Games Engine Overview

Adventure Game Studio (AGS) is a games engine that is used primarily to create adventure, puzzle based point and click games, graphically it produces games to an early nineties standard along the lines of classics such as The Secret of Monkey Island by LucasArts. It is also useful to note that AGS has a speech style setting of LucasArts showing that during creation of the engine, it was designed to create games along these lines.

Screenshot - The Secret of Monkey Island, LucasArts

In terms of the core features, AGS offers a unique scripting language which takes a little practise to master but is relatively easy to understand and by harnessing it the user can customise their games to create unique and original adventures. The engine also allows the user to extensively alter the games GUI, setting image buttons over portions of the screen for multiple functions, such as changing the current type of action selected. The user creates the environments as a series of rooms which link together, accessible by moving the playable character over certain edges of the screen, characters are created using a series of sprites to mimic animation when moving. There are also many other customisable features such as music and AGS is good to the extent that lots of the trivial aspects are already taken care of for you, allowing the user to concentrate on producing their game.  

Taking into consideration AGS’s design interface and functions it can be easily said that the engine was created to allow users to create a blend adventure and puzzle games, the name also suggests this. The text speech system, multiple room layout, placeable objects and inventory interfaces, all seem geared up to the task of creating simple adventure genre games.

A variety of AGS game screenshots

AGS may be very good at creating the kind of games it was developed for, however it has many limitations that make it unsuitable to produce other types of games. Namely it has a lack of suitable 3D applications, although it was recently updated to support some basic 3D interactions, to create say first person shooters and action style games would be very difficult, if not impossible. Also all environments are done as separate rooms that link together, so being unable to create the large sprawling landscapes needed for other types of games, also limits what can be created in AGS.

Adventure Games Studio would be useable by almost anyone wanting to create a point and click game. It has a medium to low level of expertise meaning new users can easily get to grips with the different functions to create simple games, the official website also offers tutorials and video examples for anyone starting out in the engine. Despite this simplistic and easy to grasp style, AGS also has an array of advanced features and plug-ins that allow more experienced developers to create very detailed and in-depth games. The main users however, would mainly be basic developers and enthusiasts due to the engines limitations, and it would be unlikely for it to be used in a professional context due to the fact there are more powerful engines available, such as the Unreal Engine.

Games Crit Sheet

I have created a template designed for reviewing the types of games created in Adventure Games Studio. I will use the template to review two chosen AGS games in order to discern if they are great, average or terrible games. Below are some screenshots of the two chosen games.

Here are the completed Games Crit Sheets, click them to enlarge:

Complex Animating, Using Motion Capture In The Design Process Of Games

Games in recent years have overtaken both the movie and music industries to become the foremost, consumed type of media in everyday life. Due to the high demands placed on games, often project triangles must often be flexible in both time and money aspects to ensure the game is produced to a high standard of quality, it is common place within the industry to delay a games released for months at a time to ensure it reaches it’s consumer base in a complete and highly polished state. With many games pushing the boundary’s of quality with improved realism, motion and game play aspects, new technologies have emerged that allow visuals to be produced to greater degrees of complexity, more efficiently.

Game Project Triangle

One of these technologies is the art of motion capture, where by a human actor is fitted with sensors, to record and translate his or her movement to a digital 3D model, in order to produce realistic and sometimes human-like, animation or movement. Animation is a specialised and very technical process, without the use of motion capture creating realistic movements is a very tricky business, almost all game studios have adapted this technology into their design processes in order to save time and improve upon their games quality. Checking recent game releases, character motion flows and in the majority of cases looks natural and unencumbered, however game studios are still trying to push games to there limits with new techniques and improved in-game reactions, in order to create the best looking and most functional game, and thus the best-selling game.

Motion Capture In Progress For Golfing Swing

There are two major types of motion capture used in games motion tracking and performance capture; motion tracking is the act of translating basic actions such as walking or combat sequences, whereas performance capture is for complex motion such as facial expressions and specific finger movements.In both cases sensors are attached to the specific locations of motion on the actor who will then perform the required actions, however it is common for the actor to wear a full body suit during motion tracking. These actions are then recorded as data using specialised software so the motion can be translated onto digital models, however if the data is slightly incomplete or there is an error the whole process breaks down and usually has to be restarted.

Motion Tracking

 

Preformance Capture

Motion capture having become such a key part of the games industry has been considered for alterative uses, mainly as a control mechanism to allow consumers to simply interact with games by moving, for example reaching out to touch water on the screen causes ripples to be created. The main contender of this technology is Microsoft’s project Natal, which uses a motion sensitive camera to mimic the effects of motion capture to allow the user to interact with the game in real time. It is highly possible that these new motion type controls will become the future of the games industry and as such it will impact greatly upon the way games are both designed and developed.

Project Natal

To put this into perspective in terms of concepts and game development, motion capture has become an integrated part of the games industry, meaning whether designing games concepts or actually being apart of the games development process, motion capture will always have to be considered carefully and used accordingly in order to produce an efficient and upto standards game. The future holds even more implantation of motion based technology, so if decided to pursue the path of a games developer it is key to become familiar with the techniques and technology surrounding motion.

References:

Wikipedia. Motion Capture. [Online]. Available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_capture#Facial_motion_capture

Meta Motion. Who Uses Motion Capture?. [Online]. Available at:
http://www.metamotion.com/motion-capture/motion-capture-who-1.htm

A Digital Dreamer. Motion Capture Technology. [Online]. Available at:
http://www.adigitaldreamer.com/articles/motion-capture-vgames.htm

MOTEK. About Us: Motion Capture. [Online]. Available at:
http://www.e-motek.com/simulation/about_us/mocap.html

Cnet. Microsoft’s Project Natal: What does it mean for game industry?. [Online]. Available at:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10253892-235.html

Concept Art

Concept Art is an essential tool in game design, it allows developers to see visualisations of concepts to better understand there impact and implication. Concept Art is a form of prototyping allowing for ideas to be tested before they are committed to development, some later become implemented into the game and some are discarded after being judged as the wrong way to go. Concept Art is produced in all game development processes and is a key aspect of games design.

Below are two pieces of concept art relating to a created games concept. These will show visualisations of two aspects of the concept and will give people a better insight into the potential of the game.  

Game Concept:

Familiar - Echon Daimonion

Betrayed by the Righteousness Order and left for death, the player takes control of Malarath in this third person action-adventure game with connotations of horror. Taken as part of a horrific ritual, Malarath is slowly turning into a horrible demon and must not only battle with hordes of bloodthirsty enemies to get his revenge, but himself. The player will fight throughout a savage world with four distinct areas, reachable only by harnessing an assortment of demonic powers gained as the players corruption increases. Combat is fuelled by combo, the higher the gauge reads, the more powerful the special attacks preformed however the player will also have access to a variety of collectable items to help shift fate in their favour. In the end the player will have to make the choice between revenge or salvation.

Concept Art:

In-Game Interface - Concept Art

Above is a piece of concept art showing the design for the in-game player interface and the main game view. These two aspects are found in the core Gameplay section of a games design document, as they are important design issues that must be dealt with before the specifics of Gameplay are considered. From the concept art it can be seen the main game view is in three dimensional third person mainly due to genre and perspective issues when battling. The player interface consists of six key components, in the top left is the demonic power indicator to show the player what power they have currently selected, below that is the corruptive energy gauge showing the player how much energy they have remaining in the form of crystals. Above is the health gauge to show the player their current health level in the form of blood vials and to the right is the mini map displaying the landscape and current objective arrow. In the bottom right is the combo meter displaying the players current combo level and in the bottom left is the item pad, displaying to the player how many items are left and what direction needs to be pressed in order to activate them.

Demonic Powers and Combo Abilities - Cocept Art

Above is a piece of concept art showing the designs for the demonic powers and combo abilities. This concept art would be included in the contextual Gameplay section of a game design document, as it contains information on the specific features of the game mechanics. From the concept art it can be seen that there will be four specific demonic powers, demonic blades that extend from the arms to act as swords in combat, demonic black flame which will act as an offensive ability to burn enemies and certain environmental features to allow access to new areas. Demonic wings will be used for flight, gliding and some combat moves, demonic hide will reduce damage taken and allow the player to cross through certain hazards. During combat the player can use specific special abilities depending on their current combo level, from the concept art it can be seen that five different animations at 10, 20, 35, 50 and 100 combo. At 10 the player deals medium damage to one enemy, at 20 the players deals medium damage to multiple enemies in front, at 35 the player deals heavy damage to multiple enemies in front, at 50 the player deals medium damage to all enemies in a large radius and at 100 the player deals ultra heavy damage to all enemies within a large radius.

Use Cases

Use Cases are tools employed to express the players interaction with different aspects of the game. They can be individual cases focusing one specific aspect of interaction such as Player Input or they can be generalised focusing on multiple aspects. Overall they aid the designer by allowing them focus on what the player has to do and as such help in the development process.

Below are four individual use cases focusing on Player Input, Game Object Interaction, Display System and Audio Interaction. They are all based on the Multiplayer Mode of the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. They will display information on the player interactions with the game under the circumstances of a basic team death match.

Game Concept:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Modern Warfare involves the player taking control of a rookie solider in the standard first person shooter perspective. The player must then use accurate modern day weapons and explosives in a run and gun routine to stop terrorists in a variety of unique locations, to bring a nuclear emergency to a halt. The game will allow the player to use sophisticated air support, such as AH-1 Cobra Choppers and UAV‘s. Players will be able compete in online matches against one and other, earning rank depending upon their performance. The game will boast advanced realism in both graphics and Gameplay.

Use Cases:

Player Input

This use case represents the players input, it shows all the main actions a player can perform during an online match and what input activates them. It doesn’t only allow the developer to visualise a players role but can also be used as a controller map when implementing the control methods.

Game Object Interaction

This use case represents the game object interaction, it shows all the main interactions between the player and the Gameplay system. Sections of the Gameplay system include the environment, interactions being collisions and such, enemy players, interactions being them shooting at the player for example and the games conditions, interactions being the player killing an enemy and gaining points for their team.

Display System

This use case represents the display system, it shows all of the main items that will be displayed to the player during an online match. These items can range from dynamic 3D graphics such as character models, to static graphics such as buildings and objects and even to menu’s the player may have to navigate.

Audio Interaction

This use case represents the audio interaction, it shows all of the main audio elements that the player will either trigger or automatically listen to when playing. There are several different audio elements present in games, such as background music applied to in-game menu’s or special effects triggered by the player such as the sound gunfire when shooting, and even environment effects such as the sound of the wind and rain.

Identifying Game Concepts

A games concept is basically an idea for a game, however even though this concept gives us the basis for the game, it merely scratches the surface as games are far more detailed and in-depth than can be summarised in a small statement. The concept has many implications, for example if a concept states that the player will have to battle hordes of enemies then many other factors must be considered such as programming, modelling and concept art. It is important that such factors are expanded upon as this work will have to be carried out by different game development team members if the game is ever to be fully implemented, so detail is key.

Below are five concepts from relatively recent games that have been expanded upon by detailing the implications of the different factors and the different design roles. This is to highlight the importance of detail as stated in the above paragraph and to show a clear example of some of the general types of implications concepts can have.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Developers - Infinity Ward

Publishers - Activision
Engine - IW Engine
Platforms - Xbox 360, Playstation 3, P.C
Genre - First Person Shooter

Game Concept:

Modern Warfare involves the player taking control of a rookie solider in the standard first person shooter perspective. The player must then use accurate modern day weapons and explosives in a run and gun routine to stop terrorists in a variety of unique locations, to bring a nuclear emergency to a halt. The game will allow the player to use sophisticated air support, such as AH-1 Cobra Choppers and UAV's. Players will be able compete in online matches against one and other, earning rank depending upon their performance. The game will boast advanced realism in both graphics and Gameplay.

Factors Expanded:

Online Play - Player can play in a variety of game modes such as team death match, domination, sabotage and search and destroy. They will gain experience for killing enemy player, capturing objectives and winning games and as they rank up will gain access to new weapons, perks and symbols. Kill streaks are also available for getting three, five and seven kills in a row, which allow the player to call in air support. Statistics and rank data will need to be stored in an online database to ensure players can access their content.

Weapons - The weapons used both online and during the campaign must accurate to their real world counterparts, to ensure that realism is sustained. Weapons will have been researched for both graphics and audio so they can be modelled accurately and play the correct audio file when fired. Modern Warfare has available a large range of weapons to choose from, such as assault rifles, submachine guns and sniper rifles.

Realism - Modern Warfare boasts advanced realism meaning that many aspects will have been intricately programmed, such as bullet physics, movement distortion and area of effect explosions. The graphics have to also be cutting edge, with highly detailed textures and models, as well as lighting effects, so the player can have an immersive and realistic experience.

Development Roles:

Lead Designer - Will have the development role of ensuring that the game is designed in accordance with the concept but more specifically that all sections are designed to a high standard and have a sense of realism.

Games Mechanics Programmer - Will have the development role of mainly programming the physics of the game. In this case they would program the physics for bullets, grenades and explosions so they look and feel realistic.

3D Modeller - Will have the development role of creating realistic 3D models of weapons and characters in accordance with specific concept art, to ensure that visually they look similar to their real world counterparts.

Gears of War 2

Developers - Epic Games
Publishers - Microsoft Games Studios
Engine - Unreal Engine 3.25/5
Platforms - Xbox 360
Genre - Third Person Shooter

Game Concept:


Gears of War 2 puts players back into the character Marcus Fenix, following the events of Delta Squad as they assault the hollow. Established features return with the tactical third person shooter perspective with emphasis on taking and firing from cover. Players will be able to use a range of Human and Locust weapons and enemies will range from small creatures that cause explosions to huge heavily armed behemoths. During combat blood and gore will be apparent to give players a sense of adrenaline. A multiplayer mode will allow players to coop the story together or go online to fight in death matches and other game types.


Factors Expanded:


Cover System - Gears of War 2 employs a cover system where the player can take cover and fire from chest high walls, this forms the basis of Gameplay and as such it’s important it functions accurately. Camera angles, and the players view must be significantly considered when the player is moving from cover to cover to ensure they can see correctly.

Blood and Gore - Having an adult certificate Gears of War 2 carries a violent and bloody aura, in order to give the player an adrenaline rush. When enemies are killed they gush blood and it is even possible to use a chainsaw gun to dismember your opponents, it is this kind of brutality that immerses the gamer.

Cooperative Play - It is possible to play the campaign cooperatively with another player who takes the role of Marcus’s sidekick Dom. This adds a new aspect to the game and inspires the use of strategy and team work which will allow the player to have a more fulfilling experience.



Development Roles:

Level Designer - Will have the development role of designing the environments in which the player must fight and interact. It is essential that the level designer be familiar with the cover system, as they must implement chest high wall into the major fire fight areas for the player to use as cover.

User Interface Programmer - Will have the development role of programming the operations of the user interface. As Gears of War 2 has a bloody and violent feel to it, the programmer will have to implement a health meter which when low turns the players screen red, to represent losing blood. 

Character Modeller - Will have the development role of modelling the major characters and enemies for the game. The modeller will have to be familiar with the previous instalment of Gears of War, as they will have to design the characters of Delta Squad to look basically the same as before.

Assassin’s Creed

Developers - Ubisoft Montreal
Publishers - Ubisoft
Engine - Anvil (Previously Named Scimitar)
Platforms - Xbox 360, Playstation 3, P.C
Genre - Third Person Action-Adventure 

Game Concept:
  
Desmond Miles is forced into the Animus where he relives his ancestor assassin Altaïr’s memories. The player must carry out several highly important assassinations using a variety of stealth options and weapons. The player controls Altaïr in third person throughout several large cities historically accurate to the holy land, to carry out missions and find collectables by running and climbing the fully scalable environments. The games combat system is ultra realistic meaning unblocked attacks lead to a quick death.   



Factors Expanded:

Scaleable Environments - Altaïr has the ability to climb any building or tower, which allows the player a lot of different options when carrying out assassination contracts. There are three large cities to free roam each having a series of optional missions the player can attempt if he or she want to, and its this degree of freedom and choice which makes the game enjoyable. 

Collectables - Scattered throughout the in game world are many different types of collectables, ranging from flags to Templars. Adding these in extends the games life even after the main content has been complete, as the player will feel compelled to collect them all to see what kind of a reward they will receive. 

Realistic Combat - Combat in Assassin’s Creed comes down to one hit one kill, fighting is a flurry of blocking, dodging and countering. This makes the fights more realistic and allows the player to become immersed in the flowing rhythm of combat as opposed to hacking and slashing.



Development Roles:

Animation Programmer - Will have the development role of programming Altaïr’s specific animations for climbing, running and fighting. These will have to look realistic meaning that for some of the more complex animations such as face movement, motion capture will need to be used.

Environment Designer - Will have the development role of using concept art, historical accounts and possibly old photos to design the cities in which Altaïr travels. This will mean ensuring the cities are relatively historically accurate and detailed, along with noting the points of interest for Gameplay development.

Gameplay Programmer - Will have the development role of programming and fine tuning the different aspects of Gameplay such as combat mechanics. The programmer will have to ensure that the combat is balanced and that blocking and dodging flows, as realism defers the player should die in one hit.

Left 4 Dead

Developers - Value
Publishers - Value Corporation
Engine - Source
Platforms - Xbox 360, P.C
Genre - First Person Survival Horror Shooter

Game Concept:

In the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic the human race becomes infected, mutating them into a range of deadly creatures from hordes of zombie to huge disfigured tanks. The player takes control of one of four survivors both online and offline, in the first person shooter perspective who then must use a multitude of shooting, teamwork and cooperation to battle their way through the infected to safe location where they can be rescued. The game features four distinct movie style campaigns, each attempt being different because of the A.I director which changes the pacing and the infected depending upon the players stress level.

Factors Expanded:

Infected - There are hordes of common infected that can only melee at close range however there are also the special infected, four distinct classes with their own unique abilities. The smoker can grab survivors with his tongue from a distance, the boomer can vomit on survivors to cause a horde of common infected to attack, the hunter can pounce and claw survivors for heavy damage and the tank can use his strength to crush and send survivors flying.  

Team Work - If the player was to attempt to play the game alone, they would not be able to get far. Almost every aspect of Gameplay requires two people, for example if a survivor is grabbed by a smoker or pounced by a hunter the only way to escape death is to have a team mate melee or shoot it off. These limitations ensure that cooperation is used throughout the campaigns as it’s the only way to beat the game.  

AI Director - The AI director is a system which monitors the players stress level through different factors such as health and ammo. It then uses the data to alter the enviroment so as to either be easier for the player or offer a greater challenge, for example if a player is moving through the level quickly with little loss of health then the directors could spawn a tank to increase the difficulty. This system ensures that every play through is fresh and interesting with little repetition.

Development Roles:

Character Designer - Will have the development role of designing the main characters and enemies. In this case the designer would create the special infected, allocating them there special abilities, visual appearance and background ensuring they have both strengths and weakness to balance the cooperative Gameplay elements.

AI Programmer - Will have the development role of programming the bots intelligence and the design and implementation the AI director. It will be essential to ensure the bots can cooperate with the player in the same ways as another human to ensure the Gameplay concept works.

Interface Designer - Will have the development role of designing the interface which the player will use to keep track of their team-mates status and their own. The players team-mates will be highlighted at all times so the player can easily access them, as this is the aspect the game hinges on.

Lost Odyssey

Developers - Mistwalker
Publishers - Microsoft Game Studios
Engine - Unreal Engine 3.0
Platforms - Xbox 360
Genre - Role Playing Game

Game Concept:

Utilising the classic turn-based RPG formula, Lost Odyssey places the player into the character of Kaim Argonar, an immortal who has no memory of his past. The player will progress through a finely detailed and in-depth narrative, boasting a huge assortment of characters, weapons, items, monsters and even a collection of short stories into the games history. The player will level up after gaining experience from battles, to gain access to new skills and abilities so they can beat bosses to progress the story. The player will be able to explore a huge in-game world with distinct and unique locations.     

Factors Expanded:

In-Depth Story - The narrative is a key aspect of role playing games, the story must be detailed and immersive so the player wants to continue playing simply to follow the in-game events. Lost Odyssey’s story is huge, with many twists and turns, different characters, events and suspense. In the Xbox 360 format Lost Odyssey encompasses a massive four disks worth of Gameplay. 

Weapons, Items, Monsters - Using turn based combat means that all the battles will be some what similar throughout the game, so the way to keep them interesting is with a variety of detailed content such as monsters and weapons, which makes each battle different from the last. Items are also collected whilst exploring the in-game world to allow the player to interact with the environment and to give them a purpose for exploring.

Characters - Role playing games are defined by there characters, so it is important that each character is represented accurately in 3D graphics based on there concept. There must also be substantial character development throughout the narrative so that the player can begin to understand the personalities and motivations of the characters. Animation is also a critical factor because immersion relies on the player identifying with the characters and unrealistic motion could prevent this.

Development Roles:

Audio Programmer - Will have the development role of programming the dialogue and sound effects so they play at the correct times. It is crucial that in a story orientated game that the audio is in synch with the 3D graphics becasue for exmaple, if the dialogue was out of lip-synch this would cause the player to lose all sense of immersion.

Concept Artist - Will have the development role of designing the main characters appearance and feel from the games concept. It is important that the characters are well developed and have an appearance to fit their roles because character development is a key part of role playing games.

Database Programmer - Will have the development role of creating, updating and maintaining the games database. In role playing games there is huge amount of data that needs to be stored and accessed, such as the monsters stats and the weapons abilities. This database will need data to be both input and deleted, this is the main role of a database programmer.