The Evolution of Online Gaming

Since its birth, the Internet grew faster. Not only in terms of number of users, but also in speed, becoming accessible to many people. With this phenomenon, it seems logical that a growing industry and connected to computers to get involved in it, and that was what the video games industry did. After the first games played only in local area networks, started to developed games for Internet, becoming increasingly popular.

The various genres

It was thanks to an Internet increasingly developed that three main genres emerged from today: FPS and RTS Online, and also the MMO's.

FPS - The pleasure to kill...or be killed

We don't live in a peaceful world, and quickly moved this towards the games. However,Furthermore, that was how it allstarted ... when playing a FPS game with someone from the other side of the planet, we know the plaesure that gives when we make the deadly shot.

DOOM and Quake- The pionners

After experiments in local multiplayer, Doom 2 came up with an innovative method to play in Internet, in development at the time. Quake followed the footsteps and quickly, with the birth of Broadband, which increased speeds and packed the service. They were thus the first steps of a journey with a lot of blood, many weapons, and much success.

Team Fortress - Each one with his skill

It all started with a simple mod for the popular game Quake. This introduced the struggle between two teams, blue and red, with a particularity: Division into classes. Each class has its own weapons and features, providing different experiences and much use of tactics and combination of different abilities. In the original game, the classes were: Scout (always very fast, expert in conquer), Sniper (for precision and patience, but devastating results), Soldier (to attack or defend), Demolition Man (to blow everything), Medic (to help the team mates), Heavy Weapons Guy (slow, heavy, but feared), Pyro (to make it burn), Spy (to operate on the basis enemy basis) and Engineer (to build automatic weapons and distributors). The license of the game would be bought by Valve, which promised the fans a revamped Team Fortress 2. This eventually arrive in the acclaimed The Orange Box, and is very successful.In classes, little has changed, except the number of weapons, from 2 to 3, a few changes in its operations and the names (Demolition Man and Heavy Weapons Man won names shorter, and Denoman Heavy, respectively) .

Counter Strike: Worldwide

It all started with a simple mod,yes Counter Strike also was through Half-Life.This first version was being enhanced by Counter Strike 1.6, which was established as a base and gained great popularity. Played by millions of players around the world and with an enviable amount of game modes, this game is based on a fight between terrorists (T's) and Counter-Terrorist (CT's) in various settings, such as the hostage reacue or the placement of bombs. It is a game that is characterized by being easy to start playing but have a lot to learn over the years, as not few games can do, grabbing the fans very well. This game has an authentic culture, which carried to a very friendly vocabulary such as the rush, the slay, the camp, the kick ... It was followed by Condition Zero, which introduced the single player missions, and that has not been very well received. It was with CS: Source, Valve's name of the engine used for the game, which the producer is reconciled with the players. This has a better design, and game modes typical of the original. It was also very well received and got many fans outside world, but others have remained faithful to the old 1.6.

Battlefield - The war in bigger dimensions

The first game of the series, Battlefield 1942, with huge maps,basically everything that is in a real battleground, from tanks to helicopters, machine guns. The great freedom seemed perfect for an online mode, the variety and complexity of tactical possibilities were in the game. Battlefield 2:Modern Combat  provides an experience even more complete, with specialized rankings, new kits and weapons. The latest release, Bad Company, introduces a new element, the destruction of the scenarios in large part, and also an improved single player mode.

Wolfenstein Enemy Territory - Classes in the Great War

ET, as is known, was initially planned as the expansion to Return to Castle Wolfenstein and then as a standalone game and was eventually commercialized as freeware. This game combines the classes, characteristics of Team Fortress, in a 2nd World War environment. Still, it is more serious than Team Fortress, with different classes: Soldier, Medic, Engineer, Field Ops and Covert Ops.

Call of Duty - Duty calls Online

Since the first title, released in 2003 that the Call of Duty series has an online mode, something perfectly normal. Its first title, as well as various modes, it features the Killcam system, which shows us a view of our executioner. The second title was improved, with servers up to 64 players, 13 maps and multiple game modes, and the third had an even more ways. Modern Warfare, acclaimed as one of the best games of last year, this has led to excellence: Leaderboards, experience points, various maps, unlockable weapons ... All in a mixture that pasted many players around the globe.

RTS - Humans leading, the Computer struggling

Another of the great ambitions was human power. Again, a playable successful genre  was driven by larger human desires, but once again the AI of computers was insufficient, and began to appear games with online mode.

Warcraft – Online since 1994

The first game of the series, Warcraft: Humans & Ocrs, had an online mode which has dropped in the beginning of the expansion of the Internet and allowed the second title  to keep this feature. Warcraft II appeared in the mass of the genre, and together with Command & Conquer has expanded rapidly and achieved great success, including even the IWL, International Warcraft League. Warcraft III confirmed the success with interesting introductions, as the division by region to reduce the lag and the pairing of players with similar characteristics in the search for anonymous servers. It also allowed Friend Lists and Clans, increasing their sense of community.

Starcraft –Expanding

In 1998, Blizzard has changed its air and passed from the Orcs and Humans to the military Sci-Fi strategy, with Starcraft, which quickly proved to be a success. Its online mode allows up to 8 players and multiple game modes, including some unusual, like playing football. This game has a real online mania, especially in countries like South Korea where it is considered national sport and there are professional players, who are sponsored and compete in tournaments broadcasted in television. 

Command & Conquer – A very long storie

With more than 15 titles released, Command & Conquer is a long saga within the genre. As I said, helped with Warcraft  the massification of the online mode, since the first titles, and this popularity has remained over the years, thanks to the Battleclan system that allowed players in the organization of clans and the creation of tournaments. A series undeniably important in the history of games, and also the online phenomenon.

World in Conflict - Massive Online

Massive endeavored to make a game worthy of its name, and created not only a game but also an online mode well worth it. This pearl of the year 2007 not cheating for many players since it was shown, and its launch confirmed it. A singleplayer irreproachable, with an addicted story,World in Conflict is worthy of a movie, together with a highly developed online. The Massgate, as it was called, allowed Leaderboards, several game modes and maps, used in the campaign four different classes, elaborate tournament systems and clans.

MMO's – The Future

"Holding a man / elf / dwarf / jedi / or whatever to kill monsters, among other things, everything to gain experience and money to reach higher levels and better weapons will be the kind that will sell millions" . If someone said that 20 years ago, would be taken and even scoffed, but the idea still seems so strange sight, it sells. There are now dozens and dozens of games of this $tyle in many different environments, some free, some paid, others paid  with monthly subscriptions. Here are some of the most striking: 

Star Wars Galaxies – Promissing

Star Wars is a huge world, full of stories and popular among gamers. It had everything to be a major tittle for a MMORPG, and that was how it came Star Wars Galaxies. When it was launched in 2003, was well received by the criticism because of its interesting gameplay, world wide, luxury graphics, among other details. The main criticism was its tremendous complexity. However, the launch of the NGE, New Game Experience, greatly simplified the game and fended off many players, and after expectations for sales of 1,000,000, which were eventually met, some indicators pointed to only about 10,000 players to play in a certain moment. Even if this number is not certain, has been very disappointing for everyone.

World of Warcraft – Reaching the Top

In 2004,Blizzard, always characterized by their games of excellence, grabbed one of their franchises, Warcraft and created a MMORPG, which gave the name of World of Warcraft. This was very well received, with a cartoon $tyle of its own. It was very well received by critics, that ranked as an excellent game, thanks in part to the easier game for players, with innovations like the cure of life for all cla$$es. Warcraft and the quests system implemented made it a real phenomenon within the genre.

Lord of the Rings Online - The great promise

With World of Warcraft comfortably installed on the throne, there was a dificult task to find any game that would defeat it. What would be best in the world that had millions of fans around the globe, 3 movies rewarded with Oscars,an incredible mix reachable only by a master like Tolkien? It was thought that everything, and Turbine grabbed the idea and created a MMORPG.LOTRO received great critical and received several notes over 9 in 10, but has been criticized especially by the lack of innovation in relation to other games. Even so, managed to grab a comfortable number of subscriptions, but could not greatly affect the Queen Blizzard with its king WoW.

Age of Conan - Looking for a different audience

Another big universe, Age of Conan, was launched into the world of MMORPG's in 2008, by the hand of Funcom. This, rather than shoot from the front against the king and lord, World of Warcraft, sought to reach a different audience, more adult, through a mature game. Still, not shooting for the masses, sold more than half a million units to date, and is still maturing as a game and has a promising future.

Warhammer Online – The Future?

After LOTRO and AoC, hit us at the end of this year Warhammer Online, which will be another trying to steal customers to Blizzard. Only it is not just one more. It is a serious case that can reach too far, for his consistent and the world community that already has the wait for him, promising through what we have seen so far some innovations. Will be like LOTRO?

Honorable mentions:

Tabula Rasa-PC

Final Fantasy XI- PC,PS2,X360

Ragnarok Online- PC,DS

It is impossible to say that the multiplayer online is not one of the major factors of the games today. There are for all tastes: From the free,paid, those who have subscribed to the have-not. There are those who combine the two modes, with a campaign and then developed an online mode. Bioshock and Call of Duty, two of the great games of 2007, brought the discussion on the importance of this issue. The first has no multiplayer option but to whom play it provides a unique experience with a long campaign, a good story and a fantastic gameplay. The second, sacrifice in some ways, this long campaign, making it significantly shorter, with an online mode of excellence, whose length is virtually unlimited. What is more correct? Of course, the ideal would be to merge the two, but it is complicated. In future we only play online games? Single player will be the thing of the past? Or the Online is a passing fashion? What is your real importance? They are legitimate questions, the answer is to each own personal taste.

Marco Cecilio, NoobFeed