Animation and Games Development

1. Animation and Games Development 242-515, Semester 1, 2014-2015 • Objective • look at some trends for how games will change in the future 3. The Future of Games and Gaming

2. Overview 1. Game Modulization 2. Graphical Realism 3. User-generated Content 4. Destructible Worlds 5. Better AI 6. Positional Sound 7. New Controller Types • Browser Games • Virtual Goods • Mobile Games • Social Gaming • Online Distribution • Virtual Reality Gaming • Augmented Reality Gaming • Location-based Gaming

3. Summary of Then & Now • A big change is underway...

4. 1. Game Modularization • Development languages and tools will separate game content from the game engine. • This will make it easier to create reusable game components: • e.g. levels, character behaviours, game logic, game assets • similar to library/class reuse in standard programming • Developers will create games by extending reuseable components inside game engines. • Lists of game engines: • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_engines • http://content.gpwiki.org/index.php/Game_Engines

5. Some Free 2D Game Engines • Game Maker (http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/) • very popular but costs (lite version is free) • GTGE (http://goldenstudios.or.id/products/GTGE/) • Java; a bit out of date • ALLEGRO (http://alleg.sourceforge.net/) • C/C++; cross platform • Pygame (http://pygame.org/) • Python, large and active community

6. Torque Game Engine (http://www.garagegames.com/) • very complete package (newtonian physics component, collision detection, supports layers with parallax scrolling); very active community  • Slick(http://slick.cokeandcode.com/) • written in Java on top of LWJGL; an active community; helpful documentation; many example games; useful extensions • I'd used this if we were doing 2D games programming in this subject

7. Some Free 3D Game Engines • Irrlicht (http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/) • speed, documentation • Genesis 3D (http://www.genesis3d.com/) • large community • Unity 3D (http://unity3d.com/) • fancy graphical interface; multiple platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Wii, iPad, iPhone and Android • Unreal Development Kit (http://www.udk.com/) • non-commercial version of Unreal engine • behind many great games • e.g. Batman Arkham Asylum, BioShock 2 and Gears of War • Panda 3D (http://www.panda3d.org/) • Python/ C++ • We'll use JMonkeyEngine(http://jmonkeyengine.com/)

8. 2. Graphical Realism • Increase in model complexity • increased polygon count, greater detail (hair) • model morphing (dynamic shape changing) • More rendering passes will allow the use of advanced lighting techniques • e.g bump mapping, environmental mapping, shaders

9. What is a Shader? • A shader is a C-like program for implementing rendering effects • Three main types: • Pixel shaders: mainly pixel lighting effects • e.g. bump mapping, shadows, specular highlights, translucency • Vertex shaders: transform vertices • e.g. position, color, and texture coordinates • Geometry shaders: affect points, lines, and triangles • JMonkeyEngine supports pixel and vertex shaders.

10. 3. User Generated Content • Games that allow users to create their own content and levels. • Allows for varied game play and interaction • unofficial mods to GTA figures • MineCraft • Little Big Planet: 300,000+ levels

11. 4. Destructible Worlds • Most games change in limited ways • e.g. a rocket blast always leaves the same pattern of damage or rubble (or nothing) • Next generation games will allow more destructible environments.

12. 5. Better AI • Existing AI in games is usually restricted to scripted, fixed behaviour • future games will identify patterns in a player's behaviour, create new actions, guess player moves, react, and provide a different response each time • Relevant AI techniques: • neural nets, baysian inference, genetic algorithms

13. NPC Group Intelligence • A non-player character (NPC) is any character not controlled by a player • usually controlled by the computer through AI • Future NPC’s will communicate and use group tactics against human players • outflank, lure, or ambush players • more realistic game play

14. 6. Positional Sound • Sound technology will develop to create more environmental and surround sound • Include positional sound and cues θ sound and user pos r (x,y,z) sound interpolation

15. 7. New Controllers Types • New controllers are changing gameplay: • the Wii remote (and its attachments) • acceleometer and optical sensor, gesture recognition • Wii zapper and wheel • the Kinect sensor • depth, body and gesture recognition • arduino sensors LilyPad Arduino

16. Brain-Computer Interfaces • Allow a player to control a game with their mind: • Non-invasive, Electroencephalography (EEG): • Emotiv EPOC, NeuroSky MindWave • Mindball Game • Invasive techniques: • retina/brain implants for vision • motor neuroprosthetics

17. 8. Browser Games • New browser technologies create new gaming possibilities • e.g. HTML 5 canvas, audio & video, WebGL 3D and shaders, Websockets • MMOG clients are increasingly browser-based • Good for synchronous games • multiple players need to play at the same time

18. HTML5 Game Frameworks • Javascript-based; some of the main ones: • ImpactJS (http://impactjs.com/) • CraftyJS (http://craftyjs.com/) • EaselJS (http://easeljs.com/) • Unity3D (http://unity3d.com/); a 3D framework • A long list can be found at: • https://gist.github.com/768272 • Most are 2D or 2.5D (isometric)

19. Example HTML5 Games

20. 9. Virtual Goods • Also called the freemiummodel: • gamers play for free but customize or improve gameplay by purchasing ‘virtual goods’ • MMOGs Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragonsswitched from a subscription-based model to the freemium model. • Most online and social games (e.g. Farmville) as well as virtual worlds (but not World of Warcraft) are powered by the virtual goods model.

21. 10. Mobile Games • Mobile are creating new business models: • pay-per-download model joined by freemium models • Not just the iPhone! • Android is the fastest growing mobile platform • will eventually overcome its fragmentation issues • Angry Birds disaster • Richer games are possible, because of… • 3D, motion detection, smart gesture recognition, GPS, compass, acclerometer • the potential of 24/7 gaming

22. 11. Social Gaming • Socail games are simpler, smaller, and easier to implement: • smaller developer teams can challenge the big studios • e.g. Digital Chocolate’s Millionaire City • Not just Facebook • Facebook has over 500 million users, but… • in Russia the main social network site is VKontakte • in Brazil the most popular is Google-owned Orkut

23. 12. Online Distribution • Online game distribution will become even more important • online communities, support, advertizing • updated content/expansion packs • In the future, games will only be available online • say goodbye to game DVDs

24. 13. Virtual Reality • The user is immersed in a fake world, where all his senses are fed from the game world • lots of hardware needed: stereoscopic displays, headphone, haptic (force feedback) systems • e.g. "The Matrix"

25. 14. Augmented Reality (AR) Games • In AR, the real world is still available to the senses, with the game world layered on top • programming techniques: computer vision and object recognition • ARToolKit, an open source library for AR • possible hardware extras: head-mounted displays, virtual retinal displays, actuators

26. Fiduciary Markers Games • Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita come with AR Cards(fiduciary markers) • allows the user to play games using the device camera • Nintendogs + Cats, Tetris Axis, AR Combat DigiQ

27. Using Java and ArToolkit

28. 15. Location-based Games • Gameplay depends on a player's location. • underlying technology is GPS (and perhaps AR) • Geocaching: a single-player treasure hunt  • Urban gaming • multi-player location-based games played outside • Problem: poor connectivity in built-up areas • Other technologies that might fix this: • Near Field Communication, Bluetooth, and Ultra-wideband (UWB)

29. Examples • Savannahadventure game • a virtual space of lions is mapped onto a real space • Children 'play' at being lions in a savannah, navigating with a mobile device

30. Parallel Kingdom: GPS-based MMORPG for iPhones and Android

31. Uncle Roy All Around You: game played online in a virtual city and on the streets of an actual city