Active Time Games

TechnoGoth · 2005-02-28T07:48:14

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?

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by TechnoGoth February 24, 2005 05:27 PM

11 comments, last by superpig 19 years, 11 months ago

Sir Sapo

769

February 27, 2005 12:40 PM

Quote:
Original post by lonesock

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?).

Now that is a cool idea

My Current Project Angels 22 (4E5)

umbrae

308

February 28, 2005 07:30 AM

Quote:
Original post by lonesock

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?).

I really like this idea, and I also like zombies, here is my extension.

Same restart with new information idea, unlimited retries.

You start in a zombie infested city, you don't remember anything but you start with one clue. You have to battle your way through zombie attacks long enough to find out the next bit of the story. You are infected and so you die after a little while anyway (timer on screen). So you keep trying to get more info on what you are supposed to do. No saves etc. And the last 'manoeuvre' has to be quite difficult to be able to finish the game.

And once you have finished the game, at least you can still shoot zombies. :)

superpig

1,826

February 28, 2005 07:48 AM

Quote:
Original post by Sir Sapo
Quote:
Original post by lonesock

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?).

Now that is a cool idea

Sounds like 'Tru Calling' [smile]

Scripted events that happen independent of player interaction can be good, but you need to make damn sure that the player knows what's going on. If you're walking around exploring and suddenly get a 'mission failed' gameover because something happened the other side of the map, you'll be pissed off. If you tell the player "the motorcade will be passing at 12:30" then you need to make it easy for them to check the game time and see how long it is until 12:30.

Another thing is that active time events can - and should - still allow the player to mess with the proceedings. Say there's an enemy contingent due to arrive in my town by crossing a bridge over the river. They're going to arrive at a specific time. If I can get to the bridge and blow it up, they have to go around the other way, giving me an extra half hour to prepare things before they arrive. The event still happens regardless of what I do, but precisely when and how it happens can still be altered by my actions (e.g. the other bridge isn't strong enough for the tanks to cross so they get left behind).

Richard "Superpig" Fine - saving pigs from untimely fates - Microsoft DirectX MVP 2006/2007/2008/2009
"Shaders are not meant to do everything. Of course you can try to use it for everything, but it's like playing football using cabbage." - MickeyMouse

Active Time Games

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