1. Video Game Visualization Craig Prince

2. Outline Examine visualization in video games from 3 perspectives: 1.The Game Spectators 2.The Game Designers 3.The Game Players

3. Outline (Cont.) For each perspective we’ll look at: A.The goals of visualization in this domain B.The current state-of-the-art C.Future directions of research

4. Summarization High Density of Information/Action May want excitement – to keep attention Gain a high-level understanding Analyze what has happened, or is happening and why Note: Spectators are not confined by the rules of the game Game Spectator Goals

5. Current Research 1 Action Summaries –Automatically extract exciting scenes –Create “highlight reel” and/or allow others to follow the action in real time Src: Halper et al. Action Summary for Computer Games: Extracting Action for Spectator Modes and Summaries. Proceedings of the 2 nd International Conference on the Application and Development of Computer Games.

6. Current Research 2 Visualizing Competitive Behavior Src: Hoobler, Humphreys, and Agrawala. Visualizing Competitive Behvaiors for Multi-User Virtual Environments. Submitted to IEEE Visualization 2004.

7. Current Research 3 Automatically Choosing Camera Angles –Define modules constraining camera –One module per camera context –Optimal camera position calculated from constraints –Software agent can choose camera module to use

8. Research Directions (for Game Spectators) Fit more action into a single frame –Remove irrelevant parts of a scene –Automatic Image Retargeting technique? Visualization of game turning-points, or fatal errors Better summaries by applying more advanced film making techniques –Automatically change lighting to add mood –E.g. outside building then inside, implies entry

9. Game Designer Goals Track progress/completion Compact representation of content –w/ ability to see overview and detail Want to understand user-experience

10. Design Tools 1 Exploded Views of Architectural Environments Src: Niederauer, Agrawala et al. Non-invasive Interactive Visualization of Dynamic Architectural Environments. ACM SIGGRAPH 2003 Symposium on Interactive Graphics

11. Design Tools 2 Scenario Editor (Genre: RPG)

12. Design Tools 3 Level Editor (Genre: FPS)

13. Research Ideas (for Game Developers) Ways to visualize causal/temporal relationships –If someone does X, then Y will happen when he/she is at Z, but not if W is true. –A happens after B and before C Visualization of user usage scenarios –How will the player progress through the game? Visualization of unfinished content –Highlight areas that are unfinished – preliminary textures, characters that are not fully specified, etc. Visualization of map flow to highlight points of interest/conflict

14. Game Player Goals Visually Pleasing Easy to understand Info at-a-glance Grab attention  reflex action Most efficient visualization not always best

15. Game Visualizations 1 Spatial Relationships (Genre: Space Combat) Src: Wing Commander 4 Src: Privateer 2 Src: EVE Online

16. Game Visualizations 2 Game Overview (Genre: Real-time Strategy) Src: Age of Mythology Src: Rise of Nations

17. Game Visualization 3 Navigation (Genre: Adventure) Src: Interaction Fiction Mapper

18. Game Visualization 4 Other Visualizations

19. Research Directions (for Game Players) Visualization of information to assist decision making –Highlight good places to hide –Indicators of weapon damage Visualizing histories – i.e. what events got me here Indicators/recognition of high-level tactics Adaptive visualizations – based on tactics or condition