Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Problems of Interactivity

In Puzzle Pirates, there is an array of different virtual worlds to choose from. These are referred to as “oceans” and come in a variety of types. The first main distinction is the type of player oceans – there are subscription oceans and doubloon oceans. In order to participate in a subscription ocean, a player must pay a monthly rate, where as doubloon oceans are free to all users but certain game features require badges, which are purchasable by using doubloons, which may be purchased using USD or exchanging in game PoE (pieces of eight, the standard currency) for doubloons. Since I went to New York City last weekend I will be using this as a source of comparison (and excuse for why I’m on a doubloon ocean instead of paying for a subscriber ocean).
The environment in Puzzle Pirates is somewhat responsive than one finds in NYC. There is a surprising number of similarities – people gathered in public places just waiting to Brawl or Swordfight based on the slightest provocation, sketchy goods for sale at low prices on the main thoroughfares by individuals. There is as much of a variety of pirates as is seemingly possible (with the exception of corporate pirates and software pirates), from shipwrecked deckhands to aristocratic buccaneers. While I have the option to start various forms of combat (sword fighting, brawling, drinking games) with other users, I can also speak with them, view their items, and add them as my “hearty” (or friend). There are a variety of NPCs around to offer help or guidance or even to engage in a friendly game of sword fighting with, to up my ranking. Every avatar having a name label causes a dissonance with reality, as well as helpful tips that pop up during games or when performing various duties on a ship. Also, when a skill ranking is increased, I am notified of this status change as well.
The avatars used in puzzle pirates are somewhat oversimplified. They are more cartoon character versions of pirates than realistic graphical depictions. While clothing can be bought in an endless variety of color combinations, the clothing items themselves are not particularly numerous. My avatar can be, at best, a vague approximation of my actual physical appearance.
The forms of reaction available to me are mostly interaction with other players or NPCs, puzzles, and textual conversation. Like the interactive video, this depends on the architectural strategy of the program (Hershman 645). The most common areas for interaction to take place are taverns, where open interaction between members occurs, and the Bulletin Board, which contains a variety of tabs that list missions, puzzles, and jobs available to each user, as well as ships run by the NPC island’s “Navy,” in addition to user created and manned ships which are seeking ‘jobbers’ for a journey.
One of the main ways that the puzzle pirates world might “fall apart” would be when a player gains enough ranks to captain a ship. While a player may be highly skilled in the navigation puzzle, without a crew (or a crew of only NPCs) they are likely to be no match for actual human players.
Despite any obvious flaws in this virtual world, it's still extremely likely to be the closest I'll ever get to being a swashbuckling rumrunner myself.

1 comment:

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