negative impacts on the human psyche and adversely affect relationships by extension.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

That's a great idea. I'd love to play Genshin with like-minded people who invest in cryptos, go skiing in Switzerland, and date Russian supermodels.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

It's an interesting concept, but how would you deal with people missing appointments and since they are able to miss appointments would it not then be similar to say a shared world on a specific server you always connect to?

That's a great point. In Rust and Day Z, servers can last for weeks (months?) so you do bump into opponents and talk via proxy chat over a length of time. I'm not sure this idea really provides much advantage over that.

I think the problem with those games is that it's still heavily weighted towards "kill fast or be killed" and if the servers are on 24/7, then the players who do crack cocaine to stay in server for 3 days straight have serious advantage.

A 90 minute server for example would keep players on a healthier plane. But again, publishers don't really want healthy if it hurts them financially.

If you don't like the people you've been put with could you leave to a different appointment?

I guess you'd have sign ups at all times and time zones but they'd probably want to incentivize sticking in the world you're in to maintain the viability of each.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

The type of social you're describing here isn't the type of social you're trying to promote in the thread though.

Wrong. We buy MTX in real life because of our friends + family...as well as our potential friends and family.

I mean, you're literally describing consumerism, something that has been widely argued to have negative impacts on the human psyche and adversely affect relationships by extension.

That's a crazy fast goalpost move. You went from "Human interaction deincentivizes MTX" to "Human interaction over incentivizes MTX" in the span of a few minutes. How does your neck feel, lol?

 

[simpatico]

Modern peer 2 peer online gaming working around the clock to maybe hopefully implement features that the dedicated server community iron out in like 2003.

 

[LazyParrot]

Doesn't this happen naturally? If two people regularly play between 6 and 8 PM on weekdays, then they're likely to repeatedly run into each other anyway - no appointment functionality needed. If they hit it off they can just use the standard PSN/Xbox Live/Steam/whatever social and messaging functions to make other arrangements.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Wrong. We buy MTX in real life because of our friends + family...as well as our potential friends and family.

That's a crazy fast goalpost move. You went from "Human interaction deincentivizes MTX" to "Human interaction over incentivizes MTX" in the span of a few minutes. How does your neck feel, lol?

Wait a second... are you trying to equate MTX and vanity purchases to real life necessities? You know there's a big difference between purchasing a car to take your kids to school and buying sports cars to parade around the city right?

Paying for a fortnite skin isn't the same as paying your electrical bill so little Timmy can keep watching TV, give me whatever you're somking please.

 

[StueyDuck]

Appointment gaming - You pick a time slot (eg Mondays @ 6:30pm ET) and over the coming weeks / months you have access to that particular session along with others who chose that time slot with you.

The disadvantage of this is pretty obvious. Life happens and people would attend their chosen slots at varying rates.

The advantage of this would be that you'd consistently be able to play & interact with the same people over a length of time. The game would provide a more interesting social dynamic as reputations could then be built. Think: Bowling leagues, basketball leagues etc...

Can you think of any games that have attempted this?

It's called QA

 

[SmokedMeat]

Everything is about incentives.

Right now, very few players are incentivized to coordinate appointment gaming because games aren't built to take advantage of it. Once that happens, rates will increase.

Players have all the tools available to coordinate a play time with a group of friends.

Why does a game have to do it?

 

[Wildebeest]

I seem to remember people saying that was at one point an idea for Monday Night Combat, but the idea is frankly dumb, for main game modes, as the whole point of live service games is to get people into a daily habit of logging in so they start up your game on autopilot and don't even realise what they are doing.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Players have all the tools available to coordinate a play time with a group of friends.

Why does a game have to do it?

Response #10

 

[Wildebeest]

If you are talking about what players need to incentivise "weekly event" type gaming, then those games do exist. You are looking at more traditional wargaming type games like Holdfast or Arma where players want to join a moderated group who will take the whole thing seriously and follow "rules of conduct", instead of random death match trolling. What you are looking for incentives are promises that the weekly event will have an organiser who has a plan for how the event will go, rather than it just being the same random nonsense every week.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

This would probably work decently well for games where the fanbase are dedicated gamers who want to know each other and work together. So party mode, but instead of randomly logging on noticing some buddies are online, a system is set up where the people you play with all agree to meet after dinner at 8 pm.

I dont think this would work for games where people just want to log on for 30 or 60 minutes and goof around in COD, random MP matches or Fall Guys where people just want to have fun with randoms and not really care who they play with as a team or opposition.

 

[AmuroChan]

Yes, this concept exists already. You can schedule gaming sessions on PSNProfiles.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

If you are talking about what players need to incentivise "weekly event" type gaming, then those games do exist. You are looking at more traditional wargaming type games like Holdfast or Arma where players want to join a moderated group who will take the whole thing seriously and follow "rules of conduct", instead of random death match trolling. What you are looking for incentives are promises that the weekly event will have an organiser who has a plan for how the event will go, rather than it just being the same random nonsense every week.

Thats the thing. If a guy is good with scheduled gaming so he knows there will be a dedicated gamer base waiting to play at the same time slot, but it turns out he's a guy who just wants to troll or be a lone wolf, then all appointment booking for him is ensuring there's enough players to play with. He doesnt give a shit about anything else. Not about knowing or working together with others.

One benefit is if the game has a low player base, then just having people know which timeslots people book so everyone knows when people play.

 

[Pejo]

This is pretty much exactly what MMO raiding used to be. Also 1 vs 100 on Xbox.

 

[Don Carlo]

Oh I don't wish for anyone's life to get this scheduled.

 

[Bridges]

Also 1 vs 100 on Xbox.

Came here to say this. Can't think of any other examples of the actual game being appointment based. Everything else is just a mode with a limited availability window.

 

[HoodWinked]

Destiny 2 Day1 raids are this.

All raids have a scheduled release and everyone gets on in the morning upon the daily reset and rush to complete the raid. Only for the Day1 the raids they have an active unique challenge modifier and can never be played at that difficulty ever again.

I've done the day one challenge a couple times and it's legitimately one of the greatest gaming experiences in all of gaming but there is a high barrier to entry and a big time commitment.

 

[Mooreberg]

Closest I can recall is that PlayStation Home (yeah) had a particular area where people could congregate, and if you elected to, you would be in a pre-arranged party when you launched the game. They usually had a different game per weeknight, I had some decent Killzone 3 matches using that area.

It would be cool to see more games with this sort of graphical front in built in for meeting and teaming up with entirely new people. I know Tekken 8 has that arcade with the avatar-esque (Xbox, not James Cameron) players where it seems like you can meet up and play with folks. Can't say for sure, only played the demo, will only be buying the game after an MSRP reduction reflects the monetization, and even then, probably not subscribing to Game Pass for multiplayer. Maybe on PC down the line, if what I'm inferring from the demo actually even occurs.

But it would definitely be cool to see MP and even PvE games (retail or F2P) adopt this. I think "Invictus" on Steam did this, but that is really cobweb area in terms of memory. I think it would be beneficial for more games to do this as the market gets more and more crowded. It could help ensure at least some degree of player retention.

 

[Hemingwayoffbase]

I feel like I remember Tiger Woods games having tee times, but I could be mistaken.

 

[bender]

I feel like I remember Tiger Woods games having tee times, but I could be mistaken.

Hot Shots did for sure.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Men_in_Boxes wants to kill gaming... I swear he does!

 

[IAmRei]

Is it similar to Nintendo BS Satellite in 90s? It might be the same?

 

[BlackTron]

Men_in_Boxes wants to kill gaming... I swear he does!

Ahem. It's called innovation

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Me and my Destiny buds used a Discord bot to schedule raids in Destiny 2 all the time. Super easy and useful.

 

[avin]

Appointment gaming - You pick a time slot (eg Mondays @ 6:30pm ET) and over the coming weeks / months you have access to that particular session along with others who chose that time slot with you.

Implying you don't have access to every other time slot? It's an awful, very bad, quite terrible idea. This real life you mention is a real thing.

Still, I wanted to encourage you for posting ideas, because most people don't bother. So you just keep thinking. It's what you're good at. Just not here. Not today. Not this thread.

avin

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Men_in_Boxes wants to kill gaming... I swear he does!

This is really just an evolution of the Nemesis System the industry raved about during the Shadow of Mordor / Shadow of War days. Only bumping into the same human over a stretch of time would be exponentially cooler.

 

[Dick Jones]

I actually checked when your account was made. If it was in the early 2000s, I'd have feared you gave the idea to create horse armour DLC.