A Look At Doof: A Flash-Based ‘Social’ Gaming Site

Multiplayer gaming on the Internet – or social gaming, if we’re talkin’ two-oh lingo – is nothing new. It’s been done for, well, many, many years. I believe Yahoo! was the first portal of any significant stature to debut a venue for just such entertainments, way back in the days when dial-up still ruled the tubes.

So when Profy got a message recently from the makers of a social gaming network, asking us to test what they had developed, I figured I’d give it a go. I didn’t go into the test expecting all that much, but as Web developments have since evolved from basic HTML and Java compositions to AJAX- and Flash-rich concoctions, I did hope to at least find a more advanced, more refined, and more pleasurable experience than what was available in the mid to late ‘90s.

My immediate impression of the site, dubbed Doof (yes, it’s true, that’s its name) was of its overt shininess. Gloss is liberally applied throughout the menus and the gaming environment itself. It’s bubbly east to west, north to south. Which is understandable. It’s an entertainment venue, and, well, it does have to have a “fun” look to it, no?

It’s hardly the worst looking Flash-based item in the world, anyway. The thematic gold-gray-black palate atop a backdrop of white does bring it all together quite well, to be honest, and most buttons positioned about the layout are large and easy to understand. Overall, I doubt many gamers interested in what Doof actually has to offer in terms of a library will not feel intimidated or put off in the least. Well, that is unless one isn’t too keen about the color combo presented. (Personally, I think it could do with a bit of lightening up.)

On to the gameplay itself. What can I say? Everything works more or less as advertised. You click, things happen. (Can you tell I’m an absolutely avid gamer?) I didn’t make an attempt to pair up with another player, so I can’t tell you whether the social aspects of the site are up to par, but I trust the project’s creators have most all of their ducks lined up in a nice clean row in that respect. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t. Gameplay, as simple and elementary as it is at Doof, isn’t taxing on one’s network connection, so as long as the backend is all in order, one shouldn’t come across any unfortunate issues. (Oh how thorough a review, eh?)

Speaking of unfortunate issues. While browsing about the site, I decided to actually pick a title and try it out for myself. The game was “Cascade”, and though I had no clue what I was doing (I presume one is to eliminate all blocks before an opposing player does the same with those on their own screen? Of course, I played solo, so I likely won points for absolutely no reason whatsoever.) I found myself surprised by Doof’s request to launch a pop-up. Not to display an advertisement, mind you, but rather to project the game itself upon my screen. Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t the purpose developing a site entirely in flash for the purpose of organizing multiple virtual windows within a single browser window? I believe so. I would advise Doof’s creators to make some adjustments, and soon. I know most all of the key irritants for the average netizen today, and one of them is the odious pop-up, so take this piece of advice, dear Doof developers, and lose ‘em. Fast.

Well, that about wraps it up, I think. If you’re interested in checking out Doof for yourself, it is set for an official debut at the end of the month, but the “beta” appears to be an open one, so check out the pre-launch item if you’d like. Be sure to tell us your impressions!

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