Microsoft’s New Game Will Not Be A Bomb
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| Minesweeper Online! will challenge gamers to use their wits to mark and identify mines in a persistent online 3D world. |
REDMOND, WA– You may not be aware of it, but the Microsoft Corporation is responsible for more than just the Windows operating system. As a gaming publisher, Microsoft has brought us such notable games as Age Of Empires, Rise Of Nations, Age Of Mythology, and of course Microsoft Flight Simulator. And because of the success of these gaming ventures, the software giant is turning back the clock to reinvent an old classic.
The world’s largest software company is developing Minesweeper Online!, a massive multiplayer online game that hopes to bring back the same edge-of-your-chair excitement as the original puzzle game.
The fascinating concept behind Minesweeper Online!, as you may have guessed, is to use your skills to search and identify the placement of a certain number of explosive “mines” randomly located on an enormous three-dimensional grid. Thousands of players will be able to “flag” these mines in a fierce competitive environment, a fast-paced, dynamic, persistent online world.
Microsoft promises that Minesweeper Online! servers will be able to host tens of thousands of Minesweeping enthusiasts simultaneously, allowing characters to interact, compete, and cooperate with one another in a fantastic online world where the objective of each player is to find–and flag–mines.
“We wanted to get back to the basics of gameplay,†said Microsoft Games president Saul E. Teyr. “In the original Minesweeper, players spent countless heart-pumping hours clicking on nondescript squares trying to logically identify where the mines were hidden. It’s that same intensity that we’re looking to recreate in the online version, except that we wanted to make this a multiplayer experience. Multiplayer is where it’s at.”
In Minesweeper Online! you’ll be able to define the character’s attributes, customize controls, and develop special abilities that will help the player identify mines and mark their locations with special red flags. Characters will be able to advance based on several different factors, including how many mines they have identified (and flagged), or other mine-related variables that will help contribute to the player’s experience. As the game progresses, higher-ranked players will be better equipped to identify mines and the locations thereof.
“Oh there’ll be plenty of excitement, danger, and risk in Minesweeper Online!,” said Saul. “Say perhaps a player tries to clear a particular quadrant or ‘square’, not knowing that a mine is located in that spot. The player’s character could get caught in the explosion which could cause significant player damage. It’s unpredictable factors like these that will make the game fun.”
Players will be able to choose from a variety of character classes, from the mine-identifying scout, to the more rugged mine-locating warrior, or players may choose from the wizard class, a magical character who will be able to cast spells to determine the location of mines. Like other persistent-world games like Ultima Online, Everquest, and Trivial Pursuit World, players will be able to earn credits–by performing tasks such as flagging mines–which will allow him to purchase bomb-proof armor, bomb suits, or maybe bomb-detecting robots. Online forums will allow players to discuss tactics, such as how to properly flag mines.
The game also will have several difficulty levels to offer a better challenge to gamers. Server administrators will have the ability to control various game options, allowing the server to vary components of the games, such as the size of the map or the number of mines that would be present on that map.
“We are also considering a single-player campaign,” said Roger Whelen, lead programmer. “The character would proceed through many exciting worlds, identifying and marking the locations of mines on each level, and clearing away the areas where there are no mines. When all of the mines on a level have been located, the player will be able advance to the next mine-laden level. If the player’s health reaches zero, say from accidentally detonating a mine, the player will need to restart that level. Of course, we’ll have save-game features which will reduce the potential frustration to players.”
Third-party add-ons for Minesweeper Online! might also include the highly successful and hugely popular “Capture The Flag.”
This computer gaming article about Minesweeper was brought to you by the gaming geeks at The Toque, writers who game, and write, and then game some more
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