Choice in Video Games

In our second presentation we decided to base it around choice. The presentation was shared between me and Ryan because of the miraculous disappearance of our other two group members. I was handling the binary choice while Ryan did the multiple choice. In my presentation i made some comparisons between Lionhead's Fable and Arkane Studios' Dishonored in regards to the players' involvement in making decisions in game.

In Fable the game will present a fork in the narrative's path and player must decide on the best course of action depending on the player's judgement. This only affects the story and characters but not largely on the gameplay and difficulty. Dishonored on the other hand presents choice and it's ramifications on the majority of the gameplay. How the player carries out the missions; lethal or non-lethal, will have effects on the placement of guards and security in the next level. It will also affect the ending.

I finished off the presentation with an explanation; according to today, of where the future of choice in gaming will go. Choices are presented through the gameplay instead of being shown on a menu, binary choice might not have a future in gaming due to its on and off functionality and choice is more reaction based were the things i mentioned.

I am very pleased with the comparisons between the games and the definitions. I think i could of explained the slides more clearly but i am still content with it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonlinear_gameplay - slide 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_(video_game) - slide 2

http://bitmob.com/articles/the-ultimate-binary-choice-heaven-hell slide 1

http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/top10/2217.html slide 2

Narrative spaces

Evoked Narratives work a lot like theme park rides in the sense that the player already has a some knowledge about the ride's source material but not how it will be presented. The game would play off of what the gamer already know of the original theme and throwing him or her into the game world in which they interact with.

Enacting Stories function similarly to assault and obstacle courses where the player's only goal is to reach the end by negotiating objects such as pits and climbing walls to reach the objective. The  game's goal would be the story and that the player would have to obtain it by traversing levels in order to cross the world, achieving victory.

Embedded Narrative usually feature two stories playing out side by side. One being unstructured  in which the player pieces together the story by exploring the game world and the other which is pre-structured; already built in to the world, waiting for the player to discover it. Similar to an Easter egg hunt in the fact someone has to hide the eggs and others have to find them.

Emergent Narratives are in the player's control in respects that the player can create their characters and other aspects of the game, giving the player free reign to enact their own stories. However, the player does have a limit to what he or she can do. The overall narrative is pre-structured but always being moulded like plasticine by the player. 

A brief history of isometric 3D space

In video game terms "Isometric" refers to a form of parallel projection in which the viewpoint is displayed at an angle, allowing other aspects of a two dimensional game environment to be visible, producing a 3D effect.  2.5 D, 3/4 perspective or pseudo-3D are other commonly used terms.

Sega's Zaxxon was the first video game that used isometric graphics. Released in 1982, Zaxxon was an isometric shooter that used scrolling levels in which the player is in control of a jet fighter. The objective of the game was to shoot down as many targets as possible without being shot down or running out of fuel. This was the first game in which to use shadows, they helped to indicate altitude.

Congo Bongo was an isometric platform game released by Sega in 1983. The game uses similar elements from Frogger and Donkey Kong. The player controls a safari hunter with a red nose who is tracking down an ape named "Bongo". The player must reach the top of the four levels while jumping over enemies and obstacles.

Mike Cerny's Marble Madness was an isometric platform game that involved the player controlling a marble through six race track labyrinths against the clock. Each course gets gradually more complex as the courses get longer and more enemies are added in. The game's preferred mode of control was through use of a track ball but the home editions used controllers with directional pads. Marble Madness was released in 1984.

Isometric games eventually moved from arcade screens to home computers and consoles such as the ZX Spectrum. This leap in technology allowed the player to move through the game space without being constrained to the one axis like Zaxxon. The view could also be rotated a 90-degree axis. Isometric 3D games survived well into 1990's with titles such as Civilization 2, Diablo and Fallout even though they used fixed perspectives. As technology evolved, games began using true 3D, the most notable being games like Populous: The Beginning and Diablo 3. During the 90's Isometric graphics were being used for console tactical role-playing games such as Final Fantasy Tactics (1997) and Breath of Fire 3 (1997) to name a couple.They used 3D graphics to create environments where players could rotate the camera freely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_graphics_in_video_games_and_pixel_art

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaxxon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Madness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Bongo

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7384

http://forum.i3d.net/downloads/fallout3_Wcm.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_(video_game)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_II

Game Analysis

Name of Designer: Insomniac games

Publisher: Sony

Title: Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction

Date: 2007

Genre: Action/Adventure/Platformer/Shooter

Audience: 7+

Formal elements

• ·        The buildings are parallel.
• ·        The main focal point is the immense building in the distance.
• ·        The golden statue in the middle of the image.
• ·        Arches, spheres, oblongs, triangles, cylinders and cones.
• ·        The lampposts are symmetrical but further out there is less symmetry.
• ·        The designer of the scene wants to draw the viewer’s eye from the walkway to the gold statue and up to the building in the distance.
• ·        There is more detail in the foreground but less in the background.
• ·        The buildings and trees limit the picture space.
• ·        The lighter colours in the background create distance.
• ·        Green, brown, blue, bronze and yellow are the main colours.
• ·        Warm colours are gold, bronze and yellow.
• ·        Cool colours are blue and green.
• ·        The range of colours is limited.
• ·        The colours create a vibrant, lively, exciting and busy effects.
• ·        The base of the image is shady while the rest of it is bright.
• ·        Sci-fi themes
• ·        Trees, lampposts and buildings convey realism.
• ·        The gold statue and the space ships provide surrealism.
• ·        The 1927 film Metropolis directed by Fritz Lang.
• ·        Set in the future
• ·        Characters are not human
• ·        Content is an attack or war.
• ·        Racism
• ·        My reaction is that of awe and excitement.
• ·        The space ships, gold statue and architecture confirm my feelings.