Research Techniques

Presentation on research techniques for classic & modern games

Introduction

Types Of Research Applying Research to both classic & modern

games

The point of this presentation?

I aim to inform you all about what I have learned about research techniques

I also aim to inform you all of what I have learned from the games I have researched

The basics of research

Research is a way of finding out more about a particular subject or topic

There are 4 different categories of research Research is key when aiming to create a new

game

The 4 types of research

Primary Research Secondary Research Quantitive Research Qualitive Research

Primary & Secondary

Primary Research Research the

researcher has gathered themselves

E.G: Questionnaires, playing games first hand

Secondary Research Research collected

from other sources E.G: Internet, books

Quantitive & Qualitive

Quantitive Research Facts & figures E.G: Statistics

Qualitive Research Opinions E.G: Comments

CLASSIC GAME RESEARCHThe Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past

Classic Game Research

For my classic game research, I played ‘The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past’

For this type of game, I used mainly primary research

Researching The Game

I played this game on an original SNES console

I played the game for roughly 45 minutes

Most of my research was done here

Researching The Game

Although I used the game as my main source of research, I had to use secondary research to find out how well the game sold, as well as review scores

About The Game

The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past was released on the SNES in 1991

It was developed & published by Nintendo It is considered to be one of the best selling

games in the ‘The Legend Of Zelda’ series

Gameplay

While playing the game, I took note of certain aspects of the game to add to my research afterwards

I took note of: Combat Story Characters Navigation Soundtrack Other Features

Combat

Basic combat Player is given a sword & shield Pressing ‘A’ makes Link swing the sword in the

direction he is facing

Story

Like the combat, the story appears to be basic The story is about a boy who must rescue the

princess Story appears basic?

Characters

The character the player plays as is a boy named Link

During my short time playing the game, I also came across Link’s Uncle, Zelda and Agahnim

Link

Zelda

Link’s U

ncle

Agahnim

Navigation

The game is based around an open world The player is given a map at the start of the

game, which will help them to navigate the world

Sound

The soundtrack in this game is quite simple & repetitive

This is due to file size constraints of the console The soundtrack of the game is quite appealing

Other Features

The game features a magic system, which allows the player to cast spells

Additional weapons and items can be bought from stores using rupees that can be found around the world

Rupees!

Conclusion On The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past

Good Points Graphical style has

aged well Good soundtrack Retro charm

Bad Points Cliché storyline Soundtrack, although

good, can get repetitive

Basic combat

MODERN GAME RESEARCHFallout: New Vegas

Modern Game Research

For my modern game research, I played ‘Fallout: New Vegas’

For this type of game, I used mainly secondary research

Researching The Game

To play Fallout: New Vegas, I used my own PS3 I have played roughly 100 hours of the game in

my spare time When looking into this game further, I used

sources from the internet, such as articles, reviews and videos

About The Game

The game was released in 2010 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360

It was developed by Obsidian Entertainment So far, it is the latest game in the ‘Fallout’ series

Gameplay

Although I used mainly secondary research when dealing with Fallout: New Vegas, I still needed to play the game myself, and do some primary research

Again, I took note of: Combat Story Characters Navigation Sound Other Features

Combat

The combat types in this game is divided into 4 categories Melee Weapons Guns Energy Weapons Unarmed Explosives

The game also uses a system known as V.A.T.S (Vault-Tec Automated Targeting System)

Energy Weapons

Guns

Melee Weap

ons

Unarmed

Explosiv

es

Story

The story in Fallout: New Vegas is quite basic The player plays a courier who gets shot in the

head The story has many branches to play through

Characters

There are hundreds of characters in Fallout: New Vegas, some more significant than others

There are several followers that the player can meet that can help aid them in combat

Navigation

Fallout: New Vegas takes place in an open world The player can fast travel to locations once they

have visited them Fast travel can be ignored if the player wishes

Sound

The soundtrack of this game is split into two sections: Licenced Music Ambient Music

The licenced music is played through radios throughout the world, as well as the player character’s Pip-Boy

The ambient music plays while the licenced music isn’t playing

Other Features

The game features ‘Hardcore Mode’, designed to add more survival elements into the game

It also features the use of drugs & alcohol, which can be used to increase the player’s stats, but has an addiction penalty

The game also features a crippled limb system, which adds more depth to the health system

Conclusion On Fallout: New Vegas

Good Points Fun, great gameplay Storyline features

many branches Massive world full of

locations to explore Plenty of ways to beat

the game Good voice acting

Bad Points Buggy Aging graphics Repetitive voice acting

Conclusion On Both Games

Good Points Varied combat styles

suit this genre Soundtrack is often a

strong point Wide open areas are a

strong point of the genre

Bad Points Basic combat makes

this genre repetitive Story can often be

basic to fit the wide scope of the game

Conclusion On Research Techniques

Techniques I Liked Primary Research Questionnaires Playing The Game

First Hand

Techniques I Disliked Secondary Research Internet Research Finding Screenshots

Thank You For

Listening