Paper Prototype update

I was unable to generate the paper prototype by last Friday, as I'd desired. While I was reflecting on my past design as well as the lessons I'd accrued from the excellent game design class I am taking, I felt a sense of dissatisfaction where there had once been pride, for the overt complexity of the blueprint I'd self-indulgently scrawled out. I was a fledgling whose sudden crude grasp of a few game design fundamentals led her to an eager regurgitation of all the game tropes and concepts she was vaguely familiar with. But the depth of insight that a master holds, that allows a master to choose sparingly the best elements to encapsulate a potent vision, was not there. And now that my understanding of games has deepened, I see that mastery lies in simplicity, and in the mastery of game design, in the integrity of a core mechanic that not only communicates the core values the designer wishes to convey but is able to consistently communicate those values throughout multiple playtest scenarios.

I aim on stripping down the current mechanics. I had wanted to find a way to make the game analogue, so that technology would not need to play a factor. I plan on finding a very simple core mechanic that will express the values of communication, cultural differences and intercultural diplomacy and collaboration. I am thinking of taking the language/gesture component of the original design as well as the prophecy card, and then making the game a more charades-inspired affair.

I also really need to try playing the board game Diplomacy. From what I have read of the game, it seems to be a bit on the complicated side, but I still would like to try it out. I may also hold a session where I play games like Charades or Babel build (if I manage to find the materials) with friends.

One major reason my original design had ended up so complicated was because I had a very specific idea on how communication worked. There were particular tenets of culture, of language and of miscommunication that I stubbornly wanted to convey in its fullest sense, and so in my short-sighted desire to express my personal beliefs I got in the way of the game's accessibility. I instead wish to design the game so that it is easy to pick up easily while still providing a skeletal framework through which players can explore and formulate their own opinions and ideas regarding these tenets. I hope the game will spark discussion, rather than serve as a mouthpiece for a single author's ideas.

I also wish to take my adviser's idea and generate the prototype for this analogue game via iPad/some other electronic platform. I aim on creating a rough paper variant to share for this Friday's meeting, since generating that is faster, but the electronic version (despite its longer setup time) will allow me to iterate faster and play around with fine-tuning more detailed aspects of the game, like language modules. It will also make generation of the digital alpha version far more easier later on.

One thing that has persistently frustrated me is a personal lack of familiarity with generating networked games. It is a serious handicap that has severely limited the kinds of games I'm able to make. I also aim on finding some tutorial on networking for Unity and finishing that as well.

Fall Plans

It's been a while since I've touched this blog. I've made a few very rough pencil sketches and tried playing around with different lens filters, but have not made any real substantial progress on my Conflict game idea. I'm a bit swamped at the moment, but I believe I can uphold a commitment to make weekly updates to this blog!

I guess for now I'll share my plans for the fall. I plan on having two playtesting sessions for the two games I plan on making, a board game and a digital alpha based on my interest on communication and diplomacy.

The two sessions are:
Board Game Playtest Session: October 30-31
Digital Alpha Playtest Session: December 11-12

Below is a calendar charting what part of the development process I'll be involved in when I check in, either through this blog (on Tuesdays) or at my advisor meetings
on Friday.

For this week I plan on generating a very simple crude paper mockup of the Conflict game idea I'd worked out. I am also going to do more research regarding lenses and color filters, and then post about that next week. Next week's post will be a bit more meaty, I promise, with photos and pictures and unwanted rambling-ons of minute gameplay details.

Update and Summer Plans

I don't have a playable set ready to really share photos of or playtest, but I suppose a short update on just a few of the things I have on hand at the moment wouldn't hurt.

So I went ahead and ordered those old red-cyan anaglyphic 3D glasses, since they're supposed to, in theory, block out one color and let in the other. They were... a little better than the regular PVC filter sheets I tested out some time ago. Sadly the cyan color used in the 3D images is so light that it very barely shows up through the red lens. The cyan PVC materials are also not particularly good at masking out other colors. In fact, it isn't particularly good at masking out its own color which is... a bit sad. There are other options besides the classic red-cyan glasses, though. There is an amber-green option, for example, which may also work out better in an aesthetic sense, as the game is supposed to have more of a primitive tribal aesthetic. Now that I think about it, just research on materials and means of light filtration is a good idea. I don't know why that didn't occur to me until now.

I plan on making a digital prototype for now. I really would like to make an analogue version that makes use of lenses though, because that is freaking cool. The digital prototype should be easy to make, I'll have something up 2 weeks from now. I'll be using the Phaser.io framework on top of html, since I've tested it out and it's reaaallly easy to work with.

At the moment I want to have an analogue variant done and ready to playtest by the end of the summer. I also want to make the multiplayer variant. At this moment in time the two are basically separate games, just linked with a similar premise and affected in its design by the affordances of its platform.

I won't have much to show next week, but I plan on posting some concept art regarding more insect and plant people for the multiplayer variant. For the MMO I want to slowly build up the requisite skills needed to set up the game. So regarding that front I'd mostly be posting artwork, 3D models and updates on any tutorials on networking I've decided to try out.

Also, I really need to start posting regarding literature that is affecting my design decisions. I won't be able to get around to it immediately, but I really do want to make it a regular thing. Perhaps next week, since I'm only posting artwork, I'll say something about some old obscure game I find interesting.

Suspect Game Identified, plus filter tests

Oh man, I thought the post scheduler would work and never checked to see if this post posted. Well, here it is at any rate! This is a post that should have posted about a month ago. As for my current progress on the game, I have decided to change the very broad generic category of 'Animals' to just 'Bugs.' Making it a game of Plant people and Bug people. I thought this would be more apt, as the relationship between bug and plants harbor both supportive and destructive aspects. I shall cover more on that once I have new concept art of Bug people up. 

I scoped about online and finally identified the board game that I got the colored filters idea from. The game is Clue Jr.: The Case of the Missing Pet. The original rulesheet for the board game can be found online. I apparently did not play the game correctly when I was little. Have a link: www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/cluejr-pet.pdf

The game is basically an identification game, where randomly drawn variables at the start of the game match the configuration for the location, item of theft and robber that make up the mystery. There is also a forced element of competition. Players must not share their discoveries with one another and rather attempt to try and be the first one to figure out the three components of the mystery first.

The filters, in this case then, act as something that divides all the individuals and holds an element of selfishness. When a player lands on a board square that grants them use of their magnifying lens (the red colored filter), they then proceed to use it on a clue space without letting anyone else peek.

Here you can see the lens in action. It removes the mottling, allowing its single owner to peek at a clue.

The obfuscation the mottled design the clue is embedded in becomes a way to place all players on equal ground at the beginning. The knowledge that the lens provides its owner then becomes a way that places the player above others. Knowledge then becomes currency that generates a stratified ranking amongst the players, a stratification that banks on the old familiar mechanic of competition and a single winner. Here the mottled design is indicative of a base level of ignorance, of an ignorance that those that do not have the privilege of the red lens cannot overcome. One must chance upon the right to use the lens to glimpse a bit of the truth.

In my appropriation of this mechanic the mottled design becomes indicative instead of the blind spots that a culture may have when reflecting upon themselves, on the importance of others who can see through different lens to have a more complete picture of themselves. The lens of others with another perspective can shed light to aspects they would not have identified otherwise. They are a source of clarity; the lens becomes not a selfish means of accumulating a currency of knowledge, but rather a means of empowering the other team in an act of altruism. The lens becomes a more pivotal part of the game because of the way they connect the two teams; without the crossing of lens the game cannot be won.

Going back to Clue Jr., a very simple change that would make better use of the lens and remove what I feel to be an unnecessary competitive element would be to place all players on a single team, then utilize some kind of countdown that represents the suspect. There would be a limited number of turns that the players could take before the culprit in essence 'escapes' successfully. The players could work together to figure out the culprit within the allotted number of turns, strategically combining the information they glean together. There is also an opportunity for a challenge: players could try and see the minimal number of turns they need to take to solve the mystery. The game becomes redirected towards busting the guilty member, rather than on one-upping one another.

At the moment I am looking at different filters and on ways to recreate the clever mottled pattern mechanic the game implements. I have a blue filter that works very well in removing traces of cyan. I'm still having trouble finding a red filter. At the end of the post you can see two: one does not remove red at all: the other not only removes red, but obfuscates all colors altogether. I also have different colors such as yellow and green, so I may experiment with that as well.

Clue Jr. also has its filters applied to real magnifying lens, so that the clues can be further hidden within the mottled pattern. I will probably apply a cheap magnifying lens I've bought at the dollar store to the filters that work best with mottling.

3D anaglyph images have been helpful in testing filters, and further research into anaglyph images (the red-blue 3D images we're familiar with) should help me figure out what filters work best for colors in addition to the standard red and blue.

Various lenses I am trying out.

A 3D anaglyph image for testing

The blue lens works great! All you can see are strips are red amongst a black-and-white image.

The blue lens's red counterpart unfortunately don't work as well. Red is not masked properly.

The red PVC filter I have works too well, blocking out ALL colors quite effectively.

The game in Card form, and concept art!

I've sat down and generated a board variant of the game that centers on issues of communication and understanding that arise when two different cultures collide. Two teams are involved (to represent the two cultures) and the main goal is to somehow warn and help the other team deal with some particular prophecy.

The pacing will be faster than in the digital multiplayer variant I want to eventually build, so the degree of loyalty and investment in one's own culture and its rituals is an aspect that will not be present in as nuanced or deep a fashion as I'd like. Suspicion and biases are also an element that will not be as present, since players will know from the get go that communication with the other team is the primary goal. Nevertheless the board game will shed some light on the challenges that two cultures ultimately face when they interact with one another.


Prophecy Cards

One particular feature I'll be borrowing from a junior version of board game Clue I used to play are colored filters that reveal words in an otherwise mottled card:

The cards were mottled with the same color as the filter. When the filter was held against the card they would be able to read the name of the true suspect of the current mystery. I thought that I could mottle the Prophecy card with both blue and red. One team would see through the blue lens, and the other team the red lens. Ironically when the blue lens is held against the card, the team cannot read their own prophecy, because only the red ink is visible with the blue lens. They are instead able to read the prophecy of the red team and then utilize their resources to warn the red team of their impending fate, while hoping the red team will be able to impart information on how to avoid their own undesirable fate. (The crude sketch below should give an idea of what I mean.)

Prophecies consist not only of the name of the event (such as famine, disease, a natural disaster, apocalypse). They consist of three symptoms, an exasperator (a move type that worsens the affliction or makes it approach faster), and a solution. The numbers of the cards that make up the prophesied event will be listed below the event's name.

By drawing the cards listed from the appropriate deck, both teams can then fill out their prophecy boards. As a side note, there are 2 sets per deck, to make sure both teams can fill out their boards appropriately.

Language Cards

In addition to the prophecy boards are language boards. The boards consist of a section to construct the team's 'language' and another duplicate section to figure out the other team's language over the course of the game. For their own language section of the board they draw a starting hand of 7 language cards and 7 gesture cards. They would then pair the two hands together on the board. On the blank right side of the board they would keep track of what they believe the elements of the other team's language consists of.

the Game

Winning Condition:
Once the two boards are set up, teams then proceed to play through as long as it takes for both teams to survive and solve their prophecies. Should both teams solve their prophecies both teams win. If one team loses all its members the game is over.


Turns
Each 'day' consists of each team running through the symptom cards followed by five free turns that alternate between the two teams.

Symptoms
A team must first run through the instructions on the symptom cards. If a symptom card lists an impending doom, they must keep track of the number of days falling away. If a symptom card deems that on the roll of an even number a member of the team must die, then a team member must play dead.

Free Play
During the five free turns members may either choose to attempt to communicate with the other team, perform an action that may hopefully solve the prophecy, attempt to draw a new language/gesture pair to grow their language or draw a ritual card.

Communication
When communicating with the other team, members are not allowed to use words. They may either attempt to utilize what they believe consist of the other team's gestures, or attempt to communicate using their own team's language gestures. They are free to utilize universal gestures such as pointing at things or shaking their head, but must be aware that those very gestures may be mapped to some other meaning on the other team's language board. Communications are timed with an hourglass. Members are also free to stage 'conversations' in their own language; this may help the other team decipher the current team's language more clearly. Using a turn to draw a language/gesture pair can help expand one's repertoire of available gestures which may aid in communication events.

Rituals
Ritual cards hold actions that may either fulfill parts of the conditions for the solution or for the exasperator card of the prophecy. If all the conditions for the solution card are fulfilled, the other team may then provide the solution and exasperator card to the current team and that team is considered saved. If conditions for the exasperator are fulfilled instead, then the other team signals its fulfillment and the current team must then play through a symptom card again.


There are a lot of decks involved in the game, but since the cards for the prophesy board are pretty much fixed I don't think it will be too confusing. The main decks used in the game are the ritual, language and gesture cards, and since most of the game will revolve around attempts at communication, cards should not factor too heavily in the game. In the end I am hoping the game will come across as a more structured and collaborative form of charades with a bit of a goofy streak. I dunno, I guess I would call the board variant Prophesy! or something.


Also, here is nice, colored concept art of plant and animal inhabitants for the digital version. I am a bit sad that there isn't really a way for me to incorporate little animal and produce people, but the potential goofy hi-jinks that a very charades-esque game provides is amusing enough to make up for that disappointment.

Update + multiplayer plan

I'm really sorry for the lack of consistency in my updates. I discussed things a bit with my adviser and we've decided that by the end of the semester I'll have a paper prototype of the game. We also discussed future work that could be done, such as making the game multiplayer or incorporating more novel mechanisms for control, such as the Leap Motion or the Wii. I think making the game multiplayer is a good way for players to gain a sense of the kind of 'us'-ness that so easily arises in communities as well as the kind of barriers that naturally come up when attempting to communicate with 'others.'

With multiplayer signs, gestures, signals would also be able to naturally emerge among community members, thus adding another level of complexity. Perhaps holding a dorky egyptian pose while moonwalking naturally emerges amongst a community as an expression of agreement and great enthusiasm. Or maybe having the avatar shake its head holds a positive meaning in one community, and an offensive one in another. The plus side is that language would build up organically and naturally; the need to implement a system of gestures would be lessened. AI would also not need to be as robust.

Multiplayer, despite its many pluses, is also a hairy beast to handle, so I would slowly build up to the addition of that feature. I would just do a bunch of simple tutorials that would help me get more comfortable with confusing database syncing networking stuff. I have worked on multiplayer support for a group project once in Unity, and been involved (though not in networking) on an MMO with multiplayer for lab once, so I'll be focusing on using Unity. While level-grinding in the Networking skillset is going on, I'll be doing stuff like the aforementioned paper prototype and a split-screen version. Another professor, Dr. Smith, has agreed to help me out with the technical side, so that should be fun. ^_^

I am going to post concept art sometime this week, so that should be fun. It will be colored and everything!

Here's one for now: it is a cherry person.

A Culture's Behavior Makeup

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I kept wanting to finish and post up an alpha for the next post, but obviously that hasn't happened yet. I also felt sheepish because I am still finishing up the XML editor. But I do have some thoughts and developments regarding the game, and I don't want to neglect this blog, so I'll go ahead and share what I have so far for now.

I've actually been to two conferences back-to-back the past two weekends, which has been very helpful regarding ideas. One was a Korean christian conference, and the other IndieCade East, and the difference in cultures in both in addition to the inspirations both separately provided helped with fleshing out my game idea. I found that at IndieCade East there was a marked openness and ease compared to the average public setting. The fact that the group held an interest in the encouragement and embracing of diverse types of games and developers, and the fact that many of the games encouraged participation of multiple peoples into a context of collaborative play contributed to a culture where the level of familiarity between strangers was markedly higher than in most other public contexts. It was presumed that all the people about you were conducive to a playful spirit and willing to collaborate to reap max enjoyment from a game. The amount of distance people had between one another was also reduced (their 'personal space' bubble was smaller or was flipped off if a game demanded it).

At the Korean conference the particularities of Korean culture was present, as well as the context of religion. Like in most Korean cultures, rather than a meeting of eyes and a hello, there is a brief meeting of eyes and then a short, humble nod from both parties. There was also markedly more distance between people; the 'personal space' bubble was more pronounced and rarely broken. Interestingly a number of group games were played, but even during such moments of altered context did the bubble remain in effect. The context of the conference kept players back from being too fully engaged. Rather, the lack of the properties of the pro-diversity pro-play context at IndieCade East meant that like in most public contexts there was a reserved undercurrent amongst those present, one that requires a great deal of energy to cast off. The serious properties of morality affirmation, soberness, humbleness that marked this conference also further reinforces that undercurrent.

That being said, in addition to the more noticeable 'personal space' bubble I find in Korean culture there is also a contrasting concept in Korean culture known as 'skinship.' This social concept refers to any hugging, patting on the back, joking punches, pinches that one might do to someone they feel comfortable with. The term actually does not refer primarily to couples, and it can be done to strangers as well. If someone tends to be a very huggy sort of person, they would be deemed a person inclined to skinship. Perhaps it is the more pronounced formality of Korean culture that has led to the acknowledgment and delineation of more physical means of language. Though the kind of playfulness and approachability I felt at IndieCade was not present, in this new context I implicitly understood that pats, playful hits, leaning, hugging from a newly-formed acquaintance was acceptable and a part of the social language, an expression of affection and goodwill.

The religious context of the conference, coupled with a very Korean inclination towards the expression of strong emotions also led to a phenomena that honestly shocked me when I first encountered it. Before I address that, though, I would like to note differences to the Korean church that arise from the particularities of Korean culture.

Korean church is actually markedly different from most American churches. The sharing of food is actually considered a very important part of expressing goodwill, respect and common courtesy. When one has a guest, for example, it is expected that tea, drinks, and snacks be presented, and that the guest has brought gifts as well (usually consumable). On roadtrips it is implicitly understood that the females (or males/others that are predisposed towards cooking) will have spent the morning preparing something to share with one another. In every Korean church you go to, you will find that after service there is always a shared lunch that is always made from scratch. People are expected to stay after and eat together, and it is considered almost as integral as the service preceding it. The making of food from scratch and the eating of that food is considered a very important, intimate part of fostering and acknowledging camaraderie within a group. This applies as well to the Korean workplace (perhaps to a detriment, as sharing all meals with workmates rather than family has become the norm, and here heavy drinking, sometimes daily, is expected and its refusal a social no-no).

In addition to the aspect of food, there is also a very interesting phenomena, and this is tied into the aspect of strong emotion that marks Korean culture. I cannot say I know for sure where the origins of this aspect of Korean culture stems from, but I believe it is related to the persistent drama that Korea has faced regarding its existence throughout history. Korea has persistently been invaded, endangered and in political turmoil thanks to its location. During the Japanese invasion of WWII, the culture and its language itself was also in danger of complete erasure. Perhaps it is because of its persistent exposure to turmoil, but in Korea there is a degree of intense emotional expression that is more pervasive, common and accepted than I have found here in America. It is common for the angered or wronged to scream hysterically, red in the face. It is common to, upon facing heartbreak or some other equally depressing downer, to stumble dramatically into a bar and drink oneself into a stupor. One common trope is for an elderly mother at a family member's funeral to be on the floor, sobbing, pounding her chest, while grieving loudly and persistently regarding the tragedy of the person's undeserved death. These tendencies towards intense, emotionally charged outbursts also inform Korean media, specifically that which they call 'Korean Drama.' The absurd, hyper-dramatic scenarios that litter most standard dramas become understandable in this context. On a side note, the lack of emotional expression is seen as highly creepy, and in the context of something that should elicit emotion, like a puppy getting kicked for example, not showing much emotion will get you serious creeper points. I guess a very good thing that comes out of this is that, if someone in a public space is getting wronged, everyone in that room will jump on the offender and totally harrass them into stopping, rather than ignoring and walking by it.

When this emotional intensity combines with religion, something very interesting happens. There are designated moments where people at service are expected to delve completely into prayer for a good ten-fifteen minutes, and unlike most American churches I've gone to, this moment is very charged and chaotic. The first time I experienced it I was honestly shocked and freaked out. Devotion is considered best expressed emotionally, and so, rather than pray silently, those all around you will suddenly start crying out their fears, their sins, their pleas out loud all at once. It is also common for those around you to start weeping openly. People will get on their knees. There is also another phenomena I find kind of terrifying still where some people, completely overwhelmed with emotion and devotion, will suddenly start uttering loudly a string of repetitive gibberish. This is a phenomena that happens to circulate amongst the Korean churches, and is explained as a kind of possession of the afflicted by the holy spirit. It is seen as something that is achieved and occurs when the person truly opens their heart and lets the holy spirit in, and is seen as an experience that consumes the person, terrifies them at the same time, and yet gleans high respect. The mixture of the contexts of church and Korean particularities has led to the natural birth and propagation of this particular behavior phenomena naturally throughout particularly the Korean American churches. It is almost like a natural emergence from the rules of a running simulation.

From all of this and from some of the games I'm familiar with I've decided that the main mechanic of the game will consist of a string of gestures and sounds. Players will start within their own village and through observation of and interaction with the other members of their village, pick up the gestures and grunt-sounds that make up the culture's social language. I thought that the gestures could consist of a series of very simple movements tied to keys. Q would raise the left arm, E would raise the right. Arrow keys could make the body either tilt left or right, or get on tiptoes or crouch down. Based on variable weights and 'beliefs' in the village there will be a series of gesture combos that tie into various expressions of goodwill and camaraderie generated from the get go. Gestures and grunt-sounds do not always hold a positive valence, of course. They may also hold romantic, rude, derogatory meanings as well. Later in the game, when another village is introduced, the differences between the gestures that make up the two village's social languages will naturally create conflict and DELICIOUS CHAOS. Seeing the misunderstandings arise should provide countless entertainment. You would play mediator, pick up the nuances of the new village's culture, and then learn how to get the two villages to work together.

My main interest still remains an illustration of the cultural clash that was encountered during the handling of the Ebola situation, and so I would want to throw in some sort of natural calamity or impending apocalypse scenario into the mix. Perhaps the rude, totally strange and definitely unwanted new villagers that have oh so rudely invaded our village are in actuality here to desperately stall said impending calamity and save our ignorant, difficult selves. And by finally getting to understand these new strangers and then acting as liaison between both villages said scenario can be averted. To put both villages on equal footing, I could also damn both villages, and force both to find a way to alert and inform the other. I am hoping that while playing the game the player will be able to better understand the feelings that the villagers during the unexplained invasion of the hazmat suits experienced, and that from this means of more compassionately and respectfully approaching those of other cultures, beliefs and backgrounds can be cultivated.

I am going to work on the cool keyboard gesture thingy that I mentioned, that should be easy. Games I am drawing inspiration from include QWOP (for the gesture system) and this other gesture-based communication game that I cannot remember the name of. When I remember I will post that as well. I go to GDC next week, so that should be exciting and further inspiring.

Update!

Sorry for the absence of a post last week! I almost forgot this week as well, I was so excited to see snow.

The tool I'd mentioned from last week is almost done. It's a separate program that will let me spawn a ton of instances without having to manually write them out in code. It will write the resultant JSON to a folder, and then the main game will use a separate API that will let it interpret and generate stuff based on that JSON. I have the program named 'XMLeditor' at the moment. Should probably change it to 'JSONeditor' or just 'Spawner.'

Anyways, I also started a mock-up dummy of a conversation thingy. Um, it's an AIR app so you'd have to run an installer. I'll try and convert it into a regular Flash app so I can embed it later.
Link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4072122/toShare/ImageWars.air

I also had a brainwave about a mechanic I'd like to implement, as well as a better idea of the context of the game's story. I was reading about the difficulties that doctors have had communicating with those affected by Ebola in communities in Africa. I thought that the implementation of two distinct groups would help simulate the barriers of clear communication that persist amongst different peoples, and the ways that the wisdom and insights of different peoples can prove beneficial to each other when the pathways towards understanding are opened. I am thinking of taking a note from my last blogpost and doing a group of animal-peoples and also vegetable-peoples. That should be fun. I'm excited about delving into concept art and worldbuilding for all that.

There was also another mechanic that I am interested in implementing, though I feel it may also pull the focus of the game away from the main one of diplomacy and tolerance I am trying to illustrate. Currently I am attending church, something that I had wanted to sworn off after the intolerance and outright malice I'd observed within church culture. When one meets another that identifies as Christian, there are certain assumptions that come attached with that label, one of those being a highly conservative stance and a set view of what actions are acceptable or not. It is a label that is quite ironically the most intolerant that I can think of. Nevertheless this characteristic intolerance also meant that I felt uncomfortable expressing the fact that I do in fact believe in a higher power amongst my more 'deviant' friends, and I found myself wishing to express and examine those beliefs in an environment conducive towards it as well.

At any rate, from my decision to reenter the church-o-sphere again I experience two markedly different cultures as well. And I find that there are certain actions and relations between a person and an object/other person that float about within each sphere and define what is acceptable or normal in a culture. In the case of some of the African villages, a deceased person's relative handling the still-highly-infectious relative is something that is considered highly moral, something that must be done. Not doing it distresses the village. In the case of the church breaking one of the person-object or person-person actions the Bible calls taboo will distress the church community out and have them reject a person. Much loving, yeah. In the case of my more liberal friends a person making a racist slur is a taboo action. A person standing up against a bigot a lauded action. There are specific actions that become part of a community's unwritten 'inner Bible' and from which spawns a rich and interesting culture.

I feel this action dichotomy would help focus the game, and would also draw out a tenant of diplomacy that I think is essential to this value's realization; that of understanding the other person's point of view. By understanding where the other person is coming from, you can at the very least judge if the person is worth the time and energy to debate with. With enough understanding a means of breaking down presumptions so deeply embedded in the other person's understanding of the world becomes available, and it can even be possible to show in that other person's language the limits and flaws of the most fundamental building blocks of what they believe and know. Like in the case of the Ebola-struck villages a means of placating and offering peace to those of another culture can be given and the original mission to save lives resuscitated. There are variations of beliefs within each culture so I think having animals vs vegetables would be interesting.

I will try and post more timely from now on, and I am going to finish that Spawner program this week! I'll be indulging in a bit of world-building and concept art, and I hope to have a lot of colorful fun things to show next week!

An Initial Semantic Architecture

Last week I read the first three chapters of Values at Play. I've also worked on a tool to help me tweak variables and make instances of classes faster. If I wanted to make 30 different Person instances, for example, I can use the tool to generate the list instead of typing it out by hand. I can also edit the Person class by adding or removing variables, like "disposition" or "irritability" to play around with what factors work best. I feel investing in making this tool will be worthwhile and will make testing and tweaking easier later down the road.

I wanted to look over the fifteen elements of semantic architecture covered in Ch. 3. I feel this will help clarify the direction I will be going with this game, as well as prompt thought in aspects of design I may have otherwise overlooked. I definitely don't expect the game's construction to match the following notes perfectly, and for many elements to shift and get tweaked later on, so I will probably redo this exercise sometime later, when there is an explorable alpha to play with.


1. Narrative
There is no concrete literary plot narrative I have in mind at the moment. There is a very specific message that I do wish to send with the game though. As my main message relates to the limits on a person's realization of innate potential social labels inherently place, I feel that the best way to enable the main point to be illustrated is to allow, in this universe, a kind of duplicity and donning of false identities. By allowing exploration of different identities the player can then see the kinds of abilities and disabilities certain labels confer. I am thinking of placing the main player (or players) initially in identities that are disadvantageous. As they progress in skill and resources they may then craft identities for themselves conducive to more interesting goals. I do not have a particular story premise in mind, but I believe that one that all characters in the game are universally interested in would be ideal (laying claim to a throne, becoming the richest, being the one who finally gains access to an ultimate wish, etc.)

2. Character
In this game the player character is on equal footing with other characters, in that all are cast into their initial identity by the whims of the machine. The way the world perceives certain labels, the actions available and their levels of effectiveness, are all things that though variant for each individual are determined by identity for everyone. To help emphasize the main message, the NPCs will not have the means to shift the labels associated with their identity. They are in contrast to you, (and other players), who are able to try out the effects of various labels. You can see how those trapped in their identity are affected in contrast to yourself.

3. Action
This crosses a bit with element 5 (interaction w/players). The main mechanics of the game revolve mainly around conversation between players. Using the gestures and dialogue options available to one at the moment, the player can obtain valuable information, coerce another into performing a favor, pick up cues and features that construct a particular social label and gain access to more places or people. The Sims (without the environment traversal) and the Phoenix Wright series hold examples of the kinds of actions I would like the main gameplay to consist of. Both have a well-realized system for interacting with other characters through a dynamic menu of choices that change based on previous choices.

4. Player Choice
The actions available to the player is a direct consequence of the current identity they are donning and the identity their conversant is donning. I want to implement something called a 'script' that controls what interactions are possible between the two. What script can be called depends upon the labels consisting each character's identity. By relying on a more favorable label-pair the script can be changed to one more conducive to the player's goals. For example, say the game is set in a land prejudiced against pink bunnies, but highly intolerant of stealers of candy from babies. If the player was a pink bunny asking a blue giraffe admissions officer to let her in, the blue giraffe officer might initially scoff and use a derisive, dismissive script where the pink bunny is placed in a submissive, powerless state. If the pink bunny had dirt on the officer and knew he had a nighttime hobby of snatching dum-dums from unattended cradles, the bunny could then twist the script to one where the officer is in a dangerous, lower position based on their morality.

5. Interaction with Others
Because I want to stress the natural unequal distribution of power and abilities in life, I want to place all players in the game, both NPC and human-controlled, on equal footing. The interaction mechanic applies equally to everyone. Because of the stress upon a single universal goal there is an element of competition that will invariably be involved. I am hoping though that through the oppression, erasure, unfairness inherent in the game and the presence of others with like labels that a sense of alliance and camaraderie will naturally emerge.

6. Interaction with Environment
There won't be much attention placed upon environment, since I am interested in illustrating a social phenomena. There will be no sauntering through exquisitely rendered fields of lush greens and exotic wildflowers. I may implement space in a similar manner to Phoenix Wright, where the player simply chooses a location from a list of options and is transported to a scene with different people against a new backdrop. I may implement goods to allow for bribery/negotiation/blackmail.

7. Point of View
The game will be third person so that the shifts in identity the player character undergoes can be observed. During conversation both characters will display upon the screen with equal weight. Both will be visible, and the countenance/expressions upon both will vary based upon the labels currently upon them. As focus is on their expressions/reactions, the game will be focused mostly on the upper torso with little regard for their full portrait. The face will almost always be visible.

8. Hardware
Conversation is the most important element of the game. I am more interested in utilizing a menu of set options, but perhaps the PC with its keyboard really is the best fit hardware for the game, as it is most conducive to text. One of the features that I found lacking in Animal Crossing was the mail system. As much as I enjoyed the game it was tedious to write letters to the other residents because the hardware is not naturally suited to generating text.

9. Interface
The majority of the screen will be taken up by the characters. During conversation, the characters will be dominant, with conversation choices listed below. When not in conversation, the player could pan the room and hover over characters with the mouse to read known info on them and gauge via their expression how receptive they'll be to the player. Mousing over a door in the room turns the cursor to an arrow, and the player can click to exit. There are probably better ways to set up the interface but for now I am proceeding with this. It will probably feel like a point-and-click adventure game (except with an extremely lame uninteractive environment).

10. Software
As the game is text-heavy and low in needs of an environment, I feel an engine like Starling could be used. Technically I could even make the game an interactive fiction and use something like Inform 7, though I would like to illustrate the impacts of each player's conversation choices more immediately via graphics. For now I will prototype using Starling. I plan on doing research on what engines best suit a text-heavy program.

11. Context of Play
The game is a direct response to the effects I've both experienced and observed social labels induce. I have seen the effects my physical traits, personality, history and abilities directly affect my treatment in various scenarios, and on the other side, I have had moments where I grew aware of preconceptions ranging from benign to destructive that I held about others. Notably I feel as if I have my feet on multiple sides of fences, with friends of a variety of leanings. I have friends whose minds sparkle with beautiful conceptions and are highly liberal. I have family that worked their way up from nothing with stunning resolve and bear more conservative Christian values. There are numerous moments where I see moments of astounding opacity from both sides, where preconceptions of a side they find antithetical leads them to paint the offender in a single note of color. Regardless of the stances of people around me, I feel that the most important value to be defended on this planet is diversity, whether that be biodiversity or racial diversity or diversity of expressed religions. There are still so many entrenched in outdated, simplified and polarized ideals of sex, gender roles and race. Such beliefs are so deeply ingrained in everyday media, customs, ideals that many are blind to their very presence. And so in the context of a time where the complexity of sexual and gender identities are just starting to become acknowledged and the remnants of past gender and racial inequality still lay entrenched here and there I find the concept for this game to arise naturally. I wish to make the labels and their effects not only on one's attitudes towards others but on one's attitudes towards themselves to become more transparent  by making it a visible, interactive construct one can play and experiment with.

12. Rewards
Reward will come in the form of greater social mobility and access to places, favors, interactions that come with an expanded repertoire of available identities; the joy of increasing freedom + the joys of collection. Rewards will also be present during conversation. A successful conversion of a hostile stranger to friend or the successful shift of script will let the player view rare facial expressions and reactions from the conversation partner, and may also trigger a characteristic success tune.

13. Strategies
Strategy will lie in the way scripts and identities are manipulated. Preferably the best strategies will be those that involve finding common ground in a character in terms of values or past experiences and appealing to them, or finding a more open friend of the character who can appeal on your behalf. The ability to sense the presence of similar values, beliefs or experiences will lie both in the variety of people you've successfully conversed with and the number of identities you've tried out.

14. Game Maps
I interpreted game maps to stand for subquests/subunits in a game. I think with this game the closest thing would be the identities that players gain throughout play. Each time they gain access to an identity they gain access to a whole new area of gameplay and possible actions. Past characters and scenarios will show different dialogue and reactions and will be worth revisiting as well. Certain quests will also prove to be either more difficult or easier.

15. Aesthetics
Because the game is character heavy much work would go into creating character work. Expressiveness is also an important factor. Because of the importance of the expressiveness I may in fact utilize 3D software like Unity to allow use of expressive 3D models (which I would then place into a 2D game). I may also utilize the approach used by games like Fire Emblem and Phoenix Wright, though the generative aspect of this game worries me regarding how scalable that particular method is. Thanks to the work (as well as the expressiveness) involved I wish to use a more stylized cartoony aesthetic. I feel it will lighten the mood and, thanks to the exaggerative nature of cartoons, help players better understand and feel how a conversation is going. Giant eyes squinting into half-moons in disgust with a literal tight line for the mouth effectively gets across displeasure quickly and effectively. Sound will also help accentuate the general direction of a conversation. With that displeased squint could come an irritated 'mmm' or 'meeeh.' A highlight of Phoenix Wright is the signature song that begins to play the moment the true culprit is about to be exposed. The titular character will yell 'Objection!' and there will be silence, as the character lists the exposing evidence. As the lies begin to crumble around the offender's ears the tune begins to play. Similarly a particular tune signifying success/ turnover towards your favor in unfavorable circumstances could be implemented.


Based on this exercise I have a clearer idea of the features I wish to include, how to approach implementation as well as the social climate that informed the initial idea to make the game. I am still not completely clear on precisely what conversation actions will be available nor the premise of the game's story. I know that I want the game to take place in an alternate world, like one populated by bunnies and giraffes. The people I would like to gain the most from the game are the ones who would probably reset the game if they rolled a disabled or minority character, if they don't completely dismiss the game first. I want the player to see via experience that the labels that consist an identity do not merely disable or empower. I want them to feel that the general perception currently held towards a label strongly impacts the way you end up feeling about yourself. By encoding the main message into other areas of the game I hope to impart the values of tolerance and empathy gently to the player.

I hope to post a review sometime later this week examining Phoenix Wright, since I referred to it frequently in this one. This week I hope to finally finish the tool I was working on and work out in finer detail the conversation mechanic. I also hope to draw out ideas for this alternate world and the labels that currently define its social climate!

Awareness of Values at Play

For a directed study has this new blog sprung forth into fresh existence, and until summer dawns will it weekly extend. In more serious terms, I plan on updating this blog weekly with posts regarding progress on a prototype throughout this semester. I will be applying the concepts of Dr. Flanagan's Values at Play in the construction of a game, and I also hope to cover additional overviews and thoughts on related papers, books and games as well.

I feel as if I repeat myself, and I know I'm not well-read enough to elaborate with greater subtlety, but in an expression of the wibbly-wobbly feelings I have about game design, I would liken it to the great maelstrom of stardust that swirls about after the birth of a new star. A star being a medium in this context. Like that newly-present star, there is an exciting restless energy emanating from the game medium, one that seeks to be taken and twisted into an insatiable variety of expressions and experiences. This energy has informed the creation of more experimental games and has been able to explode as the availability of resources to a broader range of developers continues to grow with a healthy and highly lauded indie scene. And yet still this restlessness doesn't settle, but rather stirs a greater appetite for even broader depth and range, in a seeking of the realization of its great expressive and plastic potential.

I feel by taking the ideals expressed in Values of Play, in the conscientious examination of the values that can potentially emerge, that the medium's quest towards this realization can be greatly furthered. We can see the values that are incorporated commonly, mindlessly at the moment and then introduce new veins of games that will keep the flow fresh and balanced. We can take difficult, touchy subjects or underrepresented viewpoints and implement their essence into a vehicle of understanding. In examination of values a better understanding of targeted values themselves may also emerge, and from that greater clarity regarding the messages embedded in culture, media and one's own personal thoughts and life. From this clarity an ability to weave expressive games with greater subtlety, depth, deliberation and the feeling of 'realness' Jenova Chen speaks of can emerge.

The issue of tolerance and diversity is one that has always been of high interest to me, and I am interested in capturing the effects that social labels and stations have upon the bearer's psyche and abilities. I am thinking of creating a card game that uses a conversation mechanic and a bartering system. The details are still murky, but the general premise emerged while musing on a way to take the elements of the value 'tactfulness.' A simple conversation game with some overarching goal like 'solve a mystery' or 'barter and negotiate to get a target object' was my initial idea, but the reality of tact is that it is a tool that grows in use based on one's station in life, on how much power one has. A king has little use for it compared to the peasant who must grovel. I plan on drawing up basic gameplay designs and getting myself to finally understand the way card games like Magic work. I'll also be looking into, or reviewing games I know of that revolve around negotiation or inequality.

I'm excited to see what I come up with in the end, and I hope that in the end that the game I create imparts the feelings and messages I have regarding the inherent inequality surrounding tact, labels and society. For now I aim to post every Monday.