truna aka j.turner

section two | setting and place

play zork [zork applette @ games of the 70s]

infocom's classic text based adventure, zork I, uses succinct descriptive text to provide clues to the required actions of the player. if there is a house present in the description it must be important, the fact that it is described as 'boarded' implies that the player should be able to enter somehow. the mailbox is there to be opened

good design depends on making DATA explicit as INFORMATION - giving it sufficient meaning for the user to interpret the context and create believable interaction

the question: where am i? must be answered in the design in order for the player to proceed

for example: you are in a room

this is DATA, it offers no clues as to what might be expected of the user, what their role might be ...

you are in a dark room

this offers a little more contextual information - dark is often synonymous with hidden threats

you are in a dark room, you can hear water dripping somewhere

more context here, perhaps a cellar? maybe even a cave?

the critical element of immersive design is to give the user or player sufficient data for them to intepret it as useful context based information - give them an idea of WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO:

hopefully, you are now feeling around for a light of some description!

what will i see when i find a light? ||

ingredients |

black base
eg blind fold, graphic made with paint brush, flash file ....

sound byte
eg free sound byte downloaded, sound recorded via computer or casette

second scene or image

method |

the key aspect of this design activity is to record the right sound to give the essential clue and guide the player expectations.

WHAT WILL TURN THE BASIC DATA INTO SUFFICIENT INFORMATION?

this in turn will predict the action by enabling the player to interpret the information as context

make the 'blackness' - the above black square was made with a simple graphic editor like ms paintbrush

alternatives might be made using other graphic editors, macromedia flash, a multi user world room, or even a blindfold ....

experiment with sounds in order to provide the critical clues - recorded sounds tend to be preferable to downloaded free sound bytes

the key design element is the player's contextualisation of the sound.

this can be used to confirm the player's expectations and predictions - the cave example above works like this - or to confound and surprise:

the narrative behind the darkness is now very different ... fishy even, perhaps the beginning of a finding nemo type exploration .. or an adventure to buy fish food ...

attach the sound to the blackness. the examples here are made by inserting a 'play sound' behaviour in macromedia dreamweaver. a more sophisticated way to embedd the sound into the graphic would be via use of macromedia's flash. the lighting is a simple rollover effect

serving suggestions ||

media design |

play with the prediction opportunities of adding sound to the blackness. the next step is to provide a subsequent scene that offers further actions or affordances

the addition of sound clues is a way of turning the basic DATA [you are in a dark room] into information [you hear water dripping] and then to provide a CONTEXT [you are in an underground cavern] in order to design and direct the player's subsequent actions ...

what do you do when you find yourself in a dark underground cavern?

explore?

find an exit?

search the image ...

simple prototype effects here were created with a basic image editor and macromedia dreamweaver

paper and text |

joan irvine offers step by step instructions on 'how to make a pop up card', using the same technique with two pieces of paper, create the blackness as a front piece and hide the light scene underneath ...

or write the description. consider the details needed to create the mood carefully and create an immersive book - instructions from thinkquest

paper and image can create a gorgeous template for an immersion design or game narrative, check out the very delightful jan pienkowski's haunted house the haunted house takes you on a paper-ware rampage and adventure through a dilapidated mansion. you - the doctor - may not get out alive!

[more on text and voice]

game review ||

myst, the neverhood ... XIII ... many games take the issue of 'where am i?' and turn it into the point of the game. you, the player, find yourself somewhere and must explore and solve the mystery of where you are and what happened. like dorothy in the wizard of oz, you are not in kansas anymore .. and finding your way home can be fraught with puzzles and dangers .... where am i? ...

.... leads to who am i? ...

.... and why am i here?

example design ||

the fairground |

hamish, david and maggie built the fairground in the MOO environment using the encore graphic interface. the overall design plot was to create a very spooky gothic environment - a dark horror fairground.

they used the concept of dark rooms to generate a lovely mood of terror. in the sideshow alley, the player enters and has to find a torch. each booth is dark but filled with spooky rustling noises until the torch is switched on .... revealing monsters and freaks looming out of the darkness

more on context in game design |

This is powerful stuff. More than just a doorway, we have stumbled over a root relationship we all have with the physical world. We may feel in control of how we interact with our environment, but in truth we can be easily lead to a conclusion by having our primal understanding of the physical world played with. Now add a sign over the top of that threshold that reads "Entrance to Hell, " or simply "Forgiveness, " etc. and watch the needle go off the chart! You have discovered how even the simplest architectural element can be used as a vehicle to reinforce your story! You have added the first arrow pointing to your inevitable conclusion!

don carson | environmental storytelling II gamasutra feature

Designing Sound-Based Computer Games by Dan Gärdenfors

more on data - information and educational practice |

Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom by Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro, Anthony Mills