Multiplayer Prototyping and Quest Design for an Educational Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game By Michaela LaVan B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2012) Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2013 © 2013 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. Signature of A uthor .................................................................. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science May 24, 2013 Certified by ......................................................... Eric Klopfer Professor of Urban Studies and Planning Thesis Supervisor A ccep ted b y ............................................... ................................................................ Dennis M. Freeman Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Chairman, Masters of Engineering Thesis Committee 1 Multiplayer Prototyping and Quest Design for an Educational Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game By Michaela LaVan B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2012) Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2013 C 2013 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. ABSTRACT Digital games have proven to be powerful learning tools, and may hold the key to closing the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) achievement gap in the United States. Multiplayer play in particular can foster peer instruction, mentorship, and other productive learning interactions. However, few models of effective multiplayer mechanics exist for educational games. This paper outlines a scheme for developing synchronous multiplayer tasks for a Flash-based massively multiplayer online game (MMO), and discusses design considerations for creating meaningful multiplayer interactions. The results were applied to the design and implementation of multiplayer quest prototypes for the Radix Endeavor, an educational MMO. Thesis Supervisor: Eric Klopfer Title: Professor of Urban Studies and Planning 2 Multiplayer Prototyping and Quest Design for an Educational Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Michaela LaVan Eric Klopfer The Education Arcade The Education Arcade Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT- Digital games have proven to be powerful learning tools, and may hold the key to closing the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) achievement gap in the United States. Multiplayer play in particular can foster peer instruction, mentorship, and other productive learning interactions. However, few models of effective multiplayer mechanics exist for educational games. This paper outlines a scheme for developing synchronous multiplayer tasks for a Flash-based massively multiplayer online game (MMO), and discusses design considerations for creating meaningful multiplayer interactions. The results were applied to the design and implementation of multiplayer quest prototypes for the Radix Endeavor, an educational MMO. A C K N O W LE D G E M E N TS..........................................................................................................................6 I. IN T R O D U C T IO N ...................................................................................................................................... 7 A. STEM Subjects and the United States................................................................................ 7 B . E d u catio n al G am in g ........................................................................................................................ 8 C. Massively Multiplayer Online Games ............................................................................... 8 D .T h e R ad ix E n d eav o r ....................................................................................................................... 9 1. The Scheller Teacher Education Program............................................................... 10 2 . N a rra tiv e ...................................................................................................................................... 1 0 3 . P rototy p in g System ................................................................................................................. 1 1 4. M ultiplayer Prototypes...................................................................................................... 11 II. R E LA T E D W O R K ................................................................................................................................ 1 1 III. MULTIPLAYER PROTOTYPING FRAMEWORK............................................................... 13 A . Radix Prototyping System .................................................................................................... 13 1 . S c e n e s ............................................................................................................................................ 1 4 i. P la y e r ......................................................................................................................................... 1 5 3 ii. N on-Player Characters ...................................................................................................... 15 iii. Scene Elem ents ................................................................................................................... 16 iv. T ools ......................................................................................................................................... 16 2. Q uest D ialogs .............................................................................................................................. 16 i. Initialization ............................................................................................................................ 17 ii. Turn-in ..................................................................................................................................... 18 iii. Feedback ................................................................................................................................ 18 B. Sm artFoxServer ............................................................................................................................. 18 1. U sers .............................................................................................................................................. 19 2. Room s ............................................................................................................................................ 19 3. M essages ...................................................................................................................................... 19 C. System A rchitecture ..................................................................................................................... 20 1.Server ............................................................................................................................................ 20 2. The Login Process .................................................................................................................... 20 i. Connection ............................................................................................................................... 20 ii. Login ......................................................................................................................................... 21 iii. Load U sers ............................................................................................................................. 22 iv. M atch State ............................................................................................................................ 23 v. Dynam ic Loading ................................................................................................................. 24 3. Synchronization ........................................................................................................................ 25 4. Control Classes .......................................................................................................................... 26 IV . Q U EST PRO T O TYPES ...................................................................................................................... 27 A . Learning O bjectives ..................................................................................................................... 27 B. M arketplace ..................................................................................................................................... 27 1. N arrative ...................................................................................................................................... 28 2. V endors ......................................................................................................................................... 28 3. Trading Post ............................................................................................................................... 29 4 C. Single-Player Q uests: M arketplace .......................................................................................