Narrative Landscapes: Shaping Player Experience Through World - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Narrative Landscapes: Shaping Player Experience Through World - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Nov 02, 2023 11 likes •389 views

Narrative Landscapes: Shaping Player Experience Through World Geometry Brian Upton Senior Designer SCEA Santa Monica The Hero With a Thousand Faces The Hero With a Thousand Faces The Call to Adventure Crossing the Threshold

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Narrative Landscapes:

Shaping Player Experience Through World Geometry

Brian Upton Senior Designer SCEA – Santa Monica

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The Hero With a Thousand Faces

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The Hero With a Thousand Faces

The Call to Adventure Crossing the Threshold Heroic Adventures Return Home

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The Image of the City

Kevin Lynch 1960 Urban planning

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The Image of the City

Landmarks Paths Edges Nodes Districts

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Landmarks (“weenies”)

Attraction Triangulation Uniqueness Large vs. small

scale

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Paths

Explicit

Trails Corridors

Implicit

Gaps Obstacles

Momentum

Aimed exits

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Edges

Game state transitions Dramatic & gameplay

beats

Reveals

Vistas Overlooks Ambushes

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Nodes

Destinations Organized space “Conceptual walls” Dramatic weight

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Districts

Localized atmosphere Theming, not geometry

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Pitfalls

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The Same Damn Corridor

Lack of landmarks Over-use of paths Over-use of

instanced geometry

Symmetrical or

repetitive layout

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The Trackless Forest

Lack of paths Too many features

  • f equal weight

No clear bounds

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The Secret Passage

Misleading

weenies

Improper path

weights

Edges outside

  • f view cone
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The Shotgun Shack

Node-heavy levels Lack of anticipation Flat cadence

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The Weak Corner

Weak edges Piecemeal reveal Lack of dramatic beat Ambiguous state

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The Wrong Doorway

Scale mismatch

between edge/path and node

Failure to

foreshadow

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The Road to Nowhere

Missing node Lack of feeling of

accomplishment

Poor level flow

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The Missing Wall

Poorly defined

node

Ambiguous state Unintended path

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Cadence

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Path-Dominant Cadence

Amped Long linear levels Few nodes Few edges Emphasis on

continuous motion

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Edge-Dominant Cadence

Resident Evil Short sight lines Many corridors &

doorways

Continual dramatic

reveals

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Node-Dominant Cadence

Ico Open spaces Many elements

to interact with

No time pressure

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Emotion

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Creating Tension

Safety vs. danger Establishing expectations Consistent threat cues

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Rainbow 6: Claustrophobia

Short sight lines Many corners & doorways Safety on paths Danger at edges

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Ghost Recon: Agoraphobia

Long sight lines Few buildings Safety at edges Danger on paths

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Creating Wonder

Long paths Scale transitions Imposing landmarks Upward slopes

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Creating Triumph

Terminal nodes Foreshadowing Level-long approach

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Mapping Plot to Geometry

Emotional narrative Analogous to a musical score Embedded arcs

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Disneyland Again!

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Everybody Has a Laughing Place … .

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Discussion

bbupton@gmail.com