“Programming” Games Without Programming (sort of) H. Muñoz-Avila Jarret Raim Jonathan Martin

Most Popular Games Genres Adventure games:Adventure games –Solving puzzles –Finding clues E.g., through conversations with NPCs Role Playing Games (RPG) –Player assumes fictional roles through Avatars – Avatar acquires skills by performing tasks/actions –“Levels” indicate the progress of the avatar –Massive Multiplayer Online RPG (MMORPG) RPGs with multiple other players in pervasive worlds

Most Popular Games Genres (II) Strategy games: –resource gathering, managing economy, technology development –Real-Time Strategy (RTS)Real-Time Strategy (RTS) Simultaneous actions –Turn-based Games (TBS) Take turns –WargamesWargames »Accurate depiction of actual units and maps Sport Games –Simulation of actual sport games Games of chance –Outcome highly influenced by a stochastic environment

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 creating thousands their own games –Most variants of the original game –Others significant departures

Thief 2: How to program NPC behavior?

Finite State Machines and Games State: an activity performed by an avatar Event: something that happens in the game world that makes state change Patrol Enemy on sight Attack

Another Finite State Machine States –Attack –Chase –Spawn –Wander Events –E: see an enemy –S: hear a sound –D: die Spawn Wander ~E D Attack ~E E E D ~S Chase E S S D

But it gets even easier (event- on-map) If player walks here then Spawn Mephisto Starting place of player Put 3 orcs here

Even at a Larger Scale If player cross here Then declare war

Ok Let Us Construct One Finite State Machine Lets program High Priestess JeklikHigh Priestess Jeklik –Here is she in actionHere –Text DescriptionDescription Step 1: list states and events Step 2: Construct the Finite State Machine

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 Finite State Machine Pick and existing game (can be same as before) –Provide at least 3 different examples of events-on-map

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

Scripts - Script: specialized program that uses instructions that are based on game world pick-weapon() if monster then attack(monster) if hurt then heal() A Finite State Machine

Three Engines Adventure Game Studio RPG Maker Aurora (Neverwinter Nigths; Almost for every game genre there is such an engine –Available with the commercial release of the game

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 50% of the class created one Its fun and Some 80% of them got exempt from the Final Exam