copyright © curt hill, 2004-2015 game characteristics and genres the hopeless task of classifying...
TRANSCRIPT
Copyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015
Game Characteristics and Genres
The Hopeless Task of Classifying Computer
Games
Characteristics • A number of variables that for
which each game has a particular value set
• Projection– How is the game viewed by the
player?• Time• Number• Location of the software• Path
– Open world or directed
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Projection: How is game viewed?• Text
– No graphics
• Two dimensions– Only an X and Y dimension
• First person, three dimensions– Player cannot see self or behind them
• Third person, three dimensions– The player may see themselves and their
immediate surroundings
• Isometric – Equal measure– Contrasted with perspective
• Two and half dimensions– 2D to appear like 3D
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Time• How is time handled• Take turn
– Time is insignificant• Pseudo time
– Time is compressed or expanded to the player’s moves
• Real time– Things happen whether player is
ready or not
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How Many Players?• Single
– Usual for games that are not networked
• Two player– May be on a single computer or on network
• Multiplayer– Approximately up to 20 to 50– Client server or peer to peer connections
• Massively multiplayer– Could be hundreds or thousands– Client server
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Location• Almost all games have software on
the player’s machine– Has the software been installed?– Run through a browser or other
common client
• Does this software communicate?– Peer to peer?– Client and Server– Does the other machine actively
participate or merely store results
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Open World• Any virtual world game that gives
the player freedom to go anywhere• This is generally limited to first and
third person games– Excluding even some of these, such
as racers
• Does not have to be 3D• AKA
– Free roam– Sandbox
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What is a genre?• Webster:
a kind, a sort or a typesaid of works of literature and art
• For convenience we classify games into types for comparison purposes
• How do we compare football and chess, both of which are games?
• The following is one possible list of categories
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Genres• Shooter/Fighter• Bat and Ball• Racer• Collector• Video Pinball• Puzzle• Strategy• Adventure• Video Board game
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• Fighting• Simulation• Role Playing Game
(RPG)• Platform• Sports• Arcade Adventure• Rhythm-Dance
Shooter/Fighter• Game play is all about shooting
and not being shot– Objects– Opponents
• Swords etc. may also be used• These are usually fighting back• Success is measured in length of
life or objects destroyed
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Bat and Ball• Using a mouse or other controller
hit an object– Defend an area from the object– Hit the object to a goal
• Pong is an early example• Need graphics, but fairly simple
ones• Many examples are Freeware or
Shareware
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Racer• Player is driver on a course• Object is to have a good time or
better time than opponent• Straight line courses are easier• More turns and obstacles increase
the difficulty
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Copyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015
Strategy• Player has multiple units or a unit
with multiple capabilities• Object is to defeat an opponent• Not real time but moves in a take
turn fashion• Board games such as chess and go• Star Trek text game
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Sim• Simulate some complex system• Most famous are the Electronic
Arts Sim series– Sim City etc– Resource management is the crux of
the game• Predecessors include Lunar Lander
and Oregon Trail• If sufficiently complicated these
may be used for training
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Computer RPG• Players explore a large enclosed
area• They gain experience and engage
in combat with other players or bots
• Often turn based rather than real time
• Derived from the non-tech Dungeons and Dragons
• MUDs and MOOs are the software
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Arcade Adventure• An RPG with good graphics • Player interacts in real time with a
graphic reality• Usually there is a puzzle to solve
involving the exploration of a dungeon
Computerized Equivalents• Computer equivalent to a
conventional game– Video Pinball– Sports– Video Boardgame– Video Cardgame
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Combinations• These categories are not exclusive• We will see combinations of any of
these categories with the characteristics
• We may also discover/develop a game that does not fit in this system
Copyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015
Copyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015
Odds and Ends I• Collector
– Object is to collect a certain number of things while avoiding certain hazards
– Pacman is an example
• Platform games are a derivation– Jump from platform to platform– Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers
• Fighting– Simulating boxing or martial arts
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Odds and Ends II• Puzzle
– Solve some type of graphical puzzle– Graphics without a representation of
reality– Tetris
• Rhythm-Dance– Perform actions on a controller in time
with music
Assignment• Generate a document and mail it to
me• Contains a list of games you have
played• Should include:
– Name– Category– Cost
• Due prior to next working day– I would like to discuss this next class
timeCopyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015
Alternative Classification• Action• Adventure• Casual• Educational• Role Playing• Simulation• Sports• Strategy
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Action• Typically real time games where
the user needs to be involved in a second by second basis– Many arcade games– First person shooters– Racing
• The story telling is often confined to the splash screens
• Unreal Tournament is an example
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Adventure• A series of problems are presented
that the player must solve– Zork from 1977 is early example
• Before good graphics text based adventure games were very important– They faded when graphics made
them appear boring
• They have re-emerged with good graphics – Often a component of an action game
Copyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015
Casual• Computer implementation of an
existing game• This includes:
– Board, card, dice games– Game shows– Not limited to these
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Educational • Any game that disguises learning
in a game format• Must be engaging enough that the
students want to play, yet have enough educational value to be valued
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Role Playing Games• Player assumes a role and with this
role comes a goal– Dungeons and dragons was the paper
predecessor
• Game play often lasts longer than others
• Must be a storyline as well as problems to solve
• Often played in groups
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Simulation• A complex real world scenario that
can be experienced without great cost or danger
• Typically two flavors:• Vehicle
– Flight simular
• Management– SimCity
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Sports Games• A game that simulates a sport
– Football, baseball, soccer– Fighting
• Two point of views– The manager– The player
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Strategy• The winners form strategies that
best their opponents• May be real time or take turn• The view is a distant third person
– Usually the entire arena
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This Year • We will focus on two similar but
quite different first person games:– Unreal Development Kit– Minecraft
• Your term project will likely be in UDK– Other possibilities exist– Subject to negotiation
Copyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015
Unreal Development Kit• First person open world• Real time• Single or multiplayer• Realistic graphics rendered nicely• Bots substitute for other players
when needed• A strategy is needed
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UDK
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Minecraft• First person open world• Real time• Single or multiplayer• Very coarse graphics• Bots substitute for other players
when needed• About 60 million copies have been
sold• Who here has not played this game?• Why is this so popular?
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Minecraft
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UDK and Minecraft• Either of these have uses other than
games• Both are programmable
– Or we would not be interested
• Both have been used to generate machinima
• Both have educational use beyond game design– Minecraft has a quantum physics mod
• Both lean toward certain genres but could be used for any
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Discussion• What type of game does Minecraft
naturally lean towards?• How would you do a board game
with Minecraft?
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Assignment• On the website there is a link to
emulated DOS games• Find four different games that
represent four different genres on this site
• Play each of them• Write up a one page Word
document that:– Gives the name and genre– Gives a screen shot of the play
Copyright © Curt Hill, 2004-2015