CMUNE is leading the development of next-generation social games. They created Paradise Paintball, the first 3D social shooter available across Facebook, MySpace and Apple.com as a Dashboard Widget.

Who Are You?

Cmune was founded in 2007 with the vision of creating a social 3D platform. We realized pretty quickly that the best way to convince other people that we weren’t crazy was to build a successful flagship product on that platform, and thus Paradise Paintball was born.

What Games Are You Working On?

We released Paradise Paintball, the first social shooter in early 2009. We are pretty happy with the fact it was the first free-to-play, multiplayer 3D FPS on a social network with a virtual goods business model and even mobile payment.

It is also now available on MySpace and is the first game to be cross-channel which means Facebook users play can play in real-time with MySpace or Apple Widget users.

We’re also working on a browser-based MMORPG with a partner in San Francisco which will enter Beta mid 2010. It’s under wraps at the moment, so we can’t say too much but it implements a lot of cool Unity tech and it’s built on the Cmune platform!

What’s the production plan?

In 2009 we invested heavily in getting our technology to a level that we were happy with, and we can tell you that it wasn’t easy! Releasing Paradise Paintball early got us a lot of user feedback, which helped tremendously in refining and scaling our platform. We would recommend releasing early with a “Minimum Viable Product” and building a community as soon as you can – we’ve been amazed at the community support and have been unofficially named “the people’s game” because our developers work closely with players in the community.

We know it’s not easy making games, particularly ones that make money for the developers, and that’s the problem we want to solve. There’s a big shift toward free-to-play (virtual goods) and social network distribution, which are already massive in Asia and taking the West by storm. Those elements are two of the key strengths of our platform. We also have a real-time multiplayer SDK, a JSON-based Web Service API that hooks tightly into Unity for features like leaderboards, clans, inventory, avatar customization, social graph and virtual economy interfaces. Finally we have payment channel integration for Mobile, Credit Card, Paypal and OfferPal. We are currently looking for partners who wish to leverage our platform to develop or port their game.

We are growing our team (yes, we are hiring!) and our plan is to continuously improve our platform and offer more useful technology and operational insight to developers we work with.

How Is Your Toolchain Put Together

To create Paradise Paintball, we started off stealing most of the art from Ethan (resident Unity Asset Maestro) to get the first version online – we’re forever in his debt for the Lerpz character, which is quite a legend in our community.

Unity is famous for having a sweet asset pipeline and we use that extensively, our art team knows how to use Unity and tweaks a lot within the engine. We also use an artwork SVN repository to distribute and version assets between the dev and art teams.

Editor scripts are a huge time saver and we have an SVN project to share good editor scripts across all of our Unity projects, as well as common assets like shaders and particle effects.

What Obstacles Did You Run Into?

Overall the biggest obstacle is convincing players to download a plug-in, but with all of the large publishers picking up Unity of late, it is becoming far less of an issue.

Aside from this, we had issues early on with Mono, and P2P networking proved tricky, but we found ways to work around those. We’re looking forward to a Mono update and more hooks in PhysX.
Which Was the Best Part of The Unity Experience?

In the early days and despite the “startup” status of Unity at the time, the awesomeness of the community and Unity team was second to none. This was our main reason for adopting Unity, even though it wasn’t the most fully featured engine, we thought “these guys are going somewhere”, and we were right!

Technically, the ability to write once and deploy to multiple target platforms is great. But realistically the web player is the killer feature for us: the ease of distribution, updates and ability to interface with all things web is a whole new game that is just starting to play out.

A couple of add-ons

a. We have offers on Facebook and our Portal, where they are very popular, and on our way to add them on MySpace.

b. The virtual goods rental model we are using is considered “virtual goods 2.0″ and proven for several years in both Korea and China.

c. We feel there is now space for less mass-market games with higher production value. Getting the COD / Halo / etc. audience to social games sounded like a good bet to us, and has been reflected in higher ARPPU

d. Watch out for our next iterations!

Paradise Paintball remains the first and only multiplayer FPS on Facebook, MySpace and Apple Dashboard Widgets. We are now iterating at a faster pace and were awarded the “Best New App” by MySpace at GDC.

Facebook | MySpace | Portal | Widget

The game works seamlessly across all the above channels.

Paradise Paintball Gets a Big Upgrade and an Award
By Christopher Mack

Over a year ago, we saw one of the first 3D games on Facebook, Paradise Paintball. At the time, the game was reminiscent of old PC first-person shooters (FPS) such as Delta Force. However, it was seen more as a proof of concept to the Unity Engine’s 3D capabilities on Facebook, and felt unfinished. Well, the game’s been about for some time now, and Cmune’s paintball FPS looks very different — and better — today. And it’s also available on a wider range of social gaming platforms.

Again, the game is an FPS that pits players into synchronous battles with each other in either team matches or free-for-alls. The idea is to rack up as many “splats” (kills) as you can before time expires. Of course, that’s a game 12 months past, and a little bit has changed since then.

Aside from visuals, such as foliage in the game’s tropical settings, looking significantly better, players have a handful of weapons at their disposal. Like the original version, there is still a pistol, machine gun, grenade launcher, and sniper rifle that all players enter a game with. Some weapons still feel stronger than others, but with five maps, as opposed to the original two, none of the weapons feel that much stronger.

The level design, overall, is not too bad. Most of the levels, save Lost Paradise, are small enough and have enough cover that a sniper can’t often sit unopposed, and a grenadier needs to be a surgeon with their shots lest they end up blowing themselves up. More than this, however, is the introduction of random items and power-ups throughout each world.

There are items floating about the various levels that grant users one of two types of power-ups: Player Power-ups or Weapon Power-ups. The former includes increasing movement speed and jumping height, which, by the way, is very cool, a “secret power up,” the ability to walk on water, and, well, ammunition. Each of these add a nice enhancement to play, and nothing is so powerful that an experienced player cannot handle it.

The latter, the weapon power-ups, are another story. These can be frustrating, and include “Old Man,” which slows you down (not a big deal); “Drunken Master,” which blurs the screen, making it more or less impossible to see; and the coup de grace, “Flipper,” which is quite possible the most obnoxious ability ever conceived. It turns the entire player upside down and puts everything backwards, making it not only dizzying and disorienting, but pretty much guarantees that you’re about to die.

That said, if you’re worried about dying, get used to it. It’s going to happen a lot. Most of the games people play – at least among Facebook’s 48,000, or so, monthly active users – are free-for-all games. These are usually unlimited time, and just meant to be fun, but some of the levels are so small that you’d be lucky to live 30 seconds.

Another change is that players can now improve their avatars Battlefield-Heroes style. Every day the user logs in, they earn 500 points which can be used to buy a handful of items to increase their chances of survival in battle… or just look cooler. Each item can be bought for either one, seven, or 30 days and include everything from a shotgun, to special hair and clothing, to body armor. Every weapon and piece of actual armor costs Credits, a virtual currency, that must be bought via PayPal or Zong. Basically, if you want to spend money, you get rewarded, but not so much if you are loyal and play a lot. Furthermore, a recent study by Offerpal Media and comScore, just last week, showed that only 22.8% of players are willing and able to buy virtual currency or goods, yet 52.3% are likely to complete marketing actions for it – something not present in Paradise Paintball. Basically, that means that Paradise Paintball’s monetization methods are limited.

Nevertheless, the game was still fun. Granted, the majority of social network users prefer asynchronous game play – as most do not consider themselves gamers – but Paradise Paintball was good enough to win the award of “Best New MySpace App” during the Game Developer’s Conference, 2010. Furthermore, with the game on Facebook, MySpace, Apple Dashboard, and Cmune’s own game portal, it’s hardly doing bad. Overall, it just needs a few tweaks here and there in the monetization department, but beyond that, if you like free shooters, this isn’t a bad one to try.

“Paradise Paintball brings adrenalin to social networks,” said Ludovic Bodin, Cmune’s Co-Founder and CEO, “the fun setting and fast-paced action is better than a cup of coffee, enjoyable by casual players as much as hard-core FPS fans.”

The game transports players into a stunning 3D tropical setting for real-time multiplayer paintball shootout. Players can customize their character, get deadly paintball guns and sturdy armor, form clans and play across five different maps to rule the paintball field.

“Social gamers are ready to graduate to console-quality games and we’re proud to be the first to bring a powerful 3D game to social platforms,” said Shaun Le Lacheur Sales, Cmune’s Co-Founder and CTO, “the future is real-time, cross-platform and we’re making it happen.”

The game monetizes via a free-to-play model and is playable across multiple web-based channels including MySpace, Facebook, on Apple.com as a Dashboard Widget and Cmune’s own game portal.

MySpace | www.cmune.com/pp/myspace
Facebook | www.cmune.com/pp/facebook
Apple Dashboard | www.cmune.com/pp/apple
Cmune Portal | www.cmune.com/pp/portal
Company | www.cmune.com

Paradise Paintball 3.0 from Cmune on Vimeo.

About Cmune, Ltd.

Cmune Ltd., founded in 2007, is based in San Francisco and Beijing, home of the world’s most active online gaming scene. Paradise Paintball is Cmune’s first title built on its real-time web gaming platform and the world’s first 3D First-Person Shooter (FPS) to run across MySpace, Facebook, Cmune’s web portal and on Apple.com as a Dashboard Widget. Cmune has developed a proprietary platform allowing rapid creation, distribution and monetization of next-gen social games, browser-based MMOs and Virtual Worlds, leveraging it for both in-house and third-party development.

About Paradise Paintball:

• Browser-based FPS for Mac & PC
• Multiplayer
• Distributed via Facebook, MySpace Apple Widget and Cmune’s own portal
• In 3D!

Join thousands of players for a match!

Play on Facebook | Play on Facebook | Play on the Cmune Portal | Download the Widget

The version 3.0 includes:

• Brand New Avatars: great hairstyles and hit zones for finer gameplay.
• Five maps: The Warehouse, Oriental Kenzo (is this our office?!), Monkey Island, Hills of Eden, Lost Paradise.
• Five weapons to shoot paint from – including the dreadful paintball shotgun.
• Dozens of outfits, gear, armors, shirts and more to customize your looks
• Global chat: you’re in Facebook and your friend on Apple Widget? No problem

Myspace Tutorial Day: Unity on Myspace
Room 300, South Hall, 10:30-11:00am

We are in SF all week to:
* Meet up with Unity developers: we are hiring !
* Develop business relationship with other companies using/interested in Unity for browser-based MMO, virtual world, next-gen social games ; see the CMUNE platform : http://www.cmune.com/index.php/the-cmune-platform/
* Meet up with gaming studios interested to get their game published on social networks with monetization coming from sales of virtual goods

Contact : ludovic [at] cmune.com

In addition to showing our work, we covered as well the strategic thinking and business potential behind the use of social networking sites.

The video is available after the jump (Duration: 30m:34s, Size: 338MB).

“Paradise Paintball is the biggest success of Unity in Facebook so far” – David Helgason, CEO, Unity (Interviewed in Gamasutra)

Note: We will be in San Francisco in March for GDC and in Austin for SXSW

Paradise Paintball is the world’s first “Social Shooter Game” and was first launched in alpha in November 2008 across Facebook, Apple Dashboard Widgets and our own portal. It had major upgrades since then, improving both the game and our platform.

CMUNE’s vision is to create real-time 3D social games and applications connected to a central platform. Social networks, portals, widgets, etc. are all distribution channels.

PocketGamer Review:
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Paradise Paintball 3D

Paintball is one of those really fun experiences, right up until you experience a point-blank shot to either the groin or face.

Thankfully, Paradise Paintball 3D won’t cause you any pain (at least not physically), but you can enjoy all the excitement of running about in fantasy locations shooting paint at other Facebook users.

In my limited time, I decided to just choose a game at random and see how badly I could do. Once I had installed the Unity Plugin – to allow it to run, I was quickly thrown into a match, and subsequently started shooting anyone who came near.

The graphics were smooth, and head-shotting players was as a satisfying as ever. The group I played against (12 players is the maximum number) weren’t too skilled, so I managed a few kills. It also allowed me to try out some of the guns on offer, including a sniper rifle.

True to social gaming fashion, and how the developer will make money, players can purchase guns, clothing and other items to customise your character with, if that sort of thing floats your boat.

All in all, I was impressed. The lack of claret might put some people off, but removing gore is something that older games might appreciate, though let’s face it: you’re still shooting people.

There’s a lot of potential in this first-person shooter, and definitely worth a go whether or not you typically like this sort of thing – I certainly had a blast and will continue to try it out.

At the least, Paradise Paintball 3D shows exactly what is possible on Facebook, and may be a sign of things to come.

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Because of China’s leadership in the gaming sector, CMUNE CEO Ludovic Bodin is taking Chinese revenue models and applying them to his Western-launched products such as Paradise Paintball.

Says Bodin, “China is one of the most advanced country in the world for online gaming and has strong knowledge of the sale of virtual goods as a primary business model. CMUNE is taking the best practices in China and adapting for a non-Chinese context and audience. Developing here gives us an advantage to later launch into the Chinese market. ”

Here are some of the ideas shared by Cmune’s CEO Ludovic Bodin:

1. What are your top three trend predictions for the virtual goods sector in 2010?

• A new market is going to emerge, between casual games a la Zynga & MMO a la WoW.
• More non-US/Europe companies become visible, making geography less and less relevant.
• Crossover titles become a must have. MMO and a lighter and more social version of them, kind of Social MMO works closely together. This collaboration create for both companies additional line of revenue and it become an invitation and conversion loop enhancers.

2. What challenges do you expect 2010 to bring for the virtual goods industry?

• Defense of IP for games with low barrier of entry becomes a very serious issue — core expertise lies not in game production anymore, but running a service and distribution networks. How many farm games on Facebook? Which was the first? (answer: it was before Facebook existed!)
• Companies with good games but low expertise on analytics and viral mechanics struggle.

3. What was the most significant evolution at your company over the course of 2009 and what are your business and product goals for 2010?

• We implemented and experimented to understand user behaviors
• 2010 is going to be about reach, scale and conversion !

4. How has the global economy affected your business, and how has it impacted strategy?

• 2009 was not the best climate to raise money.
• But was an excellent time to experiment as not many companies are getting started due to the economic climate.

5. Who are the one or two companies or individuals you think are most likely to have the greatest impact on the virtual goods sector in 2010 and why?

• Unity3d! Bringing the quality of console games / MMOs to the browser is going to be a game changer.
• Cmune (us ^_^ ) – as our first product, Paradise Paintball 3D will show the emergence of a new segment of the gaming market, between Social Games & MMO, and we hope to lead the way!

– Quotes –
These online communities, and their integration with games, have been the driving force behind changes in the way games are monetized. A game hosted on a remote server has entirely different characteristics than a game hosted in one’s own home, as Ludovic Bodin, co-founder of of China-based gaming start up CMUNE, explains, “Both game portals and social networks are becoming very strong distribution and entertainment channels. An important change for traditional game production is the evolution from game-as-a-product to game-as-a-service, especially connected to the ‘virtual goods’ business model.”

The familiarity of Chinese developers with these revenue and distribution models makes China an ideal place for gaming companies working in what is a new business environment in the West. One current example is CMUNE, the Beijing-based developer of a “platform to rapidly produce, distribute and monetize 3D multiplayer web-games,” says co-founder Bodin. CMUNE made a name for itself with Paradise Paintball, the first 3D game on Facebook. The game has, to date, been downloaded 1.5 million times and has been a regular fixture on the most downloaded web-widget on the Apple Store dashboard.

Bodin founded the company back in 2007, along with Shaun Lelacheur Sales, and says he chose to develop in China because, “among the top 10 online gaming companies in the world, seven are from Asia and five specifically from China.” He suggests that the knowledge and operational excellence is in Asia today. “The West is just starting to catch up on ‘free to play’ models, while 3D browser-based games are only just emerging worldwide.”

As Bodin points out, “The [Chinese] virtual goods market of 2009 is five times larger than the US market.” It should be obvious to anyone involved that this added level of saturation can offer unique skills, fostered by the Chinese marketplace, to help worldwide gaming companies get ahead.