Serious Games & Game Design Lecture 1 : Intro & Game Engines Jay Crossler Senior Software Engineer www.crossler.com

Serious Games Highlights Related Knowledge Zones (Informal KM categories): Modeling and Simulation Education & Training Training Technologies Computing Methodologies Military Programs & Operations Military Simulation Systems Engineering Human Factors Engineering

Related Knowledge Zones (Informal KM categories):

Modeling and Simulation

Education & Training

Training Technologies

Computing Methodologies

Military Programs & Operations

Military Simulation

Systems Engineering

Human Factors Engineering

Serious Games MMOG - Massively multiplayer online games 1000’s of players simultaneously connecting (supported by 1000s of self-transforming machine elves) Sharing actions and state – millions of objects In persistent worlds “ Serious Games Initiative is focused on the uses of games in exploring management and leadership challenges facing the public sector …use of games in education, training, health, and public policy” Seriousgames.org Ultima Online – 1997 Origin Systems 6.5 million registered users

MMOG - Massively multiplayer online games

1000’s of players simultaneously connecting

(supported by 1000s of self-transforming machine elves)

Sharing actions and state – millions of objects

In persistent worlds

Ludology – social science analysis of games

Higher Education is supporting Ludology

Overcoming Negative Social Stigma Excerpt from Raph Koster’s Theory of Fun book

Related Areas: Virtual Economies

CMU: PeaceMaker - www.peacemakergame.com Simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center Aimed at conflict resolution and understanding Play as either the prime minister of Israel or The Palestinian president

Simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center

Aimed at conflict resolution and understanding

Play as either the prime minister of Israel or The Palestinian president

National Institute of Health games Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space Escape from Diab ( www.ArchimageOnline.com ) Collaborated with the Children's Nutritional Research Center of Baylor College of Medicine Help prevent childhood obesity and Type II diabetes "We want to get into kids' heads. Games are a channel that reaches children in a way they want to be reached,“ “ Players can learn through actual experience as we deliver positive messages," To successfully play the game, players must set and achieve real life diet and exercise goals.

Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space

Escape from Diab ( www.ArchimageOnline.com )

Collaborated with the Children's Nutritional Research Center of Baylor College of Medicine

Help prevent childhood obesity and Type II diabetes

"We want to get into kids' heads. Games are a channel that reaches children in a way they want to be reached,“

“ Players can learn through actual experience as we deliver positive messages,"

To successfully play the game, players must set and achieve real life diet and exercise goals.

Game Engines

Game Engines Typically tailored to a particular kind of game first person shooter (FPS) massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) A few game engines include facial animation toolkits (e.g. Source Engine) 3D graphics tools Physics engine Audio Animation Character “AI” Cost: ranges from open source (CrystalSpace) to $100K+ (Unreal Engine) Visual3D Architect .NET Screenshot RealmWare Corporation

Typically tailored to a particular kind of game

first person shooter (FPS)

massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)

A few game engines include facial animation toolkits (e.g. Source Engine)

3D graphics tools

Physics engine

Audio

Animation

Character “AI”

Torque and Microsoft XNA

Current Microsoft SDK Beliefs Visually stunning titles Half Life 2, Halo 2, Far Cry, Doom 3 Largest worlds Most detailed levels of realism Not just graphics: AI, physics, animation Longest development times Extensions Maya Max Photoshop Windows Shell Xbox 360/DirectX 10 Integration Increasing geometric detail 2K -> 5K -> 15K triangles/character More silhouette More shadow detail Offload common functions to the GPU Variable Transparency Mapping Unsorted Transparency Tessellation & Displacement Game GPU Direct3D D3DX

Visually stunning titles

Half Life 2, Halo 2, Far Cry, Doom 3

Largest worlds

Most detailed levels of realism

Not just graphics: AI, physics, animation

Longest development times

Extensions

Maya

Max

Photoshop

Windows Shell

Xbox 360/DirectX 10 Integration

Increasing geometric detail

2K -> 5K -> 15K triangles/character

More silhouette

More shadow detail

Game Engine List Engines: Torque – Low cost set of engines (2D, 3D, 3D+Shaders), large dev community 3D Game Studio – Hundreds of games, C-script, many libraries of pre-made games OGRE – Scene-oriented, 3D engine, open source, Basic Physics Crystal Space – Used for Modeling and Simulation, Physics engine, True 6DOF Many others at http://www.devmaster.net/engines/ Terrain Tools: L3DT – “Plugable” Terrain Generation engine, low cost, importing into Torque Terragen 2 – Amazing photorealistic terrains and terrain imagery – More real than real “ Mod” tools: Return to Castle Wofenstein / Enemy Territory - Based upon an older version of the Quake engine. Quake III - One of the most heavily modified games ever. id has announced they will make the game code open source. Counter Strike - A great starting point for tactical & law enforcement sims and FPS Counter Strike: Source - A rebuild of the original but to use the Source engine. Despite using the Source engine, you can "dial down" the graphics and effects to make this run on a more modest PC

Engines:

Torque – Low cost set of engines (2D, 3D, 3D+Shaders), large dev community

3D Game Studio – Hundreds of games, C-script, many libraries of pre-made games

OGRE – Scene-oriented, 3D engine, open source, Basic Physics

Crystal Space – Used for Modeling and Simulation, Physics engine, True 6DOF

Many others at http://www.devmaster.net/engines/

Terrain Tools:

L3DT – “Plugable” Terrain Generation engine, low cost, importing into Torque

Terragen 2 – Amazing photorealistic terrains and terrain imagery – More real than real

“ Mod” tools:

Return to Castle Wofenstein / Enemy Territory - Based upon an older version of the Quake engine.

Quake III - One of the most heavily modified games ever. id has announced they will make the game code open source.

Counter Strike - A great starting point for tactical & law enforcement sims and FPS

Counter Strike: Source - A rebuild of the original but to use the Source engine. Despite using the Source engine, you can "dial down" the graphics and effects to make this run on a more modest PC

Game Engine List More “Mod” tools: Call of Duty - COD2 added a smarter AI. Tool support is really just for the map editor and not really for the program logic. Unreal Run-time - This is free and can be downloaded from the Unreal Dev site. Very well documented - UT/editor documentation can be applied pretty easily as well. Medal of Honor franchise - Based on the older Quake engine so modest resource requirements. Halo (PC) – Works on a very large number of machines and not just to the hardware extreme. You can only make levels for an add-in multiplayer environment. Empire Earth II - An RTS favorite. Much more modest graphics and physics than Empire Earth III. Has a map tool but no way to re-write the application logic. Rise of Nations - Comes with a map editor and a script editor for editing the logic of the game. The scripting environment is specific to this platform but uses an event-driven paradigm that is widely used elsewhere - conceptual you get some mileage out of that investment. You can create scenarios that are modern - good for simulations. Warhammer 40,000 - The game as a very good RTS engine in it and Relic clearly knows its stuff in this genre. The Relic developer site looks informative and has lots of tutorial and map-making information. NeverWinter Nights - Used for several studies or experiments discussed in journal articles from the IEEE, ACM, etc. If you buy the DVD version you get lots of product for your money. Tools are easy enough for school kids to use.

More “Mod” tools:

Call of Duty - COD2 added a smarter AI. Tool support is really just for the map editor and not really for the program logic.

Unreal Run-time - This is free and can be downloaded from the Unreal Dev site. Very well documented - UT/editor documentation can be applied pretty easily as well.

Medal of Honor franchise - Based on the older Quake engine so modest resource requirements.

Halo (PC) – Works on a very large number of machines and not just to the hardware extreme. You can only make levels for an add-in multiplayer environment.

Empire Earth II - An RTS favorite. Much more modest graphics and physics than Empire Earth III. Has a map tool but no way to re-write the application logic.

Rise of Nations - Comes with a map editor and a script editor for editing the logic of the game. The scripting environment is specific to this platform but uses an event-driven paradigm that is widely used elsewhere - conceptual you get some mileage out of that investment. You can create scenarios that are modern - good for simulations.

Warhammer 40,000 - The game as a very good RTS engine in it and Relic clearly knows its stuff in this genre. The Relic developer site looks informative and has lots of tutorial and map-making information.

NeverWinter Nights - Used for several studies or experiments discussed in journal articles from the IEEE, ACM, etc. If you buy the DVD version you get lots of product for your money. Tools are easy enough for school kids to use.