Narrative / Simulation Robin Burke GAM 224

Outline Quiz Admin Schedule change Narrative Simulation (?)

Quiz 30 minutes

Admin Starting "Culture" unit Topic for 11/9 now "The Game Industry" on-line reading "Death to the Game Industry: Long Live Games"

Narrative Play Narrative is a basic form of human experience any event can be turned into a narrative fundamental mental representation Any game-playing experience can be turned into a story emergent narrative The game may also include crafted narrative elements embedded narrative

Dramatic structure Emergent narrative is a function of dramatic structure how does the player experience change over time? Fundamental idea tension-release Constant tension exhausting overwhelming

Dramatic structure in Asteroids Start assessment, slow-moving menace Response planful response selective destruction Mid-point intensely reactive chaotic "pebble storm" saucers End-game skillful and focused chasing more saucers Pause before next wave Cycle is short several minutes at most

Dramatic structure in Wind Waker Start bucolic island scene Complication sister kidnapped Preparation travel item acquisition mission cut-scene Intensification navigating dungeon Confrontation boss encounter Relaxation mission completion cut-scene Back to "Preparation" Cycle much longer 60 minutes+

Interactive storytelling Early theorists thought of games as a new narrative form "interactive storytelling" According to this theory, the player would become a character would interact with the virtual world of the author would generate a unique personal story "ergodic literature"

The problem A story is a communicative act authoring a story means having something to say making form, content and structure work together to convey it the more elaborate the form the more expressive potential But the audience does not alter the form, content or structure might alter details of performance some experiments but none really successful

Games and stories To make a game story-like To make a story game-like we have to prevent the player from changing its form, content or structure guarantees the designed payoff but gives the player nothing to do To make a story game-like we have to allow its content to be generated by the user's choices which means the author is no longer free to tell his/her story user might miss expensive game content

Various compromises Abstraction Story as normative action no need for story emotional impact is lacking Story as normative action player must learn correct sequence of actions to follow the correct story constraining

The standard compromise The "string of pearls" story A segmented story A main character (the player) A number of pre-defined narrative events A pre-determined conclusion In between narrative "pearls" game actions ideally actions and narrative are coherent In some cases multiple possible conclusions multiple characters to play

Why is this the standard?

Games ≠ Stories But most games will have a narrative component What is this story? What is the mechanism by which the story is told? What is the relationship between the game's action and its narrative element? How do the "pearls" relate to "string"? Does the story work?

Benefits of game narrative Adds drama to the player's actions "If I don't get there in time, the world will be destroyed" Lends weight to the player's choices "I better decide carefully. I don't want the Vizier to kill the princess." Provides a rationale behind the structure of the game world "That's why the world is full of nasty aliens" Helps the user understand what to do and how to do it "Because I'm made of paper, I can turn into a paper airplane."

Maxims of game narrative Being shown is better than being told let the environment / setting tell the story Doing is better than being shown let the dynamics of the world reveal important facts

Utility of Cutscenes Surveillance Catapult Mood Consequences Rhythm shows the player what is ahead Catapult thrusts the player into a new situation Mood establish the emotional or narrative significance of a location Consequences vivid depiction of outcomes Rhythm break in the action Reward a treat only available through success

Example Kingdom Hearts

Narrative Systems Backstory Player's role Player's goals what is the larger "world" and context? Player's role who is the player's character? Player's goals what are the player's goals? how are those goal coherent? Narrative space what is the "physical" space in which the story unfolds? Mechanics how do the core mechanics of the game tie into the narrative?

Character Any game will have at least one character the player Sometimes the player will be represented on the screen the avatar Often there will be other characters as well non-player characters A multiplayer game will have avatars for other players

Character design Characters are very powerful a good character is worth $$$ Bugs Bunny Lara Croft But the more simple the character the more the player can bring to it Many game characters have no personality Mario Master Chief "Kid" (GTA III)

Character design 2 Character is a unity appearance voice behavior animations actions reactions of others Generating believable characters is an art

Character design 3 Multiple characters often a game needs many characters How to distinguish between them? How to distinguish between different classes of enemy? If there are distinctions the user needs to make (friend vs foe) the game must provide the information necessary to do so

Character customizability Ability to give the avatar a custom appearance Crucial for on-line multi-player How important in other contexts? Custom details can be symbols of game achievements

Plot Game plots are almost always very simple Common plot elements rescue the princess battle the monsters save the universe from the evil mastermind rule the world Common plot elements betrayal approval of older mentor magical aid acquisition of magic and strength

Hero tales Hero tales are often Examples tales of heroism simple in structure involve magical aid involve betrayal lack detailed characterization can be retold Examples Theseus and the Minotaur Aladdin and the Lamp The Goose-Girl

Psychology of the hero tale Coming of age The hero tale represents the transition from a youthful inward-focused perspective to a mature engagement with the world. Recognition of evil Mature engagement with the world requires the recognition of evil and the resolve to confront it. Interdependence The hero needs the help and (sometimes) the approval of others. Archetypal characters The characters are drawn from a standard set of archetypes. "The Misfit" The transition from being different/outcast to being part of society.

Psychology, cont'd What is the psychological function of the hero myth? Template for the issues of maturation A way to externalize difficult emotional issues tension between comfort/safety of home and excitement/danger of the world tension between growing physical and intellectual capacities and practical powerlessness.

Consequences Hero tale plots Adults Also have most intense appeal to adolescents and children also, good fit with technological limitations Adults (theoretically) have tolerance for more complex plots but complex plots difficult to create Also plot is only one component of the game game needs to be engaging for other reasons

Simulation Games simulate real-world activities Central idea sports games racing games Central idea mapping between the game and the real-world activity

Simulation II Games also simulate fantasy and fictional activities any RPG most FPS Central idea mapping between the game and...

Mapping The mapping will be incomplete The mapping will be inexact the game may leave out inconvenient or boring parts the game may include improbable situations for gameplay reasons The mapping will be inexact the game may exaggerate the physics for effect or gameplay the game may (will) abstract from physical reality for practical reasons

Basic fact All physics is simplification complex multi-body physical simulations are too slow reality is chaotic limits to what can be rendered graphically

Example: Halo What happens when a grenade explodes? do we simulate the ignition and rapid oxidation of explosives, pressure waves, metal shear and shrapnel trajectories? do we simulate concussion injuries, soft tissue damage, and bone trauma?

Game physics Physics = the evolution of the game state we want the player to feel as though there is a real world in the game the game state must be complex its evolution must seem natural the player's control over it should seem natural

Natural? Games are profoundly unnatural As in fiction Game physics Aliens? Psychic powers? Controlling a civilization over centuries? As in fiction "willing suspension of disbelief" natural within the game world context Game physics may have nothing to do with Newton's physics

Scripting When there is a fixed stereotyped response to an action in the game we say it is "scripted" As opposed to "simulated"

Example Designer decides what should happen when a grenade explodes x amount of damage to all units within certain radius x/2 damage within a larger radius leaves a certain "stencil" on the floor or wall Simplifying the actual physics

Example Locked door in Zelda Simplifications If player ties to go through locked door with key in inventory, the door opens and key is used up Simplifications Doors are logical, not physical barriers Cannot be battered down, blown up, removed from hinges Locks cannot be picked

Advantages of scripting Much, much faster to apply a simple rule than to run a physical simulation Easy to write, understand and modify

Disadvantages of scripting Limits player creativity Players will try things that "should" work based on extensive physical intuition Will be disappointed if they don't Game will need many scripts predicting their interactions can be difficult complex debugging problem

Simulation Will still be a simplification Represent the quantities of interest represent the forces that act on them create physical laws for the game world evolve the game state according to these laws

Benefits of simulation More player options Designer doesn't have to anticipate every way to do something Physical laws reusable Do not have script every object Can build (or buy) generic physics engine

Disadvantages of simulation Speed extensive simulation may make the game too slow Memory game state may become much larger Testing difficult to test all possibilities

Design decision How much to simulate? Where player creativity is important Where realism is important Where a simple enough model can be built What level of detail is required? depends on the constraints of the game always a computational cost

Example Script Simulation #1 Simulation #2 Simulation #3 when player enters room, guards converge and attack Simulation #1 when player takes a step, sound is heard over certain radius if guard is within radius and in room, guard will converge and attack Simulation #2 when player takes a step, volume of sound is calculated based on level of stealth, floor material, etc. sound is propagated through room and attenuated based on room contents guards receive sound signal and if loud enough to reach attention, they will move in the apparent direction of sound Simulation #3 same as #2, but in 3 dimensions, through floors, etc.

The role of simulation "Immersive fallacy" Counter-examples the best game is one in which the player feels that they are totally immersed in a simulated world emphasizes only a certain aspect of the game experience Counter-examples More detail is not necessarily better Katamari Damacy Need for ironic distance GTA

Monday Culture unit Play paper due