Some Disclaimers I am a designer of commercial computer games



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tarix17.09.2018
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Some Disclaimers

  • I am a designer of commercial computer games.

  • I am not an architect.

    • Most game artists have no architectural training.
  • I know little about formal architectural theory.

  • I will probably use some terminology wrongly.

  • I know how game designers design buildings, and why.

  • This will be an extremely pragmatic lecture!



Human Perception of Architecture

  • Visual Perception

  • Sound

  • Touch

  • Smell

  • Other senses

  • Taste will be ignored!



Visual Perception

  • Viewing a building:

    • 120-140º visual angle
    • Fully stereoscopic
    • Huge light intensity range (1016!).
    • Total darkness possible.
    • Steady image
    • 250 million receptor cells in both eyes
    • Automatically-changing focus


Sound

  • Listening to a space:

    • Fully 3D
    • Viewer-created sounds (footsteps, etc.) audible
    • Infinite mixing of ambient sound
    • Echoes created by space & materials
    • Person can speak or sing at will
    • Normally no soundtrack


Touch

  • Feeling a building:

    • Texture of materials
    • Hardness of flooring
    • Ambient air temperature
    • Reflected heat
    • Air currents
    • Humidity


Smell

  • Smelling a space:

    • Construction materials
      • Wood, concrete, stone
    • Decorative plants
      • Earth, flowers, etc.
    • Relation to function
      • Toilets, laboratories, kitchens, machinery.


Other Senses in Games

  • No feeling of gravity pressing feet to floor

  • (And no feeling of zero-G in space, either!)

  • Movement and climbing are not tiring.

  • We can create some claustrophobia, but…

  • … no agoraphobia

  • We can create worlds with bizarre physics, demonstrated visually.



The Costs of Architecture

  • In buildings:

    • Design costs
    • Land costs
    • Infrastructure materials
    • Decorative materials
    • Construction labor


The Costs in Games

  • In 3D games the primary cost is detail

    • 3D spaces are constructed from polygons
    • There is a limited number of polygons available
    • 3D buildings in games tend to look rather sparse
    • Curves are expensive, straight lines are cheap
  • In 2D games the primary cost is variety



A Sparse Hotel Lobby



A Cheap Boulder



A Cheap Boulder



The Rules are Different in Games

    • Normal engineering considerations do not apply
      • mass, strength, volume
    • Normal habitability considerations do not apply
      • Toilets, fire safety, fresh air, temperature control
    • Scale is irrelevant - a thing is as big as we say it is.
      • We can put a palace in a matchbox.
    • We can build spaces that are physically impossible.
      • Infinitely-long staircases, Escher rooms.


The Functions of Real Buildings

    • To protect people/goods/animals from the weather
    • To organize human activity efficiently
      • Factories, theaters, offices, sports arenas
    • To conceal and protect goods/animals from theft
      • Warehouses, barns, shops, storage facilities
    • To offer personal privacy
      • Toilets and private houses
    • To protect people from other people
      • Fortifications, military installations, prisons
    • To impress, commemorate or simply decorate
      • Civic monuments and religious buildings


Real-World Functions in Games?

    • Weather is irrelevant; normally it is only cosmetic
    • Organizing human activity is useful in multi-player games. Buildings not necessary, but a metaphor.
    • Theft may or may not be possible; if possible, buildings offer a convenient metaphor for protection
    • Privacy is normally irrelevant
    • Military protection is a very common game function
    • Impressiveness and decoration are also common
    • Buildings in games mimic the real world when necessary. There are no buildings in chess.


Outdoor Spaces are Problematic

    • It is hard to make sweeping vistas or panoramas, because of screen resolution and size limitations.
    • Players can often move fast, so it is difficult to create meaningfully large spaces.
    • Natural objects (trees, etc.) require far more detail than man-made objects. Games avoid them, which makes many games feel sterile.
    • Aerial perspectives reduce the impressiveness of any structure or space.
      • The Great Pyramid isn’t a big deal from 5000 feet up.


The Primary Function of Ludic Space

  • The primary function of a ludic space is to support the gameplay.

    • Ludic space is NOT analogous to real buildings and spaces, but to movie sets.
    • The function of a movie set is:
      • a) To create context by mimicking the real world
      • b) More importantly, to support the narrative
      • Movie sets often diverge from the real world for narrative purposes.
        • They can make NY seem cleaner, or dirtier, than it really is.


So What Is Gameplay?

  • Sid Meier defined gameplay as “A series of interesting choices.”

  • The rules define the gameplay, specifically:

    • The challenges the player(s) must face before they can achieve victory PLUS
    • The actions they are allowed to make in order to overcome those challenges.


Types of Challenges - 1

  • Physical challenges

    • Speed and reaction time (twitch games)
    • Accuracy and precision (steering and shooting)
    • Timing
    • Learning special moves (fighting games)
  • Races - achieving something first

  • Puzzles

    • Should be based on a hidden principle
    • Trial-and-error solution is a sign of bad design


Types of Challenges - 2

  • Exploration Challenges

    • Locked doors and traps
    • Mazes and illogical spaces
    • Teleporters
  • Conflict

    • Strategy, tactics, and logistics (logistics rarely seen)
    • Survival & reduction of enemy forces
    • Defending vulnerable items or units
    • Stealth


Types of Challenges - 3

  • Economic Challenges

    • Accumulating wealth or points
    • Achieving balance or stability in a system
    • Caring for living things within a system
  • Conceptual Challenges



How Space Creates Challenges

  • Constraint

    • Limits the movement of the player’s avatar
    • Limits the influence of weapons
  • Concealment

    • Hides players from one another
  • Obstacles or Tests of Skill

    • Players must pass around obstacles, avoid traps
  • Exploration

    • Players must learn the shape of the space.


Designing a Ventilation Shaft



This is Architectural Idiocy!

  • This building consists of an equipment room and a ventilation shaft. The remainder is undefined. It does not exist in the game.

  • The fans apparently blow OUT, not in (if they are not on when you jump, you plummet).

  • The shutters are electrified. (Why?!)

  • Two fans may be needed to move the air, but why two sets of shutters?



… but Sensible Game Design.

  • Constraint

    • The player starts on the roof and the only way in is through the ventilation shaft.
  • Obstacles and Tests of Skill

    • Must land on the ledge and avoid fan blades and electrified shutters.
  • Exploration

    • The player does not know what lies below the bottom of the shaft until he gets there.


Another Example



A Combat Space



Analysis of Sniping Areas



Guard Positions



Secondary Function of Ludic Space

  • The secondary function of ludic space is to inform and entertain in its own right.

    • Familiar locations offer cues to a space’s function and likely events there.
    • Allusions and homages carry symbolic meaning.
    • New worlds require new architectures.
    • Surrealism warns the player not to rely on logic.
    • Atmosphere carries an emotional message.
    • Comedic effects offer pure amusement value.
    • Clichés set a scene rapidly.


Familiarity



Allusion



Allusion



New Architectures for New Worlds



Surrealism



Atmosphere



Comedic Effect



Architectural Clichés





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