At the same time the pure visuals have just hit a new milestone. At the time of writing a number of titles on the next-gen consoles (Xbox 360 and PS3) the feedback during the operation of machines such as a computer and of course PCs, are showing amazing images, or tool giving promises of a future with games that will Nintendos newest console, equipped with motion-sensitive con- be hard to distinguish from real life. This is already trollers giving the developers the possibility to convey hu Gaming controller using both hands
man emotions with much more subtlety than before, bringing the players environment truly alive. The crossroads Im referring to is whether the very core of video games, the ideas they are all based upon, will continue to orbit around the fascination of manipulating virtual shapes and navigating digital worlds, or if the enormous technological achievements within the industry might help spawn all fresh ideas and mind-sets, selling to an experienced and emotionally developed audience. More precisely, Im thinking of a new kind of game, where key game mechanics are rooted in the story line and the excitement of a well-written narrative plot. The idea itself can be described as a story where the player gets to decide the outcome of every scene, and that this change has a severe impact on the rest of the narration. As an interactive medium the model has a lot in common with the more classic games of today, except the element of risk and reward is tied in with the storyline, meaning the players bonus for overcoming something difficult would be a desirable turn in the plot. A game funded on the principals of my idea would appeal to the same audience that enjoys a good plot in any other medium, and the closest description by an existing product would be a TV-series where the player is one of the characters, with the possibility to change the event of an episode.
a construct of rules intended to produce an enjoyable game or gameplay
Theres a number of major problems already, the two most obvious ones being content and creation. Every single bit of visible or audible content would have to be made, even the bits the player will inevitably choose not to explore or experience. Thats expensive. The second problem is how one would go about creating such a document. There would be a far larger set of details that would finally have to be tailored into one another in order to create a fluid and entertaining experience. This is time consuming, and, if beginning at the top of a page with a pencil, rather confusing. So since its expensive and hard to do its understandable that the current generation of developers would rather continue to hone their skills in conceiving and producing better and better classic games. Thats taken into consideration, and in this document Ill try and provide an answer to these basic, but major, problems. My fear is that if games dont get deeper soon, only a part of the already limited audience will keep on buying titles. On the other hand, I believe the outcome of a successful implementation of something close to my model would breathe new life into the already existing genres, and at the same time create games that will attract an audience currently not buying games at all.

1.1 Which games might benefit from my model
Whenever Im visualizing a scene from an imaginary game where my model has been utilized during the production there are some genres that are represented, others not at all. My opinion on the necessity for making games more emotionally deep is not directed at e.g. Tetris. The falling blocks are entertaining to fit into an ever-changing puzzle even though they cant convey one single concrete expression to the player. He might deeply hate a specific kind of puzzle piece, but that sensation was not deliberately planted there by the games designers. While puzzle games have a rather obvious place outside the area of fiction, there are other genres that might not have such simple answers.
Outside: Sports games (Virtua Tennis) Music games (Guitar Hero) Pinball games (Virtua Pinball) Traditional (Checkers) Maze (Pac Man) Simulation games (vehicle) (Microsoft Flight Simulator)

Guitar Hero

Those outside the circle of games that might benefit from a deeper and more challenging storyline The actual fun in the game derives entirely from have several attributes in common: the games mechanics. When manipulating a basThey rarely have any story in the first place, and ket ball player with an analogue stick, the characthe narration provided is generally just aesthetic, ter represented on the screen is simply an icon for in the sense that checkers have carvings of horses carrying and transporting the object ball and or crowns, but not to imply that theres a horse insert it into object basket. The character may that once killed a king in battle. Sports games have in later titles express emotion towards his actions championships where the players character can on the court, but these emotions are, again, make grow and evolve, but that is always about stats, up with no impact on the games narration. The numbers that alter the way that character behaves digital referee would never suddenly lay a penalty when in competition. The character doesnt evolve on a player for making racist comments towards emotionally, nor does he learn anything outside another player. If he did it would make no sense at all within the context of the game. In other the game. words, theres no need for drama.
Statistics within the game to provide information about the players status. Often given in a numerical value.

Need for Speed Carbon

Grey zone: Fighting (Mortal Kombat) MMORPGs (World of Warcraft) Simulation games (warfare) (Operation Flashpoint) Economic Simulation (Roller coaster Tycoon) City Building Games (Sim City) Racing (Need for Speed) Scrolling Shooters (Contra) Vehicular Combat (Carmageddon) Platform Games (Super Mario)
The games represented in the grey zone of other games in this category, it would make little whether theyd benefit from a deeper narrative sense. Story is not what these games are about. The characters serve, again, as iconic representaalso have some shared traits: tions, not personalities. One might argue that the The characters in the games have flat personali- characters in fighting games have a lot of personties, if any. In fighting games theyre closer to the ality, but its vital to separate the fascinating backbasket ball player, and in economic simulation ground stories from the actual fights themselves, games theyre pawns representing the public. as theres no connection between the two. An example from Roller Coaster Tycoon shows that a single character can suddenly desire ice- So the bottom line for these games is that story might cream, which he communicates with an icon, a be applied and deepened, but it wouldnt augment the picture of an ice cream. When the characters can game itself. One exception is Massive Multiplayer Onhardly be described as NPCs its obvious theyll line Games, where there are quests and a lot of story inlack the ability to convey anything more provolved in the vast universe that the players are invited to found, like why they like ice-cream or whether theyll tell their friends to shop as well if they get explore. When a group of players seek to raid a specific dungeon that contains the exact amount of enemies some and so on. each time, just having the computer randomize the Shooters where characters are involved in some sequence and location of these monsters will change way, like Carmageddon or Contra, could have the story the players experience each time. However, deeper story in them, like alternative paths of since there are so many player deciding, as a group, consequence if the player fails to kill a boss or what to do and when to do it, along with the imporfind a secret or disarm a bomb, but, as with the tance of stats in these games, Ive placed the genre in the grey zone. It might be possible to construct a story Non Player Character. The people in the game not controlled by that follows a player wherever he may go in this huge world, but its outside the scope of my model. the player.

havent tried to solve, as its very specific for each game exactly how conflict may be avoided. Basically the issue arises when the player is given control over a character at a certain point of the characters life, without knowing anything about him or her. An example is that the player, and in extent the character, would start the game by checking every single drawer, chest or cabinet in his entire house. The character would appear to not know anything about himself, and that simply doesnt make any sense. Again, if the game doesnt present the player with the possibility to ransack the house the situation may be avoided. Actually, exploring the characters living quarters is a great opportunity to get to know him or her. If the character is messy and forgetful the place he lives would reflect this, and the player may make his own decisions about the characters personality for himself. That still doesnt answer the further problems of the character knowing more than the player, like how life long friends would have to be introduced for the first time when they meet in the game. My personal opinion is that the player is willing to put himself in the characters shoes, and that the game can be rather aggressive when dumping the player into the characters universe. that the man looked calm and even paid for his meal. If the player leaves the caf without doing so, theres a different comment. But even thats not enough. Imagine what would have happened if the player had seen the police-man get up, and decided to sit down. The waitress would come over and serve him more coffee, and at the same time ask him whether everything was all right. It would help create tension. Or, if he just left for the door, the barmaid would react, commenting that he would have to pay for the meal. The police officer would interfere, and tension would have been created.
Instead, the player can behave rather irrationally, without anybody commenting on it. He can walk back and forth in the bar, talk to all the people in the bar, walk up and down some more, play the jukebox, sit down, etc. Since weve stated the importance of living NPCs, someone should have reacted somehow. If the player goes through the game again and tries to e.g. not pay the bill and ends up with the exact same outcome, that might seem weird. But if the player got a continuous response to his actions the bill wouldnt stand out from the other activities he could do, and he wouldnt expect there to be any other conseThe player may play a tune on the jukebox, sit quence. down by his table, notice that somebody else has had a cup of coffee there, eat, drink, look at the When trying to include the player in the game bill, pay the bill, talk to the other guests, go out its important that his character makes a differthe front door or go out the back. Hell end up ence. As Ill explain further on, there are differtaking a taxi home in the end, regardless of these ent layers of feedback. In the end, everything the choices. player chooses to do should change the game to some degree. If he decides to kill an imporTheres nothing wrong in this paragraph. Ive in- tant character, that would necessarily change the cluded it as an example of two things, though: game rather dramatically. If he makes a comThe number of things the player can do, and how ment, that could have a much smaller repercuslittle they seem to influence the games narrative. sion. So, when talking about the bar-scene, not Actually, if the player sits down and pays the bill having anything change after the player has left the following cut scene (after the player has left) the bar seems a little weird, making all the players shows the barmaid stating to the police officer decisions seemingly useless and redundant. The

CHAPTER 2

God made man because He loves stories. -Elie Wiesel
Humans are social animals. Being social means living in a pack, and being interdependent on others. Humans are also intelligent creatures, able to experiment and gather knowledge. The combination of these traits is likely the origin of empathy, the ability to feel what others are experiencing. That trait is in turn the decisive origin for telling stories. Through the use of language humans can convey detailed information to each others, and when summarizing a set of events in a determined sequence through language, humans are able to share an experience that originally did not involve the listener. By this, the experience of one member of the pack, tribe or society adds to the experience of the entire community. Without doubt, this exponential sharing of information has contributed greatly to the speed in which humans have evolved. And the main tool for gathering, telling and remembering this information is through stories.
Before writing was invented, oral storytelling consisted of memorized portions of information that was presented in a sequence through improvisation. This means that no two recitations of a story were identical. The moral or meaning of the story remained consistent, though, allowing it to become a powerful learning tool. Storytelling has been used as a source of entertainment, but also as an instrument for educating a society about ethics, norms, customs, practical information and religion. This has lead to fables, fairy tales, myths, legends, hymns, rhymes and poetry.
A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species Homo Sapiens--second in necessity apparently after nourishment and before love and shelter. Millions survive without love or home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives, from the small accounts of our days events to the vast incommunicable constructs of psychopaths. - Reynolds Price -A Palpable God

weve always told stories

2.1.1 The social animal
Emotion is chemicals produced by the brain, stimulating certain aspects of a persons psyche. The emitting of chemicals is a reaction to a certain stimuli, an intelligent input perceived and calculated by the mind. The Singer-Schachter theory from the science of social psychology has this example of the reaction:

Spot a bear

Adrenalin is released, hearts starts beating faster The sight of a bear is interpreted as being dangerous for the health (note this needs not necessarily be a conscious appraisal) The emotion fear arises

3.3.4 An example of how this might be experienced.
Well approach the model for writing poly linear stories step by step in a few chapters, but an example of what were aiming for might be in place. The following paragraphs examine a few hypothetical situations in games using PLS: The player is a soldier leading a group of rebels to an attack on a river dam in a forest. He shoots his way in, but on the way one of his soldiers is severely wounded. Before leaving for his assignment the player got to choose what kind of equipment he could take with him, and chose not to include a med-kit. His fellow fighters cant help but to voice their opinion on this being the players fault. The player now needs to leave on a different mission alone, to infiltrate an enemy outpost and retrieve medicine and instruments to save the soldier. When he arrives to the base its deserted, except for an old enemy surgeon. He claims the enemy troops have abandoned the base acting on orders from their general. The surgeon says he stayed behind because hes left his cause with the enemies side to join the player and his men. If the player tells him about the wounded soldier the surgeon will insist on coming back with him to make sure hes OK. The player can kill him, take the supplies from him with force or take him back to the squad. Should he allow to let the doctor help them he will save the wounded man, but further the doubt in his men about his abilities. Killing him would seem wrong should he tell the truth, and he doesnt seem to be of any harm. If he takes the supplies and leaves him there the man could follow him back and rapport to his superiors, should he be lying about his intentions. All this because the player forgot or neglected a med-kit. The player is motivated by the anger in his men to set things straight, but meets more problems on the way. What if the player had included medicine, or brought a surgeon of his own? The soldier might have been wounded still, and the enemy surgeon could have come at the moment the soldier went into shock from an allergic reaction. Or the soldiers injury doesnt occur at all, instead they go to the abandoned village and talk to the enemy doctor as a group, and the player may consult his squad about his decision. Should they trust him, they might be ambushed,
as the enemy hasnt left the village at all. Or the doctor may prove to be a valuable ally. Either way, the player will meet the enemy pleading his innocence and change of path. Thats the decision the player will have to take, that has either a negative or a positive impact on his relationship with his men. The writers can make the doctor-situation have a negative situation no matter what the player chooses, or a positive one. In the long run the player will have been confronted by the situation and gotten something in return, which fits into the rest of the story. So the story can be kept the same, with a specific route of plot points leading to a single kind of ending and conclusion for the player. Or the story might be broader, letting something change radically from the decision made by the player. This is controlled freedom, a dungeon master trying to make the story as responsive and interesting for the player as possible. These actions are dissembled into what theyre supposed to do in the story, what their purpose is. During the writing process, the writers may change the sequence of events, tweak responses, and reference up and down the time line to tie the whole story together. In the end its a linear experience where the player switches variables to alter the content of later parts of the story, making the outcome seem as if it happened because the player made it so. In the example above another important aspect is demonstrated, how the designers and writers can reuse content, like the location of the abandoned village, to make sure it stays within the players path. All these issues will be explained in detail in the model walk-through in the second part of this paper.

The player should experience the games universe, and draw conclusions based on his surroundings and the actions the NPCs do within them. This is a well known fact in game design, but when including the number of social encounters PLS requires its important to emphasize that characters must constantly do things that support their personality 3.4.3 More subtle ways of helping the player orient himself and their role within the game. When given a mission in a game the NPCs around the player will most of the time serve to 3.4.2 Abstraction should be kept at a remind the player about where hes heading. This minimum. Games have rules. As in sports, these rules require can be done well, as in Half Life 2, where the the players available actions to be kept within a player stumbles upon a rebel woman pointing certain range. Reality is the model, but it would him the way and telling him about the function have to be simplified to a certain degree. In tradi- and background for the location hes heading for.
Or it can be done poorly by presenting the player will a bullet-list of objectives, as in most other shooters. In PLS the player also needs to know why hes going where hes heading to make him want to go there, and he needs to be informed about the potential outcome of his actions when he gets there. This cant be done elegantly with an in-game PDA. Instead, the designers and writers would have to decide what the player should be told at any given time, and try to convey that information to him in the most organic and lifelike way possible. He may overhear a conversation or an argument between two NPCs, he may notice that someone is trying to prevent him from understanding something, or he can see an event that constitutes a fact the player might have been wondering about, like a riot or a commercial. PLS to conventional games is that the story doesnt seem plausible if the player is forced to repeat large segments of it throughout the game. In Fahrenheit the player is killed, arrested or simply stopped should he make a fatal decision. The difficult part is that this model is pretty much the standard for traditional game design. As mentioned in previous chapters this is a consequence of thinking along old lines, inherited from early video games. The outcome of a player failing a task can be solved in as many ways as there are individual game designs, but its above discussion that check-points and the necessary repetition of events is the most basic solution. Its also worth to note that dying once meant insert more coins, and that stories in general arent only about killing other humans. Personally I enjoy action games, but Im certain that the action can come in less deadly variations, 3.4.4 Consistency, consistency, creating suspense without necessarily killing the consistency players character should he fail at something. The The world the player explores may be supernatu- absolutes of death and checkpoints in games ral, magic or in other ways very different from the are, in my opinion, obsolete ideas that will need one he knows, as long as its consistent through- to change for the better before one can consider out the game. The way the players surroundings making any other part of the game more plausible work constitute the rules for how he may interact or engaging. with it. In Gears of War the player and the NPCs can take an enormous amount of damage. Thats 3.4.5.2 Games rely on death and rebirth not a problem as long as none of them are killed Traditional games have the player try a specific by one bullet at any point. The same applies to task, give him a couple of chances to succeed, and more subtle problems, like letting the player pick make him start over if he doesnt. I cant think of up a glass, but not a cup. Or open one door out of anything more destructive for a believable world 300 for no obvious reason. NPCs should not re- than to implement unexplained teleporting and peat themselves or behave weirdly if theyre sup- time-travel. The very idea derives from the same posed to feign human beings, and if the player era as the story, the early games in the 70s. The asis driving a car for a large portion of a game it pect of narration was not a needed part of games, shouldnt suddenly have a gas-meter that can run as the entire fun was based on the manipulation dry. These inconsistencies rip the player out of the of objects within the games narrow set of rules. experience and reminds him that hes playing a To keep the game from ending when the player program, not inhabiting a responsive universe. failed he was simply given another go at the task. Some later titles involve a sort of explanation to 3.4.5.1 The old culture of ones and zeros. this by letting the player be resurrected by magic A large and complex problem when trying to adapt upon death. Others simply transport the player

5.2.1.2 NPCs general behaviour
The level of believability a character radiates equals the level of integration that character is able to execute towards his environment. That means every word or sound uttered by the being must seem as if its coming out of the creature or character itself. Lip-sync must be as accurate as possible, as any deviation will lead to the sensation of watching an animation and listening to a sound file, an insight the player should not be given. The NPC can not glitch, run against objects, clip through surround-
Visual feedback of a program going into an unintended loop or error.

GTA IV In game graphics

GTA IV conceptual art
ing geometry or become locked in repeating animations. This is quite a task, but as proved with Gears of War and many other new titles the art of motion capture is in rapid development, bringing characters to life in a unique and important manner. These characters must go through links of animations in a fluid and expectable manner, as promised in the game Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. They must also be able to navigate and position themselves within the confines of the environment in an efficient and consistent manner. There can be no frozen facial expressions, visible repetition of notable movements or any other factor that makes the NPC look like the program it is. Lastly, the NPCs must have larger libraries for responding to the player, with more nuanced differences and options. Without this ability the characters will not be able to handle the information required by the script. Again, the idea of realism is irrelevant to the idea of aesthetics, as long as consistency is ensured.

5.2.2. Audio

Even though the written word is a highly potent medium for conveying emotions, the human voice is the preferred method because of our increased ability to listen for detailed information in the readers voice. Its possible to enjoy characters when reading sub-titles, but not necessarily if the sound is muted. The way a certain piece of dialogue is read means a great deal to the impression listener or spectator is left with. Because of this voice-over and read dialogue is more potent then subtitling the characters words as they move and act out the dialogue physically (The difference can be viewed in Dead Rising for the 360). PLS inevitably contains more content then traditional games, and a large portion of that information is expected to be carried by voice overs and NPCs. This means more dialogue, and more detailed dialogue. Its by far one of the most economical aspects of video game creation, at least when compared to the development of game engines, or the creation of motion captured animations and other visual components of the product. It would, how Objects in games are equipped with programmed qualities that ever, mean a large increase in the amount of work prevents e.g. characters from disappearing into a wall or through a needed from voice-actors and dialogue-writers. Because of the increase in content needed to be floor.

RM Laura

Father John Mother Mary Brother Billy Best friend Alicw Lauras Home Friend Claire Friend Paula Friend Danny Friend George Friend Doug Aunt Ness School Friend Georges house Aunt Ness house Class at school Soccer team Teacher Bentley Teacher Thacher Teacher Brown Sister Sarah Closest neighbours Neighbours houses
In the second group we find the rest of Lauras friends along with any other person she sees a lot, in this case her aunt Ness. In this example Laura is very fond of her aunt, and goes to visit her several times per week, just as she visits the rest of her friends. These people will know Laura well, and also spend a lot of time with her. They will be interested in her, and by that they will eventually find out about all dramatic or extordinary events in her life. They are not as intimate as the rest, though, but that is not necessarely visible should there not be some sort of drama involved. Furthermore Ive added Lauras school, her friend Georges house and her aunts home as locations Laura will be linked to, but maybe not in a personal level. Major events happening in these places will reach Laura, but shes not as informed about the events taking place here as she is about her own house.
In the third group we find everyone who might show up in Lauras funeral, cut an article about her from a newspaper or have a personal opinion about her actions. These people are not aware of the day-to-day life of Laura, but theyll have a general idea about who she is and what she might be doing. Certain kinds of actions might become known to them. Ive added Lauras sister Sarah to In the first group theres Lauras family and clos- this category, to emphasize that water is thicker est friends. These are the ones that will be affected than blood in this list. All family are not automatiby almost every action Laura makes, and certainly cally in the first category, and all strangers are not anything dramatic that might happen to her. They necessarely in the last. Laura might have a stalker, a person she doesnt know but who knows and
wathces her closely. Or a sister that ran away from home and spends her days under the heavy influence of heroin on the other side of the country. In this third category Ive also added the neighbours house, where Laura has never been, doesnt know anything about, but will be told about should anything dramatic occur there. The relationship map is a handy tool when examining all the possible outcomes of a situation. It simplefies the task of understanding who might give a reaction to a player-actoin, and to which extent the reaction will play out. Should Laura do drugs at a party and overdose, her parents, Teacher Brown and her sister Sarah might all react since theyre in the RM, but they will react in very different ways. Her parents will be hands on, occupied, involved and distressed, teacher Brown might think it sad, and utter an opinion on drugs in general to his collegues, and Sarah might rethink her own life and excistence, possibly blaming herself for setting such a negative example. Furthermore, the RM is good for coming up with interesting and surprising links between characters, making the gamess universe a bit less predictable. Letting a character from the third group get involved in a problem based on previousely unknown facts, for instance.

Action Radius:

This is an indication for how long into the timeline and how deep into the relationship maps an event will endure. This only counts for player-actions, ruling out lesser actions (stopping someone on the street to ask for the time). Theres no numerical values to this expression, but a factor that should be described or formulated for every PA in the script. To continue to use our example from the previous paragraphs, Laura has an argument with her parents. If they just argue, the consequences in the story might end the same night, when they reach an agreement and become friends again. Should Lauras father hit Laura the expanded AR would ensure that Laura would tell her best friend Alice about the incident, Lauras mother might tell Lauras Aunt. The consequences would last for weeks. If the punch left a black eye it would have an even broader AR, making the entire school and Lauras soccer practice aware of the problem, instegating rumours or nick-names lasting for years.

Plot point:

The points in the story where it branches off into different directions. This is usually caused by direct a direct PA, but can also be a turning point based on an accumulated value. For instance there might be several plot points where Lauras friend Finally, making RM for locations makes it easy to Alice can lose her patience with Laura and abanunderstand who will be involved with the out- don her, a descicion based on the Alices gathered come of actions should they occur in that area. value towards Laura. Should something happen at Lauras school the students, the teachers, the janitor, the head mas- NPC-relationship: ter, all could have something to do with the fol- One vital value that should be constantly mapped lowing narrative. is the NPC-Player-relationship. This indicates how an NPC should behave towards the player based RMs are dynamic, and will need several versions on the player actionss. In the PLS-Program (dethroughout the scripts as characters continue to scription in chapter 6) this value can be set and meet each other, become enimies, leave, arrive, traced as the script is written. Its most important, and so on.
because as Ive suggested in the previous chapters, NPCs are the tools that convey the story and thus the game to the player. They are also used for taming the player into behaving within his given role, and punishes behaviour where the player is behaving in an undesired way. Knowing and mapping their opinions about the player is of great help when writing the story.

Used Content Ratio:

In order to keep the script from describing or depending on too much content, like locations, characters, lines of dialogue or even music, the script should in the end be able to give a ratio regarding how much of the content created that actually has been experienced by the player, should he play through the game in a certain way. This value is given in a ratio, like 3:9. This number could indicate that the player has seen 3 out of 9 created object. Depending on production time and budget, any given PLS script could have a forced ratio for any given category of items that would have to be produced in the final game.

Meets friendly person (Donell or Fayde)
The player can escape with Donell should he be captured by himself, or doesnt make the break out at all. Should he not go with her hell be guided out of the court and into a field or long slope leading to a highway This could be done using NPCs running after him and herding him on his way, or guiding lights during night. This area can appear wast, but since the player has to get to a certain point he can be limited by natural means from exploring the entire part, thus saving development resources. When the player exits the hospital he should have met enough resistance for him to avoid trouble and run for any escape. The action shouldnt be lowered by having him wander around looking for the car containing Donell, for instance. The sequence is short, and ends with the player almost leaping into the car when summoned by Donell. If the player runs with Fayde theyll make it to his car together.
If the player at some point actively investigates Donell (like looking through her purse when shes not watching), hell find hard evidence against her credibility. He will then have to either believe or question Donells explanation, and if he decides shes not on his side after all he will either succeed or fail in getting away from her. The time between the moment the player is told that hes Places should be considered for all the parts of been framed until he has to make a decision about the main storyline, with a certain description of trusting Fayde contains a series of events common their functions, according the the story that will for all the parallel narratives: take place there. The writers can take into consideration the actions the player will have to perform, the general mood of that particular part of the game and the number of activities the location can contain.
The player is in the mental hospital He escapes from the mental hospital He meets an NPC, either Fayde or Donell, claiming to be an ally. Hes told about being the victim of an attack. The player gains an understanding of the subgroup in the government. Fayde helps the player. One of the agents is surprisingly confirmed to be a double agent. The player makes a final stand against the Undergroup. second I thought it could happen in an almost empty restaurant at closing time. The public place doesnt have to be crowded or large, just containing some other people, making Fayde talk with a low voice, and they could be interrupted during their conversation. The restaurant wouldnt have to be spectacular either, but it should have and eerie sensation to it, small things out of place in order to create some sense of unease leading up to Donells violent attack on Fayde. Now I try and think of a place that caters all needs, like a small diner in the outskirts of a small town, dark and damp, containing all sorts of trinkets and memories left by other visitors through the years. Brown wooden tables with matching chairs and a L-shaped bar. The reason for making the bar divided and shaped like an angle is that the player may be placed at different ends of it during the two scenes, avoiding having repeating details stick out in both chapters. Its not a good idea to make the recycled locations visibly duplicated, and utilizing camera angles and diverse backdrop are ways to prevent that. Finally the obvious: Recycling of locations should only occur across paths in the narrative that wont cross, meaning that the player will only get to see the same place in the same way once. The two scenes in question are not part of the same linear narrative. Lets write some more tests utilizing this location for both scenes:

7 Place in Time line When the main events are worked out in the Free mind mind map the given chapters should be represented in the bottom of the PLS-window as switch-buttons as illustrated. This makes it easy The writers implementing the mind-mapped to both assign a scene to its main chapter in the script into the PLS-program for the first time only time line (in this case the scene is in chapter 6), have a small description on what will actually and to see, at a glance, which section of the story happen in the scene, and it has to end with Fayde the writer is currently working on. (NPC 2) coming to the players rescue. That means NPC 1 is trying to hurt the player, and it should 8 Jump to event happen after the player has chosen not to believe The name added in part one of this small tutorial NPC 1s explanation. is listed in the jump to event- drop down menu upon completion, giving the writer the ability to So the player has Donells wallet in his hand, and jump to any previously created scene at the click
of a button. One of the main features the final program should contain is ease of navigation between parts of the script, and to provide an output (the exported script) in which components could easily be looked up for making adjustments to a particular scene, location or character. See file Example_Script_Escape to preview the first part inserted into the program. 14 Play test After having written the entire script into the program the authors can easely click back and forth, checking the storys flow, excitement, consistency and general quality. The program also simplefies reading the script, as it can print every possible path through the storys branches as printable normal text-scripts, making the document more portable and accessible then the mind map. For larger productions involving many people this is most valuable, as the mind maps can become too hard to share, print or update among many people. The printed script is also much more understandable for people unfamiliar with PLS. Below is a printed script from Example_Script_Escape: Example Script This is an example script built from the flowchart attached to the PLS-paper by Tore Holmem. Its purpose is to demonstrate how one might experience writing into and reading/exporting a script from the program. It describes a story constructed with that purpose in mind. The player wakes up in a mental hospital, not knowing where he is. Hes heavily drugged, but able to walk around holding onto objects like chairs and beds. After having mastered moving about and interacting with objects the player makes his way into the hall. There he meets the other patients, all heavily demented in very different ways. He tries to talk with them, asking where he is and what has happened to him, but none of them can offer any answers. When he approaches a nurse doing rounds, she contacts a doctor who has a brief conversation with the player, telling the nurse to up his dose that very evening. The nurse protests, claiming the healing of the patient a positive sign. The doctor gets mad and tells her the player is to be heavily sedated. Escape from Hospital Location: Mental Hospital The player finds a passage not guided by the guards into the buildings elevator shaft, and makes his way inside. Soon the alarms go off, and the player is chased through corridors, fire escapes, into air ducts and out windows, all the time trapping or obstructing the personnel trying to catch him

1999 RTS title Command & Conquer:Tiberian Sun Broken Sword - an adventure game series created by Heavy Rain - (possibly subtitledThe Origami Killer) is game designer Charles Cecil of Revolution Software an upcoming video game, developed by French studio Quantic Dream and is on the PlayStation 3. The Splinter Cell - a series of video games endorsed by game is being directed by Quantic Dreams founder American author Tom Clancy and CEO David Cage
Silent Hill - a survival horror video game franchise Condemned - a video game developed by Monolith
developed and published by Konami. As of 2007, most installments have been created by Team Silent with the exception of two upcoming titles, Silent Hill: 0rigins, which is being developed by Climax Studios, and Silent Hill V being developed by The Collective from Foundation 9 Entertainment Productions and published by Sega for PC and the Xbox 360
Starcraft - a real-time strategy game by Blizzard Entertainment. It was initially released for Microsoft Windows in 1998
Final Fantasy XII - a console role-playing game de- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - a single player fantasyveloped and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console, and the twelfth installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. It was released in 2006 themed action-oriented computer role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games
Monkey Island - the collective name given to a se- Fifa 08 - the forthcoming installment of Electronic
ries of four graphical adventure games produced and Arts popular series of football video games. Develpublished by LucasArts, originally known as Lucas- oped by EA Canada, it is to be published by ElecFilm Games through the development of the first two tronic Arts worldwide games in the series Call of Duty 2 - a first-person shooter video game Facade - Faade is an artificial intelligence experi- and sequel to the critically acclaimed game Call of ment by Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern. Duty. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision Fahrenheit - (known as Indigo Prophecy in the United States and Canada) is a video game that was released New Super Mario - a side-scrolling platforming video in September 2005. It was developed by French stu- game published and developed by Nintendo for the dio Quantic Dream, and published by Atari. The game Nintendo DS handheld video game console. was written and directed by Quantic Dream founder David Cage. Fight Night Round 3 - a boxing video game developed by EA Sports Space Incaders - an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado in 1978.[1] It was originally manufactured by Taito and licensed for production in the U.S. by the Midway division of Bally

Foundations of Interactive Game Design (80K)

week six, lecture two

TBA readings still. & more papers @ front Multi-game analysis essay More games and ction recapping prior

lecture and adding more

Can games and ction work together? How do games and ction work together? How could games and ction work

together?

Presentations of Mass Effect and Heavy Rain

Multi-game analysis

Your next major assignment, due in

two weeks in section

Pick three games to compare, focusing on
some aspect of their design, and connect this to their mechanics
One of these games must come from the
S&E Librarys game collection (see syllabus page on the multi-game analysis for links)

Comparing games

Choose something about the game design

to compare

You might look at changes in ction
(e.g., different stories/mechanics), procedural rhetoric (e.g., simulated pollution), basic mechanics (e.g., jumping mechanics and challenges), etc differences and support with specics!
Explicitly state your views on the
The most common type of comparison is
is encouraged (e.g., the original Prince of Persia, PoP: Sands of Time, and the recent Forgotten Sands) in the same genre and/or series (its easier to compare jumping across platformers)
Choosing three games from different eras With permission of your TA, you can
choose a different dimension and grouping

Creative groupings

Some Bogost essays
are multi-game analysis examples. analyzes playing weakness in 3 games In-Game Ad Design looks at unlicensed branding in 3 games
Games Phone Home Turning the Tables on

Questions?

Games and fiction
Games are complex systems
Play creates many emergent possibilities
Stories are linear arrangements
One arrangement is carefully selected
Stories are inherently linear. Indeed, this is a strength; the author chose precisely those characters, those events, those decisions, and that outcome, because it made for the strongest story. Games are inherently non-linear. They depend on decision making. To the degree that you make a game more like a story more linear, fewer real options you make it less like a game. Greg Costikian, 2000
There is some evidence for this
Great-looking graphics: aka movies
"Play" Story "Play" Story "Play" Story "Play" Story "Play" Story "Play" Story
Not enough movies for dynamic gameplay or story
"Play" Story "Play" Story "Play" Story "Play" Story
We have better cinematic models
Tells an action movie story

Play Story

With gameplay challenges: running, jumping, climbing, shooting, using cover
Games can do what movies can do
Setting up character tensions

Making tensions clearer

Setting some tensions aside
Games can do what movies cant do
Cant run, jump, or climb; only pistol
Hard-won victory made meaningless

X <

Does bad things in a separate world Does bad things in a world impelled by my gameplay
But traditionally cinematic games are just one approach
We can connect gameplay and fiction more deeply
. and a deeper connection between game and fiction doesnt require a huge team

Shade by Andrew Plotkin

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<&.G4)$");+6+()*3$,)((+6,$%.6,437 JA6"$(%1(G/#$.0777$;14$&.(7$L1:2$(&$(%)$,4&&?)#$ ;&*2/#J$16"$1$P+*+5&9@%12)4$*.**1=3$=),+6/7 D&5)6$:.5=&14" <&.$/(16"$.5#$16"$/()5$+6(&$(%)$2+(:%)6$6&&27 <&.$&5)6$(%)$:.5=&14"#$4)?)1*+6,$1$=&Q$&;$:41:2)4/7 D,)($:41:2)4/ E12)67 D)1($:41:2)4/ <&.$5.**$&6$(%)$=&Q$(&57$F(G/$/(.:2#$/&0)%&'7$<&.$ 3162$99 E%)$(&5$()14/$1'13#$16"$'%+()$/16"$/5413/$&.($&;$ (%)$=&Q7
The game system provides a space, objects,

and a mystery

The player and the character both explore
the space, use the objects, and uncover the mystery only experiences intellectual curiosity about the ctional world, but must experiment with the world actively curiosity in action same time the characters ction climaxes
Unlike a traditional ction, the audience not The player understands the world at the
Or you could control the world at a different level
Storytelling with The Sims
Alice and Kev by Robin Burkinshaw

Alice and Kev

A story about poverty, with the choices of the player implicating the
audience in a way The Bicycle Thief couldnt,
told through a simulation game. It works because both game and story are

about resources.

The Sims is an amazing if somewhat

abstract metastory.

Or a simulated world might not be a goal

Screen

A collaboration with Josh Carroll, Robert

Coover, Shawn Greenlee, Andrew McClain, and Ben Sascha Shine
Played in the Cave at Brown University Texts of memory as a virtual experience The language of memory as game material,
in relation to the body, made almost tangible
Words peel loose, hit back with the hand.
Or the boundary between worlds could be questioned

The Beast

Circles: Evan Chan was murdered Squares: Jeanine was the key

This is not a game

Elan Lee (puzzles),
Sean Stewart (writing), and Jordan Weisman (concept) own existence; spread through internet text, movies (and phone, fax, USPS, bathroom walls, live events) player collaboration (Cloudmakers had 7,500 members) Nearly 150 characters, nearly 4,000 documents, four languages, nightmare database, Enigma code, etc.

First ARG; denied its

Required massive
Launched the alternate reality game genre Fictions uncovered/performed as a group Taking roles in ctions that blur boundaries Game system provides a framework and goal
for social interaction in ctional/real world (even if not visible to players)
Pushing back on plans of game/story authors
Or you could make choices for characters that branch the plot
Role-Playing Games (RPGs)
Maybe this is starting to sound familiar?
Quest structures enable choice states and possible future states
Dialogue trees enable choice options of what to say, followed by NPC responses, choices are gameplay decisions

Mass Effect

Presentation by Alexander Schneider
Or you could inhabit multiple characters

Heavy Rain

Expressive Intelligence Studio eis.ucsc.edu

http://

Presentation by Alexander McCaleb

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We could say that we are giving our souls to the game as weve abandon our role as the player of a game & become the protagonist Scott Shelby. The sense of immersion brought about from this game is much more prevalent throughout the remainder of the story. The rst time I played through the game, I completed it from beginning to end (including DLC) in one 15 hour sitting. Why? Thats how immersed into the game I was.
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We are Scott Shelby, a private detective investigating the case of the Origami Killer. Lauren Winter is a prostitute whos son Johnny was a victim of the Origami Killer. Currently, Lauren Winter lives in a sleazy apartment complex & is well-known amongst that community. This could possibly be the end result of her dead son. Troy is an ex-client of Laurens who has violent urges & thinks he owns Lauren. This premise seems familiar to that of Omikron except were a private detective in the near future versus a futuristic cop.

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Gameplay & ction merge here as every aspect of the gameplay available to me was driven by previous choices I made in the story. In particular, every time that Troy was able to hit me, Ill sustain those injuries throughout the game. Likewise, with any RPG, the ways that Ive been talking with Lauren affect her relationship with me, which drives her reactions later in the level.
Analyzing this from an outside perspective, during our quick time sequences, the story would often imply that I would be able to strike Troy in some particular manner with button presses or joystick movements that came intuitively with what was occurring on screen. This may be a nitty-gritty detail, but still applicable to our discussion
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Microscenes are used to show discussion between characters as well as small acts that characters are doing. For example, when Scott needed his inhaler, a microscene was shown where he pulls the inhaler from his pocket & leans up against the wall to use it. This particular usage aids story-telling as it tells the player through their interactions & watching that Scott has breathing problems. In addition to this, microscenes are also utilized during Scott & Laurens conversation to give emphasis onto what exactly is being said. Without microscenes in this context, directly telling the story would be a much more difficult task.
!"#$%&'#()Y![(*<2-$ Z='(+,2')f@a:)A"D)7"'2)&N')$<"&)%-O"<7)802'7)"-) #9)30#'$<09)+N",+'2W
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Or you could gesturally perform the characters

Motion controls

Gestures control everyday actions
Motion control in Heavy Rain
Enacting ctional roles, taking multiple POVs Motion control for ction high-level
puppeteering, rather than full-body enacting taking emotionally powerful stances, making emotionally laden movements
Raises question of the alternative
We can do exciting things with games and fiction
Doing things with game fictions
Accomplishment, emotional interpellation Unraveling mysteries with active engagement Interrogating our responsibilities Making play material of ctions language Play enacting ctional themes metaphorically Creating new social connections via ctions Physically enacting ctional roles Experiencing choice in a possibility landscape
Its a great time to be working on games and fictions