Revolution

Rationale

Below is some short discussion of some of the major conceptual concerns we addressed in the design of Revolution.

Objectives

A multiplayer environment with a strong, dramatic narrative.
One of the main dilemmas of online games (and, indeed, games in general) is how to create a compelling narrative. While I am not suggestion that this is necessarily a failing of MMORPG’s (many games are perfectly satisfying to players without having a designer-imposed “story”) it is a fascinating challenge that potentially has its uses within the medium and specifically for Revolution. We feel that the chapter structure we’ve conceived, along with the reaction-based nature player behavior to world events, will provide a system of “control emergent narrative” when the players will have the tools, motivation, and focus to participate in what might be similar to an improvisational ensemble performance in theatre. This we feel that this unique solution to the problem of storytelling in (online) games is one of the major cornerstones of Revolution as a product and as a learning experience.

A “multiple single-player game.”
Another main dilemma of MMORPG’s is how to maintain an effective suspension of disbelief. Typically, when NPC’s appear in a conventional online game they have extremely simple AI which sharply contrasts with the behavior of the PC’s. Naturally, this can’t be totally avoided, but it can damage the ambiance of the world all the same when many characters you run into are robotic signposts that are obvious not real people. In Revolution we plan on minimizing this effect by trying to incorporate NPC’s more like they would be in a single-player game—as narratively relevant agents that can be interacted with in complex ways. This is accomplished by centering their AI and range of conversational responses around certain PC’s, as opposed to other online games where they roam aimlessly or serve as general vending machines. In Revolution each player will have a series of NPC’s that they have special relationships with, such as family members, employees, etc., that will have greater relevance to their social sphere than to others. This way, their behavior can be tailored for a focused set of circumstances to create more nuanced and compelling ‘bots’ as it were. The end result should be something akin to playing a single-player RPG “along with” other people whose stories are intersecting with yours continuously.

“Smart MUD” interface.
Interface is always a problem. On one hand it needs to be as simple and intuitive as possible, but on the other it needs to support a complex experience for the player to immerse themselves in an enjoy because of it unpredictability and depth. Our solution to that problem is to use what we call a “Smart MUD” interface, an interface palette that “selects” MUD-style actions based on context. The idea is to combine at least a portion of the range and subtlety of text-based commands with the immediacy of a generalized, pre-fabricated, icon-based interface. The idea is to give the players as rich a series of actions as possible without sacrificing intuitiveness.

Pedagogy

The subject of Revolution is the American War for Independence. However, its approach to the subject matter is different from that of typical videogames that make use of a historical setting. Where most historical games focus on the strategic or combat aspect of warfare, Revolution will focus specifically on the people who experience the war as a phenomenon within the context of their lives. By limiting the perspective in this way, the goal is to make the player acutely aware of how a national event manifests locally and how people’s (i.e. the players’) actions on a local level are reflected on a broader scale. Also, by focusing on the actions of individual people within a contained community, the players will be given the chance to experience a vision of history that is not static or abstract, but one that allows he or she to participate in events, see visible repercussions, and be able to clearly understand why one lead to the other.

Revolution is designed for use both in the classroom and commercially. Although not intended be explored in a didactic fashion normally associated with “educational software,” there are several key concepts that the game is designed to teach. These are the things players will generally familiarize themselves with during the course of the game, and the goal is to make the players understand how these things affected the choices people could and could not make within this time and place. They include:


	*Rationale* Below is some short discussion of some of the major conceptual concerns we addressed in the design of Revolution. Objectives A multiplayer environment with a strong, dramatic narrative. One of the main dilemmas of online games (and, indeed, games in general) is how to create a compelling narrative. While I am not suggestion that this is necessarily a failing of MMORPG’s (many games are perfectly satisfying to players without having a designer-imposed “story”) it is a fascinating challenge that potentially has its uses within the medium and specifically for Revolution. We feel that the chapter structure we’ve conceived, along with the reaction-based nature player behavior to world events, will provide a system of “control emergent narrative” when the players will have the tools, motivation, and focus to participate in what might be similar to an improvisational ensemble performance in theatre. This we feel that this unique solution to the problem of storytelling in (online) games is one of the major cornerstones of Revolution as a product and as a learning experience. A “multiple single-player game.” Another main dilemma of MMORPG’s is how to maintain an effective suspension of disbelief. Typically, when NPC’s appear in a conventional online game they have extremely simple AI which sharply contrasts with the behavior of the PC’s. Naturally, this can’t be totally avoided, but it can damage the ambiance of the world all the same when many characters you run into are robotic signposts that are obvious not real people. In Revolution we plan on minimizing this effect by trying to incorporate NPC’s more like they would be in a single-player game—as narratively relevant agents that can be interacted with in complex ways. This is accomplished by centering their AI and range of conversational responses around certain PC’s, as opposed to other online games where they roam aimlessly or serve as general vending machines. In Revolution each player will have a series of NPC’s that they have special relationships with, such as family members, employees, etc., that will have greater relevance to their social sphere than to others. This way, their behavior can be tailored for a focused set of circumstances to create more nuanced and compelling ‘bots’ as it were. The end result should be something akin to playing a single-player RPG “along with” other people whose stories are intersecting with yours continuously. “Smart MUD” interface. Interface is always a problem. On one hand it needs to be as simple and intuitive as possible, but on the other it needs to support a complex experience for the player to immerse themselves in an enjoy because of it unpredictability and depth. Our solution to that problem is to use what we call a “Smart MUD” interface, an interface palette that “selects” MUD-style actions based on context. The idea is to combine at least a portion of the range and subtlety of text-based commands with the immediacy of a generalized, pre-fabricated, icon-based interface. The idea is to give the players as rich a series of actions as possible without sacrificing intuitiveness. Pedagogy The subject of Revolution is the American War for Independence. However, its approach to the subject matter is different from that of typical videogames that make use of a historical setting. Where most historical games focus on the strategic or combat aspect of warfare, Revolution will focus specifically on the people who experience the war as a phenomenon within the context of their lives. By limiting the perspective in this way, the goal is to make the player acutely aware of how a national event manifests locally and how people’s (i.e. the players’) actions on a local level are reflected on a broader scale. Also, by focusing on the actions of individual people within a contained community, the players will be given the chance to experience a vision of history that is not static or abstract, but one that allows he or she to participate in events, see visible repercussions, and be able to clearly understand why one lead to the other. Revolution is designed for use both in the classroom and commercially. Although not intended be explored in a didactic fashion normally associated with “educational software,” there are several key concepts that the game is designed to teach. These are the things players will generally familiarize themselves with during the course of the game, and the goal is to make the players understand how these things affected the choices people could and could not make within this time and place. They include: • Class • Race • Ethnicity • Trade • Technology • Geography • Communication • Local Constitutions • Family obligations • Economic dependencies • Violence
Games-to-Teach Project MIT Comparative Media Studies