Colwyn
03-26-2006, 02:07 PM
GDC: Creating a Global MMO: Balancing Cultures and Platforms in Final Fantasy XI (http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060324/woodard_01.shtml)
One of the things they do to accomplish this is "ensure there is the same level of service regardless of hardware and media limitations." To do this Square created PlayOnline as a universal gateway program for their online games, and using universal servers reduces operation costs. PlayOnline requires only a single login ID for all Square Enix games and can be used on any copy of the game on any system.
...
The reason for universal servers was not just to reduce operation costs by 66% but to create "A cross-culture world without borders. A world of cultural harmony." The key way to accomplish this was the use of an in-game translator for all supported languages. Players have a list of keywords they can use to create a sentence and then have translated by the game. Also customer support both in-game and by phone are available in all the same languages as the game, which are Japanese, English, German, French and Chinese. They also design the release of each expansion for a simultaneous worldwide release.
Source: Blue's News (http://www.bluesnews.com/)
One of the things they do to accomplish this is "ensure there is the same level of service regardless of hardware and media limitations." To do this Square created PlayOnline as a universal gateway program for their online games, and using universal servers reduces operation costs. PlayOnline requires only a single login ID for all Square Enix games and can be used on any copy of the game on any system.
...
The reason for universal servers was not just to reduce operation costs by 66% but to create "A cross-culture world without borders. A world of cultural harmony." The key way to accomplish this was the use of an in-game translator for all supported languages. Players have a list of keywords they can use to create a sentence and then have translated by the game. Also customer support both in-game and by phone are available in all the same languages as the game, which are Japanese, English, German, French and Chinese. They also design the release of each expansion for a simultaneous worldwide release.
Source: Blue's News (http://www.bluesnews.com/)