Administrative: Create New Game Project

1
Administrative Create New Game Project

• Apply the principles of Iterative Design
• First run of games in class March 28th in class
• Short document describing goal operational
  rules (1-2 pages)
• Main point bring a working prototype
• Class will be given a questionnaire evaluating
  the game
• Answered questionnaire will be returned to game
  designers (questions about meaningful play)
• Game designers modify game as they see fit

2
Administrative Design New Game Project (2)

• Apply the principles of Iterative Design
• Prototype deadline Thursday, March 22
• Class will be given a questionnaire evaluating
  the game
• Answered questionnaire will be returned to
  instructor (questions about meaningful play)
• Final product deadline Tuesday, April 23
• Final working game
• Document deadline April 25th in class (see next
  slide)
• Announcement about final exam exemption April
  27th (per e-mail)

3
Talking Points Design New Game Document

• Note always justify your assertions by pointing
  to material from class/book
• Length 5 pages
• Describe the game what it does (operational
  rules, idea)
• Overall game meaningful play?
• Game as system
• Explain the 4 elements (attributes, etc) for the
  game
• Interactivity
• Map the anatomy of choice answer the five
  questions for the game
• After thought things you would have done
  differently

4
Final Thought Design New Game

• Avoid worst-case scenario spending time on this
  project and still need to do Final Exam
• Start working on the two projects now
• Reward one less exam to worry about
• And have fun creating your own game!

5
About Presentations on Special topics

• 15 minutes long (rehears it)
• I need to see it before hand
• You can e-mail it to me
• Important make sure to relate with topics
  covered in class

6
Rules for Digital Games(Ch. 13)
7
Key Question

• Are the rules of a digital game the same as the
  program that codes this game?

Parts of the program that are unrelated to the
rules of the game

• allocate more memory for program
• Load a software library to build complex pieces
  of code
• garbage collection

8
So what are the rules?

• Characteristics of rules in games
• Rules in any game exists on 3 related levels

• Rules limit player action
• What kinds of limitations for digital games?
• Rules are explicit and unambiguous
• Rule are shared by all players
• Rules are fixed
• Rules are binding
• can be enforced automatically
• Rules are repeatable

Do these hold for digital games?

• Constitutive rules
• Operational rules
• Implicit rules

9
Example Rules of Tetris

• Let us list the operational rules of Tetris
• For this version

10
Categories of Digital Games (from Artificial
Intelligence perspective)

• Every player action has a single pre-determined
  outcome?
• Yes Deterministic
• No Chance

• Does the player has complete information about
  state of the game?
• Yes Perfect information
• No Imperfect information

11
Categories of Digital Games (from Artificial
Intelligence perspective)
Chance
Deterministic
Chess
Perfect information
Poker, Civilization
Imperfect information
FPS
12
Example Rules versus Non rules in Digital games

• Examples of non rules
• Background in Tetris
• Are visuals part of the operational rules?

• Sometimes. For example reflection allows you to
  see enemies behind you
• Classical game were visuals are integral part of
  the rules?

13
Thief Some Operational Rules

• Check the video
• Factors influencing NPCs detection
• Lighting
• Your location
• Environment (torches)
• Proximity to NPC
• Line of view of NPC
• Your movement

Thus, visuals are an integral part of the
operational rules for this game
14
Constitutive Rules for Digital Games

• Lets think of the constitutive rules for a
  digital Chutes and Ladders with a non digital
  one. Any difference?

• Same as constitutive rules for non digital games
• Why?

• They concern with the game logic
• Internal events (how choice is processed)
• As opposed to external (how choice is
  represented)

15
Operational Rules for Digital Games

• Include input devices (keyboard, etc)
• Lets think of the operational rules for a digital
  Chutes and Ladders
• Operational rules focuses on external events (how
  choice is represented)
• Water reflection example

16
Implicit Rules for Digital Games

• Examples of implicit rules in digital games?
• Or may there are none?

• Sure there are!. Here are some
• Move mouse ? cursor moves
• Playing the game wont affect my computer!