The document discusses a research project funded by the European Union called the Community Network Game (CNG) project. The CNG project aims to enhance collaborative activities between massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) players by developing new tools for generating, distributing, and inserting user-generated content into MMOGs. Some of the key innovations discussed are in-game graphical insertion technology and enhanced peer-to-peer streaming capabilities. The CNG project seeks to address unmet needs of MMOG players and aims to improve the sharing and social aspects of the MMOG experience.

1. Community Network Game
Project
The research conducted has received funding from the European Union's
Seventh Framework Programme ([FP7/2007‐2013]) under grant
agreement n
agreement n° ICT‐248175
Project ICT–248175
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2. Objectives
• Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs)
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs)
allow a large number of online users to inhabit the
same virtual world and interact with each other in a
variety of collaborating and competing scenarios.
• The CNG project (Feb 2010 – July 2012) aims to:
The CNG project (Feb. 2010 July 2012) aims to:
• enhance collaborative activities between MMOG
gamers. This will be achieved by developing new
gamers. This will be achieved by developing new
tools for the generation, distribution and insertion of
user‐generated content (UGC).
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3. Video games global revenue
Video games global revenue (Sources: Digi-Capital; PricewaterhouseCoopers 2011 [3])
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4. MMOG market
MMOG market
• The global market for massively multiplayer online role‐playing
games (MMORPGs) is expected to be worth $8 billion in 2014.
2009's revenue was up 17 per cent on 2008's revenue, which
shows that the market is growing at a fast rate (based Industry
Report from Strategy Analytics) .
p gy y )
• Blizzard Entertainment dominates the US and European markets,
while publishers such as Shanda, Netease, Nexon and NCsoft are
leading the way in the growing Asian MMORPG market due to
leading the way in the growing Asian MMORPG market due to
the successful virtual items‐based revenue model .
• There are more than 20 million MMO paying subscribers
globally, most of which coming from countries such as China and
South Korea . With Asian online games targeting the US and
European markets, their force in the global gaming industry is
p , g g g y
expected to increase even more.
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5. Global MMORPG by Company
Global MMORPG by Company
2009 Global MMORPG Market Share by Company. (Source: Strategy Analytics 2010 )
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6. Unmet needs
• Access/distribution of content without game disruption
• Easier/Convenient communication
• social and co‐presence, access
i l d
• More customisation and control
• One stop social and in game information space for gamers
One stop social and in‐game information space for gamers
• More personalisation and creativity
• e.g., recording, audio mixing, editing, art
• Applications that are easier to use (low effort)
• Match‐making/similar gamers
• Opportunity to fill ‘waiting’ times (travel)
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7. Why share, what is shared and how?
Text chat (IM: e.g. Facebook chat)
– Support game progress Voice chat (Skype, Ventrilo, Xfire)
Video tools (YouTube, Fraps, video editors)
– Enhance relationships
In game achievement displays
In‐game achievement displays
Forum/Game websites/wikis
– Game experience
Search engines (text/video guides, reviews)
Polling/voting
– Community
Community tools (Xfire, Steam)
BUT... Frustrations:
BUT... Frustrations:
– Reduced immersion in the game
– Resize/minimising game
– Speed; game experience; ads/pop‐ups
S d i d/
– Log‐ins
– Poor quality control of UGC
– Privacy/security
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8. Online Survey (by CNG team)
CNG functions – High MPO/MMO
g
Complex game stats
Player availabilty
Skill matching
Web browsing
Pause/rewind live action
Voice chat
IM
Video/Audio record
Voting polls
Play recorded video
Click/share video
Blogs/Forums
Chat room
Live video stream
Personalise character
Edit/Annotate
Create/insert 3D objects/textures
Create 3D objects collaboratively
Collaborative video creation
Exchange 3D objects
Video chat
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Very/Somewhat Interested Not Interested
(n=218)
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9. Gamer Segmentation
Motivations to play:
Motivations to play:
1. Competition (e.g., to win, sense of achievement)
2. Fantasy (e.g., to immerse in another world)
3. Exploration (e.g., sense of discovery)
4. Socialisation (e.g., to socialise with people I know/strangers) Occasional
Gamers
5. Boredom (e.g., to fill time) CNG: 70%
Gaming Purists
CNG : 84%
• (Ch )
Cheat 20% 21%
Old School
Gamers
9% CNG: 66%
7%
43%
Casual Classic Community
Community
Gamers Minded Game
CNG: 48% Fanatics
CNG: 87%
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10. Add ons for Community activities
Add‐ons for Community activities
IN-GAME SOCIAL TOOLS
FEATURES CNG
Xfire Overwolf PlayXpert
Standalone/ -Standalone Standalone/
distribute via their distribute via their distribute via
own website/ own website/portal their own website
Integrated in -Integrated in or through other
DISTRIBUTION
existing games and existing games and portals
then distributed via then distributed via
portals/games sites portals/games sites
No need for keyboard shortcut ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
No
N need f
d for SDK ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Game resize ✓ X X X
Texture replacement ✓ X X X
Video capture enablement ✓ ✓ ✓ X
Video editing ✓ X X X
Live video streaming ✓ ✓ X X
In-game browsing ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
In-game chat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
In-game voice chat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Facebook/ Twitter ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
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11. Community Features on Existing
Games
Pay-to-play (One-off or subscription) Free-to-play/Freemium
FEATURES CNG Star
World of Lord of
Eve Wars: Runescap Free Lineage
Warcraft Rift The Ring
Online The Old e Realms 2 (GoD)
(WoW) (LOTRO)
Republic
Texture
replacement
✓ X X X X X X X X
Video capture
enablement
✓ ✓* X ✓ X X X ✓ X
Video editing ✓ ✓* X X X X X X X
Live video
streaming
✓ X X X X X X X X
In-game
browsing
✓ X ✓ X X ✓* X X X
In-game chat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
In-game voice
chat
✓ ✓ ✓ X ✓* ✓ X ✓ X
Facebook/Twit
ter
✓ ✓* X ✓* X X X ✓* X
*Limited (to certain platforms, applications, features, etc.)
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12. Innovations
• In‐game Graphical Insertion Technology (IGIT): new techniques to
replace existing textures with new ones and adding new elements,
l h d dd l
including:
• In game spot identification
In‐game spot identification
• In‐game asset replacement and asset insertion
• Insertion of an in‐frame Web browser for hosting
• Web 2.0 applications (IM, blog, polls, etc.)
Web 2 0 applications (IM blog polls etc )
• Enhanced peer‐to‐peer (P2P) streaming to allow MMOG
players to stream screen‐captured live game without
players to stream screen captured live game without
damaging the game experience (MMOG‐friendly P2P)
• New business models
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13. CNG Video Streaming
CNG Video Streaming
• Any MMOG player can stream screen‐captured video of its game
play to a selected group of other players.
• Coaching, showing skills, sharing experience with friends,
coordination in strategy game.
• Player should be able to watch several videos simultaneously.
• Players in higher “levels” watch video before players in lower levels.
• Players in same level watch video at about the same time
Players in same level watch video at about the same time.
• Level can be:
• priority class in a multi‐tiered premium service
• MMOG players in the same region of the virtual world
MMOG players in the same region of the virtual world.
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14. Project ICT–248175
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15. Project ICT–248175
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16. CNG Tools
• The various CNG tools are accessible through the CNG toolbox
• CNG Collaboration Tools
– Wall, People, Groups, Chat, Messages, Files, Blogs, Polls, News
• CNG Video Tools
CNG Vid T l
– Start/Stop Recording, Instant Save, Video Editor, Live Video
• More actions…
– Meebo, Web, Settings,
Help, Logout
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17. Social Networks
• Interconnection with Facebook and Twitter
with single sign‐on once the user authorizes
CNG Server to access his accounts
• The credentials are used to acquire a
permanent token and are not stored in
the CNG Server
• User can post CNG wall‐posts to his
Facebook/Twitter with just one click…
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18. People
• “People” is the tool for connections administration
• Offers access to the CNG community and the possibility of inviting new
members
• Game‐oriented user‐to‐user relationships are supported:
d l h d
– Fans: players having added the user
to their friend list (followers)
– Id l l
Idols: players that the user has
th t th h
added in his friend list (following)
– Friends: players that are both fans
and idols at the same time
and idols at the same time
– Friends of Friends
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19. Video Capturing/Editing
• Game scene can be captured with:
Game scene can be captured with:
– “Start/Stop Recording” tool
– “Instant Save” tool: for the last 60 seconds of in‐game activity
• Video can be modified
and uploaded to YouTube
d l d dt Y T b
with the “Video Editor” tool
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20. Live Video
• “Live Video” is the tool for P2P streaming of live videos
Live Video is the tool for P2P streaming of live‐videos
• User is able to start sharing his game scene
• His live‐video is advertised through the CNG Server to the
players allowed to access the stream
• Players are able to select to watch the live‐video:
– Up to 4 live videos can be viewed at the same time
Up to 4 live‐videos can be viewed at the same time
HERE, A SCREENSHOT FROM A LIVE VIDEO PLAYER WINDOW CAN BE
ADDED!!!!!
!!!!!
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21. P2P Highlights
• Multi‐video system. Each gamer can be a source of video stream; each
gamer can receive several video streams (e.g. videos from all gamers within a
guild).
guild)
• Concurrent MMOG traffic. Live streaming should not consume bandwidth
resources needed for MMOG traffic.
• Delay constraints. Synchronization among gamers requires simultaneous
Delay constraints Synchronization among gamers requires simultaneous
video reception in a group of gamers.
• Poor capacities of end‐users’ equipment. The CPU and the upload capacities
are resource bottlenecks.
are resource bottlenecks
• Hybrid architecture in which the CNG server is responsible for optimizing the
P2P overlay.
• Level‐based overlay where all peers in a level can play the video at about the
lb d l h ll l l l h d b h
same time.
• Use of rateless codes for fast and reliable video transmission over UDP.
• Channel adaptive P2P streaming using feedback, rate control and unequal
error protection. Project ICT–248175
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22. System Overview
Synchronized gamers are gathered into levels
Synchronized gamers are gathered into levels
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23. System Overview
•Intra‐level and inter‐level communications leverage
P2P and rateless codes for fast end‐to‐end packet
d l d f f d d k
delivery.
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24. CNG integration in the MMOGs value chain
CNG integration in the MMOGs value chain
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25. Monetisation: Primary market feedback to
business models
b i d l
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26. CNG Benefits
• End‐users will benefit from the exploitation of synergies between different applications and
functionalities provided on a single platform which can offer them an improved gaming
experience;
• CNG is easy to use, friendly to the game and reliable;
y , y g ;
• CNG has the potential to facilitate the generation and distribution of contents. It will support
active participation among gamers and will be used to create customized versions of game
related contents that will then be shared effortlessly without leaving the game;
• The CNG system enhances the ability to interact with other players so that the application
will be used as a one‐stop tool, not just to generate content but also to satisfy the users of
will be used as a one stop tool not just to generate content but also to satisfy the users of
multiplayer games’ primary necessity to communicate and share;
• The CNG platform will be developed to be customisable in order to satisfy different gamers’
preferences and needs;
• CNG is developed to be highly adaptable, giving the user access to its functionalities across
p g y p ,g g
games without added effort;
• CNG provides a unique service to gamers which is currently not offered by any other
platform: the P2P technology allows MMOG players to share their game play with other
players live, in‐game;
• CNG and the P2P technology built within it, opens the MMOG world to new possibilities for
CNG and the P2P technology built within it opens the MMOG world to new possibilities for
the user, since it transforms the game from a closed environment, to an open and more
dynamic one, with the aim of minimising its technological limit and maximising its social
elements;
• The technological innovations researched and developed within the projects could give users
not just an enhanced gaming platform but also make emerge new ways to monetise the
j h d i l f b l k i h
system that could be of advantage to the gamer.
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27. Thanks
Alex Shani
Exent Technologies Ltd.
Phone/Fax +972‐747‐133‐135 Mobile +972‐544‐833‐300
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