thesis proposal: creating satisfying game experiences with coherent emergent stories

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Creating Satisfying Game Experiences with Coherent Emergent Stories Gail Carmichael David Mould Graphics, Imaging, and Games Lab Carleton University

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Creating Satisfying Game Experiences with

Coherent Emergent Stories

Gail Carmichael David Mould

Graphics, Imaging, and Games Lab Carleton University

Improve interactive story experiences in open-world adventure and role-playing

games.

Goal

Techniques for creating more satisfying, coherent

emergent stories.

Proposed Solution

Techniques for creating more satisfying, coherent

emergent stories.

Proposed Solution

1 2 3 4 5

6

Kernels: the story’s backbone

1 2 3 4 5

6

Satellites: flesh out the kernels

Satellites : Kernels

Traditional Media

Satellites : Kernels

Games

Techniques for creating more satisfying, coherent

emergent stories.

Proposed Solution

Causal connections Story element development

Noticeable structure

Meaning

Every event and gameplay action has meaning

Coherency

Contributions

A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites.

An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to

more satisfying stories.

Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories.

An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the

perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.

Contributions

A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites.

An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to

more satisfying stories.

Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories.

An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the

perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.

Planner-based Causal connections

How to develop story elements? Difficult to author

Transformationalist

Real-world story structures Coherency from rigid structures

Inconsistency in emergent structures Easier to arrange satellites for story development

Structuralist

Planner-based Causal connections

How to develop story elements? Difficult to author

Transformationalist

Real-world story structures Coherency from rigid structures

Inconsistency in emergent structures Easier to arrange satellites for story development

Structuralist

Kernels and satellites

Authorial control over core plot

Each satellite has a function in the story

Structuralist

Contributions

A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites.

An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot

according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to more satisfying stories.

Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality

between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories.

An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the perspective of the development of story elements such as theme,

character, setting, and so on.

Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7

Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat

of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3

Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face

this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6

Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is

scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5

Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7

Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat

of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3

Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face

this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6

Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is

scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5

Quantifiable Story Elements (QSE)

Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7

Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat

of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3

Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face

this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6

Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is

scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5

Story state: numerical values for each QSE

Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7

Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat

of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3

Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face

this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6

Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is

scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5

Scene state: tag a scene node about how

it functions in story

Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7

Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat

of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3

Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face

this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6

Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is

scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5

Relevance values

Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7

Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat

of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3

Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face

this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6

Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is

scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5

Desire values

Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7

Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat

of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3

Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face

this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6

Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is

scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5

Controls scene availability

(1) Discard nodes that do not meet all prerequisites

(2) Calculate priorities for remaining nodes using modifiers

(3) Offer nodes with the highest priority to player

(4) Present content of node chosen by player

(5) Update the story state

Contributions

A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites.

An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to

more satisfying stories.

Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories.

An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the

perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.

1 2 3 4 5

6

1 2 3 4 5

6

1 2 3 4 5

6

Dialog Lighting Motifs

Making Connections

Suggest possibilities through connections

Ambiguity

Contributions

A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites.

An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to

more satisfying stories.

Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories.

An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the

perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.

Completed Work

Future Work

• Winter 2015 • Evaluate Jason and the Golden Fleece prototype • Experiment with scoring mechanics and prerequisites • Develop content for informal user feedback

• Summer 2015 • Design and develop a prototype game to explore ambiguity (10 weeks) • Begin development of visualization author support tools (3 weeks) • Conduct formal user studies on ambiguity game prototype (3 weeks)

• Fall 2015 / Winter 2016 • Finish development of visualization author support tools • Wrap up user study and data analysis • Produce solutions for user interface issues

• Summer 2016 • Write thesis (16 weeks)

Thank You!