Jodo's i3330 Blog

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Knowledge Keeper : Playtesting

Playtesting is extremely important in producing a quality game that appeals to the interest of your potential players. There are a few things that a developer needs to realize when making a game:  1. You are making the game for your players - not yourself Despite what you think is the fun or proper way to design a mechanic, you should always ask for player feedback on that mechanic. Often times, vast majorities of players will provide similar feedback on a feature or mechanic, and as a developer it is your job to rework that feature/ mechanic to what the players want.  2. To make a good game, you need to understand your players Understanding the people who will be playing your game is important in creating fun experiences for the players.  3. You don't come in a box with your game Players should be able to play your game without guidance from the developers. The game should provide the player with enough information for them to play on their own. This can be done with various methods, such as tutorials, or introducing players to a mechanic in a controlled environment. The typical development cycle is as follows:

As you can see, there are multiple user testing stages in development. Providing multiple user testing phases allows players to see your changes, and for them to provide additional feedback.  A typical user test consists of the user getting the product, then performing test sessions. After the test sessions, the user will provide a list of issues which they will analyse to filter out which issues to report. The user should then report those issues to the dev team. The dev team should resolve the issues, and send a new version to the tester.  A proper user test should be: Representative Accurate Specific Timely Cost-effective Actionable Motivational Feedback may not be like this without hired testers. For example, releasing a beta version of the game to the public so that you can get feedback will yield a lot of feedback, but not necessarily always useful feedback. There are various user test methods that can be referred to when testing a game.

Focus Group - 4-8 people gather to discuss game features and ideas. This generates lots of feedback, but sometimes too much feedback.  Observation - Watch the players as they play. Keep an eye on their body language. Observation can cause false feedback, as it is a bit intrusive.   Surveys and Questionnaires - Easy to conduct, but requires a large sample. Spend time developing a good survey with important questions. 

Interviews - This allows for a deeper understanding of the user feedback. However multiple interviews can be time consuming, and deciding who to interview can be tricky. Heuristic Evaluation - Get feedback from experts. This is cost and time efficient and can be used at any stage of production. Think aloud - Encourage players to speak their thoughts as they play. This can be done alongside observation. Diary study - Diary studies are done over long periods of time and are often difficult to conduct. 

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Knowledge Keeper : Reward Systems

Reward Systems in a game do not only refer to quest rewards, or other character rewards for the player; they also refer to the entire aesthetic feedback that the player receives from completing tasks and playing the game. There are 8 reward systems as defined by Wang & Sun. Score Systems (glory) - The player receives a score or points for completing tasks Experience and Leveling Systems (facility) - The player's character levels up and grows stronger from completing tasks Item Granting System Rewards (facility, glory) - The player is granted with items for completing tasks Collectible and Usable Resources (sustenance) - The player earns money or other useful resources essential to the sustainability of their character Achievement Systems (glory) - The player is rewarded by unlocking an achievement Feedback Messages (praise) - Any kind of visual/ aural/ physical feedback sent to the player because of an action Plot Animations and Pictures (access) - The story progresses or the player is granted access to certain visuals because of an action or set of actions Unlocking Mechanisms - A certain feature/ area/ item /etc. is unlocked as a result of player actions All of these reward systems can be refined in to 4 characteristics.  1. Social value of reward 2. Effect of reward on gameplay 3. Suitability of reward for collection and review 4. Time required to earn or receive a reward Players can use rewards in four ways: Advancement, review, sociality, or to cooperate/ compete. Typically; self progress indicates advancement, casual play for self indicates review, casual play with others indicates sociality, and advancement with others indicates cooperating or competition. When designing a reward system, you can look at common conditioning experiments such as Pavlov's dogs, or the Little Albert Experiment. Naturally, humans can be conditioned by exposing them to recurring events as a result of their actions. This tactic is used in a ton of games to control player emotion and actions. Conditioning players can be done through positive and negative enforcement. To promote a player action you can present them with positive or negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement suggests adding something appealing (ex. give the player money when they kill a monster), whereas negative reinforcement suggests removing something unappealing (ex. remove a harmful object when the player hits a switch).  Likewise, you can also deter player behavior using positive and negative punishment. Positive punishment means to add something unappealing (ex. obstruct the players vision when they take damage), and negative punishment means to take away something appealing (ex. remove the players health when they take damage).  When designing player rewards, a developer should make sure that there are constant small rewards to keep the player interested, and very uncommon large rewards. A good balance between these two things is important in keeping the player interested in playing 

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Becoming a Critic : Limbo

Limbo is a 2D puzzle/ platformer created by indie developer, Playdead. The game was a huge success on release. People seem to love the ambiguous story, the creepy art style, and the overall gameplay. In this blog, I am going to be discussing Limbo and its formal game elements, why I think it was designed the way it was, and why I had a hard time enjoying it. Players As soon as you start playing, you are thrown in to a creepy black and white world, playing as a boy. There is absolutely no introduction or back story in the beginning, and I found that it was hard to develop a lusory attitude for the game.  Limbo is designed to be played alone. I feel that the game was designed this way for a few reasons. The first is because it was the developers first major title, and single player games are much easier to design and develop than multiplayer. The second reason is because of how immersed the player is supposed to feel. Making this a single player game attaches the player to the character more, as there is only one character to focus on.  Being a single player game, Limbo only has one player interaction pattern - single player vs. game. Objectives There is a distinct lack of objectives in Limbo. One reason that I had a hard time playing through the game, is that I didn’t know why I was playing. There wasn’t any story revealed to me and I felt like I was just playing the game for the sake of trying to beat it, rather than complete any sort of objective.  This being said, Limbo is a puzzle game; and thus, objectives such as solution and alignment are prominent. The purpose of completing the puzzles in the game seem to just be to advance further in to the world. As I said before, there is no defined objective, besides to continue.  I believe Limbo was designed to be a very “artsy” game. Kind of like books or movies with ambiguous endings. I often felt myself coming up with reasons as to why I am trying to advance or what I am looking for, or even why the character is in this world. Procedures Limbo has very basic controls. Run, jump, grab. These are used in various ways to enhance puzzle mechanics in the game. The only repeating procedures in Limbo are the puzzles.  Puzzles continuously occur in the game, as the game would just be running and jumping without them. After completing a puzzle, the player can expect another puzzle! …And so on and so on, until they reach the end. Rules With no introduction or tutorial, Limbo lets the player figure out the rules for them self. There is no punishment for dying, and many of the puzzles teach players in harsh ways by presenting them with objects they do not yet know are dangerous.  Teaching the player a new mechanic in a controlled environment is not a thing in Limbo. The player is thrown in to the world, and must figure out what things do by trial and error.  I believe that the game was designed this way to bring out emotion in the player. The first time I got impaled by a giant spiders leg, or fell to my death and heard a nasty *crunch*, I was definitely surprised. In many cases, I had no idea that some objects were interactive because every thing is in black and white, and it looked like part of the background. This confused me, and made me feel stuck a lot of the time.  

Resources The player resources in Limbo are all temporary to a puzzle, or set of puzzles. Most of the time, the player gets to control something like a box which they can push and pull around. Each puzzle provides the player with the resources they are going to need to solve it. It is up to the player to figure out how to use those resources to proceed. This makes every object in the game seem like it has some sort of value or purpose. Conflict Being a puzzle game, Limbo is all about conflict and player restrictions. Many puzzles offer their own twist on how they limit the actions of the player. Each one requires the player to think differently or to reflect on similar past puzzles to find a solution. The game also presents the player with many hazards such as extreme heights, deadly objects, hostile monsters, or water in which they can drown. These are all part of obstructing the direct path of the player and creating conflict.

Boundaries The boundaries in Limbo are very linear and clearly defined. Being a 2D game, the boundaries help guide the player in the right direction. Outcome The outcome of Limbo seems to be the main reason that I continued to play. Throughout the whole game, the player is uncertain if their actions carry any meaning, and what the ending of the game will be like. However with an extremely vague ending, I felt like I had kind of just wasted my time.  Conclusion Limbo is an extremely vague, slightly creepy, super artsy game. I had trouble being immersed in to the game, and with no real defined goal, I felt like I was playing for almost no reason. I didn’t like the vague ending in Limbo, however it did fit with the rest of the game. In no way do I think that Limbo is a bad game. It’s just not for me. The formal elements in Limbo do complement each other, and create a game that causes the player to think. 

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Crafting a Dekonstruer : Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG developed by ArenaNet, and is the sequel to Guild Wars. In this blog, I will be discussing the game atoms in Guild Wars 2, and how they work together to create an enjoyable player experience. Players Being a rather forgiving MMO, Guild Wars 2 aims to appeal to as many player types as possible. There's a numerous amount of content, each which involves its own specific tasks, player attitude, and player interaction pattern. Guild Wars 2 uses every kind of player interaction pattern: single player vs. game, multiple individual players vs. game, player vs. player, multilateral competition, unilateral competition, cooperative play, and team competition.  The opportunity for single player vs. game is apparent in many situations. However it is most prominent in the games "personal story." During character creation, Guild Wars 2 allows the player to choose specific attributes about their character. The player's choices influence how their personal story will play out. All though players can invite others to join them on their personal story, many choose to play it alone.  A good example of multiple individual players vs. game is guilds and guild influence. Guild influence is a currency that a guild receives for its members completing personal or group activities. A lot of the time, players are playing individually, yet still earning influence for their guild. Player vs. player is another large part of Guild Wars 2. The game offers many competitive PvP modes, and this allows players to choose to face each other one on one. Multilateral competition is apparent in many "special events." Arena Net aims to make a "living world" in Guild Wars 2, and updates the game with a major update about every 2 weeks. These updates usually consist of limited-time content, and in most cases, a competitive game for the players. In many cases, these competitive games consist of multiple players, each competing amongst one another. Like the example above, unilateral competition is apparent in many of the mini games in Guild Wars 2. Many of these games shift between unilateral and multilateral. For example, in a game called "Crab Toss" the players are all competing to grab the crab and hold it for as long as possible. While the crab is on the ground, the game is multilateral. As soon as a player grabs the crab, all of the other players team up on them to get them to drop it. Cooperative play is very apparent in many cases. Arena Net strives to make the party play experience as enjoyable as possible for all players. They use a dynamic leveling system, which will temporarily down-level high level players to the max level of the zone they are in. This allows high level players to go back and play with low level players, without ruining the experience for the low level player. On top of this, players have their own personal loot drops from monsters. Players have the option to play in a party virtually whenever. Whether players are exploring, doing story, or running dungeons, there is always the option for cooperative play. Team competition is very prominent in many PvP situations. Guild Wars 2 offers many selections between different PvP modes, many of which involve two or more teams competing against each other. This is especially prominent in the World vs. World mode, where 3 servers are faced against each other on a giant map, in a game of territorial control. Because of the forgiving nature and the positive feedback towards party play, many players in Guild Wars 2 are geared towards cooperation. The game does a very good job of allowing all players to play with their friends at any time. Objectives There is no one defined objective in Guild Wars 2, so I am going to discuss a few popular player objectives.  One of the most popular objectives in Guild Wars 2 would be for a player to simply reach the max level (80). This objective is common amongst more casual players. For more dedicated players, the game offers end-game goals, like completing every map in the world, or crafting a "legendary weapon." Crafting a legendary weapon is an example of a construction objective.  A PvP oriented player would have objectives such as territorial control, capture, or race. Many of the PvP maps require players to capture and hold specific control points.  The objectives work very well with the players in Guild Wars 2. Since Arena Net tries to promote party play, many of the objectives are much easier to complete with multiple players. Arena Net has implemented a "Looking For Group" tool, where players can join any group from any server. This further promotes party play, and helps players complete their personal objectives. Rules The first task for a brand new Guild Wars 2 player is to create their own character. This can be seen as the setup of the game (after installation/ account creation, etc.) and is a requirement if the player wishes to play.  The gameplay progression of Guild Wars 2 is very non-linear. In the beginning, the game guides you through a tutorial section, which introduces you to most of the games major mechanics. After that, a ton of control is shifted to the player, and they are sent out on their own. Now, the only rules that the player must follow are the basic mechanics rules, the environment rules, and some authority defined rules. Since Guild Wars 2 is an online game, there are rules defined by Arena Net. Breaking these rules does not mean that the player is no longer in the game, but the player can be removed from the game by the developers, in the form of a ban. Things like buying/selling game items outside of the game is against the rules of Guild Wars 2, and can result in the players account being terminated or suspended by Arena Net. The player can make defining choices in the game, which will change the way they play the game, and the way the game system treats their character; thus, changing their set of rules. An example of this is the 3 "Orders" in Guild Wars 2. The player may only choose to join one of the 3. Joining one of these will unlock a certain NPC vendors for players in specific map regions, and restrict access to others. The players choice of race, class, and weapons also change their rule set. For example, an elementalist cannot use warrior skills.  The rules of Guild Wars 2 are very dynamic and work extremely well with the other game atoms. Resources Being an MMO, the player in Guild Wars 2 has a ton of freedom, thus giving them control of a plethora of resources. A few of the major resources in Guild Wars 2 are, currency, items, player resources (health, mana, endurance, etc.), and territory. Currency in Guild Wars 2 is in the form of copper/ silver/ gold (10000 copper = 100 silver = 1 gold) . Players can earn currency in many ways. One way is to kill monsters, and get money as a loot drop. Another is to sell items to a vendor or other players through the in game Trading Post. This currency is used as the main economic resource in Guild Wars 2, and is used to purchase many in game items. The currency in Guild Wars 2 can even be turned in to cash shop "Gems" so that the player can purchase items from the cash shop without spending real life cash.  There are various types of items in Guild Wars 2, but I am going to focus on specifically player gear. Player gear in Guild Wars 2 can be broken down in to 3 separate categories: Weapons, armor, and trinkets. Weapons are used to provide the character with damage, and change their skills. The first 5 skills on the skill bar in the game are specific to the weapon the character is using, and their class. Armor and trinkets are used to provide the player with stat bonuses and defense. All 3 of these resources can be purchased with the in-game currency or earned through the completion of tasks. The player's choices of gear influences not only their passive stats but their active skills and can change their decisions on how to carry themselves through the game. This is a great example of the resource atom working together with the rules atom. The player resources change based on the class that the player chooses. Each player is given health, however, each class has access to its own personal resource. These resources put an interesting spin on how each class is played and thus change the rules of each class. They also greatly change the player-player interaction during party play. Territory is a big resource in Guild Wars 2. Because the world map is so large, players are able to fast travel to waypoints all around the world once they have unlocked them. The more waypoints, or territory, that a player has unlocked, the more freedom and access they have to the world. Game State/ Information Being such an open game, the game states in Guild Wars 2 can all seem very similar. One defining state in the game is the main menu state, where you select your character, or create a character. Another is the game when you are in a city. Cities are safe zones for players, that also provide access to multiple vendors, class trainers, the Trading Post, etc. Outside of a city, you have the free roam world, where you share a map with other players in the same instance as you, and do most of your monster killing and questing. Guild Wars 2 also provides players with their own personal instance in cases such as dungeons, and personal story. This is necessary for certain mechanics to be done properly and provide the player with a challenge that meets their skill level. The change between game states is usually separated by a loading screen, and is very noticeable. The game provides the player with information about the state such as the amount of waypoints in the zone, and the level range of the monsters in the zone. The change between states is necessary to work with the players, and the player interaction atoms.  Sequencing The player has almost all control over the sequence of their events in Guild Wars 2.  However, the devs also control some of the sequencing. Because of the "living story" in Guild Wars 2, the developers can control all new content within the game, and how the story progresses.  Guild Wars 2 is all real-time play. Player Interaction Arena Net tries to promote player-player interaction in Guild Wars 2 in many ways. One of the ways they promote players working together is with skill combos. One profession can use a skill, in combination with another player, to create a whole new effect. For example: An elementalist places a fire field + a ranger shoots arrows through it = burning arrows.  In addition to players working together to complete objectives, the players also influence eachother by affecting the economy. The Trading Post in Guild Wars 2 is where players can list items for sale, place orders to buy items, or purchase listed items. The choices that the players make in terms of listing price of these items affects all players that wish to buy or sell the same kind of item. Theme The theme of the game changes from player to player based on their personal story. The players choices of race and NPC conversation changes the way their personal story is executed and thus the theme.  This atom works great with the other atoms, as it allows the player to feel a larger sense of freedom in their choices.  Conclusion The atoms in Guild Wars 2 work very well together to ensure strong player to player interaction and a solid game world. Guild Wars 2 is a $60 title with no monthly subscription fee, and I would recommend it to casual or hardcore MMO players. The amount of player freedom, and diversity allowed because of the games atoms makes for a unique experience for all players.

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Crafting a Dekonstruer : Burnout Paradise

Burnout Paradise is an unconventional racing game about speed, stuns, and destruction. In this blog, I will be reviewing Burnout Paradise's game atoms and how they work together in the game. Players and Player Interaction Locally, Burnout Paradise is a single player game. However, it can be played against other players online. There are 3 player interaction patterns in the game. The first is single player vs. game. In single player, the player plays against the game, competing in multiple events and unlocking new cars. Because of how over-the-top the game is, players have to have a very lusory attitude to play. A player should not expect a realistic racing game when playing Burnout. Online, players can race one on one with another player, or against multiple opponents, each competing for victory.  Objectives The overarching objective in Burnout Paradise is to win all of the events, and obtain the Burnout Elite license. However, each race mode provides its own objective, and there can be many objectives that are defined by the player. There are 5 events types in Burnout Paradise, each which has its own objective. Marked Man Road Rage Stunt Run Race Burning Route The objective in Marked Man is to escape. The player is trying to get from point A to point B without being taken out by multiple NPC's.  Road Rage involves multiple players, or the player against multiple NPC's. In this event, the player attempts to take down as many players as possible in the allotted time. This is an example of escape, and negation of another rule. Stunt Run is an individual event, where the player attempts to gain as many points as possible within a time limit, by performing stunts.  Race is straight forward. Get from point A to point B before your opponents. Burnout Paradise puts an interesting spin on the classic race, by not restricting the player to a defined track. Since the game is open world, a player is allowed to use any path they want to reach the end first. This allows interesting interaction between players when online, and allows the player to feel a sense of freedom and control in single player. Burning Route is similar to race, but instead of opponents, the player is racing against the clock. Each car in Burnout Paradise has its own specific Burning Route race, and each car can only do its own Burning Route race. Succeeding in a Burning Route challenge rewards the player by giving them a more powerful version of their current car. On top of the race objectives, the player can define many of their own objectives. A few examples of this are: Get a high score on a race, unlock all the cars, complete all the events, or explore the entire map. Rules and Sequencing As stated before, Burnout Paradise shifts a lot of control to the player. The player doesn't have many restrictions for each race, besides the actual world map restrictions.  The game play progression in Burnout Paradise goes something like this: Complete events to unlock faster cars -> use faster cars to complete harder events and upgrade your license -> repeat. Occasionally, after the player completes a certain number of events, the game will notify them that a new car is now roaming the streets. The player has to find it and take it down to unlock it. Once a car has been unlocked, it will appear in the player's Junk Yard (selection menu). Being a rather casual, arcade style racing game, there is no penalty for failing an event in Burnout Paradise.  As you can see by the picture above, the current cars' "Boost Type" is speed. There are 3 different boost types in the game. Speed, stunt, and aggression. Each car has a boost meter which fills up differently, and activates differently depending on its type. This can be seen as one of the game's rules, as to use a specific type of boost, you must be using a car of that type. The lack of strict rules in Burnout Paradise works very well with the objectives in the game. The player feels a sense of freedom not only during races but also outside of races. This makes Burnout Paradise a very easy "pick up and play" game. Resources Burnout Paradise is a somewhat simple game and does not have many resources. A few resources that are a part of the game however, are the cars, boost, and time.  There are a multiple amount of cars in Burnout Paradise. These cars each have their strengths and weaknesses in certain events. Therefore, collecting multiple cars is beneficial to the player, as they will be able to succeed in certain events easier.  As explained previously, each car has boost, and a boost type. On a speed type car, the boost will fill faster depending on how fast the player is going. When using a speed type car, the boost must be all used at once, or it has to be refilled again before the next use. A stunt type car will fill its boost by going off jumps, and performing stunts. A stunt car can use its boost whenever, as long as the bar is partially filled. An aggression type car fills its bar by taking down other vehicles and being destructive. The small rules inside the boost resource mechanic provides an interesting spin on the game, and promotes the player to use different cars. Time is a resource used in a few game modes. In the Stunt Run and Burning Route events, the player is racing against the clock to complete their objective.  Game State There are multiple states in Burnout Paradise. When the game starts up, the player is in the menu game state. The player can do things like go online, change options, or start the game.  When the player starts the game, they are entered in to a state within the gameplay state. This is the car selection state. During this state the player can select which vehicle they would like to enter the world with.  Once the player decides, they are entered in to the gameplay state, where they can drive around the world, or go participate in events. Each event can be considered as its own state, or as an overall 'racing' state.  Information The player has access to a lot of information in Burnout Paradise. They are able to view high scores, completed races, every doable race, road completion times, and much more.  The transition between game states is very clear to a player, as the game notifies them on what to do before each event and what event type it is. Theme/ Setting Burnout Paradise is set in a world called "Paradise" where driving like a maniac is praised. This game has a very over-the-top theme, which appeals to an arcade style gamer, or a casual player that would enjoy playing a not too serious game. The theme of the game fits well with the simplistic rules, and resources. The game is very easy to understand and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys an easy to play, casual racing game.

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PVP Fight 2 : The Elevator

The Elevator is a Portal 2 level created by Shaun Rana. In this blog, I will be reviewing The Elevator, discussing some design decisions, and providing feedback on the level.

As soon as the level starts, the player is presented with their final goal. This is a great design decision, as the player immediately knows that his objective is to get on the other side of that glass. We proceed to press the button on the left side of the picture, and are presented with a cube, and a cube button. Placing the cube in the button activates a lift, and we start ascending; Hence the name, "The Elevator." As we go up, we are presented with a small glimpse of all of the levels challenges.

Finally, we reach the top of the elevator and are presented with our first challenge.

At first glimpse, I was a little confused as to what my objective was. Keeping in mind that my overarching objective was to get to the end, which was far below me, I knew I had to somehow descend. The only way I saw to go down, was a cube button attached to a panel on the floor. I knew then that my objective was to activate that button. After finding the cube, Shaun makes the player use their knowledge of tractor beams to guide the cube down to them. 

After screwing up 3 or 4 times and accidentally destroying the cube (because I'm really not that great at Portal..), I finally got the cube down to the bottom! 

Woops... I missed. This was very frustrating for me. A slightly more experienced Portal player may not have made this mistake, but I felt cheated. I tried again, and finally got the cube!  A suggestion I have to fix this issue, is to remove the mechanic of the launch pad, and simply put a portalable wall at the back of the platform. This way, the player can use the tractor beam to get the cube across to them, no matter where the cube lands on the platform. I placed the cube in the button, and a panel in the floor opened up! After jumping through the hole in the ground, I was presented with my next challenge.

At first glimpse, I noticed another cube button connected to a panel in the floor, in the same position as the last puzzle. Shaun uses echo, to familiarize the player with their goal in each puzzle. Because of this level design technique, I immediately knew that my goal was to place a cube in the button, and open up a panel on the floor. After finding the cube, I noticed that it was trapped inside a maze of fencing. After a few minutes of confusion, I figured out that you could pick the cube up through the fencing! Admittedly, an experienced player probably could have solved this puzzle 10 times faster than I did. But as a Portal 2 casual, it took me a while to learn this unorthodox mechanic. At this point, I was confident in my abilities to complete this level, and was ready for the next challenge. I jumped through that hole in the floor yet again, and proceeded to my third challenge. 

The numerous amounts of objects in this scene was extremely confusing, and overwhelming. At first glimpse, I saw multiple buttons, a sphere, a cube, a whole ton of sentries, some death water, a few fizzlers, some glass panels, a lazer, and a bunch of portalable tiles.  In an attempt to learn how to solve this puzzle, I walked around pushing buttons. The ceiling-mounted buttons seemed to activate the glass panels, which were attached to the sphere buttons.  I grabbed the sphere, and used my new found knowledge to find my way to one of the many spherical buttons. Placing the sphere in the buttons revealed yet another portalable tile. Being, the kind of gamer that I am, my first instinct was to use the lazer, and my new portalable surface to start blowing up some sentries. 

Destroying these sentries is not only a blast, but also provides a sense of safety to the player. After doing it again one more time, I was left with 3 sentries. Challenge accepted.  Of course, I wasn't going to do the logical thing and make use of the other two spherical buttons, I was gonna jump down for some hand to hand combat. 

I proceeded to jump in, and grab my first meat shield. 

Success!! After celebrating my mini victory of destroying the sentries by hand, I got back to trying to solve this complex puzzle.  Thinking back to some similarities in the other two puzzles, I remembered that the solution to each puzzle involved a cube and a cube button. I placed the cube in to the button, and it revealed yet another portalable tile. This tile was across from a lazer catcher, connected to yet another panel on the floor! I opened up the panel, and jumped down. Expecting to finally be presented with the exit, I was confused when I was led to yet another puzzle. In the beginning, Shaun reveals 3 challenges as the player ascends the elevator. This final puzzle not only comes as kind of a shock to the player, but seems to draw out the level much longer than it should. I had already been playing for around 20 minutes, and kind of just wanted to get this level over with.

The entrance of the fourth puzzle presents us with a lazer, a tractor beam, and a long hallway filled with death water. 

After struggling for another 15 minutes just trying to figure out how to get safely past the lazer field at on the other side, and trying to figure out the purpose of this tile, 

I message Shaun and ask for answers. 

He tells me that there is supposed to be a reflection cube that automatically drops on the other side. Thinking that I missed it, I go back to check again. 

Well there is a dropper, but no cube... Not only did this final puzzle come as a surprise, it didn't fit with the level at all, and it wasn't even beatable. This seemingly untested portion of the level was a messy and confusing let down.  In my opinion, the level would have been much better if this puzzle was removed. Removing this level would make the level a much more decent length, and remove unwanted surprises to the player.  After cheating to make myself invincible, I walk through the lazer field, and proceed to the end of the level. The Elevator started off as a very promising level with some great mechanics. The first and second puzzles were solid, and the use of echo in the level really helps the player define their objectives. The third puzzle is a little overwhelming at the start, and can be beaten without using two of the spherical buttons. I am not sure if Shaun intended for there to be multiple ways to solve the third puzzle, but either way it was a pretty solid challenge.  The fourth puzzle doesn't reflect the level whatsoever. In the beginning the player is presented with 3 challenges, as they ascend the elevator. Adding the fourth puzzle comes as a huge surprise and makes the level so long to the point where it is no longer fun. To add on top of that, the fourth puzzle is unbeatable, and leaves the player running around confused and frustrated.  I have a few suggestions for the level as a whole, that I feel would make it much more enjoyable. My first suggestion is to remove the amount of hazards in the third puzzle. The first two levels had little to no danger, and after playing for a while, the last thing that the player wants is to die on what they think is the very last puzzle. My second suggestion is to remove the fourth puzzle all together, and make the "The Elevator" consist of the 3 puzzles that we saw as we were ascending the elevator.

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Knowledge Keeper : The Visual Game Experience

The visual experience is an important aspect in many games. Games such as Geometry Wars provide awesome aesthetics to really immerse the player. Visuals can also be used to draw attention to a certain area, or make the player react in a certain way.  In this blog, I will be discussing Alexander's 15 Properties of Living Structures. The 15 properties are as follows: Levels of Scale Strong Centers Boundaries Alternating Repetition Positive Space Good Shape Local Symmetries Deep Interlock and Ambiguity Contrast Gradients Roughness Echoes The Void Simplicity and Inner Calm Not-Separateness Levels of scale refers to the way the proportions of the level are designed. If you want the player to focus on certain objects or look in a certain direction, you can use size to draw their eye. Levels of scale can be applied to things such as environments, entities, challenges, and player actions.

Strong centers refers to focusing the environment, challenge, entity, or story around a strong midpoint. Something like a giant pit in the center of a level that the player needs to cross would be a strong center.

Boundaries are pretty self explanatory. They refer to the limits that you put in the environment or on the player. A fence that a player cannot cross would be a boundary. Alternating repetition is the repeating of elements to give order and harmony to a level. This can be applied to aesthetics, like floor tiles, the cycle of the level, or even the emotion in the game. Breaking this repetition can cause the player to focus on a certain area in the level. This can be used as a design strategy.

Positive space refers to the overall feeling of a level. The level should be well balanced, and use complementary shapes. The background of a level should reinforce the level rather than distract the player. Good shape are simple shapes that are pleasing. Think of Portal. Portal uses many simple shapes such as cubes and spheres, to create powerful centers from the simplicity. Local symmetries is similar to good shape. Humans are naturally drawn to objects that are symmetrical. Small internal symmetries work better than overall symmetries. Deep interlock and ambiguity refers to looping and interconnecting structures to promote unity and grace. Contrast is used to draw players attention and apply emphasis to objects by using hard opposites. Think of the portalable walls in Portal vs the regular tiles. The player's eye will be drawn to objects or areas that look out of place. Gradients refers to the gradual change in a level. This can be applied to the environment, difficulty, story, challenges, etc. A gradual change will help improve the flow of a level. Roughness is used to bring life to a level by adding texture and imperfections. This is used heavily in games like Fallout 3, where things are supposed to look like they have been roughly fashioned back together... or destroyed in general. Echoes is similar to alternating repetition. Echoing certain aesthetics or mechanics promotes unity, and can trigger the player's memory. The void is used to create calm and contrast through the use of empty space. Vast empty areas bring a calm feeling to the player, and can be used to focus attention to new objects. Simplicity and inner calm refers to using only the essentials for a level to make it not overly complicated and well-balanced. Finally, not-separateness means that all of the elements in a game/ level should promote each other. If nothing that the player does reinforced past or future actions, then their actions can seem pointless. All of these living structures can be used with one another to create awesome levels and game worlds. Many games use a lot of these very well, and some not so well. If you look at many successful titles, you will find many of Alexander's properties of living structures. 

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Knowledge Keeper : Play Spaces and Level Design

The design of a game world and the levels within it are very important to making the game fun and immersive for the player.  There is a fundamental difference between a game designer and a level designer. A game designer designs the games rules; things like the restrictions on the player, or health and damage numbers, etc. A level designer designs how the player is actually confronted with those rules.  Incremental level design is important to keep in mind when designing a level. This refers to the way a player is introduced to a new game mechanic. When introducing a player to a new mechanic, the player should always learn about it in a controlled environment. If the new mechanic is introduced to the player in a high stress situation, this will be confusing and frustrating to the player. The player should also be showed the core components of the new mechanic, and be tested on their new knowledge. 

The core mechanic of the game should stay the same as the player goes through the game, however you can add to it by introducing new items, abilities, enemies, etc.  The question of "what are you trying to achieve?" should always be referred to when designing a level/play space. This question can focus on either what you are trying to achieve in a level, or what you are trying to achieve in the game in general. User testing is very important in making sure that your goal is met. The amount of player freedom in a level is a very important aspect to consider in design. A very linear level gives the developer lots of control over how and when the player is introduced to mechanics. However, this can also make the player feel very restricted, and cause things to happen regardless of player action. A semi-linear level gives the developer some control, and the player enough control to feel like they are making their own important decisions. However this can also give the player unwanted freedom in some spots, or misguide them. A non-linear level or play space is very hard for the developer to control and often requires a lot of user testing. However this also shifts the feeling of freedom entirely to the player. Players will feel independent and like their decisions aren't forced upon them.

There are a few methods that you can use when approaching level and play space design. Annotated maps, flow charts, Freytag's pyramid, event diagrams, object-oriented level design, and dense level design.

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Blog Quest 2 : Design a Game Item

For this blog I have decided to design an item for Fallout 3. Fallout 3 takes place in the year 2277. The world has been destroyed by nuclear warfare, and all that is left is some old technology and a huge wasteland. Fallout 3 introduces a system called the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System or "VATS". VATS is used to assist the player in combat by freezing time, and allowing the player to choose where to target enemies and which enemies to target.  The item I have in mind works with the VATS mechanic to further improve the player combat experience. My item is called "VAMBs" - VATS Assisting Movement Boots. As the name suggests, VAMBs are used during VATS, to allow the player to move while in VATS (kind of). If the player has these boots equipped, when they open VATS a circle will appear around them. The player can use a button to switch between using the boots, or using their weapon. When in the mode for the boots, a ground target circle will come up, where the player can choose a position to move to. The boots would work just like regular VATS already does, and add to the stack of orders to give to the player after they choose to execute their chosen actions. For example:  Shoot Head of enemy 1 Move to location X Shoot arm of enemy 2  Move to location Y

The amount of AP that the boots would cost would increase as the player chooses distances farther from their proximity. When the player chooses a movement, the hit chance percentages for the enemies would change accordingly.  Considering that this is a very strong item, it would be a reward from a difficult optional quest in the late game.  This item would drastically change the combat mechanics of VATS to make it more interesting, and more tactical. It can also be used to help the player in escaping from enemies when they need to flee combat.

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Emotional Contagion : Borderlands

Probably one of my favorite games of all time, Borderlands blew me away when it came out.  The setting in Borderlands is on a wasteland planet called Pandora. The player plays as one of four 'vault hunters' searching for a mysterious vault on Pandora, said to contain treasure. This is illustrated to you as soon as you start playing the game. Right away I was drawn in. I enjoy games where I can grow my character and make them unique and powerful. So naturally, the idea of finding the vault intrigued me. The game starts with the player being introduced to a companion named "Claptrap". Through a well designed intro, Claptrap teaches the player the basic mechanics and leads them to the first town "Fyrestone". There, the player is introduced to the "Guardian Angel", a mysterious character who guides the player through the game. The amount of mystery in the story, combined with the loot and combat system, made me fall in love with Borderlands.

Throughout the game, the thought of the vault was in the back of my mind, and I was super excited to see what it held. Unfortunately, I was in for the biggest disappointment in a game story that I have ever experienced.  Going through the game, doing epic quests, and meeting all the unique characters was a blast and a joy. The end of the game is a race between the player, and a rival force called the Crimson Lance; who are also trying to open the vault.  Once you arrive at the vault, you finally get to open it! This is what I'd been waiting for. You open it up, and a giant tentacle monster comes out... Alright... So that's not what I expected.. but whatever! After killing the monster, the vault reseals... This was a huge letdown, as the whole reason that I worked so hard to get to the end was to see what was in the vault. Alright, well there has to be some kind of end game reward right? WRONG. At the end of Borderlands I felt confused and let down. All I had worked for seemed pointless, and to be honest it kind of made me not want to play through it again. So all in all, I felt like the story in Borderlands was great, minus the ending. I was moved emotionally by this game, but in the wrong way.  

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PVP Fight : Pew Pew!

"Pew Pew" is a Portal 2 level created by one of my fellow classmates, Thomas Galati. In this blog, I will be reviewing his level, evaluating some of Thomas' design decisions, and offering feedback and recommendations for improvement. First Look

Entering the level, your eyes are immediately drawn to a giant lazer field that is blocking your way forward. After seeing this, you know that your goal is to somehow deactivate that lazer field to be able to proceed.

Looking in to the room, you see a lazer catcher right beside the giant lazer field. The antline shows that it is connected to the field!

Knowing what we have to do, we proceed to the first puzzle. The first puzzle presents us with two lazers, a reflector cube, and a lazer relay. Ok so we use the reflector cube to shine the lazer in to the relay right? Shining the cube in to the relay flips a portalable panel where the second lazer is shining. So now we have one portalable surface... time to look around for the second one. After finding the second surface, an antline guides your eyes to a connected lazer catcher. 

After adjusting the cube to hit both the relay and the catcher, we see that the second panel gets angled. The only thing left to do now is use portals!

Great! The first puzzle has been solved, and we have deactivated the lazer field blocking our path. On to the next section. Transition

Well this puzzle looks a lot simpler than the first one. There is one lazer, and one catcher... so why do we need two cubes? Picking up a cube and reflecting the lazer in to the catcher seems to activate the platform to our left. Well since we can't hold the cube and ride the platform at the same time, the use for the other cube becomes obvious. The second cube is used to stack with the first one.

Well that was easy! A nice simple transition to the last part of the puzzle. Lets take that platform. The Finale After arriving at the last part of the puzzle, a quick look around draws our eyes to the exit door.  There's deadly goo blocking our way to the door. Well if I've learned anything from the last two puzzles, I know that that lazer and that lazer catcher play a vital importance in solving this puzzle! Time to look for a reflector cube.

... Found it... Getting absolutely annihilated by those fizzlers. Alright lets find a way to deactivate those. Turning around shows a button which seems to be connected to the two fizzlers!  Thomas makes use of the timer mechanic on the button to put pressure on the player at this last part of the puzzle. Our first instinct is to press the button and run to catch the cube. After realizing that there isn't enough time to run to the cube, we make use of the portalable surface beside the button and the cube dropper.  Alright so now we have the cube that we wanted to use to shine that lazer in to the catcher. Tossing the cube inside the tractor beam levitates it up to the lazer and directs it in to the catcher. This activates a light bridge for us to walk across, and finally complete the level.

Design Decisions Pew Pew is a very simple Portal 2 level, based entirely on the player reflecting lazers. A more experienced player may not get much enjoyment out of it, as the challenge of the level doesn't match their skill level. However to a new player, Pew Pew is a great level to learn about the mechanics of lazers.  The order of the first two puzzles seemed a little strange to me. The first puzzle involves using multiple lazers, portals, and activating multiple things with one lazer and reflector cube; however the second puzzle only involves a single lazer and lazer catcher. The last puzzle seems appropriate after playing through the first two. After learning about reflector cubes in the first two puzzles, our reaction when seeing the lazer and catcher is to find a reflector cube. Instead of figuring out how to use the cube this time, the player has to figure out how to obtain the cube. This was a good way for Thomas to change up the level structure, but still keep the core mechanic the same.  The third puzzle does have one design issue; tossing the reflector cube in to the tractor beam doesn't always result in it shining in the catcher.

To an experienced player, grabbing the cube and trying to get it right again and again can be frustrating. A newer playing might not know that the cube can be redirected in the tractor beam and might start looking for another way to fix this. Feedback Overall, Pew Pew seems like it was designed to teach players more than present them with a challenge. One suggestion I have is to somehow teach the player about the reflector cube and lazer catcher before presenting them with multiple catchers, lazers, and portals, in the first level.  Another suggestion is to incorporate cube stacking in the third puzzle. Learning about stacking the cubes in the second portion seems pointless in the overall level structure, as we never use that mechanic again. The final suggestion I have is to fix the last part of the puzzle so that the player has more control over directing the cube in to the catcher. Having to try to redirect it over and over can be frustrating to a player, especially when that player has a high skill level. 

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Crafting a Dekonstruer : Path of Exile

Path of Exile is a free-to-play dungeon crawler, similar to the Diablo and Torchlight franchises. In this blog, I will be talking about Path of Exile and its game Atoms. Players and Player Interaction There are 3 types of player interaction patterns in Path of Exile. Single Player vs. Game, Cooperative Play, and Multiple Individual Players vs. Game. Path of Exile, just like other games of its genre, is all about collecting loot and making your character more powerful. To do this, you need to go out in to the environment and lay waste to hordes of enemies. Path of Exile gives the player the choice between the 3 interaction patterns described above. The player may go out and adventure and play the game as if it is a single player game. Playing alone is a good way for the player to grow an understanding of the game at their own pace.  When playing in a party, the monster difficulty increases (depending on the amount of players) and thus the party is rewarded with better loot drops. This motivates players to interact with each other and play with friends. Players can take advantage of the cooperative play mechanic by forming a party lineup with characters and skill builds that work well together.

There are 7 classes to choose from in Path of Exile, each which start in a different section of its gigantic skill tree (explained further later). The versatility of class combinations and skill builds add to the cooperative play experience. I chose to add 'multiple individual players vs. game' in this blog because you can play it individually, but still be communicating with others through the various chat options that the game provides. I often find myself playing alone, but reading through the trade chat and talking to other players about the game.

Objectives The objective in Path of Exile from a seeker perspective is to finish the game story and find out how it ends. However, the story is relatively short, as the game is structured more towards achievers and conquerors. Once the player completes the story, they are allowed to restart on a higher difficulty. The player gets to keep their levels and gear and simply goes through the game again fighting harder monsters and getting better loot than before.  Rules 

The rules in Path of Exile are somewhat undefined, but the game does a great job of pointing the player in the right direction. In the beginning of the game, the player awakes on a beach, and is simply sent to go do whatever they want. You are presented with your first enemy fairly quickly, you click on it, punch it, and it dies. This happens again, however this one drops a weapon! After fighting through the first section of the game and reaching the first town, you have a fair understanding of the basic rules of the game. Attack things to kill them -> get loot -> use the loot to grow stronger and level up -> use your skill points when you level -> repeat.   Path of Exile does a very good job of passing control to the players. The game has no defined currency. This means that the economy is entirely player controlled. Or does it? Since there is no one defined currency in the game, the players took it upon themselves to create monetary values for what are now known as "currency items." These items are small tokens that allow you to do different things to your gear.

The "Orb of Augmentation" shown on the screen is one of these items that is considered a "currency item". These items have become a dominant resource in the game. To shift more economy control to the developers, all they need to do is control the drop rates of these items. The players have defined many rules when it comes to the trading of these currency items. "One of these is worth 4 of those." In fact you can even find tables online that display the current value of all of these items relative to each other. The freedom that the developers gave the players in this aspect reinforces player to player interaction and player freedom. Resources Besides the currency items described above, there are various other resources in Path of Exile. Health and mana are two resources that determine the way the player plays the game, and they are essential to the mechanics of the game. Health is a determining factor in player survivability. When your health reaches 0, you die. There are many player stats that determine the rate at which the players health is depleted. Stats like defense, and resistances influence the amount of damage a player takes, and thus how much and how quickly they lose their health. Mana is a resource that effects the players ability to use their skills. Skills cost mana to use, so you want to keep up your mana as much as possible (in most cases). To help in the upkeep of these two resources, the player can use specific potions for health or mana.  Another resource in Path of Exile is passive skill points and skill gems. These resources are important in determining the way a player shapes their character. The passive skill tree in Path of Exile has to be the largest I've ever seen in any game.

As you can see, I couldn't fit the entire tree on my screen... The dots represent passive skills. The passive skill system is very interesting in Path of Exile. Each character shares the same tree, however they all start in different spots. The blue green and red dot that form a triangle in the image above is where my character started. Passive skills are unlocked by spending passive skill points. There are two ways to obtain these skill points. The first way is by leveling. Every time the player levels up, they will obtain a passive skill point. The second way is through quests. Various quests in Path of Exile reward you with one or two passive skill points.  Skill gems represent the players active skills. Skill gems are acquired through monster drops, quests, and can be traded between players. Skill gems are socketed in slots in gear, and can be combined with other gems to make them more powerful. Once a gem is in a piece of gear and that gear is equipped by the player, the skill will be able to be bound to 'QWERT' or 'Mouse left, middle, right'.

Another big resource in Path of Exile is storage space. There are 3 ways to store items in the game; equip them to your character, store them in inventory, and store them in the stash (bank). Game State The 3 most prominent states in Path of Exile are the menu state (main menu, skill selection menu, options menu, etc.), the town state, and the combat zone state.  The town state represents a safe zone for the player. In town, the player can receive quests, access their stash, and travel to any unlocked waypoint. The town is a safe zone for players where they don't have to worry about being attacked. The combat zone state is when the player enters a zone where they are able to engage in combat with npcs. During this state, the player must remain alert, as all the enemies are hostile, and may seemingly come out of nowhere.  Switching between these 3 game states is entirely player controlled. The player can choose to open or close menus. Or enter or leave town at any time. The player can make use of 'portal scrolls', a commonly dropped item, to travel back and forth from town to their current combat instance.  Sequencing There are multiple examples of sequencing in Path of Exile. The first example is the story. The story in the game is linear, and must be completed in the same order through every play through. The second is the passive skill tree. Looking up to the skill tree in the resources section, you can see a line defined between the skill nodes. The line represents the connection between the skills. To unlock a new passive skill, there must be at least one skill already connected to it; thus forming a skill tree.The play in Path of Exile is all real-time, as it is an online game. Theme/Setting The story in Path of Exile is separated in to 3 Acts. Each which has its own theme. The first act is dark and gloomy. Your character has just woke up on a beach and has nothing to his/her name. The setting reflects the amount of power that the player seems to have.  The second act throws you in to a much brighter area, lots of vegetation, and just a brighter feel overall. This makes the player feel somewhat glad to have left the last act, and makes you eager to explore. The third and final act contains a lot of palaces, large ruined cities, and temples. The epicness of this act is much greater than that of the previous acts.  The sequence of themes in the acts makes the player want to continue playing to discover new zones and experience the rise in epicness of the game. Conclusion To conclude, the game atoms in Path of Exile work extremely well together. The amount of player freedom, combined with the structure of the game and availability of resources, keeps the players always wanting to improve; and thus, play. 

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Reverse Scrowdriver 2 - Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. is a classic. In Super Mario Bros. your objective is to run through levels in order to rescue a Princess Peach from Bowser. The mechanics of Super Mario Bros. work like this; You are attempting to reach the end of the level before the time limit runs out or you lose all of your lives. There are power ups in the game in order to help you along your way. These power ups can do things like allow you to break through brick, or shoot fireballs to kill enemies. The coins in Mario are collected in order to increase the player's life count. When the player hits 100 coins, they get a "1-up" and are given and extra life. The gameplay mechanic that I am adding revolves around killing the enemies. Here is how it works: For every 5 enemies the player kills, they will receive a small random bonus. The bonus can be a random power up, a few seconds of extra time, or some extra coins. Adding this mechanic will give the player more incentive to kill enemies. This can also change strategies for levels where the player finds themselves short on time, or dying a lot.

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Knowledge Keeper - Digital Prototyping

A digital prototype is a miniature product that reflects what the final product will be. For games, the purpose of developing a digital prototype is to supply an example of what the game will be. The prototype can be used as a test to see if the game will be fun, or see what should be changed for the final version. It can also be used as an example to present to potential investors, or to possible users to raise funds for development.  There are 4 areas of digital prototyping: Game mechanics, aesthetics, kinesthetics, and technology. Game mechanics define how the game is played. Each game should revolve around one or more core mechanics. For example, Portal revolves around giving the player the ability to use portals to complete puzzles. Without the portal gun mechanic, Portal would be a completely different game. Prototyping mechanics should be kept simple, so that the core mechanic of the game is apparent from the prototype.  The aesthetics of a game refer to the look and visual feel of the game. Aesthetics should first be designed in the form of concept art. The concept art can include things such as environments, objects, enemies, player character, GUI and HUD designs, storyboards, etc. Matching the aesthetics of the game to the game mechanics is important. Think of Amnesia. If the monster in Amnesia was poorly designed, or the environment looked like the Mushroom Kingdom, it definitely wouldn't have had the success it did as a horror game. Kinesthetics refer to the feel of the game when it is played. This includes things like control schemes, skill activation times, responsiveness, etc. If the kinesthetics of a game are poorly designed, this can make the game unnecessarily difficult or frustrating to play. Prototyping kinesthetics is very important, as the feedback from users is very important in the design of the final product. Prototyping technology goes hand in hand with prototyping kinesthetics. This refers to the graphics, AI, physics, production pipeline, and any other specific tech requirements for your game. Prototyping technology can help define restrictions for your game. Overscoping is very common among game developers. After prototyping the technology for your game, you may realize that some of your ideas are simply not possible, or you do not have time to implement some mechanics because of time restraints.  Prototyping tools can include programming languages, game engines, and level editors. You may not have permission to release your final product using the tools you created your prototype in, but using these tools is a good way to whip up a quick example of what you want your game to be like.

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Knowledge Keeper - System Dynamics

When discussing any kind of real world system, it is generally accepted that a system is made up of multiple interacting components. Just like systems in the real world, game systems are made up of coexisting components that interact with each other. When a game designer understands the core system components of a game, they can have more control over attributes such as system growth and interaction quality, There are four basic system elements: Objects, properties, behaviors, and relationships. These elements affect the interaction quality of the game system. Objects Objects are the building blocks of the system. A game object can be defined as the game pieces, the terrain or structure of the game world, the players or player representations, and other in-game concepts. Objects are defined by a set of properties which govern how they will work in the system (ex. you aren't allowed to walk through walls, you sink in water, etc.). Objects can have relationships with other objects, and they're own behaviors. Sometimes the behaviors of the objects can be unpredictable to the designer (in the case of the players), and in this case the designer will have to design the system to account for the unpredictability. Properties As stated before, properties define how an object will interact with other objects, and other components of the system. Properties can be seen as sets of values for each object. For example, a box can have physical properties such as size and mass, colour properties, and other properties like health (if it is destructible). Behaviors Behaviors can be defined as "potential actions in a given state." The behaviors of the system can affect how linear or non-linear the game is. Behaviors can be restricted by the rules of the game. For example, a pawn in chess may move diagonally one space IF it is attacking. The pawn being able to move diagonally is a behavior of that object, however there are rules that restrict it's ability to execute that behavior.  Relationships Relationships are the most essential part of systems. A system with no relationships is not a system. Relationships are governed by rules sets, player choice, and chance. Think of a combat system in a game. All 3 governing factors are included. There are rules sets, such as the player and enemy health, armor, damage, etc. There is player choice in how he/she chooses to approach the combat situation. There is also chance in the enemy AI, and the player decisions, and possibly in factors such as critical hit damage, missing vs hitting, etc.  Economies are considered relationships. An economic system is a great way to add to a system and increase player options, change player decisions, and change player to player interaction. Economies must have items (for gathering/trading), agents (anyone to buy or sell items from/to), and methods (markets) of exchanging the items or resources. Economies can be controlled primarily with price, timing, partners, and amount (availability) of resources. Managing a Game System Game systems should be designed, and updated if possible, in order to ensure balance and make the game fair and fun to play. A game system should be tuned to ensure a good game flow (challenge meets skill level/ player level). This requires a lot of play testing and feedback not just from designers but potential consumers, and others outside the design group. 

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Becoming a Critic : Diablo III

Diablo 3 was the long awaited sequel to Diablo 2, and is the third installment in the Diablo series. For those who don't know what Diablo is; it is a third person dungeon crawler about killing monsters and getting loot. In Diablo 3, there are 5 classes to choose from: Demon Hunter, Monk, Barbarian, Witch Doctor, and Wizard - Each of which has its own unique abilities, and gear type.  My first play through of Diablo 3 was a blast. However I quickly grew tired of the game and I stopped playing.  In this blog, I am going to discuss the formal elements of Diablo 3, why I didn't enjoy my experience, and why I think the game was designed the way it was. Players I will begin by discussing the games players. The online community in Diablo 3 is very large. Running through dungeons for hours alone can get tiresome.. but with friends it is a blast! The max party size in Diablo 3 is 4 players. This is fine.. but for people who have large groups of friends who play Diablo (like I did at the time), we always had one or two people that would have to play alone. As well, it is very difficult to play with a friend who is many levels higher or lower than you in Diablo 3. The difficulty is scaled by the amount of players, without taking in to account the level of the players. Player-to-player interaction is definitely changed because of these mechanics. Most of the time, my friends and I found ourselves trying to "power level" another friend so that he could play with us... instead of actually just playing with them.  One thing I did like about the player system in Diablo 3, is how the experience changed based off what classes you were playing with. I played a wizard mostly, and when I was playing alone I tried to go for a balance of offense/defense. However when I played online, I usually went for as much damage as possible. Based on the people you are playing with, your strategies and character builds can change greatly. There are are 3 major player interaction patterns in Diablo 3: Player vs. Game, Cooperative Play, and Player vs. Player. One could also include Multiple Individual Players vs. Game - as my friends and I often found ourselves playing alone, even though we were all online.  Objectives The game defined objective in Diablo 3 is to beat the game and kill Diablo. The game is designed to also open up multiple other objectives for the player to define if they choose to do so. For example: Diablo 3 has 4 difficulty modes - Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno. Each difficulty is unlocked after beating the game in the previous difficulty (beat normal to unlock nightmare, nightmare to unlock hell, etc.). For many players, beating Inferno difficulty was an objective. The flow of the game seemed to be pretty consistent until about half way through inferno mode. Through the other modes, the loot and player ability seemed to be pretty consistent and balanced with the difficulty of the game. However, near the end of inferno mode, many players felt themselves trying to skip the monsters and just run to the end of the level. This was due to the inability to kill the monsters.  Procedures The procedures in Diablo 3 vary slightly between single player and multiplayer experiences. When playing alone, you shape your character and combat style to what best suits you. When playing online, you shape your character and combat style to what best suits your party. There are definitely similarities is the procedures between single player and multiplayer. The limitations of context remain relatively the same - as the world doesn't change based on the amount of players. Rules Rules can be broken down in to two categories: Game defined rules, and authority defined rules. The base mechanics of Diablo 3 are the game defined rules. The game defined rules of Diablo 3 make it so that the player must upgrade their gear often in order to be a suitable match of the monsters at higher difficulty levels. The player can choose not to do this, but it will make the game so challenging that it is eventually impossible.  Since Diablo 3 is an online game, there are many authority defined rules. Because of the ability to trade gold and items through other players and the in game auction house, there are many anti-cheating rules that had to be defined by the developers. If a player is caught cheating, they will face a ban from the game and be restricted to playing it. -  "If you don't follow the rules, you are no longer in the game." Resources Currency, health, mana, inventory, time - These are all important resources in Diablo 3. Currency allows the player to purchase items from vendors and even other players, through the auction house. It is seen as one of the most important resources in Diablo 3, as having a lot of money means the ability to have better gear.  Every class has health and some form of "mana". Health is important to all classes, as it is a determining factor in the survivability of your character. Once a player's health hits 0, they die. Each class has their own form of mana, which affects their play style. This resource is a governing factor in how each class is played.  Inventory is an important resource to all players. The players inventory is where all extra items are stored. The inventory system in Diablo is interesting, in that your storage space is based off of the size of the items in it. 

As you can see, each item has a unique size - which determines the amount of space in the inventory it occupies.  Time can be a more important factor to some players than others. When the game first came out, many players raced to be the first to hit max level. For players like this, time was a very important factor. For other, casual players, like my friends and I, we chose to play when we knew we could spend an hour or two on the game. We didn't aim for perfection, but we aimed just to have fun.  Conflict The main source of conflict in Diablo 3 is the enemies. Everything stems from killing enemies. You have to kill enemies to get to the final enemy that you have to kill to beat the game.. you have to kill enemies to get money and gear to make you stronger to kill the harder enemies.. and you want to upgrade your character in order to be better at killing enemies. Online, there is often player to player conflict when someone isn't pulling their weight. The loot system in Diablo 3 isn't personalized (an enemy drops an item/items that the whole group can loot). This can cause players to fight over drops, resulting in conflict. This is why many players prefer to play alone or with friends. Boundaries Being a linear dungeon crawler, Diablo 3 has many environmental boundaries. In many cases, the player finds them self following a linear path toward a defined objective. Even though there are often branching paths that a player can take, they all lead to the same place. All of the rules in Diablo 3 (as discussed above) are also boundaries, and only apply inside the game world. Outcome The player isn't given a choice when it comes to the out come of the Diablo 3 story. Playing through the game the first time on normal, I was excited to see how the story progressed, and the uncertain outcome kept me playing. However, after playing through it 2 or 3 more times on different difficulties, I got bored because I always knew what the outcome would be. The dramatic tension of Diablo 3 was gone and I had lost the will to keep playing.  Summary All in all, I grew tired of Diablo 3 - but there are still many players playing it today. The design team must have done some things right, but I guess what they chose to do just didn't suit my play style.

I believe the design team chose to design the player element of the game to be similar to the previous Diablo games. There was a ton of hype for Diablo 3 and they wanted to make sure that it lived up to its predecessors. This type of design is effective to ensure that you live up to the expectations of the community - as long as you don't make it too similar: people expect something new. The objectives in Diablo 3 are similar to the other two Diablo games. The design team made the decision to keep the loot system and auction house similar to the other games. I believe this was to live up to the other Diablo games as well. Players enjoy obtaining new loot and upgrading their characters. The procedures in Diablo 3 are constantly being updated through patches. Player-vs-player was recently added. Monitoring the game and changing skills, and certain game triggers (for bug fixing) can affect player strategies and keep the game interesting.  The rules in Diablo 3 are set in stone. Buying/selling items outside of the game world will always result in a ban. This is a good design decision, as it promotes players who work hard for their gear, rather than players who try to cheat the game system. The resources in Diablo 3 were designed the way they were for a few reasons: to reflect the old Diablo games, solidify the games combat system, and allow for a good game flow. The game's conflict is the main source of entertainment. Killing enemies is what the game revolves around. The defined boundaries only reinforce the combat system and overall direction of the game.  For player's playing Diablo 3 for the outcome, they will not have a very long play experience. A major part of Diablo 3 is beating the game over and over to unlock harder difficulties. I believe the game was designed with the combat and loot systems in mind first, and then had a story thrown over top of it. It seems more focused toward collection type players. Well, that is my critique on Diablo 3 and its' formal game elements... see ya next time!

[jodoi3330-blog]

Knowledge Keeper : Dramatic Elements of Games

There are five dramatic elements of games: Challenge, play, premise, character and story.  The challenge element is different for every player. This has to due with player skill level and experience. Because of the dynamic learning curve of a player, the game must increase in difficulty as the player increases in skill. If the game fails to do this, the player might grow bored of the game and become uninterested. This concept is called Flow. Flow is a difficult balance to find, and is often made up for by providing multiple difficulty settings. It compares challenge vs. skill. If the challenge is too high and the player's skill level cannot match it, the player will have a feeling of anxiety and become overwhelmed. If the challenge is too easy for a player with a high skill level, the player will grow bored. Play is categorized in to 4 sub-types - along the 2 planes of freedom. The play types as categorized by Roger Caillois are: Agon (competitive play) Alea (chance-based play) Mimicry (make-belief play) Ilinx (vertigo play) These play types are defined along Ludus (rule based play), and Paida (free-form, improvisational play) - the two planes of freedom. Because of the multiple play types, there are also multiple player types. You can find your own player type here: http://survey.ihobo.com/BrainHex/ My score is:  Socialiser: 18 Achiever: 18 Survivor: 14 Conqueror: 13 Daredevil: 11 Mastermind: 6 Seeker: 6 ... Making me a Socializer-Achiever player type. The premise of a game is very important, as it is what draws certain player types to a game. The time, place, main character(s), objective(s), and action that propels the story can make or break a game. In my opinion, premise is one of the first things that should be discussed in the decision to design a new game. Everyone loves a game with memorable characters. Many games attempt to attach the player to the main character so that they feel empathy towards them. If the player shares any of the main characters, wants, needs, hopes, or fears, then the player can really relate to the protagonist. This is important in attaching the player to the main character, and ultimately, the game. Finally, story. Story is what can keep a player attached to a game. The uncertain outcome of the player to the story is what can keep someone playing a game. There are many different types of stories. Some are very vague back stories that are discovered along the way by the player (such as in Amnesia). Most games introduce the story right at the beginning and have the story continue consistently throughout the game. Many games also allow the player to make their own decisions to affect the main story, or any side stories. Sometimes, the lack of story is what keeps a game interesting. The player can formulate their own opinions as to what the story is (Limbo, Antichamber).