DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds

1. DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds Week 7 Designing Virtual Worlds for Games 6pm – 9pm Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 Kathryn Merrick and Owen Macindoe DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

2. Announcements • I have marked your assignments. • They will be handed back in the tutorial. • Check out the gallery at: • http://www.it.usyd.edu.au/~kkas0686/desc9180readings/task1_gallery.htm DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

3. Lecture Overview • Demonstrations: • World of Warcraft and Pharaoh • Virtual worlds for games: • History • Requirements of a virtual game world • Other properties of virtual game worlds • Introduction to Task 2 DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

4. The First Virtual Game World • 1962: Spacewar! developed by researchers at MIT • Two players each control a spaceship orbiting a planet • Players can shoot, turn and accelerate • Goal is to hit the other player Spacewar!, The first computer game (Stephen Russel, 1962) DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

5. History of Computer Game Genres DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

6. Action Games • Usually require use of deadly force to save the world from forces of evil • Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, Descent, Half-Life, Tomb Raider, Unreal Tournament, Halo Doom: Episode III: Inferno DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

7. Virtual World Design: Action Games • Virtual environment: • Battle fields, dungeons • Training grounds • Weapons, armour • Characters: • Teachers • Partners • Enemies Captain Comic (1988) Half Life DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

8. Sport Games • Players are coaches or athletes in popular sports • Football, basketball, cricket, racing… Mario Kart Wii Madden 06 DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

9. Virtual World Design: Sports Games • Virtual environment: • Playing fields • Race tracks • Training grounds • Characters: • Opposition • Team members The original Atari upright cabinet for Pong The Pong playing field DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

10. Adventure Games or Interactive Fiction • Emphasise story telling and puzzle solving rather than combat or sporting conflict • King’s Quest, Zork, Monkey Island The Hobbit Lemmings DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

11. Virtual World Design: Adventure Games • Characters: • Tell the story • Partners • Virtual environment: • Objects to support the plot • Contain puzzles The Curse of Monkey Island Monkey Island II: LeChuck’s Revenge DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

12. Simulation and Strategy Games • Player has ‘god-like’ control over a virtual simulated world • World or characters respond to player actions by evolving • SimCity, Caesar, Pharaoh, Black and White, Creatures SimCity (for Atari) SimCity 4 DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

13. Virtual World Design: Simulation and Strategy Games • Virtual environment: • Highly modifiable • Dynamic • Characters: • Evolve or change their behaviour in response to changes in their environment Norns from Creatures DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

14. Role-Playing Games • Players take on a role such as a magician, thief or warrior… • They pursue quests, collect materials, craft items, sell goods, fight monsters… A battle ground at the end of a raid (left) and dance party (right) in World of Warcraft DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

15. Virtual World Design: Role-Playing Games • Virtual environment : • Battle grounds • Social spaces • Commercial centres • Educational or training centres • Characters: • Merchants, teachers, enemies, quest givers… Auction house (top) and bank (bottom) in World of Warcraft DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

16. Properties of Virtual Game Worlds Non - persistent Single player ‘god-like’ control Dynamic world Text based Networked Third person 2D isometric Persistent Online First person Static world 3D world DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

17. Introduction to Task 2:You Versus the World • Design and implement a game that has no humanoid or animal characters • The aim is to build an exciting and dynamicvirtual space IBM’s maze in Second Life (left) Surfeit Surface’s Crooked House in Second Life (right) DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

18. Marks for Implementation (Due 23/10/2007) • Use of prims (2 marks) • Use of sculpted prims (3 marks) • Simple scripts (3 marks) • Agents (3 marks) • Use of space (4 marks) • Plot cues (4 marks) • Sense of place (4 marks) DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

19. Group Report • Due Tuesday, 23/10/2007, 6pm • Real and Second Life names of group members • Location of game in Second Life • Plot of the game (2 marks) • Design principles (3 marks) • How plot is communicated, navigational cues, aesthetics, user experiences • Strengths and Limitations (3 marks) • Future improvements (2 marks) DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

20. Group Planning and Participation • This is an individual mark based on: • Group plans, progress reports and meeting minutes (4 marks) • Review of object and script ownership (4 marks) • Tutorial attendance in sessions dedicated to Task 2 (2 marks) • Group folder due 23/10/2007, 6pm DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

21. Group Presentation (23/10/2007) • This is your opportunity to show off your game! • Each group will have 20 minutes • Presentation should include: • Slides describing plot, strengths, weaknesses (2 marks) • Demonstration of game-play sequences (3 marks) DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

22. Feedback on Assignment 1 • Design: • Marks for this were very high • Marks mainly lost for: • No navigational cues • Little or no use of textures DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

23. Feedback on Assignment 1 • Presentation: • Marks mainly lost if: • I couldn’t hear you • You didn’t explicitly say why your space was an impossible place or why it was a social space. DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

24. Feedback on Assignment 1 • Report: • Some hints for future reports: • When a report spec has detailed requirements, use those requirements as headings for your report • Check your spelling and grammar • Marks lost for: • Report specs not met or too brief DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007

25. Tutorial • Sculpted prims! • Try out one or more of the tutorials recommended on this week’s tutorial sheet. DESC9180 Designing Virtual Worlds University of Sydney, September 2007