SimulationOutlineRules paperRewritesProblemsThesisFocusFocus cont'dProofreading#1 TipSchemasPlay paperSlide 13Simulation IIImaginary realismMappingMapping cont'dBasic factExample: HaloGame physicsNatural?Simulation focusSimulation focus cont'dExampleScriptingSlide 26Slide 27Advantages of scriptingDisadvantages of scriptingSlide 30Slide 31Benefits of simulationDisadvantages of simulationDesign decisionSlide 35Simulation #1Simulation #2Simulation #3Simulation #4Level of detailThe role of simulationRealism over all?WednesdaySimulationRobin BurkeGAM 224OutlineAdminRules paperPlay paperSimulationRules paperGradesA: -B: BBB++--C: CCC--D: DDRewritesMustRW grade orC- or belowMayanybodybut grade is not guaranteed to go upCannotif no original paperRewrite due date3/7Must submit original graded assignment•and new hard copyAs well as to turnitin.comGrading(2 * rewrite_grade + original_grade) / 3example: Rewrite = A, Original = C-(2*4 + 1.67) / 3 = 3.22 = B / B+ProblemsCitationCorrect•Grand Theft Auto III Rockstar Games, 2001, Playstation 2.•Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004), 390.•Blizzard Entertainment, "Honor System F.A.Q" http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/honor-system-faq.html . (Accessed 5 February 2007.)Incorrect•anything else2nd citation•none necessary for the game•Salen and Zimmerman, 232.•"Honor System F.A.Q"Unsupported assertions"World of Warcraft is the most popular MMORPG ever."Might be true•needs to be supported with a citation – according to whom?ThesisMore specific is betterBlah•"Halo 2 shows a lot of emergence."Better•"The weapons systems in Halo 2 are tightly coupled with many aspects of the game generating emergent gameplay at both the strategic and tactical levels."In many casesthe conclusion of the paper contained a good thesis statementgrab this and put it in frontFocusDo not "brain dump"the description of the game's premise•should be just enough to get the reader started•should focus on those areas that matter for your argumentExampleUnfocused•"Madden has rules about .... [2 pages of description]"Focused•"The main conflicts in Madden are set up by the standard rules of NFL football and the operational rules for controlling the game.... [2 or 3 paragraphs about these rules]"Warning signYour paragraphs are too long•10 lines maximum•otherwise you probably don't know what your point isMany papers had this problemFocus cont'dA 5-page paper is very shortYou cannot argue persuasively for more than one or two pointsMany papers tried to do too muchevery conflict in a gameevery game theoretic decisionPick the most significant points that support your caseargue them in depth with concrete examples from the gameDon't slavishly follow my outlinesif it doesn't apply, don't mention itProofreadingThe spellchecker is no substitute for human judgmenttheir (belonging to them)there (location reference)#1 TipRead your paper out loudYou will learnif your overall argument holds togetherif your syntax is garbledif you are rambling on and onif your transitions are abruptSchemasEmergence≠ finding two object coupled together≠ complex gameplayyou are looking for a system in which one object / behavior / variable is highly coupled to many other thingsyou are looking for the whole being greater than the sum of the parts•if the parts are themselves complex, it is a tougher argumentGame theory≠ finding decisions that balance risk / reward what is the larger system of such decisions?how does the player learn about the risks and rewards?Conflict≠ identifying one or two types of conflict that are presentwhat is the system of conflict?how do different types of conflict interact?Information≠ what forms of information there are what is the underlying system of hiding and revealing?what are the costs/payoffs of learning something?Play paperDue in two weeks2/19No rewritesSchemasExperiencePleasureMeaningNarrativeSimulationSocial PlaySimulationGames simulate real-world activitiessports gamesracing gameshistorical gamesCentral ideamapping between the game and the real-world activitySimulation IIGames also simulate fantasy and fictional activitiesany RPGmost FPSCentral ideamapping between the game and...Imaginary realismGames (like other fictional creations)require "willing suspension of disbelief"we agree to be lied to(why is that?)We expect of a realistic game that it be internally consistent•we expect "physical" laws to be the same everywherethat its deviations from our consensus reality to be explained•we can learn what "physics" is in this worldMappingSimulation is a mapping between a representation in the gamean aspect of reality or some imagined realityThe mapping will be incompletethe game may leave out inconvenient or boring partsthe game may include improbable situations for gameplay reasonsExamplerealistic healing from wounds is slowan announcement is heard on the radio just when you come in the roomyou can't take over enemy buildings, you have to destroy themMapping cont'dThe mapping will be inexactthe game may exaggerate the physics for effect or gameplaythe game may (will) abstract from physical reality for practical reasonsExamplebasketball players jump incredibly highcrates can be destroyed but not doors or wallsBasic factAll physics is simplificationcomplex multi-body physical simulations are too slowreality is chaoticlimits to what can be rendered graphicallyExample: HaloWhat happens when a grenade explodes?do we simulate the ignition and rapid oxidation of explosives, pressure waves, metal shear and shrapnel trajectories?do we simulate concussion injuries, soft tissue damage, and bone trauma?Game physicsPhysics = the evolution of the game statewe want the player to feel as though there is a real world in the gamethe game state must be complexits evolution must seem naturalthe player's control over it should seem naturalNatural?Games are profoundly unnaturalAliens? Psychic powers? Controlling a civilization over centuries?Imaginary realismwhatever is