Thesis Proposal: Creating Satisfying Game Experiences with Coherent Emergent Stories
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The document proposes techniques for creating more coherent and satisfying emergent stories in open-world games. It suggests a design philosophy using a low ratio of "kernels" (the core plot) to "satellites" (supplementary story elements). An algorithm is described to prioritize optional scenes based on story progression and player history. Methods are outlined to insert common threads between scenes to enhance coherence. The document also presents a way to visualize a story's development through quantifiable elements like themes and characters. Future work is noted developing storytelling prototypes and authoring tools to test the techniques.
Thesis Proposal: Creating Satisfying Game Experiences with Coherent Emergent Stories
- 1. Creating Satisfying Game Experiences with Coherent Emergent Stories Gail Carmichael David Mould Graphics, Imaging, and Games Lab Carleton University
- 5. Improve interactive story experiences in open-world adventure and role-playing games. Goal
- 6. Techniques for creating more satisfying, coherent emergent stories. Proposed Solution
- 7. Techniques for creating more satisfying, coherent emergent stories. Proposed Solution
- 8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kernels: the story’s backbone
- 9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Satellites: flesh out the kernels
- 10. Satellites : Kernels Traditional Media Satellites : Kernels Games
- 11. Techniques for creating more satisfying, coherent emergent stories. Proposed Solution
- 12. Causal connections Story element development Noticeable structure Meaning Every event and gameplay action has meaning Coherency
- 13. Contributions A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites. An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to more satisfying stories. Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories. An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.
- 14. Contributions A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites. An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to more satisfying stories. Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories. An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.
- 15. Planner-based Causal connections How to develop story elements? Difficult to author Transformationalist Real-world story structures Coherency from rigid structures Inconsistency in emergent structures Easier to arrange satellites for story development Structuralist
- 16. Planner-based Causal connections How to develop story elements? Difficult to author Transformationalist Real-world story structures Coherency from rigid structures Inconsistency in emergent structures Easier to arrange satellites for story development Structuralist
- 17. Kernels and satellites Authorial control over core plot Each satellite has a function in the story Structuralist
- 18. Contributions A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites. An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to more satisfying stories. Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories. An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.
- 19. Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7 Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3 Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6 Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5
- 20. Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7 Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3 Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6 Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5 Quantifiable Story Elements (QSE)
- 21. Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7 Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3 Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6 Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5 Story state: numerical values for each QSE
- 22. Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7 Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3 Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6 Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5 Scene state: tag a scene node about how it functions in story
- 23. Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7 Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3 Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6 Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5 Relevance values
- 24. Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7 Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3 Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6 Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5 Desire values
- 25. Story State Themes: Finding bravery: 6 Characters: Hero: 4 Enemy: 5 Tension: 7 Scene 1: Player volunteers to stop threat of a nearby enemy Themes: Finding bravery: 3 Scene 2: Learn that nobody has dared face this enemy before Prerequisite: Completed scene: 1 Characters: Enemy: 6 Scene 3: Hero previously acquired weapon and is scared to use it Characters: Hero: 6 Themes: Finding bravery: 5 Controls scene availability
- 26. (1) Discard nodes that do not meet all prerequisites (2) Calculate priorities for remaining nodes using modifiers (3) Offer nodes with the highest priority to player (4) Present content of node chosen by player (5) Update the story state
- 27. Contributions A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites. An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to more satisfying stories. Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories. An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.
- 28. 1 2 3 4 5 6
- 29. 1 2 3 4 5 6
- 30. 1 2 3 4 5 6
- 31. Dialog Lighting Motifs Making Connections Suggest possibilities through connections Ambiguity
- 32. Contributions A design philosophy for emergent stories based on a low ratio of kernels to satellites. An algorithm to prioritize scenes outside of the core plot according to measures of story progression and gameplay history, leading to more satisfying stories. Techniques to automatically insert threads of commonality between scenes to enhance the coherence of emergent stories. An approach to visualizing the shape of a story from the perspective of the development of story elements such as theme, character, setting, and so on.
- 35. Completed Work
- 36. Future Work • Winter 2015 • Evaluate Jason and the Golden Fleece prototype • Experiment with scoring mechanics and prerequisites • Develop content for informal user feedback • Summer 2015 • Design and develop a prototype game to explore ambiguity (10 weeks) • Begin development of visualization author support tools (3 weeks) • Conduct formal user studies on ambiguity game prototype (3 weeks) • Fall 2015 / Winter 2016 • Finish development of visualization author support tools • Wrap up user study and data analysis • Produce solutions for user interface issues • Summer 2016 • Write thesis (16 weeks)
- 37. Thank You!