gender-inclusive quest generation in massively multiplayer online role-playing games anne sullivan

EXPRESSIVE INTELLIGENCE STUDIO

Gender-Inclusive Quest Generation in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Anne Sullivan

University of California, Santa CruzSchool of Engineeringanne@soe.ucsc.eduhttp://.soe.ucsc.edu/~anne/

EXPRESSIVE INTELLIGENCE STUDIO UC SANTA CRUZ

Overview

Research Question

Previous/Related Work

Current Work

Future Work

Overview

Research Question

Current Work

Future Work

Research Question

How do we increase player agency with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer gameswhile decreasing authorial burden?

Research Question

How do we increase player agency with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer gameswhile decreasing authorial burden?

What is player agency?

Finding a balance

Material affordancesavailable actions

Formal affordancesreasons for actions

Current player agency

CRPGsshallow material affordances

Table-top RPGsdeep material and formal affordancesco-authorship

Role of Quests

In CRPGs players are guided through the story using quests.

What is a Quest?

Currently in CRPGs:

A quest is a story-coated taskbuilt around game mechanics.

What is a Quest?

In Literature:

A quest is “a goal-oriented search for something of value.”

Jeff Howard in Quests: Design, Theory, and History in Games and Narratives

Increasing player agency

Strengthening tie between story and quests balances formal and material affordances increasing player agency.

Research Question

How do we increase player agency, with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer gameswhile decreasing authorial burden?

What is Gender-Inclusive?

Designing games for women and menwithout alienating either

Not labeling females who play games now something other than “real women”

Not about overhauling game mechanics to make the game more focused on women

Gender-Inclusive

Allow for multiple play stylesregardless of gender

Research Question

Why MMOs?

Popular already with men and women

Some support for multiple play styles

Why MMORPGs?

Quest-based structure

Quests supported by game mechanics

movementkilling

Why MMORPGs?

Quest-based structure

Quests supported by game mechanics

movementkillingsocial

Why MMORPGs?

Rich resources for questslogged player infountapped game mechanics

Research Question

Authorial burden

~8000 quests in World of Warcraft

Star Wars: The Old RepublicOver 12 writers for 2+ years

Overview

Research Question

Current Work

Future Work

Previous Work

Drama ManagementStand-in game designer

EMPath – integrated drama management in a real-time game

Previous Work

Drama Management is about managing an experience based on player history.

Quest generation is about creating an experience based on player history.

Related Work

Quest PatternsNeverWinter NightsC. Onuczko, et. al.

Charbitatlock and key questsCalvin Ashmore & Michael Nitsche

Proposed Work

Generating new style of goal-driven quests informed by player history.

Overview

Research Question

Current Work

Future Work

Proposed Systems

Quest Browseroffline computer-assisted goal-driven

quest authoring

Quest Generationonline automated player-informed quest generation

Progression

Create new goal-driven quest style

Quest browser improve domain knowledge

Quest generationmove towards more automation

New quest style

Move from task-oriented to goal-driven quests

Howling Fjord

Number of Quests

Kill # enemies15%

Kill named enemy15%

Get drops off killing enemies11%

Collect environmental objects20%

Talk to person13%

Other2%

Use Item8%

Explore5%

Delivery11%

Escort0%

Kill # enemies Kill named enemy Get drops off killing enemies

Collect environmental objects Delivery Explore

Escort Talk to person Other

Use Item

Howling FjordXP Gained

Other 0%

Talk to person 3%

Escort 0%

Explore 5%

Use Item 9%

Delivery 6%

Collect environmental objects 22% Get drops off killing enemies

Kill named enemy 21%

Kill # enemies 20%

Kill # enemies Kill named enemy Get drops off killing enemies

Collect environmental objects Delivery Explore

Escort Talk to person Other

Use Item

New quest style

Solution should not be the mysteryhigh material / low formal affordances

"I want something that will attract attention but have no real importance."

New quest style

Allow multiple solutionsincrease:

gender-inclusivenessplayer agency

Quest Browser

Help designer brainstorm quest solutions

Reduces time and effort to achievemultiple solutions

QuestBrowser architecture

QuestDesigner

Quest Browser

ConceptNet

ConceptNet is a common-sense knowledgebase

represented as a semantic network

crowdsourced corpus

Link types

CapableOfUsedForMadeOfLocationOfConceptuallyRelatedToThematicKLineSuperThematicKLine

Quest Browser

Underground

location

objective

ExportlocationOflink type

usedForlink type

underground

fungusrock water coalsewer

mineral hard breakmoon

skysatellite affect tide light

oremineburn

bioluminescenceedible

environmentquest type5quantity

Example

Then: Find 5 pieces of coal to light the darkened underground room.

Example

Now: Light the darkened underground room.

ConceptNet

underground

oremineburn

ConceptNet

underground

oremineburn

ConceptNet

underground

oremineburn

ConceptNet

underground

oremineburn

Output

Collection solution: Collect 5 pieces of coal to burn.Kill solution: Kill grues that collect bioluminescent fungus.Escort solution: Escort priest to safety and be rewarded with a shining moon rock.

Leveraging mechanics

Future additionsSocialClass-specific

Evaluation

Prototyped small experiencetask-based questgoal-directed quest

Looking for improved experience for both players and designers.

Overview

Research Question

Current Work

Future Work

Quest Generation

Move the tedious quest creation into the game

Leave complex and epic quest creation in the hands of designers

Move towards automation

Use domain knowledge gained by evaluationto inform generation

Player-informed quest generation

Player-informed quest generationlooks at player’s previous choices and uses this information to generate quests based on these decisions

Quest breakdown

Back story

Location

Objective

Reward

Data Mining

MMORPGs currently log information on each player

Each quest subsection can use this information.

Back story

Player-informed quest generationallows the player to create the storyabout something they are sure to care about:

Themselves

Back story

Example “You really did a great job helping Ben the guard yesterday take care of those orcs. Do you think you could help me?”

“You haven’t been in town for a while! Will you be around long enough to help me with a small problem?”

Location

Information about player’s movement style can be used for quest location.

Location

Example If a player travels to one location often, give quests situated along the way/near that location.

If the player tends to explore, give quests in a zone they haven’t been.

Objective

Offer objectives that support known player preference.

Objective

Example If a player tends to solve quests by collecting items, offer quests that allow for that type of solution.

If a player tends to group with a specific player, offer quests that require grouping to fulfill the solution.

Rewards

Character inventory and history can be used to generate “good” quest rewards.

Rewards

Example:Very weak item in one inventory slot compared to all other gear – offer an upgrade.

Uses a lot of healing potions in past – offer as reward.

Putting it all together

Profile:Player: JoeClass: PriestHas a large collection of non-combat pets.Spends most of his time in the main city chatting and emoting.

Quest: “Hi Joe, I’ve seen you around the city a lot lately. Given your knowledge of the area, perhaps you can help me. I have heard there is a secret passage in the city that I’d really like to check out. Do you think you could help me find it? If you do, I’ll give you this little kitten I found recently.”

Solutions:Ask other players for information leading to passage.Use /emotes with guards to convince them to tell him where they are.Help in the church infirmary, heal NPCs which give hints about location.

Doing this by hand is intractable.

Great place for generation.

Conclusion

QuestBrowser and player-informed quest generation increases player agency, with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer gameswhile decreasing authorial burden.

Thank you!

Questions?

Anne Sullivananne@soe.ucsc.eduhttp://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~anne/

gender-inclusive quest generation in massively multiplayer online role-playing games anne sullivan

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