True Gaming [Academic] Video Game Experiment - Artificial Game Master |
- [Academic] Video Game Experiment - Artificial Game Master
- How can navigating a 3D space be challenging, fun, and not tedious?
- Do you think Denuvo might be used for nefarious things?
- Elder Scrolls Online has one of the worst interfaces in the history of gaming
- Is Fable the only fantasy series to feature significant technological advancement as the series goes on?
- (POLL) Concepts for and Indie Game Developer
| [Academic] Video Game Experiment - Artificial Game Master Posted: 01 Aug 2018 06:16 AM PDT Hi all, I am doing an MSc in Computer Games at the University of Essex. For my masters dissertation, I require participants to download and play the game I made and complete a series of questionnaires. The proceedings of the experiment and additional information is available at In short, I'm investigating if the introduction of GM-like functionality improves player experience in an open-world type environment. Very abstractly this means that NPC would generate quests for players to accomplish their needs, however should players ignore the quests. The NPC would try and accomplish the quests themselves. (note: these quests would not be the story driving quests, but the more mundane "kill 5 X" or "gather 20 of Y".) This would also mean that the player experience for each player (in a multiplayer) or for each play-through (in a single player) is more unique as not all NPC's will have the same quests available each time you pass them during the course of the game. if you have any questions regarding the experiment or game, feel free to send me a PM or mail me at [js17798@essex.ac.uk](mailto:js17798@essex.ac.uk). Regards, Jelte [link] [comments]  |
| How can navigating a 3D space be challenging, fun, and not tedious? Posted: 01 Aug 2018 12:04 PM PDT Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that few 3D games are praised for having challenging yet enjoyable navigation. I see a lot of the best exploration-based games praised for making navigation easy through environmental design as opposed to "crutches" such as quest arrows and minimaps, but I don't see a lot of games where navigation is challenging yet considered a plus. I understand why designing around navigational challenge is exponentially more difficult in 3D than 2D. A top-down view of a maze is inherently easier than a behind-the-back third person view of a maze. This is because in most 2D games, you just have a much wider view of the environment around your character, but in third-person 3D games, all you can generally see is what's in front of your character. As such, most games that I have seen posing navigational challenge are either top-down or side-scrolling 2D games. Games like Alundra and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night stand as great examples how to challenge you with navigation in 2D, and the indie space continues that legacy with games like Hyper Light Drifter and Hollow Knight. But for 3D games, I can't think of much games that promote navigational challenge. Off the top of my head though, I can come up with Captain Toad. Captain Toad gives its levels a sense of navigational challenge by making them small, but you need to look at the level from different angles using the camera. Thus, the challenge with Captain Toad's navigation is to overcome obstacles from different viewpoints, and each viewpoint reveals different information while obscuring other information. So it seems that part of the solution to making spaces difficult yet fun to navigate is to somehow obscure the overall layout of the area so that you can't figure everything out with just a cursory glance. So are there other keys to making navigation challenging yet fun? [link] [comments]  |
| Do you think Denuvo might be used for nefarious things? Posted: 01 Aug 2018 09:56 AM PDT Monster Hunter World is soon coming out. It will have Denuvo. People are pissed because it has a bad rep for making games stutter and being a cpu killer, besides being an unecessary additional DRM on top of Steam. Capcom will use Denuvo in its next 3-4 games. They removed it from an older game 6 months after release, but that was the only such situation. Lots of AAA developers such as Bethesda tried Denuvo at some point, but most of the "good guy developers" used it only once on one game, and removed it from the game very soon. There is a whole pirating scene that tries to crack the newest Denuvo "protected" game, and the most infamous story is when they cracked the final Fantasy 15 exe from a demo, and people could play the game before release, while the real customers who payed for the game suffered bad performance and problems, beside not being able to play the game before release. Most of Denuvo "protected" games are cracked within a short period of time. Most of people assume that Denuvo is being used as a type of pirate-delaying mechanism, to protect initial sales. That argument doesn't sound that convincing when you put return policies into the equasion. People already can try the game out, and refund it if they don't like it. There is also an argument that people who pirate wouldn't even have bought the game, and that piracy actually makes them buy the games they like, for convenience. I would add that situations where the pirated game is superior to a legal product is also a reason that goes against the arguments for using it. A good argument I made up just now is that Denuvo protects a multiplayer game and unfair farming with the forced online authentication and 5 laptop limit. Maybe some korean dudes would otherwise farm one account on 6 computers, and each would play for 3 hours. Can't see why this would be a problem because 2 korean dudes can easily farm for 12 hours straight every day. Anyway, with Denuvo literally taking a screenshot of your computer components and who knows what else, maybe it's actually a redshell type of thing where everyone gets a piece of the data cake of all the consumers. I really can't see where the justification for spending money on this software is. I noticed it is mostly used by multiplayer games. Is it literally a way to check your unique credentials on your unique computer on your unique Steam account, to prevent fake Steam accounts like the one Reloaded (the hacker) uses, from joining the server? But surely such technology exists, without having to rely on third party bloatware. I'm confused about all this. It's kinda hard to find a fault with Denuvo (except all the performance and forced online things...), but there has to be something behind it all. Where does the money go? Why would you spend thousands of dollars to add bloatware that everyone hates to your game? There has to be some secret data stealing or something behind it. What do you think? [link] [comments]  |
| Elder Scrolls Online has one of the worst interfaces in the history of gaming Posted: 01 Aug 2018 12:06 PM PDT Hello, I am playing through Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind as a first time ESO player and I'm loving coming back to Vvanderfell after so many years (TESIII was one my quintessential games while growing up, I can still orient myself in the island without a map even when just starting the DLC on my PS4 a couple days ago) and I'm so annoyed at the UX that it makes want to start a serious discussion about its awfulness. I will point some of my biggest gripes about the User Experience of ESO:
I'll edit as new ones pop up. Thanks for reading, and feel free to nitpick. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 31 Jul 2018 05:43 PM PDT I feel like the majority of fantasy series in gaming and in wider media seem to take place in a very static state of technological advancement which is more often than roughly equivalent to the human race in medieval times. The Elder Scrolls series is notable for this as is Tolkien and various other fantasy world and I know there are many arguments as to why this is the case, such as the existence of magic preventing the need for advancement, I still find it a little bit odd.But I recently recalled the Fable series and it occurred to me that while Fable 1 is set in a world that is medieval-esque, by Fable 2 things had progressed with things like guns and steam powered vehicles. Once we reach Fable 3 the world of Albion seems to be undergoing its industrial revolution, the main city of Bowerstone is now filled with factories causing pollution and poverty. There are many things wrong with the Fable series but there are many things that I find extremely cool as well and this is one of them. [link] [comments]  |
| (POLL) Concepts for and Indie Game Developer Posted: 01 Aug 2018 06:58 AM PDT Hey, All. It's me again. While pondering a few ideas for a Webtoons comic, I also wanted to test out the water to see what kind of indie game my fellow gamers would be most interested in for this next generation of consoles and computers. Keep in mind, these are all just raw concepts, and are subject to change over the years. I'm mostly listing the basic mechanics and some thematic elements as well. There will also be a poll underneath from which you can pick one or multiple concepts that appeal to you, or even if you'd want to voice some ideas of your own. I understand that some people might find this to be jumping the gun a bit, but I wouldn't want to be going full throttle into any of these concepts only to find that after years of development, nobody would even WANT to play the game I'd be working on. So yes, it's a bit raw, but I am more than willing to cook up a well done experience if I'm given the right direction. Any and all feedback is welcome, thank you. So here are the concepts that I have in mind so far: Thorn, Dark Fantasy Open World RPG. Traverse a perilous open world with multiple pathways and obscure worlds fused together by a dark curse. Throughout this vast world, you have but one save point: a giant black thorn that can be summoned from anywhere, and from which you are respawned once you are killed. After absorbing wayward souls to join you party, you are capable of switching between party members in real time to help explore the world map in new ways and discover new pathways. Fend against enemies and bosses with multiple combinations of attacks via the members of your party and their versatile options of weaponry to be upgraded as you see fit. (Influences: Demon's Souls, Undungeon, Hyper Light Drifter, Indivisible, Transistor) Soiron, Cooking World Action RPG. To find an antidote for the mass plague spreading across the land, solve ominous food-themed puzzles in the overworld while fending against zombie-like enemies via a secluded iron chef themed battle field. Harvest ingredients across the world to whip together a dish powerful enough to lay your enemies to rest. Party members, functioning as your sous chefs, help you locate special herbs and spices within the battle zone while discovering which combination of spices will help destroy your enemies, as well as bosses with some strange tastes and even stranger weak points. (Influences: Battle Chef Brigade, League of Legends, Pyre, Saltenpepper) Ride4Life, Cyberpunk Racing RPG. Traverse through a perilous and mesmerizing futuristic world on the brink of collapse via multiple forms of gameplay, including maddening track racing, sumo-esque vehicular combat, and open world exploration. As your road grows longer, your bond with your car grows stronger, along with the spirit medium of your vehicle as well. Stronger bonds allow for more slots to upgrade and swap out vehicle parts for enhanced combat and maneuvering. In terms of a party system, there's the addition of interchangeable copilots for different attacks and buffs, along with enhanced character interactions. (Influences: Mario Kart, Shadowrun, Banjo Kazooie Nuts N Bolts, REDLINE) Kiton's Keep, Underground Side Scroller RPG. When a mystic castle filled with strange magic and riches is revealed to be buried whole beneath a great mountain, you set out to traverse the dark halls with naught but your faithful grappling hook. Along the way, you may encounter fellow explorers, several of whom could trade riches with you or give you special upgrades to your gun for offensive and defensive abilities. The further towards the keep you get, the more violent your adversaries and the more obscure your sense of direction becomes; all you can rely on is your safety line to your trusty airship, your ever-floating hub of the game. (Influences: Sperlunky, Bastion, La Mulana, Salt and Sanctuary) Wings of Blight, Bug Kingdom Turn Based RPG. A Bee Knight with a clipped antennae sets out to remedy the blight that is killing the forest home of her people, despite being exiled by them. Fend off agains the vile and insane alike within the insect kingdom with the help of some strange bug companions that come your way with each region of the forest you explore. With the aid of action commands and an intricate initiative bar below the screen, players can execute special attacks with various button combinations to constantly be kept on their toes. Gameplay outside of combat also aims to be rewarding, with a sprawling overworld loaded grand puzzles and quests to help build the world of this stranded bee, her whimsical party, and her crumbling home. (Influences: Paper Mario, Child of Light, Dragon Quest, Hollow Knight) Dominus, Animal Kingdom Tactical RPG. Having been resurrected after the betrayal of your former commander, you must succeed him as the leader of a legion bent on world conquest. Recruit diplomats to assist you and open up a plethora of options to conquer your enemies, harvest your resources and reap greater riches. Fend against powerful adversaries either through diplomacy, bribery, or if necessary brute force. Gameplay systems transition smoothly between an isometric exploration mode and a map-based campaign mode, both featuring multiple options for communication and combat. (Influences: Tyranny, Fallout New Vegas, Dragon Age Inquisition, Tooth and Tail) Again, thanks very much for taking a few minutes of your time to humor me and my ideas. Any and all feedback is most welcome and will be of great assistance in helping me flesh out something I can enjoy working on and hopefully create for you guys to enjoy as well :) [link] [comments]  |
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