Category Archives: WIT

Planning in Games

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At University my final year project involved building a plan recognition agent for the board game R.I.S.K. Since then, reading about plans in games is a past time of mine, and AiGameDev is a great place to do that.

planning-in-games-aigamedev-logo

For those of you with an interest in A.I. in games, AiGameDev is one of the best resources I’ve come across. Whilst browsing through their impressive collection of articles I came across a gem on planning in games written by Alex J. Champandard.

Check out the full article here!

Reading this article and watching this video was a joy. It reminded me of nights spent learning about STRIPS and HTN’s from Game Developer magazine. So if your interested in planning in games, this is definitely a great place to start.

The Creature A.I. of Black and White

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Black and White is where my interest in A.I. in games started. (A little context) Black and White is a god game designed and created by Lionhead Studios under the directive of Peter Molyneaux. In Black and White you are a god born of the prayers of people, free to do whatever you please through the islands of the game.

In your journeys you are eventually given a creature. A tiny little thing, it behaves just like a child – curious yet inexperienced and frightened of the big bad world. Similar to a child you can teach it, it will then think and act based on what  was taught by you. Invest enough time and your creature can become your ultimate agent. It was a fascinating example of A.I. in games.

black-and-white-creature
The Creature Cave

Black and White’s Artificial Intelligence was designed and implement by Richard Evans, and in my opinion it was the creature feature in particular that elevated the experience of certain aspects of the game. Employing sophisticated A.I techniques, it gave deeper meaning to your relationship with the creature, you felt responsible for it (well at least I did) having to train and look after it while it grew up.

Notable features related to the creature included:

  • Leashes – Which gave the player some behavioral control of the creature.
  • Creature Combat – Where creatures would fight autonomously when not commanded by the player.

A battle from Black and White: Creatures Isle. The Crocodile is controlled entirely by the game.

AiGameDev, who listed it as the most influential AI game, summed up the technical innovations as:

  • The gameplay is focused on the interaction with a large AI creature which can learn from examples, and takes reward and punishment.
  • The design integrates artificial life within the context of a strategy game.
  • The engine uses a solid AI architecture, rooted in cognitive science, known as belief-desire-intention (BDI).
  • Machine learning techniques such as decision trees and neural networks are used with great success.

If you are interested in learning more about the innards of Black and Whites creature A.I. then check out this great paper by James Wexler.

Two Great Books on Game Design

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If you interested in learning more about game design, here are two great books you should definitely check out.

A Theory of Fun

Written by Raph Koster, A Theory of Fun Given was a great gift from a friend. It’s exactly what it says it is ‘A Theory’ about Fun. After reading it I’d describe it as actually quite light reading; a short and colorful book filled with plenty of pictures that’s well worth a read for those new to game design.

theory-of-fun

Art of Game Design a Book of Lenses

Written by Jesse Schell, The Art of Game Design is a comprehensive look into exactly that The Art of Game Design (it’s a good sign a book does what it says). I’m actually reading it at the moment, and so far it’s a joy particularly because of the authors writing style. The book is giving me an holistic look  into game design that’s changing my perception of how I look at everything surround games. Another book well worth your time.

the-art-of-game-design

Game Development Society

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Game Development Society is an official society at the University of Edinburgh that I help found with two good friends of mine, Nick La Rooy and Richard Cassidy.

Sadly now that I’ve graduated from the University of Edinburgh I’m no longer part of the committee, but I’m happy to say its been left in very capable hands. If your interested in game development then I highly encourage you to get in touch with them through either their website or email ([email protected]), as well as subscribe to their mailing list.

By the way they have an upcoming Game Jam sometime next week  (details are at the bottom of the page) so if your in Edinburgh around then go check it out!

 DETAILS OF GAME JAM

Hi all,

First off, welcome to all our new members, great to have you with us. This is just a quick reminder of our first (and main) event this Semester, which I’m sure Scott or Paul mentioned at the Freshers’ Fair – our 1st Semester GameJam.

So, what is a GameJam? Basically, you spend a weekend rapidly producing a short game, based on a given theme (revealed on the day). All the games are then judged by the community with a prize for the winner! The event is open to students and non-students alike, regardless of skill level, and free for members or just £3 otherwise. Turn up in a team of up to four, or on your own and we will organise teams on the day. Programmers, artists, sound designers, writers etc. are all welcome (and appreciated!).

It will be in the The Pentland Room at the Pleasance Student Union on the 21st and 22nd of September, starting at 11:00 – that’s this weekend. We have the room booked till 23:00 on the Saturday, and it will reopen at 12:00 on the Sunday. The games will need to be complete and playable (on your machine only) by 21:00 on Sunday for the judging. You will need to bring your own PC, contact us if this is a problem. Once again there will be an exciting new theme, and a fabulous cash prize.

Regarding rules, you can use any language, framework or program you like, provided you are not simply completing an existing game. We encourage everyone to judge based on the game, not the tools used to make it. As an aside, we will also be there to help novices if they choose to use GameMaker. If this is you, we recommend doing the “Your First Game” tutorial here so you’re ready to go as soon as you arrive.

As usual, if you’ve any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask us.

Cheers,

GameDevSoc

END OF DETAILS OF GAME JAM

A Trial of Platforms Part 2 – Building a Simple Platformer Engine in Game Maker

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platforming

Writing a good, feature rich platformer engine takes a lot of work. Building a simple platformer engine is considered a case of ‘reinventing the wheel’. So it makes sense why some choose to find a pre-built engine to plug in to their game.

The trouble with this can be:

  1. Getting it plugged in.
  2. Figuring out how it works.
  3. Finding it doesn’t do exactly what you what.

Seeing as the feature needs for a game I’m building are simple. I instead decided to learn the basics then build such an engine in Game Maker. For now, I’ll briefly run through the resources that helped me build a major part of what I’ve implemented. Collision detection.

Implementing collision detection can be a head ache if your new to ‘game physics’. So to help you on your way here is a good video by Shaun Spaulding which gives an in-depth look into how to create a platformer in Game Maker. I’d recommend watching the whole thing, in particular where he explains the basic concept of collisions at about 22:30.

collisions

The system he describes is basically a method of checking several pixels ahead per frame. If a situation arises where two objects intersect, move the moving object to a point where they are next to each other but not intersecting. This is the method I choose; there are many many ways of doing it.

Continue reading A Trial of Platforms Part 2 – Building a Simple Platformer Engine in Game Maker →

Smooth McGroove

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smooth-mcgroove

Have you ever relaxed into your chair, listening to a song that takes you somewhere far away? Somewhere simpler; carefree. A place before you knew shades of grey.

Video Game Music does this for me. It’s my music therapy.

So on my travels surfing the vast expanse of the internet I sometimes encounter music practitioners, people who give my dose. Smooth McGroove is one such person. With his all original a-capella arrangements of primarily video game music I can fly away; if only for a moment.

Thank you Smooth McGroove.

Check out his work. You wont be disappointed.

League of Legends

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League of Legends is described by some as the equivalent of electronic basket ball, by others like AngryJoe as “crack”. I agree. This Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), where team work is essential to success has players take control of a single unit in a multi-player match up, with the goal of destroying the opposing teams ‘Nexus’.

Nexus
The Nexus

A Short History

League of Legends or LOL (though well executed) is not an original idea. In fact it was originally conceived as Defense of the Ancients (DOTA). Based on a mission from Starcraft, DOTA was a custom game created by Eul on the popular Real Time Strategy game Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. Unfortunately Eul did not update his map, and so others created spin-offs; it was Steve ‘Guinsoo’ Freak who got it right.

Guinsoo created a variant of DOTA calling it DOTA: Allstars. He then put in an enormous amount of work in to adding new champions, items and game features. He later handed it over to Abdul ‘Icefrog’ Ismail who continued his work. At present IceFrog has gone onto become a lead designer at Valve working on the sequel DOTA 2.

DOTA: Allstars

Continue reading League of Legends →

A Trial of Platform’s – Part 1

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So I’ve decided to start creating a game (about time). This isn’t the first game I’ve made, but it will be the first time I’ll try to document my design process through this blog.

Here are some important questions that I’ll need to answer:

  1. What kind of game do you want to make?
  2. What will be your major design concepts/mechanics?
  3. How are you going to build it?
  4. What are you doing for art?
  5. What are you doing for sound?

These five questions I think are the beginning of a good place to start for a project. Now you may not have the answers to them from the get go, and heck they will probably change throughout the projects life cyle, but giving them some thought is a must.

Continue reading A Trial of Platform’s – Part 1 →

Reus

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reus

In the beginning there is only an empty planet…

Using its last remaining power, the planet summoned four elemental giants in an attempt to restore life to it’s dead surface. These giants were charged with cultivating a suitable environment for life.

reus-four-giants

Welcome to Reus, a 2D god game by Abbey Games where under your control are these four giants; Forest, Rock, Ocean and Swamp.

Each giant has the ability to create a unique biome by terra-forming the planet. They can then place different types of resources within these biomes, and grant aspects which can augment their own, or other giants resources.

Multiple resources work together to create a ‘symbiosis’ that offers additional benefits to the surrounding area. These resources then attract nomads who settle in the cradles of life that you create, building villages that soon require more resources to grow.

The task that forms the lions share of the games complexity is a balancing act, between finding the combinations of resources that provide what a village needs, and keeping the villages ‘greed’ in check.

Simply put, greed is a mechanic where by bestowing a village with too much too quickly, they become greedy and destructive, to the point where it can result in a village destroying the very utopia you forged and even turning on you. If necessary you may have to destroy the offending village, its your choice.

Continue reading Reus →

No One Has To Die

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No One Has to Die’s comments on Newgrounds read “4 people are trapped in a building fire and need your help to escape”, now I’ve finished playing it, looking back it’s the tip of the iceberg… an awesome iceburg.

no-one-has-to-die-logo

An hour or so in length, this indie game manages to pack quite the punch. It isn’t particularly difficult and it’s not designed to be. The simplicity of its gameplay and mechanics, peel back to reveal the complexity one feels in considering the consequences of those simple choices, which in turn furthers the narrative in a ‘player-driven’ manner.

no-one-has-to-die

It’s art style is simple, functional, colorful and doesn’t detract from the game. The music is top notch, working well to build up an atmosphere in tune with what’s happening in-game. The writing of characters is good and given the length of game it’s enough to start to get a ‘feel’ for them.

No-One-Has-To-Die

All in all No One Has to Die is a thought provoking puzzle over life and death. Its great moments and emotional highs and lows leaves one with a joyously sweet aftertaste. This is one indie gem, is well worth your time.

So what are you waiting for! Play it!