ASSIGNMENT 3 1
Assignment 3
ID: 151
University of Gothenburg ASSIGNMENT 3 2
Abstract
In this paper, I will analyze and compare two computer games from the past and recent years. Due to the nature of the assignment the comparison will be in context of four questions. These questions revolve around the technological affordances and constraints and how they defined these games, their features that identify them as specific genres, how is space and time constructed in these games and how does the audiovisual design provide cues for the player to understand what is going on in the game at any given time. To understand and answer properly to these questions I will use material from papers and personal experience, the papers will be referenced for a detailed view when used. Finally, prior to tackling the questions at hand, I will briefly describe the games. During that description and the rest of the paper terms like Patterns, Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics will be based on Patterns and Mechanics in Game Design [1] and MDA: A Formal Approach to
Game Design and Game Research [2].
Keywords: Patterns will be in CAPS (with the exception of acronyms), mechanics in bold and aesthetics in bold italics. ASSIGNMENT 3 3
Assignment 3
Introduction
For the purpose of this assignment I will be comparing the games Doom (1993) and Doom
(2016). From now they will be mentioned as Doom’93 and Doom’16 respectively.
Starting with their description, I will then create four separate categories, one for each question. In these categories the two games will be placed for me to show how they’ve handled in each question. Because the games are the first and last of the same lineage the technological and design evolution will be, I think, clearer. Finally, the platform on which these games were run for this paper were both on a high-end PC.
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Description
Doom 1993
The original Doom [3] (Figure 1 & 2). Doom’93 is a
FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER (FPS). Taking place in another planet with a human company trying to harness resources from hell after constructing a portal that travels to that dimension.
However, things go haywire really fast and the protagonist (the player character) steps into the fray and pushes back the hordes of demons in the demon realm. This narrative is mostly Figure 1: Doom 1993 mentioned in the game’s handbook and not really in game. Doom’93 doesn’t really excel in
STORYTELLING as the plot is there mainly to function as an excuse for the game to start. The player PICKS UP a variety of different WEAPONS and shoots his way past the enemy hordes.
The game heavily features a run ‘n’ gun mechanic as it is key to move around fast while shooting down enemy demons. The game finally, features some light PUZZLES in the form, for instance, of collecting different KEYS to open doors.
Figure 2: Doom 1993 in Action ASSIGNMENT 3 5
Doom 2016
This reimagining of Doom [4] (Figure 3 & 4) is a reboot of the franchise. The game however, does heavily imply that the backstory for this game is close to the events that happened in Doom (1993), Doom 2 (1994) and Doom 3 (2004). The game does share a lot of similarities when compared to the original of the franchise. In detail we again have a hellscape realm and a strong protagonist who really is there to just kill as Figure 3: Doom 2016 many demons as possible. The game plays similarly, however the technological leap is really apparent, the core remains the same. The run ‘n’ gun mechanic makes a return here as well as of course the FPS perspective. The game is fast paced like its predecessor and relies on avoiding enemy attacks by MOVEMENT rather than COVER.
Some more specific mechanics and details about how these games work will be examined in the below sections.
Figure 4: Doom 2016 in Action ASSIGNMENT 3 6
Comparison and Analysis
Definition of Games in Context of Technological Affordances and Constraints
Doom 1993
Doom’93’s limited hardware resources had the developers come with unique ways to bypass the limitations with some rendering techniques. The technique in question is the binary space partitioning (BSP) [5]. With the use of BSP the developers had the opportunity to project 2D data as an illusionary 3D. This means that the game is not actually 3D, there is no Z-axis.
Everything is calculated and measured in the background with a 2D tiling map. This is the reason why the player cannot look up or down, why there are no areas where a floor is on top of another floor and finally why PROJECTILES that will seemingly fly up or under the target will strike successfully. However, the technique did give out the impression that the environment and the enemies all traversed a 3D plain when true 3D was indeed impossible to have in video games at the time.
This gives an amount of limitation on how a level is structured. Because there cannot be levels stacked on top of each other the areas seem expansive and “short”. The verticality is something that Doom’93 really misses in its level design. Also, when shooting there is no RECOIL
(except from the animation which has no actual impact on how the game plays), the player never loses SPEED and there is no limit on how many WEAPONS he can CARRY at the same time.
All of these features were removed in most of the upcoming FPS games to make them more realistic and closer to how real guns work. However, as we’ll see when examining Doom’16, this made future FPS titles to distance themselves from Doom (and Wolfenstein (1992) [6] which shares most of these features). ASSIGNMENT 3 7
Doom 2016
With a first viewing of Doom’16 one can clearly see how everything looks better (Figure
2). It is understandable given the 23 year gap these games have. However, Doom’16’s seemingly unlimited resources (at least when compared to those Doom’93 had), it tries its best to mimic the key characteristics of its ancestor while improving its weaknesses. In detail, Doom’16 has a lot of verticality in its level design. Floating platforms, hazards and multifloored buildings are a few examples to give when comparing the two games’ level design choices. That said, Doom’16 lets the levels be expansive and labyrinth like, reminiscing heavily the direction Doom’93 had.
Furthermore, Doom’16 albeit being a modern shooter doesn’t have COVER systems, won’t slow the player when they shoot. The players never reload their weapons and there is almost no
RECOIL when firing shots. This makes the game feel different from modern shooters and more similar to Doom’93. Finally, there is no limit on how many weapons the player can CARRY at the same time. But since this is a new game, the developers have added some additional mechanics to compliment those first introduced in the original game. Namely the player now can finish off an enemy with a gory animation when they’re low on HEALTH and saw down demons with a chainsaw from a close distance for extra AMMO.
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Features for Genre Identification. Inherent and External Features.
For the FPS genre the identification comes mainly from its name. The perspective is FIRST
PERSON and there is shooting in the game. There were many FPS over the years. All of them have this as their core. Some require COVER and AMMO MANAGEMENT. Others have strong
NARRATIVE and others don’t have one. For the purpose of this section and assignment, I will point as inherent features those that make the two games be defined as FPS games and external those features that make them a “doomlike game”, according to Therrien, Carl.’s paper [7].
For Doom’93, it inherits its perspective from ID Software’s previous title Wolfenstein
(1992). Though advancing its rendering method gave the game a better look and more complex scenes in its level design, it holds true to the fact that the weapon is centered on the screen, the player cannot see the character’s face (only a portrait in the game’s HUD [8] (Figure 7)). The enemies seemingly attack the player’s screen and only the hands are visible during the entire game.
For the FPS genre this is what concludes the placement of this game in its category. However, given the genre’s evolution over the years some features that Doom’93 has are no longer relevant as genre defining. These would be the unlimited storage of WEAPONS. The ARMOR which reduces damage by a percentage when it is up. The HEALTH being refilled only with HEALTH
DROPS and PICK-UPS. The POWER-UPS found scattered throughout the LEVELS. The
AGILITY of the character in the game. All of the above can be seen as external features as they no longer define the FPS genre. Rather their combination defines “a doomlike shooter sub-genre”.
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For Doom’16 similar results apply. The perspective is still FIRST-PERSON. The gun is no longer centered on the screen as it is placed where modern FPS games place their visible weapons
(on the right side with a slight tilt). Shooting makes a return as a mechanic. These conclude the inherit mechanics from the FPS genre. The external are in place to make the game more similar to the Doom franchise’s name. In detail, the run & gun mechanic. The absence of reload and
COVER. The fact that there is no loss in SPEED. No REGENERATING HEALTH and no substantial NARRATIVE all complement the senseless action Doom is known for. That and the addition of the MELEE TAKEDOWNS. Finally, there are quality of life improvements to the
Doom formula such as: a wheel that has all items available to quick swap them mid-fight. An
UPGRADE system that acts as the main source of PROGRESSION (in comparison to Doom’93 that its progression was based solely on finding new WEAPONS to add to the INVENTORY).
Furthermore Doom’16 pokes fun at its weak NARRATIVE and its insignificance by having the main character literally break an expositional computer screen out of the way to pick up a shotgun short after.
Finally, both games’ level design shares a key feature that makes them similar to each other but different to other FPS games. The openness and labyrinth like structure of the LEVELS as well as the hidden SECRETS found within these levels with the addition of light pUZZLES revolving around the finding of certain KEYS to open DOORS that let the player progress the game all work together for a level design that is characteristic to the Doom franchise.
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Space and Time Rewards
Based on Gazzard, Alison’s paper [9], I will analyze how these two games tackle rewards in Space and Time.
Time in Doom
Doom 1993
Doom’93 keeps track of the time it took to complete a level. When a level ends the player can see the time it got to finish it. With this the game challenges the player to improve their own time and makes it easier for players to compare their skill in the game. However, that is all
Doom’93 provides in terms of Time as a reward. There isn’t any DAY AND NIGHT CYCLE. The game doesn’t have limited time to end so that the player will keep paying more coins to the arcade
(as this game was not made for the arcade). There aren’t any levels that pressure the player with
COUNTDOWNS or TIME TRIALS. The enjoyment to the players comes from their proof of their skill being increased with each playthrough of a level.
Doom 2016
Doom’16 ditched the level completion time of its ancestor and replaced it WITH MINI
CHALLENGES for time centered rewards. The challenges vary but most have a common theme.
Do X in Y seconds. The X could be to reach a point, gather a challenge specific resource or kill a number of enemies. Completing the challenge will reward the player with AMMO, HEALTH,
ARMOR, new WEAPONS, WEAPON UPGRADES or STATS UPGRADES. This gives the newer version a more substantial approach to rewarding the player than the one introduced in ASSIGNMENT 3 11
Doom’93 which centers more on bragging rights for the player. Similarly, to Doom’93 though,
Doom’16 doesn’t have much else to do with time.
Space in Doom
Doom 1993
Doom’93 tackles spatial rewards by having labyrinthically complex levels hiding important and secondary objectives within them. For instance, the player must explore in order to get the key to the next room. Or power-up a generator that requires three pylons to be activated.
All of these are hidden throughout the level. However, the rewarding for the explorer type of player doesn’t end there. By navigating through a level while aiming the explore everything, the player will get additional WEAPONS, ARMOR and HEALTH. Finally, the ending of a LEVEL screen monitors how much of that LEVEL was explored, how many enemies were killed and how many
SECRETS did the player find (Figure 6). A player gets their satisfaction from this type of rewarding when these numbers are at the 100%. Finally, there are the HIDDEN ROOMS where players can play some arcade games within the game of Doom’93.
One can also see how the spatial and time rewards can be combined. A player may have in mind to finish the game in completion with the least amount of time spent. All of these elements give Doom’93 a primary focus on the Challenge and Discovery aesthetics.
Doom 2016
In Doom’16 the spatial rewards and handled the same. The exploration, though becomes deeper as the plane of the Z-axis is now available for use. Now there is verticality in the mix of possibilities on how a LEVEL may unfold. Doom’16 urges players to explore its world with ASSIGNMENT 3 12
rewards similar to Doom’93 LIKE HEALTH, AMMO, ARMOR and NEW WEAPONS, with the
addition of STATS UPGRADES, WEAPON UPGRADES and COLLECTIBLES. The
COLLECTIBLES do not affect the strength of the player character but they are rather there for the
player to get an extra incentive to explore the world further in order to gather them all. Finally,
there are the callback stages as hidden areas within the levels of the game. These areas extremely
well hidden and tough to find. Once unlocked the player traverses an area which graphically is
identical to that of Doom’93. An homage and Easter egg for the old and new players alike.
Similarly, to Doom’93 an end of level screen shows the completion of that level to the player
(Figure 5).
Thus, the rewards are mainly focused again on the Challenge and Discovery aesthetics.
Figure 6: End Level Screen Doom 1993 Figure 5: End Level Screen Doom 2016
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Audiovisual Design Interaction Assistance
In each of these games there are a number of features that are present to help the player understand the situation he/she finds themselves in, what is their current condition, how to separate good from bad choices, when they’re rewarded or when they’re punished. Finally, the audiovisual design assists with passing the theme and sensation of the game to the player.
Doom 1993
I will start with the game’s presentation.
The game uses a grim and desaturated color palette while keeping the guns and monsters in contrast to the colors of the background. This makes it easier for the player to understand what they see. The enemies pop-out so the player can easily position himself to a shooting position. The presence of blood and gore is a central theme of the game. This Figure 7: Doom 1993 HUD bloody hell is presented in two ways. First the demons all bleed and explode when killed (which serves as visual feedback for when the enemies are indeed defeated). Plus, the face of the character is always present in the center-down of the screen. When the HEALTH POINTS drop the face becomes bloodier and more bruised, giving the player the uneasiness that this is what they now look like.
In terms of gameplay I have already mentioned the visual feedback of enemy kills. In addition to that there are flashes and sounds that are made when, the player takes a hit and when they get a piece of AMMO, ARMOR or HEALTH (all three of which also appear in the upper left ASSIGNMENT 3 14 corner as messages too). Furthermore, there is the distinction of how powerful a WEAPON is. This is achieved in two ways. The size of the WEAPON and the sound it makes, with the addition of the players being able to parallel the weapons to real-life ones.
Finally, there is the HUD. In the HUD the player sees their remaining AMMO, HEALTH and ARMOR and with the push of a button a MAP of the LEVEL is displayed for easier navigation.
Doom 2016
Doom’16 has a similar approach, however it takes advantage of its 23-year technological advantage. The theme of a soulless killing machine trapped within the demon realm is passed through the red themed worlds, grim backgrounds and bloodied Figure 8: Doom 2016 HUD corridors. The animations of the character
(even though only his hands are visible) are bulky and carry a lot of weight with each movement.
The character packs a lot of strength and it is visible with every pull of a leaver, push of a button and killing blow. The killing blows, are particularly interesting to point out because they are brutal when executed, this enhances the brute strength of the character as well as give out an eye-pleasing, for the player, visual for engaging in aggressive close combat. It is important to point out that they are most of the times ridiculous and impossible for a normal person to achieve. Something that one can argue enhances the self-awareness of the game.
WEAPONS work similarly to that of the original game, where each WEAPON is louder and bigger when more powerful and when killing an enemy the visual feedback changes depending ASSIGNMENT 3 15 on the WEAPON that dealt the killing blow (light WEAPONS kill the demons with wounds where the shotgun explodes the bodies). Furthermore, there is the impact of music. The music of the game becomes louder and more frantic when engaging in combat (music in the original was also upbeat and fast but wasn’t changed on different situations). Additionally, every PICK-UP makes a distinct sound and a slight flash of the screen. Finally, the HUD shows less than the original game’s HUD but equally important in information packaging. The remaining health and armor are always present but the remaining ammo visible is from the weapon currently equipped. Also, the map is again present with the push of a button.
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References
[1] Björk, S., Lundgren, S. & Holopainen, j. Game Design Patterns. DiGRA '03 -
Proceedings of the 2003 DiGRA International Conference: Level Up, 2003,
Volume: 2. ISBN / ISNN: ISSN 2342-9666. link
[2] Hunicke, R; LeBlanc, M; & Zubek, R. MDA: A Formal Approach to Game
Design and Game Research. CiteSeerX. link
[3] id Software (1982). "Doom Press Release". Archived from the original on August
25, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
[4] Wikipedia’s Doom (2016 video game) article. link
[5] Fuchs, Henry; Kedem, Zvi. M; Naylor, Bruce F. (1980). "On Visible Surface
Generation by A Priori Tree Structures"
[6] Wikipedia’s Wolfenstein 3D article. link
[7] Therrien, Carl. Inspecting Video Game Historiography Through Critical Lens:
Etymology of the First Person Shooter Genre. Game Studies, Volume 15 Issue 2
2015. link
[8] Wilson, Greg (2006). "Off With Their HUDs!: Rethinking the Heads-Up Display
in Console Game Design". Gamasutra. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
[9] Gazzard, Alison. Unlocking the Gameworld: The Rewards of Space and Time in
Videogames. Game Studies, Volume 11 Issue 1 2011. link