ProjectRockstar Free Web Game
Review: Project Rockstar, Browser Based Game from Viral Masters Curb
Sep 18, 2008
Project Rockstar, created by UK based viral marketing specialists Curb is a rarity. At first, the casual visitor might mistake it for a shallow, ad-revenue based, browser based advertising vehicle. Scratching the surface, however, reveals that it is so much more than that.
Where else is it possible to put together a band, with members hand picked from a roster of thousands, and mould them to acquire a style of their own, before setting them loose in a recording studio? While it's all virtual, the player has a real sense of ownership, and that's the hook - that, and the real community spirit that makes up the PR environment.
Playing ProjectRockstar Through the Browser
Project Rockstar is played through the browser. What's more - they all work, even Firefox, Chrome and Flock - without a hitch. This is a good thing, but also made possible by the simplistic interface. There's no Flash, very little (if any) JavaScript, and a few well-chosen graphics. Everything else is done on the server.
The icon based interface is clear and unfussy. The screens are logically broken out into areas with specific meaning, and everything is consistent. What advertising there is, is well targeted, and entertaining, and never intrusive. In short, it's a style that Curb have stuck with for some years, and there's no reason to change it.
The only criticism might be that the graphics are very samey, but that's ignoring what's behind them.
Getting Started with Project Rockstar
The PR principle is simple : make a band, make money. This requires spending money, to hand pick pick artists by category, skill, and mix of ability/personality. The more expensive musicians will have ability (skill) and personality in droves, but the beginner won't be able to afford them, instead left with comical charisma vacuums with little skill to speak of.
The ProjectRockstar game is based around a daily update, with players preparing all their 'moves' by setting band to do something, and then waiting for an email the next day to see they how got on, and whether they made any money.
There is plenty for bands to do:
- Practicing - improves skills;
- Playing gigs/festivals - makes money increases record sales;
- Recording singles, albums etc.
- Promoting... and so on.
However, since the player can't alter the band's personality, having the above is useless without some kind of strategy. Without making money, the player will quickly go bust, so strategy becomes an integral part of survival.
Project Rockstar Playability and Depth
It is quite possible to stay at a very light level of involvement, but it can be much more fun to expand empire to include a gig venue or label. It is at this point, that the player will be interacting with a large, vocal, active, and highly dedicated community.
The premise is roughly the same, here, the player must find bands to sign to their label, or play in gig venues in order to make money. This income is then split with the players who 'own' the bands. Only, this time, the bands have been crafted by someone else, which adds a new dimension.
PR thus becomes much more of a community based game, and fun to play, but there is a steep increase in the amount of time required. Most of the additional in-game time will be spent researching new bands and communicating with other players.
Luckily, this never really feels like a chore.
The danger with a game like Project Rockstar is that if the player stays at the band only level of involvement, it can become repetitive, and the additional investment, for casual players, of becoming more involved may turn them away. However, the results are well worth the additional time spent in the ProjectRockstar world.
