SMS Roleplay Technological Implimentation

[mindwanders]

Ok, I've been having a think about this and I'm struggling with the implimentation method. I would point out that I'm no expert on Mobile Gaming, but I do know a bit about what can be done with databases and web servers. I'm drawing on my experiences here in the UK. I hope they are usefull to you, but you've never said which country you are actually from KorbanDream.

It strikes me that the goals of the project are as follows, correct me if I'm wrong KorbanDream, 'cause if I am then what I sugest is probably totally on the wrong track.

1) Provide a remote roleplaying environment that can be accessed anywhere.

2) Include a human element in the responses to players so that they can do more than you can in a MUD.

3) Make it affordable to the players.

4) Not lose money hand over fist.

5) Maximise player base without killing the GM.

It strikes me from what has been said that using the SMS implimentation method meets objectives 1 and 2 really well. Where we hit problems is with the other three objectives.

3) Make it affordable to the players.

SMS's aren't cheap.

However a lot of the contract mobiles in the UK now come with a free number of SMS messages (Texts, as they are commonly known here). I get 50 a month on my mobile package, which should be plenty for me to play the game in because I don't go mad with messages and usually have about 25 or so left over every month. If I was using a lot more than that I could move to another package that would give me even more.

It strikes me that someone who is interested in playing your game is probably already using SMS a lot anyway so probably has plenty to spare.

This of course all goes out the window if they are texting to a premium rate number which isn't covered by the free texts.

4) Not lose money hand over fist.

From the sounds of it setting up the SMS server is going to be reasonably costly. This means that you will need to make the money back reasonably quickly if you actually want to be able to keep doing this. It also sounds like your current payment plan is reasonably complicated, this means it's probably time intensive and becuase of objective 5 the last thing you want is more work.

You also have to remember the costs involved in your time. From the sounds of it, this game will eat most of your life and if you aren't getting much in the way of profits then you can't get anyone to cover if you are ill. Also remember that if you are on benefits in the UK you will lose them by doing this because you will be classified as self-employed.

5) Maximise player base without killing the GM.

This is the big problem that I can see. Because everything is having to be handled manually by you, running this game as going to be incredibly time intensive, the more players you have the harder you are going to have to work.

It really looks to me that at the moment the SMS technology is too immature (mostly on the server end) for doing it this way to be practical. I could be wrong, but it sounds like you have done a fair amount of digging on the subject. Without being able to automate at least the movement between areas (which is actually much more efficiently done by a computer than a human) you are going to max out with a regular player base of around 100.

Even if you only expect to get a tiny percentage of UK roleplayers you are probably looking at a potential market of several thousand. Most of which you are going to have to turn away.

If you can automate the standard menu replies through your SMS server and just have it flag the OTHER... response it will drastically cut down on your workload.

I need to run off for a meeting now I'm afraid, so I'll post the way that I would do it after I get back.

[KorbanDream]

you've never said which country you are actually from KorbanDream.

Hi mindwanders, nice nick... :-)
I'm from the UK.

It strikes me that the goals of the project are as follows, correct me if I'm wrong KorbanDream, 'cause if I am then what I sugest is probably totally on the wrong track.

1) Provide a remote roleplaying environment that can be accessed anywhere.

2) Include a human element in the responses to players so that they can do more than you can in a MUD.

3) Make it affordable to the players.

4) Not lose money hand over fist.

5) Maximise player base without killing the GM.

Spot on! - To the letter! - I especially like your choice of words in number five... :-)))

This of course all goes out the window if they are texting to a premium rate number which isn't covered by the free texts.

Can I just add that I will NEVER allow the Universe to run on a "Premium Number"...!
I know just as much as the next person when they're being stung and premium rates are most definitely being stung!

Also remember that if you are on benefits in the UK you will lose them by doing this because you will be classified as self-employed.

I'm on the Jobcenter's books as we speak but I'm doing their "Work based Learning" course for self-employment at Inbiz, so have this bit in order, more or less...?

It really looks to me that at the moment the SMS technology is too immature (mostly on the server end) for doing it this way to be practical. I could be wrong, but it sounds like you have done a fair amount of digging on the subject. Without being able to automate at least the movement between areas (which is actually much more efficiently done by a computer than a human) you are going to max out with a regular player base of around 100.

I have to agree with you on the immaturity of the entire sms/gsm network, I found out the other day that about half of it is undocumented?

I think I could effectively run it with a server that had a similar system of Message Rules on it, ie; if sms body content contains xyz, then reply with abc and so on...

- Now if I could get one that also enables a system of;
if sms body content contains xyz, then reply with a random message between variable ABC / XYZ. Meaning if the message's internal name was
flagged by the system I could write several different sms' of the same type, ie; Trade Counter Intro has say five different messages all introducing the same trade counter but in different ways it would give the impression of the trade counter always on the go and alive...

Even better would be a pool group of (Very Carefully) selected sentences that are pasted in such a way by the server to complete the full message based on the player's input, ie; "Welcome to the trade counter" and "Welcome says the Merchant handing you a cargo manalog" would be in a log file and one of them would be randomly selected due to the player replying with "03: Trade Counter"...

This could be taken even further with Envocons, (the actual locations in space), as there's a defined amount of rooms per Envocon, a maximum of 50, meaning the sub-locations could even be changed on a random basis after a set number of triggers/criteria had been satisfied...

But, sigh... Money, money, money... Dreaming again?

Thanks for your help... Looking forward to your replies...

[mindwanders]

I will NEVER allow the Universe to run on a "Premium Number"...!

The first piece of advice I would give you is "never say never" when it comes to business. It may well be that your target market would find something like premium numbers to be totally acceptable. Without looking at the market segmentation and stuff I couldn't tell you. However I am aware of how many people are now using these premium numbers over here, so there must be some advantage to them.

"being stung" is a relative term. For me(also currently unemployed) , I wouldn't sign up to a premium service, but to perfectly honest I shouldn't be the market you are aiming for. If you do this right this has the potential to be a very serious money spinner, the trick is to interest the gadgeteer roleplayers who are willing to pay to play things like EQ etc.

From everything you are saying I think you either need to be willing to get your hands dirty and learn how to do some serious coding or bring a coder on board for the project. You would be surprised how many of your problems would disappear if you could get a Coder to spend 100 hours or so working on this.

[mindwanders]

OK, Here's how I would do it. I should point out that I discussed it with a friend and he was dead against what I'm sugesting, and thought that your plan with a bit of programming but ditching the multiplayer aspect was pretty much the way to go. So take what I'm saying with a pinch of salt.

The basic plan would be to ditch the whole idea of SMS messaging all together. I think it's a cool idea, but I don't think it's the technology for the job.

My solution would be to run this via HTML, PHP and MySQL. The reasons for this are the following:

1) Most of the people who have the gatgeteer attitude you are looking for are using WAP phones anyway.

2) This solution becomes totally device portable, so people don't have to play the game on thier phone.

3) The solution becomes international and is not dependant on a UK only market.

3) The technology is well developed and all the problems you will hit will already have been solved by a lot of people.

4) It's easier to get a programmer with the skills you need or to learn the skills yourself.

5) you can use something simple like Paypal to handle payments.

6) It does not cost the customer "per action" because it's the amount of time they spend online that matters.

7) an HTML interface, even if it's just a menu with links rather than texting codewords, is much easier to use.

Using this system you could arrange things so that it's optimised for low bandwidth and small screens which would make the game ideal for playing through a palm top PC or mobile phone.

All the room descriptions and the various menu options, as well as the players character sheet can be stored within a database that is accessed via MySQL and PhP would present a much better solution than the idea of the message rules, you could even have php automatically generate all the available menus by checking the character sheet for you. You could have things so that the only message you ever have to read are the "other" responses.

As far as Billing goes I would devide what the player can do into Minor and Major actions. Depending on the amount the player decides to pay, they accumulate 3-10 Major actions a day, and can perform as many minor actions as they want.

I've seen this method work for a lot of online strategy games, you save up your actions and use them 1-2 times a day rather than needing to do something in a specific time slot. If they send an "other" comand then they would have to wait until you replied to it before they could use the rest of thier actions.

The major actions would be things like: move to a new location, buy something, attack somethin, eat. Basically, things that are most important to the game. You would know what they are better than me.

The minor actions would be the things that only affect thier character. Stuff like equiping items, checking thier character sheet, looking at thier ships stats.

I think that about covers it, does this sound lika a viable possibility?

[KorbanDream]

...and thought that your plan with a bit of programming but ditching the multiplayer aspect was pretty much the way to go...

What does he mean by the multiplayer aspect - Option: Other...?

The basic plan would be to ditch the whole idea of SMS messaging all together. I think it's a cool idea, but I don't think it's the technology for the job.

The problem here is that I have twenty-four, (total of 151), other games that are perfect for the sms format and that I've been reserving the Universe as a kind of flagship game. If I took the sms out of the Universe, I'd have nothing to showcase the rest with...?

My solution would be to run this via HTML, PHP and MySQL...
I think that about covers it, does this sound lika a viable possibility?

Hmm. I'd have to say both yes and no to be honest. The game's mechanics have been pretty much geared to the low-info exchange for some time now so I'm not sure how quickly I could re-adapt it back to table-top equivilent data exchange without loosing half the mods which, in order to explain some of them became integral to the game to the point where one of the mods is actually a computer on your craft...?

Saying that though, I was talking to my partner last night about running it over a different platform and her answer was to either dump it on a server or have it run over a play-by-email, (PbeM)... So maybe, I'd say it's at least a possibility...

[mindwanders]

What does he mean by the multiplayer aspect - Option: Other...?

No he really likes the whole "Option: Other..." idea. He thinks that having multiple character affecting the same universe (ie dtabase of room descriptions) is a disaster waiting to happen. It just makes it very complicated if the characters meet up and try and do things to each other.

I'm guessing that's why you have the time slots and symultanious reply sends though.

The problem here is that I have twenty-four, (total of 151), other games that are perfect for the sms format and that I've been reserving the Universe as a kind of flagship game. If I took the sms out of the Universe, I'd have nothing to showcase the rest with...?

It strikes me that using a game that isn't perfect for SMS, which you seem to be thinking might be true, would be a really bad marketting strategy.

It really sounds like Universe is your "baby" and the one you really want to succede and do well. If that's the case I would treat it like it was as important as it is to you and make sure you get the play bang on the way you want it rather than struggling to make it fit into something that will detract for the game.

If SMS is the right fit, use it. Over the course of writing this stuff I've come to realise that you could do it with an SMS system if you were willing to pay for the right hardware for the job and get a programmer to design you a few time saving features.

I only sugest using something web based because I can see exactly how I would impliment it, it's technology I understand and with a little time I could do what needed to be done myself. Something that is a major advantage as far as I'm concerned.

Hmm. I'd have to say both yes and no to be honest. The game's mechanics have been pretty much geared to the low-info exchange for some time now so I'm not sure how quickly I could re-adapt it back to table-top equivilent data exchange without loosing half the mods which, in order to explain some of them became integral to the game to the point where one of the mods is actually a computer on your craft...?

No I want you to keep the low-info exchange. It's one of the core features and would be just what is needed for all those low bandwidth phones and plamtops.

Saying that though, I was talking to my partner last night about running it over a different platform and her answer was to either dump it on a server or have it run over a play-by-email, (PbeM)... So maybe, I'd say it's at least a possibility...

PbeM is something that doesn't make much money from what I hear. But then it really depends on whether you are in it for the money or because you want players to play your game.

I would say that this is potentially something with a much higher income than writing rpg books (damn, I hate admitting things like that). But it's never worth ruining your "baby" over.

[KorbanDream]

Morning All!

If SMS is the right fit, use it. Over the course of writing this stuff I've come to realise that you could do it with an SMS system if you were willing to pay for the right hardware for the job and get a programmer to design you a few time saving features.

Well you see, that's what I was thinking... The Universe seem's to actually be enhanced by the lack of capacity of High volume information.
Without the 160 Character limit the sms format brings, I've found the Universe, (along with many other games of my design), would suffer the usual fate of storyline overload...?
BTW: Don't suppose you'd happen to know where / How much / etc, I could find such a person or a system...?

PbeM is something that doesn't make much money from what I hear. But then it really depends on whether you are in it for the money or because you want players to play your game.

I started looking around last night for Pbem sites to see if any I'd played as a kid were still in business and guess what; All but one company had died...?! - (Either that of they had changed their trading names?).
Anyway, from the look at the pricing structures of the pbem games around now, (all the same to some degree?), what I'm proposing to charge per month is around the same as Pbem, (if you add their weekly costs to the same period)... £20 - £30.

I was looking around the £1.00 per day marker and allowing for their sms costs to be included in the final return...

So, technically, you could say that I am aiming to take the Pbem concept to a new format and call it Pbtm... (That's a bit big-headed really isn't it?)... Thought's...?

Incidently, to answer your question as to wether I'm in it for the cash or not is;
I would be happy to allow the entire globe to play for free... As long as somebody pay's my rent...?!  ;-)

[mindwanders]

BTW: Don't suppose you'd happen to know where / How much / etc, I could find such a person or a system...?

I would aim for the custom coding solution rather than buying one of the really expensive servers, but that's just me. You might find programing it costs more in terms of time and money than just buying a solution that fits your needs.

The obvious place to start would be the connections forum right here.

However I would also ask your friends if they know anyone who might be interested. You'd be surprised at how many programmers people have tucked up thier sleeves when you actually go digging.

If the SMS servers are Linux rather than windows based then you may be able to find a large existing open source community that would probably find the idea interesting.

There's a lot of programmers out there, and because of the current state of the industry a lot of them are unemployed. As to finding a good one, well that's a bit harder.

If you are looking at existing stuff you might be able to use, then I found this collection of links

http://smslink.sourceforge.net/related.html

I also found these guys:

http://freshmeat.net/projects/smsservertools/?branch_id=9717&release_id=171898

You could probably do worse than get in contact with a detailed brief of what you want your system to do that thiers doesn't and see if they know anyone who might be interested in setting you up a box and writing the required code on a low/no pay +costs basis.

I'd also offer the programmer the right to publish the source (not your actual game content, just the system code) because it'll be GPL anyway and offer to credit him in the packs you send to the players and on your other promo material.

[mindwanders]

Oh, or you could do what I am doing and learn how to code yourself. It saves the hassle of chasing unproductive volunteers :-)

[Merten]

It really looks to me that at the moment the SMS technology is too immature (mostly on the server end) for doing it this way to be practical. I could be wrong, but it sounds like you have done a fair amount of digging on the subject. Without being able to automate at least the movement between areas (which is actually much more efficiently done by a computer than a human) you are going to max out with a regular player base of around 100.

Yes and no. Yes, because the SMS protocol does have some icky limitations (like the mentiond 160 characters per message) and because setting up a working server enviroment can be quite a pain in the hindside.

No, because the technology and the tools are available - for those who have enough resources to build the infrastructure or buy it. I'm not really up-to-date with the technology, but with a rough guess...

1) direct connection to SMS messaging server (hosted by the operator) or a phone capable of working as GSM-modem (or similar - GSM+Palm might be enough, if the software requirements are met).

2) Software capable of reading SMS format doing the logistics and transforming results to SMS format (and sending them). Includes stuff like  getting the Caller ID (phone number) and the actual text from the message, processing the data and then building an SMS and sending it.

If I understood KorbanDream's intentions correctly, I'd try to come up with a server software that could:

a) handle the "ordinary requests", like moving from place to place - get them, analyze them, parse an SMS reply and send it.
b) be able to recognize the "other" messages, store them, provide an interface for replying them, handle the reply, parse it to SMS and send it.

By making the replying to "ordinary messages" automated, one could cut the error margin which is bound to be involved when replying manually.

That would, of course, require some money and some programming skills.  Or a commercial / freeware software that could handle it all.

[KorbanDream]

Hi all...

Incidently:

It really looks to me that at the moment the SMS technology is too immature (mostly on the server end) for doing it this way to be practical. I could be wrong, but it sounds like you have done a fair amount of digging on the subject. Without being able to automate at least the movement between areas (which is actually much more efficiently done by a computer than a human) you are going to max out with a regular player base of around 100.

With the cashflow looking the way it is, (£1.00 per day @ £30/month as a membership fee), 100 players is all I'm looking for to start with...?

from there, I could buy any and all resources needed and still have enough left over to pay the rent...?

I should imagine that after the first fifty, (long term), players playing on a regular monthly basis (ie; longer than three months), I should be able to buy the server requirements and have someone program the damn thing as well, then, probably over a weekend the (probably knackered by then) palm would be switched off and the server would come online, switching the palm back on only to respond to Option: Other...?

It seems to me the whole problem can be sorted by solving itself, the quicker I start the quicker the game can earn, the quicker the game can earn the quicker I can get the way I'd like to see it and then start bringing the prices a little more in line with how I'd like to charge and have some stories to tell the grandkids (if any), when I'm older as well...?