Game Play Styles

1. Game Play Styles Structure of Game Play IAT 410

2. Game Play Mechanics • Games Have various structures that the user must handle • Common structures appear in many games IAT 410

3. Suggestions? • Boss, physics, character development IAT 410

4. Driving & Physical skill • Player must control vehicle/self to win • Must conform to environment • Music and Dance games do this • Fighting game combos • Jumping in platform games • Special moves in Skate / Snow Board IAT 410

5. Puzzle - Arrange Geometry • Some self-contained artifact must be rearranged into a solved position • Sokoban • Solitaire • Sudoku • Adventure games IAT 410

6. Dynamic Puzzle • Some dynamic artifact must be navigated through • Deadly pendulums swinging! • Tetris • Sequence repeat, word puzzle, maze, memory IAT 410

7. Collection • The player has to collect something • Mario Bros, Pikmin, Oddworld, etc etc • Collect fuel to be used later • Diablo, MMORPGs • Collect cash & special items IAT 410

8. Rescue • The player has to get some character • Someone needs to be saved from peril • Defender, Pronce of Persia, Donkey Kong` • Rescue animals/characters along the way • Sonic • Recruit • Sometimes merely a motivator or an ever-vanishing goal IAT 410

9. Collision Detection • Shooting • Player shoots a projectile to make progress towards winning • Direct Attack by self • Collision Avoidance • Bullets miss you • Block punch/kick IAT 410

10. Obstacle Avoidance • Player must avoid environmental objects/enemies to win • Pac-Man (Inky, Pinky, etc) • Centipede • Frogger • Mario Bros etc etc IAT 410

11. Obstacle Creation • Player creates or controls environment to influence or defeat opponent • Eg. Light cycles in Tron • Walls in strategy games • Go • Garbage accumulates IAT 410

12. Search • Something’s hidden in the environment • Key to locked door • Character who knows X • Find best X in Geometric state • Words in Bookworm • Rows or columns of like color in Bejeweled IAT 410

13. Material Removal • Object is to remove opponent’s pieces • Examples • Chess • Checkers • War games • Action games (Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Asteroids) IAT 410

14. Material Creation • Objects are created by user or game • May be competing process with Material Removal • Direct: • Tetris, Go, Othello • Indirect • Fortifications (Walls created to direct traffic) • Economies IAT 410

15. Economic Simulation • You must set up a flow of material and/or money • Get the most stuff as a means of conquest IAT 410

16. Economy Simulation • Resource gathering • Gold, Wood, Iron, etc, etc • Direct • AOE gatherer units, C&C • Indirect • Total Annihilation, Kingdoms, IAT 410

17. Economic Simulation • Buildings • Create NPCs • AOE, Warcraft I, Caesar III • Create/transform materials • Settlers, Caesar III IAT 410

18. Economic Simulation • Traffic Flow • Roads! • NPC must pass a building for a transaction to take place • Zoo Tycoon, Caesar III • NPC must stop and deliver/pick something up • Railroad Tycoon IAT 410

19. “Research” • Create a new technology that makes your NPCs better • AOE, Starcraft • Advance your civilization • Upgrade character • Upgrade car/train/weapons…. IAT 410

20. Dialog/Negotiation • You talk to other players/NPCs • To learn things • Characters tell you X • Learn X in passing • To get missions • To gain/lose membership in a gang/guild/club • To coordinate attack/defense • Trade • Read environment for clues • News clippings IAT 410

21. Artificial Life • Must grow your creature • Train it • Feed it IAT 410

22. IAT 410

23. Fun Flow -- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Chapter 3 “Enjoyment and the Quality of Life” Some thoughts on Game Design – Andrew Glassner IAT 410

24. What is fun? • Can you name an experience that was supposed to be fun but was not? • Not supposed to be fun, but was? IAT 410

25. What is fun? Pleasing Addictive Stimulating Engaging • Can you name an experience that was supposed to be fun but was not? • Not supposed to be fun, but was? Star Wars parts I & II IAT 410

26. Is it reasonable to say some software “Is fun” ? IAT 410

27. Is it reasonable to say some software “Is fun” ? It depends: … on audience … do you have to learn a new language? Ease of play vs. Challenge Other experiences: Museum IAT 410

28. Not just software alone! • Software + context IAT 410

29. Not just software alone! • Software + context Depends on mood IAT 410

30. What Mihaly did • Sociology • Interviews • Surveys of people’s attitudes • Using the beeper - • “Tell me how you’re feeling now” IAT 410

31. How can you be happy? • Make external conditions match goals • eg. “kill the jerks” or • Change your experience of external conditions • Even of house is safe, may still worry • Make goals match external conditions IAT 410

32. Happiness • Money can’t buy happiness • eg. Unhappy rock stars • Real happiness • What happens to us • How we feel about ourselves IAT 410

33. Pleasure • Expectations have been met • Too high: Hype about experience • Low expectations: Random video rental IAT 410

34. Pleasure • Expectations have been met • Too high: Hype about experience • Low expectations: Random video rental Star Wars I & II IAT 410

35. Enjoyment • Forward motion, sense of accomplishment • Game with matched opponent • Too easy or too hard is no fun! IAT 410

36. Characteristics of Flow • Have chance of completing the “task” • Able to concentrate • Clear goals • Immediate feedback • Deep but “effortless” involvement • Exercise control IAT 410

37. Flow • A challenging activity that requires skill • Hunting dog story: • Dog runs in circles, owner tries to catch dog • Dog runs tighter circle when master is tired • Dog tunes the challenge! IAT 410

38. Control • Paradoxical: Can’t be too afraid of failure • Rock climbers minimize risk • More than just being in control: • Exercising control • Illusion of Control • Anorexia • Gamblers “figure out” chance events IAT 410

39. Addiction • Lose ability to control own choices • Have you ever been addicted to a game? • What was going on in your life at the time? • Was it you, or the game? IAT 410

40. Flow • Concern for self disappears • Returns after experience is over • Sense of time duration is altered IAT 410

41. Flow • Concern for self disappears • Returns after experience is over • Sense of time duration is altered … you notice you’re hungry IAT 410

42. Success • “Creates order in consciousness and strengthens the structure of the self” IAT 410

43. Success • “Creates order in consciousness and strengthens the structure of the self” Transition from Beginner to Reasonably Skilled IAT 410

44. Why do games stop being fun? IAT 410

45. Why do games stop being fun? • Stagnation • Obsolescence (new game improves on old) • Plateau in skills • Pacing or difficulty • Why return to a game: • Nostalgia • Forgetting the bad things • Taking a break to think offline IAT 410

46. Design to Achieve Flow • Pace difficulty • Allow control • Don’t make things too hard • Don’t make things too easy IAT 410

47. Glassner • Avoid: • Making it easy to cheat • People will always exploit bugs • Flight sim • Multiplayer sim • etc. etc. IAT 410

48. Repetition • Make it easy for users to repeat things • Interactivity != Participation • The raw count of mouse clicks is not a good measure of quality! • Not all actions taken by the user are desirable. Has to be fun. IAT 410

49. Detail • Too much detail • Required actions overly detailed • Eg. Potions in Ultima Online • Under-detailed • Don't take control away from the user • "A game should offer the fastest and easiest possible way to do everything unless there is some entertaining or informative reason to prevent it." IAT 410

50. Deception • Faulty scuba gauge IAT 410