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companions_in_games [2009-01-26 12:46] davegriffithscompanions_in_games [2009-01-29 13:16] (current) davegriffiths
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 Part of [[Project Lirec]] Part of [[Project Lirec]]
 +
 +A very important aspect of HRI is looking at how people react to artificial companions. Games give us a wealth of easily accessible information on people's attitudes and experiences of playing and problem solving alongside non-player characters (NPCs). Although the complexity of technology involved varies, it's not always the more advanced solutions which work the best, as a consistent and carefully constructed game environment can work with the constraints of the technical limitations and still produce an experience which people enjoy, and spend hours exploring.
  
 <blockquote>If an enemy monster is stupid (because its “brain” is just a couple of hundred lines of computer code running on a personal computer that is busy doing a lot of other stuff) it isn’t too bad. Hey, it’s a monster. It’s not supposed to be smart. But when a human character shows up the player expects him or her to act like a human. Then when they walk into the player’s line of fire, get confused by doorways, get caught up on scenery, or utter the same phrase for the tenth time, they are exposed as a fraud and the illusion of the gameworld is broken. NPCs have so many ways they can break immersion that it’s difficult to enumerate them all.</blockquote> From a good article on [[http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=237|NPCs and immersion]] <blockquote>If an enemy monster is stupid (because its “brain” is just a couple of hundred lines of computer code running on a personal computer that is busy doing a lot of other stuff) it isn’t too bad. Hey, it’s a monster. It’s not supposed to be smart. But when a human character shows up the player expects him or her to act like a human. Then when they walk into the player’s line of fire, get confused by doorways, get caught up on scenery, or utter the same phrase for the tenth time, they are exposed as a fraud and the illusion of the gameworld is broken. NPCs have so many ways they can break immersion that it’s difficult to enumerate them all.</blockquote> From a good article on [[http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=237|NPCs and immersion]]
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 =====Rescue or gameplay helper companions===== =====Rescue or gameplay helper companions=====
  
-Some non-player characters (NPCsin games are designed to help the player in some form. This is a list of interesting characters who are either designed to provide some assistance in solving problems or fighting battles, or are a central theme of the game and therefore are intended to form a bond with the player.+Some NPCs in games are designed to help the player in some form. This is a list of interesting characters who are either designed to provide some assistance in solving problems or fighting battles, or are a central theme of the game and therefore are intended to form a bond with the player.
  
 ^ Companion ^ Gameplay purpose ^ Intelligence ^ Attachment level ^ ^ Companion ^ Gameplay purpose ^ Intelligence ^ Attachment level ^
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 |{{: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=====
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 ^ Game  ^ Game description ^ Attachment level ^ ^ Game  ^ Game description ^ Attachment level ^
-| {{:pikmin.jpg?200}}[[wp>Pikmin]]|The player has to grow and use small creatures called pikmin to retrieve parts of a ship which has crashed, and rebuild it to escape the planet. There are types of pikmin which have different abilities. Up to 100 pikmin can be active at one time.|The focus of the game is to interact with your pikmin as they help you to solve problems and carry out tasks. The game works well due to the large quantity of individuals, which is a much more forgiving strategy than using a single companion. They are also designed to be obviously very alien (as they are part plant) so the player can accept any shortcomings as "natural" and more amusing than frustrating limitations in game technology| +| {{:pikmin.jpg?200}}[[wp>Pikmin]]|The player has to grow and use small creatures called pikmin to retrieve parts of a ship which has crashed, and rebuild it to escape the planet. There are types of pikmin which have different abilities. Up to 100 pikmin can be active at one time.|The focus of the game is to interact with your pikmin as they help you to solve problems and carry out tasks. The game works well due to the large quantity of individuals, which is a much more forgiving strategy than using a single companion. Th ey are also designed to be obviously very alien (as they are part plant) so the player can accept any shortcomings as "natural" and more amusing than frustrating limitations in game technology| 
 +| {{http://www.pawfal.org/dave/images/work/thething1.jpg?200}} [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(video_game)|The Thing]]|The player is in charge of a small squad of soldiers, and has to use them to move through the game. Your squad is driven by a "trust and fear" mechanic, where your team mates can secretly turn against you.|The trust and fear system put the agent behaviour and emotions at the centre of the game. Characters can have their trust in you increased by giving them weapons, or can be forced to carry out your orders by force - at a cost of trust by characters who witness this happening. Characters who have been with you for a long time become very valuable, and you find yourself protecting them as you play the game.|
  
-Breath of Fire III+=====Personal Trainers=====
  
-The Thing+^ Game ^ Interaction ^ Attachment level ^ 
 +| {{:eyetoy-kinetic-ps2-screenshot-big.jpg}} [[http://www.eyetoykinetic.com/|EyeToy Kinetic]] | A fitness training 'game' which uses computer vision to help you exercise. Comes with a choice of trainers who help show you the moves you need to make and give encouragement and/or stern looks. | I found these characters were attempting to be too realistic and were rather annoying. I would have preferred a less obvious approach stylistically, and there was something about being chastised by them which really was quite amusing. |
  
 ======Conclusions====== ======Conclusions======
  
 Strategies used in increasing attachment to companions in games: Strategies used in increasing attachment to companions in games:
-  * 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. +  * Having companions dependant on you in some form (e.g. need feeding or rescuing) is a good way to build up a relationship.  
-  * 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". +  * Graphical limitations don't affect attachment levels. In fact they probably help, in accordance with the uncanny valley. 
-  * Collective intelligence is generally more robust, and likely to resolve in useful emergent behaviour than relying on a single agent. +  * 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, which still conveys basic levels of emotion.  
-  * Migration has been tried in games, and was generally seen as a successful experiment, although yet to be fully realised.+  * 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 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, the user accepting a large change in technology used to visualise the agent
  • companions_in_games.txt
  • Last modified: 2009-01-29 13:16
  • by davegriffiths