1. Computer Game Design Class Dr. Héctor Muñoz-Avila Sources: www.wikipedia.org www.gamespot.com My own 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

2. A Brief History of Research on Game AI at Lehigh

3. Research on AI & Computer Games at Lehigh http://www.cse.lehigh.edu/~munoz Aaron Battalion Todd Fisher Hai Hoang Stephen Lee-Urban Marc Ponsen Megan Vasta Chad Hogg Joe Souto Kit Ming Chang Frank Cremen John Gerace Ben Mautner Chris Olsisnki Jarret Raim Justin Karneeb Kellen Guillespie Matt Dilts Alexandra Coman Ulit Jaidee Dustin Dannenhauer Giulio Finestrali Seth T. Denburg Nicholas E. Roessler Nick Wuensch Pete Biencourt Matthew Kilgore Steven R. Stinson Matthew Mitchell

4. The Origins Long term interest on Games 2002: Aaron Battalion & Todd Fisher wanted to do an Ind. Study on “Game stuff” 2003: First Installation of Unreal Tournament Bots at Lehigh

5. First Steps: 2003 Kit Ming Chang report on Age of Empires Rule-Based System: “CLIPS” Frank Cremen, Ben Mautner and Chris Olsisnki build Poker game http://www.cse.lehigh.edu/%7Emunoz/projects/AIGames/poker- web/LUPoker.html Small grant from NRL on game (military simulation- related) research

6. Continuation - 2004 Exploratory paper on hierarchical explanation in games Exploratory paper on using hierarchical planning for controlling a team of Unreal Tournament bots First class Game Programming at Lehigh –Graduate-level course Exploratory grant from DARPA on game (military simulation-related) research

7. Expansion - 2005 Paper on using hierarchical planning for controlling a team of Unreal Tournament bots in the First International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment Work on translation of gaming language to AI languages Paper on Reinforcement Learning in Real Time Strategy Games (at Innovative Applications of AI conference) Grant from DARPA on game (military simulation-related) research Donation from Poker Academy http://press.arrivenet.com/tec/article.php/593714.html AI Game Programming course taught for the second time –Undergraduate (senior) level and graduate level

8. Expansion II – 2006 - 2008 Chapter appeared AI Game Programming Wisdom 3 on hierarchical planning for controlling a team of Unreal Tournament bots First time Game Design Class is taught Grants from different sources involving game research Cognitive study on how “fun” is affected by game difficulty

9. Today Over 30 articles, book chapters and conference papers on the topic of Game AI Continuous work on this area: 6 MS thesis over the last years. Some topics: –Learning to play in a turn-based RPG game –Learning to play in a team-based first-person shooter –Mimicking player’s actions Game design and AI Game Programing taught 4+ times PC of main conference in the field (AIIDEE since its inception) and Associate Editor in main journal (IEEE Transactions of Computational Intelligence and AI in Games)

10. Myths About Computer Game Design Myth # 1: Computers have to play as good as possible Myth # 2: Only programmers can design computer games Myth # 4: Computer graphics “make” a game Myth # 3: Succesful games need deep storylines

11. Myth # 1: Computers have to play as good as possible You know what is an attack “Kung Fu” style? Only 2 enemies are attacking at any point of time The other “appear” busy Same idea is implemented in many games http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aTbfxwdYQo

12. Caveat But sloppy Game AI programming can lead to player frustration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWQuDDYq-2w

13. Myth # 2: Only programmers can design computer games In the “old times” it was like that Modern tools allow the design of “AI” behavior without need of a computer programmer Spawn Wander ~E D Attack ~E E E D ~S Chase E S S D

14. Myth # 3: Successful games need deep Storylines

15. Myth # 3: Successful games need deep Storylines (II) Duke Nukem 3d Released in 1996 Crude humor  “That's gotta hurt” Simplistic and predictable storyline http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H 6JcZv3wPuU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H 6JcZv3wPuU Storyline: " Murderous aliens have landed in futuristic Los Angeles, and humans suddenly find themselves atop the endangered species list. The odds are a million-to-one, just the way Duke likes it!"

16. Caveat Some games are memorable not only because of solid gameplay but also strong storylines

17. Myth # 4: Computer graphics “make” a game Tale of two games: Game # 1: Top-notch (for its time) 3D Graphics Real-time Dinosaurs! “beautiful” people “Realistic” physics encoded in game Game # 2: 2D graphics Turn-based Graphics highlight: Lead designer appears in the game Roles a dice to decide who wins combat

18. Game # 1: some screenshots

19. Game # 2: Screenshot

20. Myth # 4: Computer graphics “make” a game Tale of two games: Game # 1: Trespasser (PC version) Gamespot.com score: 3.9/10 Graphics grew old pretty quickly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBRfP rCU0fo&feature=related Game # 2: Civilization II Gamespot.com score: 9.2/10 Graphics are functional Considered one of the best games of all time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reaROufQ0Pk&feature =related

21. Ok So What is a Good Computer Game Design? We don’t know –No easy answer –So no “recipe” for creating good games We know that many (most?) games developed fail because of inadequate design Strong evidence that “gameplay mechanics” have a crucial role in the success of a game: –Civilization –Diablo –World of Warcraft –Heroes of Might and Magic We are going to study a model inspired by cognitive science and other fields. –We may not agree completely with this model. But provides a good base for discussion into a complex topic

22. Computer Game Design Class Game mechanics – rules of play Concept art graphics Narrative - storyline sound class

23. Computer Game Design Class “Designing/programming games is not a game” URL of the course: http://www.cse.lehigh.edu/~munoz/ComputerGameDesignClass/ Text book: – Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals Author: Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman Optional text book: –Game Design: Theory & Practice Author: Richard Rouse III Available electronically in campus computers Additional reading: –The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses Author: Jesse Schell

24. Student’s Work (I) Written examinations: –2 tests (20% each) –A final exam (35%; cumulative) Material for evaluations: –Classes –Chapters covered from text books In class we will typically cover only part of a chapter You are responsible for the whole chapter Strongly suggest that you read as we cover the topics Other work: –Design project (15%) –Homework assignments (10%) Attendance to class is required –This is after all an elective course

25. Student Work (II) Design Project: 1.Select a game of your choice 2.Write a document (10-15 pages) analyzing its design according o the methodology studied in the course 3.Class presentation of the design 4.Groups of 2 or 3 people Optional: (extra-credit) –Class presentation about a topic of your choice –Creation of a new game (groups of 2 or 3 people) This may exempt you from the Final Exam. Most students end up taking this option