Motivating Player in Open Worlds
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This document discusses level design for open world games. It defines open world games as those that give players high levels of agency and control. The key challenges for level designers are motivating players who can go anywhere while still fulfilling their expectations. Designers act as facilitators who set up interesting goals for a wide range of player interests across a large playable space. Techniques include placing landmarks, environmental details, and audio cues to provide context and distraction. Goals should be explicit, player-determined, emergent or opportunistic to constantly motivate exploration. Density of points of interest is also important to consider at large scales. Examples from Fallout 3 demonstrate adding and removing content to refine the open world experience.
Motivating Player in Open Worlds
- 1. I WANT TO GO TO THERE Motivating Players in Open Games Joel Burgess, Senior Designer Bethesda Game Studios
- 2. Simple Question How do you go about making levels for open-world games?
- 3. Single Player Multiplayer Level Design
- 4. Welcome to My Sandbox WHAT ARE OPEN GAMES?
- 8. Why Are We Fascinated? Why Are Open Games Important?
- 10. The Unpredictable Player • Trained to Defy Direction • Will always confound you • Not, actually, a jerk.
- 11. Player-Designer Contract • The Player is in Control
- 12. Player-Designer Contract • The Player is in Control • Stay Backstage
- 13. Player-Designer Contract • The Player is in Control • Stay Backstage • Fulfill Expectations
- 14. Player-Designer Contract • The Player is in Control • Stay Backstage • Fulfill Expectations • Player Story > Designer Story
- 15. Enabling Player Participation CREATING THE FRAMEWORK
- 16. Setting Up For Fun
- 21. Nearby Landmarks
- 23. Point Lookout Video Introduction
- 26. Prior Knowledge •Roads •Bridges •Signposts •Distant Smoke •Flowing Water •Lit Windows/Fires •Tracks of Vehicles/Creatures
- 29. Yo dawg, I heard you like goals. WHAT’S OUR GOAL? IT’S GOALS.
- 31. Goals & Player Motivation • Aim for the player to always have a goal • Know what goal types your game permits
- 33. Goal Types • Explicit Goals • Player Determined Goals • Emergent Goals • Goals of Opportunity • Out-of-Game Goals
- 34. Components of a Goal • Perceived Risk/Reward • Commitment • Inherent Interest
- 35. Are We Powerless? • No! Provide Interesting Goals For the Widest Possible Range of Player Interests
- 36. Knowing is Half the Battle DESIGNING FOR FREEDOM
- 37. Deliberate Distraction Entertainment Time
- 39. Deliberate Distraction Entertainment Time
- 40. Dealing With Empty Area “Just for Looks”
- 41. The Iconic Rope Bridge
- 42. Handling for Open Games
- 45. Consolation Loot
- 47. Considerations for Big Worlds LARGE-SCALE MOTIVATION
- 48. Same Problem, New Scope POI Density
- 49. POI Density • POI Options • Time per POI • Your Desired POI Density • Vertical “Chunk” Estimate • Extrapolate Against Time in Schedule
- 50. Fallout 3 Examples Adding and Cutting (even when it hurt)
- 52. Fallout 3 Example: DC Neighborhoods
- 53. Thanks For Listening email joel@joelburgess.com twitter @joelburgess facebook “level design in a day” group
Editor's Notes
- #3: This slide is the premise from the talk – I was stumped by this question.
- #4: Because it is too broad and complex, I had to narrow my focus.
- #6: We have lots of open games“Open” quality has a long history – all platforms/backgroundsSandbox gets lumped in – SEGUE: Common Ground is Player Agency Emphasis
- #7: We have lots of open games“Open” quality has a long history – all platforms/backgroundsSandbox gets lumped in – SEGUE: Common Ground is Player Agency Emphasis
- #9: What makes Open games so interesting?Best positioned to fulfill the core promise of videogamesSEGUE: What does this mean to us as creators?
- #10: Player Control is inversely proportional to designer controlTrust & Understanding SEGUE: Designer – Player Relationship
- #17: Talk about the core problem of maximizing fun without the player feeling forced into it
- #27: Paths, Signage, Signs of Life
- #42: Talk about a classic set-up and how it’s used traditionally
- #43: Talk about what is needed to bring this sort of scenario up to expectations for Open Games