Developing Web-Based
Games for MSN Games
Rocco Crea
Development Lead
MSN Games
August 14-15 2006
Who Is MSN Games?
One of the largest gaming sites on the
internet
MSN’s premier game channel
Over 6 million unique users per month
August 14-15 2006
Games on MSN
Free Online
Downloads
Multiplayer
Windows XP
Web PC
Subscriptions
Skill-based Gaming
August 14-15 2006
Key Features of MSN Games
Seamless integration into MSN Games
portal
Game promotion across MSN network
Custom MSN Badges
Custom Content Articles
Installer Support
August 14-15 2006
Web Games Client
Requirements
Standard Game Resolution : 425 x 350
Game Maximum Resolution : 600 x 400
Client Requirements
Pentium II 450
VGA 800x600
IE 6.0+, MSN Explorer 9+
August 14-15 2006
Supported Client Technologies
Flash 7+
Easier to implement
Macromedia Flash engine already installed on
most client boxes
However, beware of heavy math operations
ActiveX
Allows fuller control and access to Win32 APIs
However, harder to implement
User needs elevated rights to install
August 14-15 2006
What Is Our Framework?
Game Player
Script API
Proxy Script API
Game Client
August 14-15 2006
Timeline
Game
Platform
August 14-15 2006
Session What?
SessionReady
Game client tells the game player that it
is ready to go
SessionStart
Game player tells the client to show any
“pregame” branding
Why?
Allows developer to show any pregame
animations and logos
August 14-15 2006
Game On!
GameReady
Game tells framework “I’m
ready to play a game”
GameStart
Framework tells the game to
start the game
Why?
Allows for a seamless startup
gameplay
August 14-15 2006
Score
ScoreBroadcast
Allows the user to quit the game and still
receive a score or badge
Can have custom information such as enemies
killed or levels completed
ScoreSubmit
Submits the final score for the user’s
gameplay
August 14-15 2006
Badges
Badges
Reward that users can chase
Drives replay
Not same as Achievements
Achievements are skill-driven
Badges are “souvenirs”
10 badge levels per game
that are all customized
Special promotional badges
available
August 14-15 2006
Break Time!
GameBreak
The game client tells the player that we are
between levels or natural breaks in the game
play, and that the gameplay is suspended
GameContinue
Framework tells the game client to continue
playing
August 14-15 2006
Game Over!
GameEnd
The game tells the player that the current
game is over
Why?
Allows the player to show any badges that the
user has won
Presents the user with up-sells
Allows the user to play again
August 14-15 2006
Play It Again, Sam
GameStart
If the user decides to play the game again,
the framework will call into the client with
GameStart, which should restart the game
What this means:
Once the game has called GameEnd, it should
“reset” itself so that its ready to start
gameplay all over again
August 14-15 2006
You Want to What?
CustomEvent
Call out from the game client to the player
that something special has happened
CustomReturn
Return call from the player to the client
acknowledging the event and that it has been
processed
August 14-15 2006
Pachinko!
Integration Test Tool
Allows developers to test that the MSN API
is correctly implemented
It does not:
Verify client requirements
Doesn't test gameplay
August 14-15 2006
Gotcha!
Sounds
Don’t play until SessionStart is called
Suspend sound during:
GameBreak
Pause
GameEnd
Mute
Replay
Make sure that the game client is reset
after GameEnd is called
Resource Paths
Do not assume resources are in the same
directory as the page
August 14-15 2006
Watch Out!
Security
Verify that the game plays under different IE
security models
Vista / IE7
Vista and IE7 have stricter security models,
so be aware
August 14-15 2006
Getting your Game on MSN
Download games
Distributed through Oberon Media
Web games drive additional download sales
Web game API available through Oberon
developer program, or soon via Microsoft
Subscription offering (GameSpring)
Distributed through Real Networks
Custom games
Some games are special deals with
Microsoft Casual Games
Developer Inquiries
Email : [email protected]
August 14-15 2006
DirectX Developer Center
http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx
Game Development MSDN Forums
http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn
Xbox 360 Central
http://xds.xbox.com/
XNA Web site
http://www.microsoft.com/xna
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.