Transcript Operational Rules for Digital Games

Administrative: “Create New Game”
Project
• Apply the principles of Iterative Design
– First run of games in class: March 28th in class
• Short document describing: goal + operational
rules (1-2 pages)
• Main point: bring a working prototype
• Class will be given a questionnaire evaluating the
game
• Answered questionnaire will be returned to game
designers (questions about meaningful play)
• Game designers modify game as they see fit
Administrative: “Design New Game”
Project (2)
• Apply the principles of Iterative Design
– Prototype deadline: Thursday, March 22
• Class will be given a questionnaire evaluating the
game
• Answered questionnaire will be returned to instructor
(questions about meaningful play)
– Final product deadline: Tuesday, April 23
• Final working game
– Document deadline: April 25th in class (see next slide)
– Announcement about final exam exemption: April 27th
(per e-mail)
Talking Points “Design New Game”
Document
• Note: always justify your assertions by pointing to
material from class/book
• Length: 5 pages
• Describe the game: what it does (operational rules, idea)
• Overall game: meaningful play?
• Game as system:
– Explain the 4 elements (attributes, etc) for the game
• Interactivity
– Map the anatomy of choice: answer the five questions
for the game
• After thought: things you would have done differently
Final Thought “Design New Game”
• Avoid worst-case scenario: spending time on this project
and still need to do Final Exam
• Start working on the two projects now
Reward: one less exam to worry about
And have fun creating your own game!
About Presentations on Special topics
• 15 minutes long (rehears it)
• I need to see it before hand
– You can e-mail it to me
• Important: make sure to relate with topics covered in
class
Rules for Digital Games
(Ch. 13)
Key Question
• Are the rules of a digital game the same as the program
that codes this game?
Parts of the program that are unrelated to the rules of
the game:
• “allocate” more memory for program
• Load a software library to build complex
pieces of code
•“garbage collection”
•…
So what are the rules?
• Characteristics of rules in games
Rules limit player action
Do these hold
•What kinds of limitations for digital games?
for digital
Rules are explicit and unambiguous
games?
Rule are shared by all players
Rules are fixed
Rules are binding
• can be enforced automatically
Rules are repeatable
• Rules in any game exists on 3 related levels:
Constitutive rules
Operational rules
Implicit rules
Example: Rules of Tetris
• Let us list the operational rules of Tetris
– For this version
•Keyboard action are
part of the game rules
•Randomness of next piece
is an integral part of the
rule design
Categories of Digital Games (from
“Artificial Intelligence” perspective)
•Every player action has a single pre-determined outcome?
Yes: Deterministic
No: Chance
•Does the player has complete information about state of the
game?
Yes: Perfect information
No: Imperfect information
Categories of Digital Games (from
“Artificial Intelligence” perspective)
Deterministic
Perfect
information
Chess
Imperfect
information
FPS
Chance
Chutes and Ladders
Poker, Civilization
Example: Rules versus Non rules in
Digital games
Examples of “non rules”
• Background in Tetris
• Are visuals part of the
operational rules?
 Sometimes. For
example: reflection
allows you to see
enemies behind you
Classical game were
visuals are integral
part of the rules?
Thief: Some Operational Rules
• Check the video
• Factors influencing NPCs detection:
– Lighting
• Your location
• Environment (torches)
– Proximity to NPC
– Line of view of NPC
– Your movement
Thus, visuals
are an integral part
of the operational
rules for this game
Constitutive Rules for Digital Games
• Lets think of the constitutive rules for a digital Chutes and
Ladders with a non digital one. Any difference?
• Same as constitutive rules for non digital games
– Why?
 They concern with the game logic
 Internal events (how choice is processed)
 As opposed to external (how choice is
represented)
Operational Rules for Digital Games
• Include input devices (keyboard, etc)
• Lets think of the operational rules for a digital Chutes
and Ladders
• Operational rules focuses on external events (how
choice is represented)
– Water reflection example
Implicit Rules for Digital Games
• Examples of implicit rules in digital games?
– Or may there are none?
Sure there are!. Here are some:
Move mouse  cursor moves
Playing the game won’t affect my computer!
…