Systemic Level Design Harvey Smith witchboyionstorm com Systemic

Systemic Level Design Harvey Smith witchboy@ionstorm. com Systemic Level Design

Lecture Overview a. Intro, Overview and High Concept b. Special Case LD c. Systemic LD d. Pros of Systemic LD e. Cons of Systemic LD f. Summation Systemic Level Design

What if Frank Lloyd Wright Built Doom Levels? a. Not a visual aesthetics or architecture talk. b. Not a level design ‘chokepoint’ or ‘flow’ talk. Systemic Level Design

What Today’s Talk ‘Is’ a. Related to LD content creation tasks and tools. • Advocates gameplay implementation: o According to (systemic) global patterns o Instead of (special case) localized patterns Systemic Level Design

Intro: Ion Storm (Austin) a. An EIDOS Studio b. Studio Head – The GREAT Warren Spector ™ c. Titles to date – Deus Ex (PC and PS 2) d. In development – Deus Ex 2, Thief 3 e. Focus on Immersive Simulations Systemic Level Design

Intro: Harvey Smith a. Deus Ex 2 (Project Director) b. Deus Ex (Lead Designer) c. Fire. Team (Lead Designer) d. Technosaur (Project Director/Designer) e. Cyber. Mage (Associate Producer) f. Ultima VIII CD (Tester/Design Assist) g. System Shock (Lead Tester) h. Super Wing Commander 3 DO (Tester) Systemic Level Design

Deus Ex: Goals a. Spy fiction b. Realistic environments c. Immersive environments d. Genre mix e. Player-driven experience Systemic Level Design

Deus Ex: Where We Ended Up a. Conspiracy Theory b. Globe-hopping, Real World Locations c. Immersive Sim – Shooter Hybrid d. Multiple Solutions to Problems Systemic Level Design

Deus Ex: Systemic/Special Case Hybrid a. Multiple Solutions (Player Expression) a. Player-expression via game systems, emergence and simulation (Systemic). b. Player-expression via LD-driven puzzles and situations (Special Case). Systemic Level Design

High Concept a. Level designers can establish gameplay systemically or on a special case basis. • Systemic implementation enables o More intentional, less scripted play o Decreases the learning curve o Makes bug fixing easier Systemic Level Design

Special Case Level Design Definition a. Special case level design is the creation of gameplay out of the notions of a particular designer, as needed for a specific, localized occurrence in the game. • Special case level design has limited awareness of global game patterns. Systemic Level Design

Special Case Level Design a. All about the ideas of a given level designer: a. What is consistent b. What is fun (and rewarding) b. Consistency is possible, but improbable: a. Requires vigilant manual effort b. Single cardboard box in DX contained something useful Systemic Level Design

Special Case: Planning a. Example—Team discusses: a. Fictional setting of a given level b. “Look and feel” c. Placement of units (monsters or characters), weapons, tools or resources d. Specific puzzles or scripted sequences a. Discussed, but implementation is not detailed b. Not practical c. Different designers, different styles/techniques Systemic Level Design

Special Case: Tools & Content Creation a. Properties and parameters for many game elements reside on a per instance basis: a. Objects with tweaked parameters b. Unique moving geometry (movers) c. Special triggers b. All cobbled together by each LD individually Systemic Level Design

Special Case: Tools & Content Creation a. Examples: a. Generic (highly configurable) triggers b. Moving geometry (generic “movers”) c. Different LD’s create visually identical “crushing block” puzzles that function differently, with subtle variations. • Many editors have hybrid tools o DX 1 trip lasers had default properties, but could be tweaked, causing problems. Systemic Level Design

Special Case: Bug Fixing a. Testing finds problems and often each instance of a gameplay element must be visited and reconfigured manually: a. Each scripted scene b. All triggers controlling specific state changes c. All unique movers d. Et cetera Systemic Level Design

Special Case: Bug Fixing a. Example—Playtest determines that crushing blast doors add fun. b. Because each door was set up manually, each door must be visited individually: a. Takes time b. Likely to introduce bugs Systemic Level Design

Systemic Level Design Definition a. Systemic level design is the creation of gameplay out of combinations of existing game elements with globally defined, consistent characteristics and behaviors. • Systemic level design has an awareness of global game patterns. Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Planning a. Team discusses: a. Same stuff as in Special Case planning (fiction, look and feel, game element placement, specific sequences) b. Rules governing behaviors of game elements c. Specific methods for implementing types of situations (according to agreed upon patterns) Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Planning a. Example—Team plans 3 door classes: a. Light doors easily destroyed and do not inflict damage b. Medium doors only destroyed by explosives and inflict light damage c. Heavy doors cannot be destroyed and inflict heavy damage Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Tools & Content Creation a. Game element properties and parameters reside at a higher level, rather than on a per instance basis. • Tools for adding game elements are streamlined, calling upon archetypes, rather than specific instances of any given game element. Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Tools & Content Creation a. Example—Door behavior (3 classes) stored in object property tree a. Not entered for each of 500 doors by hand b. Information entered and managed centrally c. LD’s select proper door and drop into place d. New door types are added when needed e. All doors inherit properties from archetypes Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Bug fixing a. Playtest determines that a given gameplay element behaves inappropriately. • A change is made to the object property tree storing the behaviors of the game element archetype. Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Bug fixing a. Example—Playtest complains that medium doors are not always destroyed by grenades: a. Medium door strength is lowered globally Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Advantages a. Consistency b. Emergent Gameplay c. Efficiency Systemic Level Design

Consistency Breakdown a. Consistency a. Plan Formulation b. Intuitive Behavior c. Learning Curve b. Emergent Gameplay c. Efficiency Systemic Level Design

Consistency: Plan Formulation a. Consistency rewards strategic plan formulation. b. Once the behaviors of game elements can be predicted, the player is empowered to make assumptions. c. Success or failure are understood. d. Player feels a sense of agency. Systemic Level Design

Consistency: Plan Formulation a. Example—LD’s set up blast doors w/ different properties: a. Crush, Move Speed, Sound Volume b. After encountering first blast door, player makes assumptions about second blast door. c. Plans fail. d. Player feels like he is uncovering an arbitrary path set out for him by the designer. Systemic Level Design

Consistency: Intuitive Behavior a. If game elements are implemented with systemic consistency: a. The player is more likely to develop an intuitive understanding of game elements. b. Variations of game elements are likely to be understood even if the player is encountering them for the first time. Systemic Level Design

Consistency: Intuitive Behavior a. Systemically implemented fire damage model: a. If campfire burns player-character once, it is likely to burn him twice. b. If player encounters a second form of fire (like a fire barrel), it is likely to behave intuitively: a. Burns player-character b. Burns cat c. Burns dog Systemic Level Design

Consistency: Learning Curve a. If the behaviors of game elements stay consistent: a. Player spends less time learning the game b. Player spends more time playing the game Systemic Level Design

Emergent Gameplay a. Consistency b. Emergent Gameplay a. Special Case = Per instance basis b. Systemic = Class-to-class basis c. Efficiency Systemic Level Design

Emergence a. Emergent gameplay can arise from the interaction of simple rules, making the whole of the game experience greater than its parts, allowing for second order consequences. Systemic Level Design

Emergence a. DX 1 Monsters were more systemic than characters: a. Monsters were dropped in place b. Characters’ properties were tweaked a. Urban context: Run when shots fired b. Warzone context: Crouch when shots fired b. DX 1 Monsters provided more comprehensible, useful emergence Systemic Level Design

Emergence Example 01 a. Players discovered deeper layer of interaction than we had planned: a. Locked Containers: Opened w/ resources. b. Mi. B Unit: Explodes upon death. c. Emergent Strategy: Players used Mi. B’s to open locked containers. b. Good surprise: “Oh, wow, of course. ” c. Bad surprise: “What the hell? !? ” Systemic Level Design

Emergence Example 02 a. Transform: Convert organic into mech. b. Command Bolt: Steal enemy mech. c. Player can upgrade then steal enemy organic units. Systemic Level Design

Efficiency a. Consistency b. Emergent Gameplay c. Efficiency Systemic Level Design

Efficiency a. Systemic Level Design: a. Plan-and-drop efficiency b. Global bug fixes c. Designers spend less time on tedious map -monkey tasks and more on gameplay Systemic Level Design

Efficiency a. Example—A change made to Trip. Laser_red in the global object hierarchy changes all red trip lasers. • Worth noting: Part of the DX 1 problem was the lack of a LD tools support programmer. Systemic Level Design

Systemic: Disadvantages a. Need for Shoehorning b. Introduction of Uncertainty c. Designer Perception a. Loss of power b. Consistency is boring Systemic Level Design

Shoehorning a. Twisting an idea to make it work with core gameplay systems. A restriction on creative impulse in exchange for the benefits of systemic level design. a. Sometimes needed to meet creative vision b. Sometimes needed for player expectation Systemic Level Design

Special Case Squad Mate Example a. Designers (and testers) wanted a “squad mate” for cell break b. Idea made total sense, in context c. DX 1 lacked “Squad Mate AI” d. We hacked it in anyway with a bunch of manually placed triggers Systemic Level Design

Ladies and Gentlemen…Miguel a. It met expectation and provided color b. It broke often and was lame c. Special case tools are powerful (maybe in a bad way) Systemic Level Design

Systemic Arrow/Pyre Example a. Designer takes abstract idea and warps it to work with some of the core game systems a. Planting spots become pyres b. Seeds become water arrows c. Stealth is employed d. Core context/fiction is employed Systemic Level Design

Uncertainty a. Systemic LD is more likely to allow for emergent events within the game. • Emergent behaviors are often too subtle (or too numerous in permutation) for the team to effectively predict, introducing uncertainty. Systemic Level Design

Prox Mine Uncertainty a. Prox mines behaved according to globally consistent rules about relationships between classes a. Player could attach/un-attach prox mines b. Prox mines were physical objects c. Player could collide w/ physical objects d. Player didn’t detonate his own e. Player could climb walls w/ prox mines Systemic Level Design

Prox Mine Climbing Systemic Level Design

Special Case Prox Mine a. Prox Mine (red dot) is linked manually to other game elements (green dots). • Prox Mine has no relationship w/ some game elements (black dots). Systemic Level Design

Systemic Prox Mine a. Prox Mine (red dot) is linked to object class (hollow green dot). • Prox Mine has relationship w/ all game elements (green dots). Systemic Level Design

Prox Mine Model Comparison Systemic Level Design

Designer Perception: Loss of Power a. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. ” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Special Case Level Designer (and Poet) Systemic Level Design

Designer Perception: Loss of Power a. LD loses some specific narrative/flow control. b. LD gains: a. Tools that can be combined and trusted. b. Power to contextualize the world. c. Power to empower the player. Systemic Level Design

Designer Perception: Consistency Is Boring a. “Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. ” – Aldous Huxley, Special Case Level Designer (and Depressing SF Writer) Systemic Level Design

Designer Perception: Consistency Is Boring a. Games with emergence are often surprising (in a good way). b. Players often perceive open-ended game environments as providing more freedom. “Anything can happen. ” c. Systemic games encourage the player to experiment. Systemic Level Design

Systemic Vs Special Case: Player Perception a. Doug Church: • Playing the Game Designer versus Playing the Game Systemic Level Design

Playing the Designer a. Often much more frustrating: a. Some arbitrary force is foiling the player b. Behaviors change, instance to instance c. Environment inconsistent or incomplete d. Plans often fail for inexplicable reasons e. Surprise: “What the hell? ? ? ” Systemic Level Design

Playing the Game a. Can be particularly satisfying: a. Fewer logical breaks in consistency b. Environment feels rational c. Player feels free to experiment d. Player feels less manipulated e. Plans fail or succeed comprehensibly f. Surprise: “Oh, cool…of course” b. The system does not care—it has no agenda. Systemic Level Design

Some Benefits of Special Case LD a. Variation b. Outside Scope of Core Mechanics c. Unique Moments d. Story Advancement Systemic Level Design

Systemic and Special Case Examples a. Heart of Darkness b. GTA 3 c. Platform Games Systemic Level Design

Heart of Darkness a. Great Game a. Amazing Art b. Short Play-time c. Simple Interface d. Fun • Every scene totally special case Systemic Level Design

Heart of Darkness a. Constant variation • Player constantly sees something new • Any interaction is possible Systemic Level Design

Heart of Darkness a. Constant guesswork a. Sometimes up arrow means “climb wall” b. Sometimes up arrow means “jump” • Very narrow range of emergent interaction Systemic Level Design

Heart of Darkness a. Fun is still possible • Heart of Darkness has different (not inferior) values Systemic Level Design

Grand Theft Auto 3 a. Game of the Year b. ‘Sandbox’ freedom through simulation a. Pedestrian Traffic b. Vehicle Physics c. Dynamic Missions d. Damage Model c. Goal Completion Systemic Level Design

Grand Theft Auto 3 a. Mostly systemic: a. Drive off roof b. Sometimes special case: a. Play it our way c. Suffered when Systemic and Special Case contrasted Systemic Level Design

GTA 3 Cartel Example a. Goal Completion Methodology a. Sniper Rifle Only b. Must Wait For 8 -ball c. MISSION FAILED b. Contrasts w/ Goal Completion Systemic Level Design

Platform Games a. Games like Mario 64, Sonic b. Made up almost entirely of systemic elements c. LD’s create gameplay patterns by combining elements Systemic Level Design

Summation: High Concept a. Level designers can establish gameplay systemically or on a special case basis. • Systemic implementation enables o More intentional, less scripted play o Decreases the learning curve o Makes bug fixing easier Systemic Level Design

Summation: Last Thoughts a. Design object behaviors by type, rather than by instance. • This is central to designing a behavior system rather than a set of puzzles. Systemic Level Design

Goodbye and Good Luck Special Thanks: Ion Storm Austin, Marc Le. Blanc, Warren Spector, Tim Stellmach, Ricardo Bare, Brian Sharp, Kent Hudson, Clay Hoffman and Doug Church Systemic Level Design

Systemic Level Design Harvey Smith (witchboy@ionstorm. com) Systemic Level Design