DE4106: Exploration Game Design Model: User Guide - An Introduction to Game Elements

As part of my on-going practice I have started to develop a User Guide for designing an Exploration Game. The following is a segment from that guide...


The utilisation of constraints acting as a rule-set should help to maintain focus on what I believe are key contributing elements that help define the Exploration genre. The following elements can all contain constraints that I believe are relevant to Exploration games:

1. Plot / Theme / Narrative
2. Setting / Environment
3. Characters
4. Props (Static / Dynamic)
5. Player Objectives and Goals
6. Game Mode(s)
7. Win / Lose Conditions
8. Game (or Gameplay) Mechanics
9. Game Loop(s)
10. Player Perspective (1st Person / 3rd Person / Interchangeable)
11. Player Controls / Inputs

I will now elaborate on why I believe these elements are important to an Exploration game and why they should be implemented in a constrained manner:

1. Plot / Theme / Narrative

From the research carried out so far, and from the responses obtained from various Game Designers (Field, Hill, Morris and Jones) narrative appears to be universally considered to be a core design fundamental / element. This makes sense, as it provides context across the other elements, such as environment/ setting, objectives, characters etc. Narrative provides the player with a purpose and a reason to explore and engage the game-world they are presented with. (Hill, Morris, Field, 2014). The desire to explore and discover is a known contributor to what toy designers consider to stimulate the sensation of fun (Shore, 2010). How that narrative is narrated to the player is also an important consideration. Done right (such as in The Stanley Parable) narration can play a significant role in the immersion of the player. It can provide a sense of identity and belonging within the game-world and act as a bridge between the player's conscious sense of reality, to the fiction we as designers are attempting to draw their conscious mind into. (Donlon, 2014). Existing Exploration games have approached narrative in two distinctly separate ways. Either the narrative is provided to the player by the designer (which is the more traditional method employed by video games), or the player is empowered to create their own emergent narrative through accomplishments and game play. This approach appears to work especially well in games that include a heavy social element such as Minecraft. It might be possible to introduce a narrative framework to the player to provide context and then allow the player to create their own emergent narrative through their actions within the game. In theory, this should an applicable approach to both single player and multiplayer games. The challenge with this approach is ensuring the gameplay is varied enough, so that the player feels in control of the game mechanics and empowered to achieve their self-defined goals and objectives  through their actions. Balancing game mechanics might prove to be especially challenging here, if the player is given a lot of freedom in terms of interaction with the game-world (environment, props and characters).


2. Setting/ Environment

The way the player will view the game-world, settings and environments can vary in both time period, geography, climate and even reality (in terms of clearly fictional alien worlds or environments based on real-world locations). Within Exploration games, whatever environment and settings the designer chooses, it is vitally important that this is believable to the player in the sense that they feel involved and part of the world they are interacting with. This will encourage them to want to engage with and explore the environment they are presented with. The environment is the space that contains all of the characters and props, and all connected processes and mechanics (game play) are defined and executed. The environment consists of both visual and audio assets, and utilises two of the player's primary senses (sight and hearing). In order not to break the sense of immersion primarily generated by the setting / environment, it is important to consider how non diegetic guiding elements such as the GUI and control / mechanic tips are portrayed to the player. A lot of modern games attempt to relay starting tips through an interactive tutorial that utilises diegetic assets that exist within the environment (such as characters and props) (Jones, 2014). Environments should be rich in content, inviting and engaging to the player.

Fig 1. An environment from ThatGameCompany's Flower (ThatGameCompany, 2009)

Fig 2. A player-crafted environment from Mojang's Minecraft (Mojang, 2009)

 3. Characters

Some games contain characters, other games (like Tetris) contain no characters at all. All Exploration games I have encountered so far include characters as primary drivers of the narrative that is taking place. However, this is not to say that Exploration game have to contain characters in order to be successful. Characters can be categorised depending on role. 

• Primary characters are those that are central to the plot or player experience. Usually primary characters are given the most detail by artists, audio designers and designers and feature heavily throughout the game. Therefore, it is essential that the player is able to connect and associate with primary characters, especially on an emotional level. Creating believable characters (in context with the game setting) is therefore vital.

•  Secondary Characters are those that which usually temporarily feature in the plot or wider environment. Examples can include 'disposable' NPC's (henchman/ goons that the player has to dispose of) or vendors like those found in Skyrim. Secondary characters are usually not as 'fleshed' out as their primary character counterparts. 

• Note: At this stage I am uncertain whether Exploration games that attempt to tap into the player's emotions should contain combat or violence. There are noteable examples (ie. the Mass Effect series) where game designers have purposely 'built up' characters only to kill them off as a major plot point. This is designed to have a powerful emotional impact on the player. Minecraft also contains basic combat mechanics within its game-play and is completely successful as an Exploration game...

In The Art of Games Design (2008), Schell explains that traditionally game worlds are traditionally almost always based in fantasy situations, most of the characters contained within those worlds reflect this, as they are products of their environment (Shell, 2008 p. 311). I believe that this has been one of the problems in getting a player to invest emotionally into traditional game characters as they are simply too unbelievable to relate to. Making characters more realistic to the player (within the context of their game-world) would allow this emotional investment to develop and be nurtured through careful and considered narrative. This is perhaps one of the reasons multiplayer games develop such a strong social aspect, because fellow players are represented through their in-game avatars. This is also mentioned in The Art of Game Design (Shell, 2008 p. 312).

4. Props

All games contain props. Props are any animate or inanimate object contained within the game environment. Props can vary completely in terms of scale and can be assigned various properties depending on their scale, mass, material make-up etc. Overall, props can be categorised into three distinct groups:

• Static props are those which the player cannot physically move, collect or manipulate the properties of. Static props generally form the basis of the environment. Geometry (such as mountains or trees) are also included in this category. However, some static props can be interacted with in terms of providing physical boundaries, platforms or obstacles to the player. For example, the player may hide behind a wall to prevent them from being shot.

• Semi- Static props are those which typically do not move about the environment, but can be animated so that they move around a  static pivot-point (such as a door, or window).

• Dynamic props are those which are fully interactive to the player. Any prop that can be collected and manipulated, combined with another prop or open up game mechanics through their use are considered to be dynamic. In an Exploration game, this prop type is perhaps the most important to make as intuitive for the player to use as possible in order to maintain a high level of immersion.

5. Player Objectives / Goals

Player Objectives and Goals define what the player has to work towards within the game-world. They both drive individual win/lose conditions played out through the game mechanics, while also helping to define the win/lose conditions of the overall game. In traditional games, these goals or objectives were almost exclusively defined by the game designer, and it was the task of the player to try and 'beat' the game by achieving these objectives. Ultimately, I believe this approach is the fundamental reason why most games leading up to this point have been driven by skill-based challenges set up by the designer. It is only in recent years, when games have reached a level of technological advancement that allows them to adapt far more dynamically to the player's actions. This can be done in multiple ways, from developing more responsive and adaptable AI to more 'open' sandbox style level design, that gives the player more creative freedoms within the game-world. For Exploration games, I believe empowering the player with this type of freedom is essential in promoting their desire to explore the environment they are presented with, as they feel they can shape and directly influence it.

6. Game Modes

Game modes allow the designer to change the overall win / lose conditions as well as provide more variation and contrast to the game mechanics that are in use. This in turn can change the player's goals and objectives and there-in, how they play the game. For example, Conquest mode in Battlefield 4 (Fig. 3) is played much differently than in Deathmatch mode. The core game mechanics remain largely the same but the objectives and goals vary because of the win conditions defined by the game mode. Not all games contain more than one game mode. This is usually because the designer may want to stick to a specific vision, the game mechanics that are in use are too rigid to change, or the designer believes more than one game mode would be detrimental to the overall game-play experience. Modern Exploration games such as Rust currently only utilise one game mode. This may be because the game is still limited in terms of development, or the designer does not feel additional game modes would add value to the overall experience.

Fig 3. In Battlefield 4's Conquest mode, players have to wait around static flags in order to capture them (Dice, 2013)

7. Win / Lose Conditions


Win / Lose conditions in games are rather self-explanatory in that they are the game conditions that must be met in order for the player to either ultimately win or lose the game. These are normally defined by the outcome(s) of various player goals or objectives being met. An example of other Loss conditions can include the player's health being depleted, or a time limit expiring. Win / Lose Conditions in some games can also be defined by the outcome of game loops. The following fictional game loop scenario from a 'Farming Simulator' game provides an example:

Have Money -> Buy Seeds -> Plant Seeds -> Crops Fail to Grow -> Unable to Harvest Crops -> Unable to Sell Crops -> Insufficient Money to Buy New Seeds -> Lose Game.



8. Game Mechanics


According to Schell, Game Mechanics "are the procedures and rules of your game. Mechanics describe the goal of your game, how players can and cannot try to achieve it, and what happens when they try" (2008, p.41). Game Mechanics are what make games unique from linear experiences such as books and films, and it is this level of interactivity that is perhaps a game's most powerful element versus these other forms of media. Game mechanics utilise the player's interaction with the various characters / objects within the game's environment, and usually involves direct player input via a control method.Game Mechanics should always fit within the context of the game-world and the overall narrative. This is crucial to ensure that they form a large part of immersing the player within the game.

Fig 4. Crafting is an essential game mechanic in FacePunch Studio's Rust (FacePunch, 2013)

9. Game Loop(s)

Game loops are a sequence of tasks/ events that direct the gameplay within a game. They both dictate and are effected by the gameplay mechanics within a game. The player experiences gameplay loops at all times whilst experiencing the game. There are different types of loops depending on the game type. For example, an interesting article by Michail Katkoff on Gamasutra explores game loops in mid-core game and how they are used to enhance the gameplay experience. Within this article, Katkoff explore the ‘dual loop’ (Fig.5) and how the meta-game plays a significant yet subtle contribution to the overall gameplay experience (Kotkoff, 2013). Other articles, such as on Valve’s Developer Community web site discuss game loops in level design, where a player is directed back to a location they have visited before. While maintaining the player’s interest or at best, the illusion of free-will where they player believes they have chosen to retrace their steps.  Overall, gameplay loops are used to make levels (or entire games) seem far more in-depth and broader than they actually are. (Valve, 2011)I believe game loops could play a significantly important part of the design of Exploration games. By re-using parts of the environment, this will help to reduce the amount of development time required by all members of the development team. Some games now use procedurally generated environments (or 'maps') to get-around this potential issue. However, where this technology may not be available to the design team, making good use of game loops can help to encourage the player to re-visit areas as part of a larger exploratory task (ie. re-using resources at a set location, or re-visiting a previously visited area for new clues). 

Fig 5. Dual game loops in a typical mid-core game (Katkoff, 2013)

10. Player Perspective (First-person, Third-person or Interchangeable)

Player Perspective is how the player views the game-world and everything therein. Mainly games utilise either the First Person perspective, the Third Person, or an Interchangeable perspective that uses both. Choosing what perspective(s) to provide to the player is dependent on the type of game-play that will take place. Sometimes designers purposely restrict the player to a first-person perspective in order to limit their view of the environment. This can help to influence the way the player plays the game (ie. a more cautious approach when sneaking around an enemy base).

Restricting the player to a first person viewpoint can give the game a more realistic feel, as this is how we view real life. Some designers believe that this in turn helps to immerse the player into the game-world which would would be ideal for Exploration games. However, Exploration games such as Journey are presented from a third person perspective and successfully immerse the player into the environment. The platform based challenges contained within this game are arguably easier to navigate in the third person, so this may have been as much as a game-play based designed choice as an aesthetic one.

Interchangeable perspectives provide the player with more freedom but designers have to take far more care when designing camera angles and distances from the player character, especially when 'clipping' can more easily occur with geometry, props and characters that make up the environment.

Fig 6. In Giant Sparrow's The Unifinished Swan, players reveal their environment through a first person perspective (Giant Sparrow, 2012)

Fig 7. ThatGameCompany's Journey is played entirely from a third person perspective (ThatGameCompany, 2012)

11. Player Controls / Input

How the player physically interacts with the game as a piece of software is another important consideration for any game. Depending on the platform the game is released for, the control method and input devices will vary accordingly. What is universally important, is that the controls should be designed in such a way that they seem intuitive to the player's actions and how these are represented within the game-world. Poor control layouts, or controls which cause the player to struggle to manipulate the game mechanics, can completely break immersion and ruin the intended experience. 

Recently devices such as the Oculus Rift V.R. Headset (Oculus V.R. Inc., Fig. 8) are specifically designed to increase immersion through output (what the player sees and hears) whilst simultaneously enhancing immersion through natural player movements that are translated into inputs (player head movement). In theory, these types of devices may form part of the ideal control device for Exploration games that are restricted to the first person.

Fig 8. The Oculus Rift V.R. Headset may considerably change the way we view and play games (Oculus V.R. Inc, 2014)

References

Field, Peter (2014) Questionnaire For Game Designers: Considering a new Design Model for the 'Exploration; Game genre. 23^rd March 2014.

Hill, Benjamin (2014) Questionnaire For Game Designers: Considering a new Design Model for the 'Exploration; Game genre. 1^st April 2014.

Jones, Andrew (2014) Questionnaire For Game Designers: Considering a new Design Model for the 'Exploration; Game genre. 30^th March 2014. 

Morris, Stephen (2014) Questionnaire For Game Designers: Considering a new Design Model for the 'Exploration; Game genre. 1^st April 2014. 

Donlon, C., 2014. Narrative vs. narration - Eurogamer.net. [Online]
Available at: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-29-narrative-vs-narration [Accessed 26th March 2014].

Schell, J., 2008. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. New York: CRC Press.

Shore, M., 2010. What is Fun?. Manhattan Beach, TEDx. [Online] Available from: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxManhattanBeach-Michael-Shor [Accessed on: 24 November 2013]

Katkoff, M., 2013. Gamasutra: Michail Katkoff's Blog - Mid-Core Success Part 1: Core Loops. [Online] Available at: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MichailKatkoff/20131024/203142/MidCore_Success_Part_1_Core_Loops.php

[Accessed on: 2nd April 2014]

Fig 1.  Thatgamecompany.com: TGC>>Flower, 2009 [Image] [Online]
Available at: http://thatgamecompany.com/games/flower/
[Accessed on: 10th April 2014]

Fig 2. Enterminecraft.com: Minecraft Free Download, 2014: Minecraft (Majong, 2009) [Image] [Online]
Available at: http://enterminecraft.com/minecraft-version-history/
Accessed on: 20th April 2014]

Fig 3. Gamespot.com: Flood Zone Map Drowns Nicely in Battlefield 4, 2013: Battlefield 4 (DICE, 2013) [Image] [Online]
Available at: http://www.gamespot.com/videos/flood-zone-map-drowns-nicely-in-battlefield-4/2300-6415769/
[Accessed on: 2nd April 2014]

Fig 4. Orcz.com: File:RustCraftingMenu.jpg, 2014: Rust (FacePunch Studios, 2013) [Image] [Online]
Available at: http://orcz.com/File:RustCraftingMenu.jpg
[Accessed on: 14th April 2014]

Fig 5. Katkoff, M., 2013: Gamasutra: Michail Katkoff's Blog - Mid-Core Success Part 1: Core Loops. [Image] [Online] 
Available at: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MichailKatkoff/20131024/203142/MidCore_Success_Part_1_Core_Loops.php
[Accessed on: 2nd April 2014].

Fig 6. ShaneTheGamer.com: The Unfinished Swan: Review, 2012: The Unfinished Swan (Giant Sparrow, 2012) [Image] [Online]
Available at: http://www.shanethegamer.com/the-unfinished-swan/
[Accessed on: 16th April 2014]

Fig 7. Goongala's Grumbles: Journey Review: The Greatest Game Ever Made...,  2013: Journey (ThatGameCompany, 2012) [Image] [Online]
Available at: http://goongalasgrumbles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/journey-greatest-game-ever-made.html
[Accessed on: 21st April 2014]

Fig 8. PCGamer.com: Oculus Rift Development Kit 2, 2014: Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2 (Oculus V.R. Inc, 2014) [Image] [Online]
Available at: http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/03/19/oculus-rift-dev-kit-2-announced/
[Accessed on 28th April 2014]