Game Genres: First Quick Look

H. Muñoz-Avila

Disclaimer: I use these notes as a guide rather than a comprehensive coverage of the topic. They are neither a substitute for attending the lectures nor for reading the assigned material

Most Popular Games Genres• Adventure games:

– Solving puzzles– Storyline arc is very important– Finding clues

• E.g., through conversations with NPCs– Classic: The Longest Journey (

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XrkGztFr-0)• Role Playing Games (RPG)

– Player assumes fictional roles through Avatars– Avatar acquires skills by performing tasks/actions– “Levels” indicate the progress of the avatar

• Classic: Diablo 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl9C8RTu3Oc

Most Popular Games Genres (II)• Strategy games:

– resource gathering, managing economy, technology research– Real-Time Strategy (RTS)

• Rapid decision making (classic: Command & Conquer)– Turn-based Games (TBS)

• Take turns (classic: Civilization II)• Sport Games

– Simulation of actual sport games (classic: FIFA series)• Games of chance

– Outcome highly influenced by a stochastic environment• First-person shooter

– Controlling avatar in first-person camera view (classic: Duke Nukem)

Most Popular Games Genres (III)• And many sub-genres

– Combine and/or enhance main genres • Massive Multiplayer Online RPG (MMORPG)

– RPGs with multiple other players in pervasive worlds• Stealth FPS

– FPS emphasizing stealth over shooting• RTS/RPG

– Combine both aspects (Warcraft III)• RTS/FPS

– Combine both aspects (classic: Battlezone)

It is recommended for this course that you know at least one video game very well.

“Programming” Games Without Programming

(sort of)

H. Muñoz-AvilaJarret Raim

Jonathan Martin

Thief 2: How to program NPC behavior?

gameplay

Finite State Machines and Games

• State: an activity performed by an avatar• Event: something that happens in the

game world that makes the state change

PatrolEnemy on sight

Attack

Let us build an FSM for a Thief NPC

• States– Attack– Chase– Spawn– Wander

• Events– E: see an

enemy– S: hear a sound– D: die

Spawn

Wander

~ED

Attack~E

E

E

D

~SChase

E

S

S

D

But it gets even easier (event-on-map)

If player walks here thenSpawn Mephisto

Starting place of player

Put 3 orcs here

Even at a Larger Scale

If player cross hereThen declare war

Ok Let Us Construct One Finite State Machine

• Lets program High Priestess Mar'li

• Step 1: list states and events• Step 2: Construct the Finite State Machine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7DT0fMNu3k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGWBIMIDWhQ

Homework (next class)

• Pick an existing game– Select one or more NPCs in the game– Create a Finite State Machine modeling the behavior

of the NPCs• List states (at least 5)• List events (at least 5)• Draw a Finite State Machine

• Pick and existing game (can be same as before)– Provide an example of an event-on-map

Computer Programs

-Program: sequence of instructions that the computer can understand read(x) read(y) z x + y print(z)

- For controlling an NPC, we can create an FSM and let someone else (or a program!) translate it into a computer-understandable instructions

Motivation: Scripting Programming Languages

• The “Community Expansion Package” is a game created by players, many non-programmers

• It is build using a software tool called Aurora which is included in the game Neverwinter Nights

• In fact using Aurora, gamers create thousands of their own games “mods”– Most variants of the original game– Others significant departures

Scripts

- Script: specialized program that uses instructions that are based on game world

patrol() if see-player then attack(monster) if hurt then heal

A Finite State Machine

Two Engines

• Adventure Game Studio source:http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/ Introduction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ml_DR76Cl4

• RPG Maker source: http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/Introduction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Y_W7kD8LU

Many Engines

• Many games have facilities that allow you to create “mods” of the game

• Example: Aurora (Neverwinter Nigths) http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Toolset

• Ranges from total conversion to art mod

Aurora Neverwinter Toolset By: Nicholas Haines

Final Remarks

• Give some serious thought to doing the optional assignment of creating a game– Try one of the engines

• Last time some 80% of the class created one

• Its fun and• Some 90% of them got exempt from the

Final Exam• The remaining 10% got extra credit