What is an Active Time Game? Well, the answer is an active time game is one in which the game takes place at a set speed for a fixed duration of time. Now the time componet could be real time hours, game turns, or game days, however the game choices to measure time. Now as opposed to a regular game an active time game has events occur at certain times regardless of whether the player is involved in them or not. The idea behind active time games is that the player tries to acchomplish Whatever they choose to experince and become involved in the story as much as can and want to. The game ends when certain conditions are met such as the game time experining, the player dying or any number of other possible end game states that designer decides to include. When the game end the players sees an end game resolution which is determined by the choices they made, the evnts they helped shape and their acchomplishments or failures. I'll use the following scenario based on a short story I wrote to give people a better idea of how this could work: Title: A Knights Work Time scale: real time Duration: 4 hours 0:00 - Game opens on a roof top, the Main Character(MC) an assassin is waiting for her target to exit the building and board a waiting street jumper. 0:05 - Target exits the buildings roof top entrence. 0:07 - Target Boards the street jumper and takes off. Here we can see the first event state - if the player doesn't kill their target before he boards the street jumper then they will have failed that mission. Failing or completeing the mission doesn't cause the game to end but it but the outcome will contribute to the end game resolution. The game then continues as the player procceedes to their next target followed by the main story arch of trying to track down your third and final target before his allies can smuggle him out of the city, while you avoid their attempts to stop you. Not all events are triggered at key times, some are player driven and others can be shaped by the players actions. Some events may be critical to subplots or the main one and if the player fails these events then that plotline may never be expeinced or the player maybe be unable to achive a satifactory conclusion to it. So what do people think of the idea of active times games? Ideally they would be highly replayable with many diffrent possible end game resolutions to experince. What furthter thoughts and use for active time games do people see? Now, while many would say that active time games would have to be short ones that not nessarily true it could be used for much longer games such rpgs. If it was how would people feel about that? Assuming that in the case of an rpg that while crucial plot events could be missed or failed, the player will always be able to make it to the climax if the want to. But they could always choose to stay at home and decorate their house rather then stop the devil king from destroying the world. Lastly I personally feel that active time games are the first step in designing gameplay for story. Comments?

So when you say "Active Time Game" I assume you mean that game time progresses whether or not the player is present, such as in the web based game Planetarion or whatever it is called! Is that right?

Assuming it is, I personally don't think it is a perfect solution. Take your example of someone having to leave midgame, wouldn't it just be annoying and ruin suspension of disbelief if your player couldn't save the world because of a family emergency/late for an appointment/cat stuck up a tree/whatever?

I can see what you're getting at and I like it. The fact that the story will carry on regardless and you don't end up with situations where the player can go sit in a corner and the world will never be destroyed because the story is revolving around the player. I think it's a nice step in the right direction but needs some refinement.

I also wonder if you refer to a single or multiplayer game? Not that it matters much, but it could make a difference as to how the player being absent is perceived by the gameworld. If it was multiplayer then the focus would not be so much on the player, but on the community as a whole, so perhaps players coming and going would not be such a big issue in that case.

Maybe this is related (maybe not) but what bothers me are what appear to be timed events but are actually triggered events.

You must reach city X before Bad Guy gets there!

You feel like you have to hurry, the game imposes this sense of urgency... but in actuality the Bad Guy will never get there before you do. Spend some time goofing off, get some more XP, and then wander over at your leisure. When you arrive - aha! You just barely beat him!

I don't know if the entire game should function on a real-time level, but time-sensitive events *should be* time sensitive.

Another example is in HL2 where you're stuck in a prison block area and you have to set up the turrets to defend yourself. You hear the guards running towards the area, you can hear their radio chatter, and Alec (is that her name?) is shouting at you over your own radio to hurry up! They're on their way! Get those turrets set up!

It took me a little while to realize that the guards weren't going to arrive until the last turret was in place. I could take all the time I needed to gather supplies and carefully position the turrets. The first few times through that scene I was stressed out, running around like a mad-man trying to get it all ready. When I finally realized that it was just a trigger, I felt at once relieved that I could think things through a bit more, but also disappointed that it broke the tension, the "realism" of the scenario. Now it was just a game again, and I could exploit my knowledge of the game mechanic to win.

I like it!

How would you handle replay? For example, there's a plot twist where your partner is really a bad guy, so in the replay you shoot him in the head within 10 minutes. Does the game stop ("You've killed your partner! You sadistic jerk! Game Over!")? Do you spend the rest of your time running from the Police?

An interesting (to me) alternative would be a game crafted around a plot like in Groundhog Day. Where the actual game time is short (20 minutes - 1 hour?) so it could be played in one sitting, but then you restart that period, and must use the knowledge you gained in the last pass to do more investigation, whatever. The tension could be that you have a limited number of retries, with some randomness (10 +- random * 2), so you need to learn a lot on each pass. And maybe some events are permanent, so for example: each time you kill someone they are mysteriously dead at the beginning of the next pass (maybe the player could find a newspaper somewhere in the world, and look at the obituary page?).

Anyway, I'm rambling...

Your concept of 'active time games' is rather old. It used to be referred to as games with scripted events. If you imagine a blackbox X that controls the behavior, Y, of the world, then 'active time games' simply means that Y is produced by X, where one of the independent variable is time. Y=X(t,...). This system is pervalent in game mechanisms and level design, the most obvious examples are the scenarios in strategy games. Puzzle games, text-based adventure, action, all use this type of mechanism.

The main concern of scripted event is the vulnerability to disturbances. The script X is vulnerable when Y=X(t,...) does not produce a sensical result. For example, at 0:04 you totally blocked roof entrance. When the target get to the door, what will the target do?

The parallel concept of 'active time games' is simulation, where Y is dependent on the current state Y[n+1]=X(Y(n),...). This reduces the vulnerability of the scripted event. Simiulation is in general more interactive and less prone to vulnerability.

An effect of scripted event can be done using simulation, where the previously scripted events, E[n], serves as suggestions at time index n. In other words: Y[n+1]=X(Y[n],E[n],...). E[n], in effect, is the short-term objective that that will influence, but does not dictate the decision of the agent. More complex objective based simulation involves putting the objectives in a buffer where they are evaluated before one is chosen.

This introduces complexity that may be undesirable. The simpler alternative is to limit the options of the player. For example, the player in your example may only be given two option: stalk, or snipe. By stalking, the player does not disturb the flow of the script, and by snipping the script can be terminated.



[Edited by - Estok on February 25, 2005 3:11:49 PM]

Quote:

Original post by Mephs So when you say "Active Time Game" I assume you mean that game time progresses whether or not the player is present, such as in the web based game Planetarion or whatever it is called! Is that right?

Yes, thats exactly what I mean.

Quote:

I can see what you're getting at and I like it. The fact that the story will carry on regardless and you don't end up with situations where the player can go sit in a corner and the world will never be destroyed because the story is revolving around the player. I think it's a nice step in the right direction but needs some refinement.

How would you go about refining it? Do you have any ideas on how to improve this rough concept?

Quote:

Original post by Taolung Maybe this is related (maybe not) but what bothers me are what appear to be timed events but are actually triggered events. You must reach city X before Bad Guy gets there! You feel like you have to hurry, the game imposes this sense of urgency... but in actuality the Bad Guy will never get there before you do. Spend some time goofing off, get some more XP, and then wander over at your leisure. When you arrive - aha! You just barely beat him! I don't know if the entire game should function on a real-time level, but time-sensitive events *should be* time sensitive. Another example is in HL2 where you're stuck in a prison block area and you have to set up the turrets to defend yourself. You hear the guards running towards the area, you can hear their radio chatter, and Alec (is that her name?) is shouting at you over your own radio to hurry up! They're on their way! Get those turrets set up! It took me a little while to realize that the guards weren't going to arrive until the last turret was in place. I could take all the time I needed to gather supplies and carefully position the turrets. The first few times through that scene I was stressed out, running around like a mad-man trying to get it all ready. When I finally realized that it was just a trigger, I felt at once relieved that I could think things through a bit more, but also disappointed that it broke the tension, the "realism" of the scenario. Now it was just a game again, and I could exploit my knowledge of the game mechanic to win.

These are exactly the kinds of situations I detest in games. It would add a great deal to the suspense if I knew that I only had so much time to set up the turrets before the enemy got there. Think of tension that would build up as you scramble to set the turrets while in the distants you hear the sounds of rapidly approaching enemy troops.

Quote:

Original post by lonesock I like it! How would you handle replay? For example, there's a plot twist where your partner is really a bad guy, so in the replay you shoot him in the head within 10 minutes. Does the game stop ("You've killed your partner! You sadistic jerk! Game Over!")? Do you spend the rest of your time running from the Police?

That would depend on how well the game was designed, But ideally the design should be malluable enough to accomidate these kinds of actions. What makes things intersting is creating divergent behavior in the player as a result of their actions. For instance your partners a crook but he does help you out at few points maybe even saved your life last time round. Now that he's dead the player has to overcome those obstacles themselves that their partner previously help them on, as well a deal with new ones. Such as the police are after you for murder now.

Further interest is added by allowing the player to utilize past knowledge to some degree in replays. So you know your partners is a crook and killing him only brings trouble from the cops, then perhaps you can find proof that he's a crook before he double crossess you? or perhaps even get him to reform?

Quote:

Original post by Estok Your concept of 'active time games' is rather old. It used to be referred to as games with scripted events. If you imagine a blackbox X that controls the behavior, Y, of the world, then 'active time games' simply means that Y is produced by X, where one of the independent variable is time. Y=X(t,...). This system is pervalent in game mechanisms and level design, the most obvious examples are the scenarios in strategy games. Puzzle games, text-based adventure, action, all use this type of mechanism. The main concern of scripted event is the vulnerability to disturbances. The script X is vulnerable when Y=X(t,...) does not produce a sensical result. For example, at 0:04 you totally blocked roof entrance. When the target get to the door, what will the target do? The parallel concept of 'active time games' is simulation, where Y is dependent on the current state Y[n+1]=X(Y(n),...). This reduces the vulnerability of the scripted event. Simiulation is in general more interactive and less prone to vulnerability. An effect of scripted event can be done using simulation, where the previously scripted events, E[n], serves as suggestions at time index n. In other words: Y[n+1]=X(Y[n],E[n],...). E[n], in effect, is the short-term objective that that will influence, but does not dictate the decision of the agent. More complex objective based simulation involves putting the objectives in a buffer where they are evaluated before one is chosen. This introduces complexity that may be undesirable. The simpler alternative is to limit the options of the player. For example, the player in your example may only be given two option: stalk, or snipe. By stalking, the player does not disturb the flow of the script, and by snipping the script can be terminated.

Most games are scripted games, but the problem with them is that the script triggers are almost always triggered solely by player actions, and where the player's inactions have no bearing on the game. You can spend as long as you want preparing to raid the wizards tower to save the princess and you will always arrive just in the nick of time. The idea of active time game is to remove this factor and instead allow the game to incorperate the fact the player arrives early, on time, late, or not at all.

In order to full realize this concept though an active time game must incorpate a blending of scripted actions and generated content. Thus creating more diversity in the game and reducing the burden on the designer. By creating a system by which scripted events are malluable, meaning the game can take into account the players actions and alter the events accordingly, players could begin to experince games truely customized to their own playing style. This may of course lead us off into a tangent from the original topic but it is still worth mentioning I feel.

Quote:

Most games are scripted games, but the problem with them is that the script triggers are almost always triggered solely by player actions, and where the player's inactions have no bearing on the game. You can spend as long as you want preparing to raid the wizards tower to save the princess and you will always arrive just in the nick of time. The idea of active time game is to remove this factor and instead allow the game to incorperate the fact the player arrives early, on time, late, or not at all.

I was not referring to these mechanism at all. In my post i specifically stated that the mechanism that I described depends on time. For example, in a strategy game scenario, the enemies can be scripted to attack your base at 13:00 no matter whether the player is prepared or not. This mecahanism is exactly the same as what you have described as 'active time game'. I am telling you that it is not a new topic, and that many examples and resources exist for implementing it.

There are two ways to look at customization. The trigger based mechanism you mentioned above (where t is not an independent variable), is a form of customization. It is a mechanism that allows the game to proceed at the pace the player desires. Imagine this conversation:

TesterA: You should make the enmies come later so that I have more time to prepare my expensive units that will squash them like bugs, which is my style of and my definition of fun.
TesterB: You should make them come earlier. I am a minimalist, I have been sitting there just waiting for them to come.
Designer: How about I make a trigger so that the enemy will come when you are 'ready?'
TesterA and B: That would be great, what a brilliant idea!

Several months later:

TesterC: You know what the game is kind of stupid, it lets me build up all I want, shouldn't it start attacking when it is ready? instead of always letting me attack first? (possibility exploiter, does the max as long as the the game permits)
Designer: How about I make the enmy start attacking at a set time no matter whether you are ready or not?
TesterC: What a great idea!

Which method is more suitable to satisfy player styles?

Again, 'active time games' concept is not new, there are more examples of not only the implementations of it but also the simplifications (this implies that 'active time' does not necessarily reduce the burden of the designer as you suggested):

Many dialogue games are 'active time games'. They are not real-time, they retrict the options of the player, and they only allow the player to make decisions at chosen points. But they are 'active time games'. Example:
In a dating sim game in which the main gameplay involves the player scheduling the activities for the morning, noon, and evening, the player plays a game of 'getting prepared' for the scripted events on the calendar, such as exams, competitions, festivals, etc..., as well as other hidden events not on the calendar. Wehether the player is prepared or not the events still go on (some can actually be inhibited) as scheduled, and the subsequent hidden events are triggered by different the performance and decisions of the player. In these machanism there is also a use of 'habits ' or behavior patterns, for example, the player might discover that a certain npc always appear at certain location on Wednesdays.

[Edited by - Estok on February 27, 2005 2:05:59 AM]