| Both sides previous revision Previous revision Next revision | Previous revision Next revisionBoth sides next revision |
| companions_in_games [2009-01-26 12:34] – davegriffiths | companions_in_games [2009-01-26 12:48] – davegriffiths |
|---|
| |{{:dogmeat.jpg}} Dogmeat from [[http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/home/home.php|Fallout 3]]|Cooperative play|Dogmeat warns the player of danger, can be sent to search for items and distract enemies in battle.|Not such a good response from gamers on Dogmeat - he is not strictly required to play the game and can get in the way in battle situations. Also seems a little contrived as he miraculously appears when you need help.| | |{{:dogmeat.jpg}} Dogmeat from [[http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/home/home.php|Fallout 3]]|Cooperative play|Dogmeat warns the player of danger, can be sent to search for items and distract enemies in battle.|Not such a good response from gamers on Dogmeat - he is not strictly required to play the game and can get in the way in battle situations. Also seems a little contrived as he miraculously appears when you need help.| |
| |{{:ashleygraham.jpg}} Ashley Graham from [[http://www.res-evil.com/re4/|Resident Evil 4]]|Needs rescuing and helps with some gameplay|Following and object avoidance, pointing out possible solutions to puzzles|Not good on this character either, as being in the horror genre, it's [[http://www.res-evil.com/re4/|very unforgiving to AI goofiness]]. The lack of attachment may also be due to the fact that unlike in Ico, where Yorda is with you all the time up to the last part, Ashley Graham often get recaptured.| | |{{:ashleygraham.jpg}} Ashley Graham from [[http://www.res-evil.com/re4/|Resident Evil 4]]|Needs rescuing and helps with some gameplay|Following and object avoidance, pointing out possible solutions to puzzles|Not good on this character either, as being in the horror genre, it's [[http://www.res-evil.com/re4/|very unforgiving to AI goofiness]]. The lack of attachment may also be due to the fact that unlike in Ico, where Yorda is with you all the time up to the last part, Ashley Graham often get recaptured.| |
| |{{:floyd.jpg?200}} Floyd in [[wp>Jet Force Gemini]]|Helps with gameplay/optional 2nd player control/sidekick|A pet/companion robot which has to be built by the player. Helps with battles, has infinite (low power) fire and is indestructible.|What is interesting about Floyd is that the fact that the player has made a contribution to his construction //I felt the robot was more valuable to me as I had had to work at getting it and it wasn’t simply given to me// (from [[http://www.pawfal.org/dave/blog/2009/01/artificial-companions-in-games/#comments|Kassen]]. Attachment can be greatly helped by requiring the user to invest time in it's construction and having input in it's design.| | |{{:floyd.jpg?200}} Floyd in [[wp>Jet Force Gemini]]|Helps with gameplay/optional 2nd player control/sidekick|A pet/companion robot which has to be built by the player. Helps with battles, has infinite (low power) fire and is indestructible.|What is interesting about Floyd is that the fact that the player has made a contribution to his construction //I felt the robot was more valuable to me as I had had to work at getting it and it wasn’t simply given to me// (from [[http://www.pawfal.org/dave/blog/2009/01/artificial-companions-in-games/#comments|Kassen]]).| |
| |
| =====Pet companions===== | =====Pet companions===== |
| |
| Strategies used in increasing attachment to companions in games: | Strategies used in increasing attachment to companions in games: |
| * The companion using language which you can't quite understand, as use of natural language is one of the quickest ways to breaking the illusion of intelligence. | * The use of natural language is one of the quickest ways to annoy the user, and break any illusion of intelligence, so it's generally left out, or a language which you can't quite understand is used instead, but which still conveys basic levels of emotion. |
| * User investment in the design or construction of the agent, which increases a feeling of ownership. | * User investment in the design or construction of the agent increases a feeling of ownership, and therefore attachment - "My robot is the only one like it". |
| * Collective intelligence - by using multiple agents. | * Collective intelligence is generally more robust, and likely to resolve in useful emergent behaviour than relying on a single agent. |
| | * Migration of companions has been tried in games, and was generally seen as a successful experiment, although yet to be fully realised. |
davegriffiths