cinematic game design iii richard rouse iii and marty stoltz game developer’s conference, 2009...
TRANSCRIPT
Cinematic Game Design III
Richard Rouse III and Marty StoltzGame Developer’s Conference, 2009
Action!
* orNine (More) Ways to Make Your Game More Cinematic
Without Adding Any More Cinematics
IntroductionsRichard Rouse IIILead Single Player DesignerKaos Studios
WheelmanThe Suffering The Suffering: Ties That BindDrakan: The Ancients’ GatesCentipede 3DDamage IncorporatedOdyssey Game Design: Theory & Practice
Marty Stoltz Cinematic Director
Big Huge Games
Star Wars: The Force UnleashedStranglehold
The Suffering: Ties That Bind Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: DeceptionMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Psi-OpsSanitarium
Slides available online – link at end of presentation
Some Games We’ve Worked On
What is a “Cinematic” Game?
• Not the “bad” definition• Shouldn’t mean non-interactive• Learn from, do not copy• Use established filmic techniques to craft an
emotional experience• Integrate the devices into gameplay
Talks of GDCs Past
Cinematic Game Design The First
1. Rim Lighting2. Character Framing3. Camera Following Character4. Slow Motion5. Subjective P.O.V.6. Parallel Editing7. Split Screen8. Building Tension9. Emotional Setup10. (Mis)Leading the Audience
Cinematic Game Design II: Storytelling
1. Exaggerated Camera Angles2. Voice Over Narration 3. Image Juxtaposition4. Audio Juxtaposition 5. Visualized Thoughts 6. Altered Reality7. Misdirection8. Picture within Picture 9. Visual Storytelling
Talks of GDCs Past
CGD3: Action!• Action games are superior at tension
and immersion• Action movies are great at pacing
and imbuing combat with meaning• Cinematic techniques allow us to
instill more gravitas in a game’s action, without making it less interactive
Technique #1: Starting a Fight
• Entrances can have different styles and can set the tempo of the scene
• Fight scenes composed of small sequences/”fight blocks”:• The Entrance• The Fight• The Special Event• The Finish
• Examples from: Conan The Barbarian
Starting a Fight:Gameplay Application
• A new enemy is positioned in a highly visible but unreachable position
• Immediate understanding of how the creature behaves
• Enemy gets to wreak havoc before player can do anything about it
• Companion NPC provides reinforcement• Example from:
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Technique #2:Pacing a Shootout
• Stylized slow motion can be used for different purposes
• Direction of action can be chaotic or precise
• Amount of shooting defines the pace• Examples from:
The Wild BunchThe Untouchables
Pacing a Shootout:Gameplay Application
• Mexican stand-off starts with a brief non-interactive setup
• Mini-game builds on gameplay of the main game, but with altered mechanics (unjustified)
• Recreates a trademark dramatic situation• Example from:
Stranglehold
Technique #3:The Suspense Change
Up• Build to a moment the audience is
expecting• Unexpected event alters the payoff• Often we arrive at the same
destination but take a different route to get there
• Examples from: Unforgiven
Dawn of the Dead
The Suspense Change Up :
Gameplay Application
• Some of the player's abilities are taken away (carefully justified)
• Remains highly immersive• Player must quickly master surprise
situation with somewhat altered mechanics
• Example from: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Technique #4:Car Chase Camera
• Different scenes view the car from different perspectives
• View of the driver is important, altering immersion
• Examples from: The Hidden
The Bourne Supremacy
Car Chase Camera:Gameplay Application
• Third person camera makes experience playable
• Shooting transitions to almost-POV shot from within car
• Works better for gameplay and drama
• Emphasizes the main character• Example from:
Wheelman
Technique #5:Foot Chase Tension
• Use open shots to see both pursued and pursuer
• Use close shots to see either the pursued or the pursuer
• Example from: 28 Weeks Later
Foot Chase Tension:Gameplay Application
• Player is deliberately kept weak and weaponless
• Heavily scripted, without being too obvious
• Situation is “unfair” but forgiving• Example from:
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Technique #6:Getting a Sense of
Height• How to add suspense to a scene
with continuous danger• Different shots can be used for scale• Selectively show the ground to
focus on other things beside danger• Example from:
Saboteur
Getting a Sense of Height:
Gameplay Application• First person perspective immerses with
feeling of real world vertigo• Forgiving controls, but with tense “just
avoided falling” animation• Falling to your death is uniquely disturbing• First person creates a world awareness
challenge• Examples from:
Mirror’s Edge
• Long shot of objective to be climbed• Third person perspective allows you to
understand what you’re climbing better• Less immersive• “Synchronize” and “Jump Off” mechanic
emphasizes sense of height• Examples from:
Assassin’s Creed
Getting a Sense of Height:
Gameplay Application
Technique #7:The Unexpected
Location• Throws the audience off a bit• Environment presents unusual
obstacles and unusual solutions• Can be used to change the mood of
a scene• Example from:
Enter the Dragon
The Unexpected Location:Gameplay Application
• Carefully chosen familiar yet novel place for a gunfight
• Space feels real and functional• Clever player gets to go "behind the
scenes"• Example from:
Duke Nukem 3D
Technique #8:The Confusing Environment
• Throws the main characters off a bit• Nature of the location makes the
viewer feel vulnerable • Break from reality gives us a chance
to play with surreal effects• Example from:
The Lady from Shanghai
The Confusing Environment:
Gameplay Application• Confusing space keeps players
guessing, constantly on edge• Player feels he's never safe, even
though it is not dangerous• Allows for self-referential naval
gazing• Example from:
Max Payne 2
Technique #9:The Intimate Death
Scene• Stylized slow-motion draws out the
event and can focus on suspense and brutality
• Often audio is distorted or drops away• Can be used to wrap up the story or
characters• Example from:
The Dead Zone
The Intimate Death Scene:
Gameplay Application• Everything is kept first person,
extreme character close-up, forces the player to be “hands on”
• Tie to the plot and core mechanics • Example from:
Bioshock
The Intimate Death Scene:
Gameplay Application• Death is most meaningful when the
player spends game-time with a character
• Cameras and fancy graphics not necessarily required
• Example from: Planetfall
Nine Cinematic Action Techniques
1. Starting a Fight2. Pacing a Shootout3. The Suspense Change Up4. Car Chase Camera5. Foot Chase Tension6. Getting a Sense of Height7. The Unexpected Location8. The Confusing Environment9. The Intimate Death Scene
Questions?
• Contact:Richard: [email protected]
Marty: martystoltz.com
• Slides (& previous year’s slides) available at:
www.paranoidproductions.com
Special thanks to Coray Seifert for a lot of video tomfoolery.