Tree years ago I wrote about thin games as a concept of web2.0 for games. Nowadays one of the most popular games of that type among my friends is Car Madness. That’s a racing game made by the Apps-o-rama company in the Facebook social network. The game uses no plugins, but the standard browser possibilities.
If you want to play “Car Madness”, you have to be a member of Facebook. The game is MMOG. Instead of forming a new social network from scratch, the creators use already existing communities of friends at Facebook. That’s useful for the both parties: the value of the social network is enhanced, and it’s easier to promote the project using the existing connections than in a separate website.
In the beginning a player gets some virtual money to purchase a car. Every car has three main parameters except the price. They are the power, traction, and aerodynamics. One can improve those parameters buying different upgrades for the car or a new car itself for the won money. While playing, racer’s level is increased and that influences the amount of the money you can get for the winning which you can spend for better and better car. The more you play, the more madness points you get. You can exchange the madness points for virtual money, an ability to race more than 25 times per day, or other goodies.
The one wins whose car parameters are higher. If they are about the same, the result will depend on randomness. Sometimes it’s worthy to use bad boys services like a potato to the opponent’s exhaust pipe, nails on the track, oil on the road, or a smoke bomb.
What is the business plan of the creators? They just make use of some percent of fanatics who buy madness units for real money (3 units for 2 US dollars; 150 units for 100 dollars) which can be later exchanged for game goodies.
If you are interested, here you are. And I am going out to Giedrius for some cocktails.
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