Emulating Authentic Dialogue in Roleplaying Video Games
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Exploring the Experiences of Gamers Playing As Multiple First-Person Video Game Protagonists in Halo 3: ODST’S Single-Player Narrative
Exploring the experiences of gamers playing as multiple first-person video game protagonists in Halo 3: ODST’s single-player narrative Richard Alexander Meyers Bachelor of Arts Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts (Research) School of Creative Practice Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology 2018 Keywords First-Person Shooter (FPS), Halo 3: ODST, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), ludus, paidia, phenomenology, video games. i Abstract This thesis explores the experiences of gamers playing as multiple first-person video game protagonists in Halo 3: ODST, with a view to formulating an understanding of player experience for the benefit of video game theorists and industry developers. A significant number of contemporary console-based video games are coming to be characterised by multiple playable characters within a game’s narrative. The experience of playing as more than one video game character in a single narrative has been identified as an under-explored area in the academic literature to date. An empirical research study was conducted to explore the experiences of a small group of gamers playing through Halo 3: ODST’s single-player narrative. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used as a methodology particularly suited to exploring a new or unexplored area of research and one which provides a nuanced understanding of a small number of people experiencing a phenomenon such as, in this case, playing a video game. Data were gathered from three participants through experience journals and subsequently through two semi- structured interviews. The findings in relation to participants’ experiences of Halo 3: ODST’s narrative were able to be categorised into three interrelated narrative elements: visual imagery and world-building, sound and music, and character. -
DESIGN-DRIVEN APPROACHES TOWARD MORE EXPRESSIVE STORYGAMES a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Satisfaction of the Requirements for the Degree Of
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ CHANGEFUL TALES: DESIGN-DRIVEN APPROACHES TOWARD MORE EXPRESSIVE STORYGAMES A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in COMPUTER SCIENCE by Aaron A. Reed June 2017 The Dissertation of Aaron A. Reed is approved: Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Chair Michael Mateas Michael Chemers Dean Tyrus Miller Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Copyright c by Aaron A. Reed 2017 Table of Contents List of Figures viii List of Tables xii Abstract xiii Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 1 Framework 15 1.1 Vocabulary . 15 1.1.1 Foundational terms . 15 1.1.2 Storygames . 18 1.1.2.1 Adventure as prototypical storygame . 19 1.1.2.2 What Isn't a Storygame? . 21 1.1.3 Expressive Input . 24 1.1.4 Why Fiction? . 27 1.2 A Framework for Storygame Discussion . 30 1.2.1 The Slipperiness of Genre . 30 1.2.2 Inputs, Events, and Actions . 31 1.2.3 Mechanics and Dynamics . 32 1.2.4 Operational Logics . 33 1.2.5 Narrative Mechanics . 34 1.2.6 Narrative Logics . 36 1.2.7 The Choice Graph: A Standard Narrative Logic . 38 2 The Adventure Game: An Existing Storygame Mode 44 2.1 Definition . 46 2.2 Eureka Stories . 56 2.3 The Adventure Triangle and its Flaws . 60 2.3.1 Instability . 65 iii 2.4 Blue Lacuna ................................. 66 2.5 Three Design Solutions . 69 2.5.1 The Witness ............................. 70 2.5.2 Firewatch ............................... 78 2.5.3 Her Story ............................... 86 2.6 A Technological Fix? . -
Realistic Dialogue Engine for Video Games
Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 1-5-2014 12:00 AM Realistic Dialogue Engine for Video Games Caroline M. Rose The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Mike Katchabaw The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Computer Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Science © Caroline M. Rose 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Commons Recommended Citation Rose, Caroline M., "Realistic Dialogue Engine for Video Games" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2652. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2652 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REALISTIC DIALOGUE ENGINE FOR VIDEO GAMES (Thesis format: Monograph) by Caroline M. Rose Graduate Program in Computer Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Caroline M. Rose 2015 Abstract The concept of believable agent has a long history in Artificial Intelligence. It has applicability in multiple fields, particularly video games. Video games have shown tremendous technological advancement in several areas such as graphics and music; however, techniques used to simulate dialogue are still quite outdated. In this thesis, a method is proposed to allow a human player to interact with non-player characters using natural-language input. -
Digital Cultures
88888888888DIGITAL 88888888888CULTURES Understanding New Media 88888888888 Edited88888888888 by Glen Creeber and Royston88888888888 Martin Digital Cultures Digital Cultures Edited by Glen Creeber and Royston Martin Open University Press McGraw-Hill Education McGraw-Hill House Shoppenhangers Road Maidenhead Berkshire England SL6 2QL email: [email protected] world wide web: www.openup.co.uk and Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121—2289, USA First published 2009 Copyright © Creeber and Martin 2009 All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd of Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London, EC1N 8TS. A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN-13: 978-0-33-5221974 (pb) 978-0-33-5221981 (hb) ISBN-10: 0335221971 (pb) 033522198X (hb) Typeset by Kerrypress, Luton, Bedfordshire Printed and bound in the UK by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow Fictitious names of companies, products, people, characters and/or data that may be used herein (in case studies or in examples) are not intended to represent any real individual, company, product or event. For Tomas Contents -
Toward a Deeper Understanding of Branching Dialogue Systems
TOWARD A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF BRANCHING DIALOGUE SYSTEMS LEANNE C. TAYLOR-GILES BFA (Creative Writing Production) Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters by Research. CREATIVE INDUSTRIES FACULTY QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2014 Leanne C. Taylor-Giles -- Understanding Branching Dialogue Systems Keywords Agency; branching dialogue systems; conversation architecture; creative writing; critical path; emergent narrative; emotional interface; immersion; interaction design; interactive narrative; literary criticism; narrative design; player character; practice-led; roleplaying video games; writing for video games. 2 – Creative Industries, QUT Understanding Branching Dialogue Systems – Leanne C. Taylor-Giles Abstract This exegesis addresses the concept of writing for video games, and specifically the branching dialogue systems available within contemporary roleplaying video games. It suggests a taxonomy for the critique of interactive narratives, and seeks to answer the question of whether branching dialogues may be separated from their medium in order to apply more traditional methods of literary criticism. The exegesis covers the critique of four contemporary roleplaying video games that are rated as the ‘best’ from among the offerings of the current video game development industry. It also examines the author’s personal works from both an internal and external standpoint, to further elucidate the aspects of writing for branching dialogues and interactive media that have yet to be discussed from a practitioner’s point of view within an academic context. As a conclusion, the exegesis presents a final project aimed at supporting the reflections and discoveries made throughout, providing a first-hand look at a game writer’s unedited creative process and the methods by which greater interactivity with non-player characters may be achieved. -
UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Increasing Authorial Leverage in Generative Narrative Systems Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4dq8w2g9 Author Garbe, Jacob Publication Date 2020 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ INCREASING AUTHORIAL LEVERAGE IN GENERATIVE NARRATIVE SYSTEMS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in COMPUTER SCIENCE by Jacob Garbe September 2020 The Dissertation of Jacob Garbe is approved: Professor Michael Mateas, Chair Professor Noah Wardrip-Fruin Professor Ian Horswill Quentin Williams Acting Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Copyright c by Jacob Garbe 2020 Table of Contents List of Figures v Abstract xi Dedication xiii Acknowledgments xiv 1 Introduction 1 1.0.1 Traversability . 11 1.0.2 Authorability . 16 1.0.3 MDA Framework . 25 1.0.4 System, Process, Product . 26 1.0.5 Axes of Analysis . 27 1.0.6 PC3 Framework . 28 1.0.7 Progression Model . 29 1.1 Contributions . 31 1.2 Outline . 32 2 Ice-Bound 34 2.1 Experience Challenge . 35 2.2 Related Works . 41 2.2.1 Non-Digital Combinatorial Fiction . 41 2.2.2 Digital Combinatorial Fiction . 51 2.3 Relationship to Related Works . 65 2.4 System Description . 66 2.4.1 Summary . 66 2.5 The Question of Authorial Leverage . 78 2.5.1 Traversability . 78 2.5.2 Authorability . 85 2.6 System Summary . -
Exploring Player Roles and Role Affordance in Video Games1 In
1 “Select the Type of Experience You Would Like to Have”: Exploring Player Roles and Role Affordance in Video Games1 In the conclusion to Play Between Worlds, T.L. Taylor tells game designers and critics, “[r]ather than simply being frustrated about players who do not play a game ‘right’ or who ‘mess up’ otherwise perfect systems . we need to take seriously the range of interventions that occur and why” they occur when players engage with video games (158-59). In other words, it would be a mistake to focus our attention on game systems and possibility spaces while ignoring or disparaging player agency. Even just within the genre of role-playing games (RPGs, referring in this essay only to the video game variety, though the genre sprang from and still thrives in other media), the wide variety of available experiences has spawned communities of players who fiercely advocate for their favorite games and playstyles.2 To date, analysis of these diverse game experiences has primarily focused on genres, player types, or possibility spaces, approaches that have all demonstrated their value to game criticism and design. In this essay, however, I argue that these approaches should be supplemented with an analysis of the roles players assume in relation to games (and to their communities and storyworlds). Analysis of player roles—and of the dynamics of role affordance involving designers as well as players—helps bridge the gap between existing analyses of player types and possibility spaces. Player types analysis has tended to focus on player identities -
Framework for Developing Interactive 360-Degree Video Adventure Games
FACULDADE DE ENGENHARIA DA UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO Framework for Developing Interactive 360-Degree Video Adventure Games Francisco Pinho Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Informática e Computação Supervisor: Rui Rodrigues Co-Supervisor: Rui Nóbrega July 20, 2019 Framework for Developing Interactive 360-Degree Video Adventure Games Francisco Pinho Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Informática e Computação July 20, 2019 Abstract Making game environments, be it in 2D or 3D is an extremely laborious and skill intensive task. 360o content is a visual medium known for its increased spatial immersion and potential enhance- ment of the users’ emotional response to content [EEW18]. The possibility of using interactive 360o video or images as the game environments will allow talent to invest their creativity into other crucial aspects of game design such as narrative, sound and game mechanics. Adventure games belong in a diverse genre comprising many different types of experiences and sub-genres, from text-based adventures to puzzle-oriented point-and-click games, a cinematic experience with player choices or even a mixture of crime investigation with courtroom drama. In essence, games with simpler means of user input and a bigger focus on interactive narratives and storytelling - a very relevant field at the cutting edge of virtual reality research [RTGG17]. Further- more these games feature entirely non reflex based mechanics making the genre of "Adventure" the most fitting for integration with 360-degree visual media. This dissertation presents a framework that will allow the streamlining of the creative process of these experiences by giving creators the tools to make a fully-fledged virtual reality adventure game with 360 visual media as an interactive setting. -
Procedural Generation and Information Games
Generative Forensics: Procedural Generation and Information Games Michael Cook [email protected] School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Queen Mary University of London ABSTRACT Common justifications for the use of PCG in game design isthat Procedural generation is used across game design to achieve a it increases replayability or reduces development cost or complexity wide variety of ends, and has led to the creation of several game [22]. Although these claims regularly appear in academic papers subgenres by injecting variance, surprise or unpredictability into about PCG, to our knowledge there are no studies to support either otherwise static designs. Information games are a type of mystery claim, and in our experience adding PCG can actually increase the game in which the player is tasked with gathering knowledge and complexity of the development process. A better justification for developing an understanding of an event or system. Their reliance PCG is that it enables new kinds of game design, by changing the on player knowledge leaves them vulnerable to spoilers and hard to player’s relationship with the game’s systems, or allowing the de- replay. In this paper we introduce the notion of generative forensics velopers to work at a scale that would be otherwise impractical. The games, a subgenre of information games that challenge the player best-known example of this is Spelunky, a blend of platformer and to understand the output of a generative system. We introduce roguelike [15]. In his book of the same name [24], designer Derek information games, show how generative forensics develops the Yu explained that the use of procedural generation in Spelunky idea, report on two prototype games we created, and evaluate our was intended to reduce the reliance on rote learning in platformers, work on generative forensics so far from a player and a designer by making levels unpredictable. -
The Japanese Gaming Cluster
The Japanese Gaming Cluster Tatsuya Hasegawa, Takeru Ito, Ryu Kawano, Koichi Kibata, Ken Nonomura 1 Table of Contents 1. Japan Competitiveness ............................................................................................................................ 3 1.1 Country Background ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 The Economic Performance of Japan after WW II ............................................................................ 4 1.3 Macroeconomic and Political Risks .................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Social infrastructure .......................................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Microeconomic competitiveness and national diamond analysis ...................................................... 7 1.5.1 Context for Firm Strategy and Rivalry ....................................................................................... 8 1.5.2 Demand Condition ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.5.3 Supporting and Related Industry ................................................................................................ 8 1.5.4 Factor Condition ........................................................................................................................ 9 1.6 National Cluster mapping and industrial -
Proposal for the Analysis of a Video Game, a Film, and Their Relationship
DEPARTAMENT DE COMUNICACIÓ AUDIOVISUAL I PUBLICITAT Proposal for the analysis of a video game, a film, and their relationship. (Silent Hill as a subject of the horror genre) Martha S. Ramos Ibarra Director: Dr. María T. Soto Sanfiel Bellaterra, Junio de 2012 INDEX INTRODUCTION 1 I. OBJECT OF STUDY 9 II. OBJECTIVES 11 1. Objectives 11 1.1. General Objectives 11 1.2. Specific Objectives 11 III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 13 1. What is a Narrative? 15 1.2. Parts of a Narrative 15 1.2.1. Story 16 1.2.2. Discourse 19 1.3. Levels of a Story 21 1.3.1. Level of Functions 21 1.3.2. Level of Actions 23 1.3.3. Level of Narrative 23 1.4. Time and Space 24 1.4.1. Time 25 1.4.2. Space 26 1.5. Propp‘s Functions 27 1.5.1 Mischief 28 1.5.2 Spheres of Action 30 1.5.3. Types of Heroes 31 1.5.4. Character attributes 32 1.6. Suspense 32 1.7. Denouement 35 2. Narrative Formats 37 3. Literary Genres 38 4. Introduction to Horror Literature 39 4.1. Fantasy Literature 39 4.1.1. The supernatural unknown element 40 4.1.2. Identifiable Universe 41 4.1.3. Radical break between the protagonist and the universe 41 4.2. Horror Narratives 42 4.2.1. Origins of horror fictions 44 4.2.1.1. Gothic Novel 44 5. Themes and Structure of Horror Narratives 53 5.1. The Complex Discovery Plot 53 5.1.1. Onset of horrific event (evidence). -
Universidad De Guadalajara
Universidad de Guadalajara Centro Universitario en Arte, Arquitectura y Diseño Doctorado Interinstitucional en Arte y Cultura Tema de Tesis: En contra de la momificación. Los videojuegos como artefactos de cultura visual contemporánea: la emulación y simulación a nivel circuito, a modo de tácticas de su preservación Tesis que para obtener el grado de Doctor en Arte y Cultura Presenta: Romano Ponce Díaz Director de Tesis: Dr. Jorge Arturo Chamorro Escalante Línea de Generación y Aplicación del Conocimiento: Artes Visuales. Guadalajara, Jalisco, febrero del 2019 1 En contra de la momificación. Los videojuegos como artefactos de cultura visual contemporánea: la emulación y simulación a nivel circuito, a modo de tácticas de su preservación. ©Derechos Reservados 2019 Romano Ponce Díaz [romano.ponce@ alumnos.udg.mx] 2 ÍNDICE DE ILUSTRACIONES. 8 ÍNDICE DE TABLAS. 8 1.1 PRESENTACIÓN 9 1.2 AGRADECIMIENTOS 11 1.3 RESUMEN 13 1.4 ABSTRACT 14 2 PRIMER NODO: EXPOSICIÓN. 16 2.1.1 CAPÍTULO 2. EL PROBLEMA PREFIGURADO: 19 2.2 OTRO EPÍLOGO A MANERA DE PRÓLOGO. 19 2.3 EL RELATO COMO PRESERVADOR DEL TESTIMONIO DE LA CULTURA. 20 2.4 LA MEMORIA PROSTÉTICA, SU RELACIÓN CON LOS OBJETOS, Y, LA NATURALEZA FINITA 27 2.4.1 CINEMATOGRAFÍA, EXPLOSIONES Y FILMES PERDIDOS 29 2.4.2 LOS VIDEOJUEGOS Y LAS FORMAS DE MIRAR AL MUNDO 33 2.4.3 VIDEOJUEGOS, IDEOLOGÍA, VISUALIDAD Y ARTE: 35 2.4.4 LA ESTRUCTURA DE LA OBSOLESCENCIA Y EL MALESTAR DE LA CULTURA 46 2.5 ANTES DE QUE CAIGA EN EL OLVIDO: UNA HIPÓTESIS 49 2.5.1 SOBRE LOS OBJETIVOS, ALCANCES, Y LA MORFOLOGÍA DEL TEXTO 51 3 CAPÍTULO 3.