Today we’re pleased to bring you a 9-Inning Q&A session with Netamin’s Sean Mackay. Mackay chats with us about Ultimate Baseball Online, one of the very first massively multiplayer sports games to make it online (officially launched summer ‘06, but in a preview state long before that).

To find out why Mackay thinks UBO is a great choice for all MMO gamers and what he thinks about recently-announced sports-based MMO competition from the likes of Freestyle Street Basketball and Football Superstars - read on:

gamebunny:
Thanks so much for talking with us today. To start off, can you tell us a bit about your position at Netamin?

Sean Mackay(UBO):
I’m the Event Manager for Ultimate Baseball Online. My key role is to provide team events and individual competitions to our players and bring the competition to life via coverage of the games on our website. I develop tournaments, leagues, and statistically-based contests for various time frames to give everyone something to participate in.

gamebunny:
How are things going with UBO? Are you guys seeing a large amount of players downloading and trying out the game? How is the recently-introduced free-to-play model working out?

Sean Mackay:
We have a great thing going here. With minimal advertising dollars being spent in the market, we have seen a steady growth of players on a monthly basis. This means our players are really supporting the game and they are bringing in new people to compete against. Obviously, the free-to-play model is a big reason the growth is there without the huge advertising budget. It is a win-win for everyone.

gamebunny:
What kind of feedback are you getting from players regarding what they love most about UBO and what currently needs tweaking?

Sean Mackay:
The passion our players have for UBO stems from the core of what makes baseball intriguing; competition. Playing a computer and beating it has nothing compared to when you hit a game-winning HR for your teammates against another group of players on the diamond. Striking out your friend is nice on a console, but how about when you strikeout an entire team of players from different corners of the world?

UBO has some polishing to do, and soon UBO will be bringing a new engine and support to solve our most important issues. When originally created, UBO did not generate enough personalized options for the players in favor of making certain a platform could operate with over 10 connections simultaneously. I’ve played in plenty of successful 9 vs. 9 games in UBO and with the right group of people - that experience is second to none.

Now that we know it can be done, we are going to be developing more bells and whistles to really make the game shine. Customized uniforms, equipment upgrades, and team challenges are in store for the next version of UBO.

gamebunny:
Recently, we’ve seen a number of new sports-based MMOs arrive or be announced, such as Freestyle Street Basketball, Football Superstars and Empire of Sports. How do you feel about this new competition? You used to stand alone in the field (so to speak). I know in our email conversations you’ve wondered how these dev teams plan on overcoming the tough latency issues involved.

Sean Mackay:
The new competition is great. Together, we are all building awareness for this great genre of sports video gaming.

As far as latency issues, we feel we have a head-start with the technology and systems necessary to connect the world on a playing field, including patents on latency control in the genre. There are plenty of ways to make latency less of an issue. You can lower the size of information packets sent back and forth from servers, you can slow down the speed of the game to allow for signals to be sent, you can dull down the graphics to save for processing time for slower computers. The key is finding the right mix for the customer.

gamebunny:
What’s your position of choice when you sit down to play UBO? First base? Shortstop? What’s your average? Are you knocking balls out of the park every time you step up to the plate?

Sean Mackay:
When you see me in the game I’m usually on with my GM account as “UBOPRESS” talking up our next big event for teams and players. When I do take the field, I tend to play in the outfield where the real action and skill takes place on defense. Getting to a pop-fly and tracking down shots to the gap can be pretty tough, so I want to get better in that regard. My average is a respectable .500+ but I don’t think opposing pitchers fear my power enough.

gamebunny:
A few months back the game received a nice graphics upgrade. What are some of the upcoming improvements players can look forward to?

Sean Mackay:
Developers love this question. There are few things in the works right now. 1st, UBO’s current engine will be releasing a Fall edition later in the quarter with some fantastic individual challenges meant to help educate and enhance the gaming experience. HR Derby’s and skill-based pitching challenges are among the top additions this year.

2nd, Netamin is working to develop its next gen version of Ultimate Baseball Online with a completely new graphics, connectivity, and physics engine. This is where the bells and whistles come into play and where the players will finally see the entire vision of what this genre deserves.

gamebunny:
If you could add one amazing new feature to UBO that currently isn’t feasible – what would it be?

Sean Mackay:
I’m part of the press team, so I think it would be amazing to do live play-by-play for games and players. It would be great to allow players to take their own moments on the diamond and send them to their personal pages in our website or email them to friends.

gamebunny:
I’m going to be brutally frank here and let you know that while I’m a big MMO fan, I’m not a huge sports fan and have yet to try UBO. My two-fold question is – is Netamin even interested in attracting MMO fans who aren’t baseball/sports fanatics and if so, why would I/we find UBO compelling?

Sean Mackay:
MMO fans are definitely one of our core audiences. Some of our most dedicated groups come from games like Counter-Strike, Quake, and Battlefield. We know every MMO player isn’t going to click with a sport-based game, but when a member of a group like that finds UBO and enjoys it - its natural to want friends to share that experience with.

For gamers like you, see if your MMO skills can equate to baseball success. The sensation of hitting your 1st homerun in the game and seeing the instant replay of your character rounding the bases is an exciting moment. Find a group of teammates and join a team tournament to see if you can really perform when it counts! You don’t just battle another group of players - you have a win/loss record that can mean do-or-die for future events that we host. The grand event? A $10,000 tournament at the end of the year to find out who the best team is in Ultimate Baseball Online.

gamebunny:
Lastly, what is the official UBO stance on the use of steroids by online avatars?

Sean Mackay:
As with any online game, the use of illegal performance enhancing “steroids” is strictly prohibited. Cheating the game and the community are very serious offenses and Netamin has pursued legal action against violators and will continue to do so to protect the integrity of the game.

Many thanks go out to Sean for taking time to answer our questions - You can access the official ULTIMATE BASEBALL ONLINE web site for further info.