Quasi-functional Technology

Alright, so we have a game we want to be able to patch without broadcasting our future intentions. Seems simple enough, right? Let’s set some goals before we begin.

Primary goal: To delay dataminers from mining assets until players are discovering the same information through playing the game. We won’t always hit this goal, but we will get as close as reasonably possible.

Second goal: To keep metadata leaks restricted to speculative information only. For instance, it may be determined by game leadership and the design team to be good enough if the metadata reveals that the patch contains four new items, but the dataminers cannot tell which items or what kind of items.

Last goal: This work does not negatively impact the player in a noticeable way. That means no causing massive downloads, limiting impact on load times, and not negatively impacting the stability of the game.

These will be our guiding goals. Ultimately, how far these concepts are taken is a team conversation. Where, when, and how much a team wants to spend their efforts is an important decision. Preventing leaks requires work and a healthy discussion with leadership/production on what you actually care about most will help guide the implementation. You can even grow the tech slowly over time, in fact, that is desired.

This series of blog posts will use these goals to guide us. They will cover a variety of different technologies to choose from. In the end, which ones you use will depend on the game, the engine, and the team’s goals.

Up next: The Data of Datamining