Rules for role play in Virtual Game Worlds - Case study: The Pataphysic Institute

Rules for role play
in virtual game worlds
Case study:
The Pataphysic Institute

DAC 2009
Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari
Gotland University, Sweden

Michael Mateas
University of California Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

Outline

1. Background:

Role-play and self-play in

MMOs

2. Agent Architecture:
The Mind Module

3. Prototype:

The Pataphysic Institute

Mirjam P Eladhari, Michael Mateas University of California Santa Cru


Role-playing against all
odds in VGWs
• Role-play (RP) in commercial MMORPGs is seldom
supported by the game mechanics.
• The game play is based on rule-sets following design
paradigms set back in the seventies (D&D, MUD)
which, as Copier (2007) shows, encourages
instrumental game play.
• RP in MMORPGs mostly rely on meta-game rules
since RP is hard to capture in a system.
• Copier describes a speciﬁc MMORPG play-style as
characterised by negotiation of principles of these
meta-game rules.



Self-play

• The majority of players in MMOs don’t
role-play – they self-play!
• Role-players adopt ﬁctional roles that they
author continuously by ’staying in
character’ – they behave via their avatars
as their ﬁctional characters would behave.
• Self-players play as themselves, as they
would behave as if they were f. ex. dwarfs
in a tolkienesque LOTR world.



Research questions
• How can game rules for MMOs be designed to
support RP?
• How can self-play be done more interesting?


//tension between game-narrative: I never believed it in. Rulesets just not good enough, not accomodating. Im trying. Michael and andrew
overcame it fascade.

Research questions
support RP?

Potential Answers
• By improving the characterising action potential
(CAP) of avatars to:
• Cater for complex, interesting avatars
• support players in expressing the character of their avatars in
a consistent way (i.e. “stay in character”)
• To make sure that the rule-system of an MMO incorporates
CAP in the game mechanics. (i.e. that avatars’ actions are
characterising for particular avatars)


//tension between game-narrative: I never believed it in. Rulesets just not good enough, not accomodating. Im trying. Michael and andrew
overcame it fascade.

support Role-Play in
VGWs?
• Cater for complex, interesting
avatars
• support players in expressing
consistent, interesting player
characters in VGWs?
• body-language etc.
• Support by rule system in order to
make the actions performed
characterising for particular avatars.
Mirjam P Eladhari, Michael University of California Sant
Mateas Cruz


Characterising Action
Potential (CAP)

CAP is what characters can do at a
given moment that characterise
them,

both in terms of observable behaviour and in expression of true character
- a character's essential nature, expressed by the choices a character
makes.

The observable characteristics include visual appearance, what body
language characters use, what sounds they make, what they say, and
most important, what they do and how they behave.



Experimental set-up
• Agent architecture: The Mind Module (used
by both avatars and autonomous entities)

• Prototype Game World: The Pataphysic
Institute
• Play-tests and interviews which are video
taped and transcribed verbatim. Allows
assessment of:
• Interaction

• Players’ attitudes

• Players’ mental models of system.



Mind Module
for semiautonomous
agents - avatars.


The Mind Module
• Spreading Activation Network of Affect nodes
• Semiautonomous agent architecture.
• Semiautonomous agents are partly controlled
by their players, and partly controlled by
context-sensitive action potential and
expression possibilities, as well as by varying
degrees of autonomous reactions to in-game
situations speciﬁc to the VGW the agents
inhabits.
• Gives avatars virtual minds in addition to virtual
bodies.



Affect Nodes of MM



Personality Trait Nodes

Deﬁne avatar personality

Traits: Five Factor Model

Mirjam P Eladhari, Michael Mateas University of California Santa Cruz

personality, 'the name we give to those reaction tendencies that are consistent over situations and time'
//in Moffat's cite{Moffat97} words(p. 133).

Emotion Nodes

16
Active emotion
nodes deﬁne how
an avatars feels
‘right now’


ontology, all references to latour,
emotion nodes are not binary. Joy is not opposite to sorrow or anguish. It is either there or not, but in different intensities.

Mood

Deﬁne how an
avatar feel today


deconstruction and reconstruction of mind. Breaking into small pieces to understand
(5 major branches of personality psychology - which branch, which theory in branch?.
Which emotions? Subjective pick. Ease of use. Mood - compound state - depends on both current and prior contexts. not so much
written about it.

Sentiment
An emotional disposition towards a specific
object or class of objects.

Define how particular
avatars generally feel
about specific things



Pataphysic Institute
Emotional combat system!

Personality trait based characters!

Player-created bosses!

Manifestations of own traumas and epiphanies!


Pataphysic Institute

• Prototype virtual game world where the
personalities of the inhabitants are the
base for the game mechanics.

• When interacting with other characters, the
action potential depends upon the player
character's current mood and personality



rch
tal resea
o
ri men Aim is t
Expe type - rch
to resea o
Production
pro wers to hip t
ns ts
get a tions, no
ques market

PI is built in the company Pixeltamer's framework for web
based multiplayer games and is played in a web browser
through a Java applet.

PI is an application developed for conducting experimental
game design research using iterative design and guided
play tests. The MM is used as a library.
• Programming of Client and Server by Christoph Pech.

• IPIP NEO - scoring system and report routines provided by John A.
Johnson, rewritten to C++ by Christoph Pech

• Graphics: 3DS Max models by Ola Persson

• Level-design by Musse Dolk

• Scripting by Johan Sköld



Design of PI informed by prior
play-tests
Further information in:
Emotional Attachments for Story
Construction in Virtual Game
Worlds, Eladhari M.P, DIGRA09
September 2009

Semi-Autonomous Avatars in
World of Minds - A Case Study of
AI-based Game Design, by
Eladhari M.P., Mateas M. ACE2008,
December 3 – 5 2008, Yokohama,
Japan

Good Moods – Outlook, Affect and
Mood in Dynemotion and the
Mind Module , by Eladhari M.P.,
Sellers M, FuturePlay 2008,
November 2 – 5, 2008, Toronto,
Canada

Sentiments, personality, mood. But here concentrating on the game mechanics as a whole and it’s CAP.

• Play-tests and interviews which are video taped and transcribed verbatim. Allows assessment of:

• Interaction

• Players’ attitudes

• Players’ mental models of system.

e
ttributes th
sym bolically a
ons, which y)
ag inary soluti ents” (Jarr
s: "the sc ience of im , to their lineam
pataphysic ir virtuality
ibed by the

Back-story
escr
f objects, d
p roperties o

• In PI, reality has been replaced by the inhabitants
interpretation of reality, and their mental states
are manifested physically in the environment.
• The head of human resources at PI has taken upon
himself the task of understanding the new and
unknown world by applying personality theories. He
forces everyone in PI to take personality tests, and
studies what types of abilities these persons get:
Mind Magic Spells.
• Teresa focuses on the ﬁnding that social
interactions between people suddenly in acutely
concrete emotional reactions. She calls these
Affective Actions (AAs), and tries to understand her
changed environment by studying the patterns of
these.

Katherine: In that moment, when the collected staff was confronted with the brutal evidence of the suicide, the membrane between reality as
we know it and the projections of mind was ripped apart. Creatures looking as if taken from some old surreal paintings spawned in the room.
I got the feeling they somehow came from the staff, that they were manifestations of things in their minds.

emergency response group: As we entered the facilities of PI we encountered several unexpected phenomena. The man known as Karl Sundgren had gone
through a most peculiar transformation and acted as some kind of gate keeper. He only let us in if he got to run his personality tests on us. He used to be head
of the Human Resource Department and claimed ‘it was for our own good.

Karl claims there is a system for how to use the mind that needs to be investigated further […] We recommend that colleagues venturing into the facilities
take the utmost caution. Depending on what you bring in as emotional baggage and how you act the PI can be either your personal purgatory or your
personal paradise.
We also recommend colleagues to be prepared to help each other – the expression ‘No man is an island’ has never been more true.

Basic Game Play

• Players need to defeat physical manifestations of
negative mental states by using
• Spells
• Affective actions
• The spells available to characters depends on their
personality and current mood.
• The affective actions available to a character
depend on the current mood.


The AAs mimic the way humans affect each other emotionally through interactions such as encouragements or insults. The mind magic spells
are more traditional from a game history perspective where the target of a spell not necessarily needs to have chosen this interaction. From a
social interaction perspective a simile could be to use a love potion bought from a witch-doctor, in the belief that emotions can be forced. In PI
they can be.

The gate keeper


Character Creation

Big Five (OCEAN, FFM)
assessed using IPIP
NEO


(Video Clip)


Mind Module Info
Sarah’s ﬁrst personality spell is Dull Pain,
which diminishes the emotion Anguish in the target

personality, emotions, mood. What is visible to player about her avatar

Mood status display


what is visible about the state of self to others.

In PI, PCs can see what mood other PCs are in by the colour of the mood aura, which is a transparent half-bubble displayed on the head of PCs
as shown in them middle picture of Figure.The colour and shade of the colour reﬂects the current position in the mood co-ordinate system. In
the picture to the left the white dot in the middle in the mood co-ordinate system is the position of the PC Emil's mood, which was neutral at
the time when the screen dump was taken. In the ﬁgure to the right the white dot shows the PC Neurotica's mood, which was in the jubilant
space of the mood co-ordinate system.

Dialog with Karl


The Gate Keeper has looked at the ﬁles and seen that the dominant facet is agreeableness and the neuro trait with the highest value is
vulnerability - > gives the spell Dull pain.

Karl: “what I can do and can’t do is tied to my mood! The mood seems to be connected to my personality and my emotions. I think its like that
for all of us. But we seem to be able to gain more resistance and energy as we learn to act in this world.”

Node Weights

Karl: what I can do and can’t do is tied to my mood! The mood seems to be connected to my
personality and my emotions. I think its like that for all of us. But we seem to be able to gain more
resistance and energy as we learn to act in this world.

Personality Trait -> Emotion Emotion -> Mood

Personality traits affect how strongly characters feel emotions. Emotions affect characters’ mood.
Personality traits affect how strongly characters feel emotions. Emotions affect characters’ mood.

Mind energy and
resistance

Karl: what I can do and can’t do is tied to my mood! The mood seems to be connected to my
personality and my emotions. I think its like that for all of us. But we seem to be able to gain more
resistance and energy as we learn to act in this world.

A character has a pool of Mind Energy (ME) and Mind Resistance (MR). The maximum amount of possible MR and ME increases with the
level of the character. Levels are gained for a PC as it gains experience points (XP).
Mind Energy is used when the character performs action, as a cost. Mind Resistance is lost if the character is attacked by another entity.

MR and ME is regenerated over time. The rate of the regeneration depends on the mood of the character. Inner Mood is tied to the generation
of mind resistance while Outer Mood is tied to the regeneration of Mind Energy

Teresa:

Affective actions are quite remarkable. They force an emotional reaction! If
you are in a receptive mood that is.

Teresa

Second character a player meets is Teresa.
Affective actions are quite remarkable. They force an emotional reaction! If you are in a receptive mood that is.
asks player to try on her

Mood Area restrictions
for affective actions
Teresa:

Affective actions are quite remarkable. They force an
emotional reaction! If you are in a receptive mood that is.

Players can perform affective actions
towards other characters in order to
change their mental state in both
positive and negative ways. By affecting
others mood's the selection of their
available spells and AAs is changed.

Example:
The AA Comfort can be used
successfully on targets that have an
active emotion node of Sadness, but
only if the player's own avatar is not in
the area of Furious on the mood co-
ordinate system



Affective actions

(Video Clip)

Sarah opens the AA window. She performs a joke on kyle. She opens her mind window. Kyle laughs at her joke. Sarah’s mood changes.

Manifestations
Single Sentiment Manifestations (SSMs) Compound Manifestations (CMs)
- origin in a single emotion
- unique, that is, there is only one
- limited amount of mental resistance - CMs are stronger than SSMs in
and energy. terms of larger maximum
amounts of MR and ME
- The spells an SSM can cast increase
the value of 'their' emotion in targeted - more versatile in their behaviour,
entity. they can cast both spells and
AAs.
Instantiation: scripted or created
automatically when avatars experience - In order to vanquish a CM
strong emotions. For example, if a PC generally several players need to
'feels' a Joy intensely the SSM Joy Jumbo co-operate.
is instantiated in proximity to the PC.
Instantiation: CMs are scripted or
authored by players.

As such, they are manifestations of the state of mind of the inhabitants of the world. Have full MMs.

SSM Example


Colossuses of Confusion spawning when
confusion in avatar becomes intense

An avatar - mirjame - trying to battle the Customs, who keeps trumpeting irrelevant questions and draining energy.
Confusion is in maximum value - small colossuses spawned. (emotions going out of bounds)

Curses and Blessings

• Avatars can be affected by the spells
Sentiment Curse and Sentiment Blessing.
• Sentiment Curse gives an avatar a strong
negative sentiment that has a zero decay
rate.
• Example: curse of Guilt.

The way to get rid of this sentiment is to
create a manifestation of guilt.
(Externalise it)

Sentiment Blessings are different from curses in the way that the emotion attached to the sentiment is positive, it could for example be Joy. The
player might want to keep the blessing or curse instead of 'externalising' it as a CM if it affects the mood of the avatar in a way that the player
ﬁnds desirable. However, if a CM is instantiated it can cast beneﬁcial spells on other players, or can help vanquish other CMs. Which spells
CMs of the curse/blessing type can cast on entities in proximity depends on which emotion they represent. CMs cast the emotion spell that
increase the emotion they represent.

Player created CM

(Video Clip)

Create Compound Manifestation. Kyle is cursed. Guilt. He is depressed. He does not want this. Externalise. Make compound
manifestation.
(click)
Opens window for making a CM.
K
explain window. - self-play role-play authoring. K.
Grandmother is spawned. System message to all players.

The manifestation of guilt
is loose in the institute.

Time to use spells.

Mind Magic spells (MMSs) can help or damage (in terms of MR and ME) characters that the spells are used on.
There is a standard set of spells. Benevolent spells can be used on Self, on other characters, and on Manifestations. Harming spells can be used
on Manifestations. The spells characters can learn depend on their personality traits.

The types of spells that affect the pools of MR and ME which can be used differ with the mood of the spell-caster. The action potential
regarding these spells reﬂect the mood of the casting character, as illustrated in Figure ref{ﬁg-spells-mood}. For example, a character in a
furious mood can cast aggressive spells, while a character in a harmonic mood can cast benevolent spells helping her friends.

MR-ME Resistance Aid Mood Area
restrictions
Spells for spells

Energy
Aggression
Rush

Resistance Drain
Energy Drain

Mood Area
The more extreme the mood is the, the restrictions
more powerful spell is available.
for MR-ME
Increasing specialisation. Neutral: full spells
range of weak spells.


The more extreme the mood is the, the more powerful spell.
Increasing specialisation. Neutral: full range of weak spells.

MR-ME
Spells

regeneration of energy
regeneration of resistance
role depending on mood.
personality deﬁne trend of mood ﬂuctuation

regeneration rates.

The well-known notions of role taking from MMORPGs where avatars normally have functions such as 'tank', 'healer' or 'damage dealer' are
comparable to possible avatar-roles in PI. However, where in MMORPGs the role normally is given by character class, it is in PI given by an
avatar's
personality. The role of tank index{tank} in a group of avatars engaging in combat in a MMORPG means that the avatar tanking takes the
damage dealt by opponents. The tank protects the other members of the group by making sure that the opponent's aggression is directed to
her.
The damage dealer index{damage dealer} normally lacks health and resistance to be able to be in direct contact with the opponent, but may
be located a bit further away from the tank and the opponent while using powerful ranged attacks. The role of the healerindex{healer} is to
heal the tank, and if needed also the damage dealer or herself. For an extensive explanation of the game-play strategies involved in these roles,
please refer to Musse Dolk's MMORPG Gamer's handbook shortcite{dolk08}.
In PI, a neurotic introvert avatar would be an eminent damage dealer since the avatar's current mood would easily move towards the
depressed mood spaces which are required to be in, in order to casts spell decreasing the mind energy of opponents. Another type of effective
damage dealer would be an avatar with a neurotic extravert personality, who quickly could generate both energy and resistance if in a mood
of fury while damaging the pool of resistance of the opponent. An avatar prone to extraversion in general might function especially well as a
healer if in a jubilant mood, being able to give mind energy to group members. Avatars who naturally deviate towards inner harmony might
be able to function especially well as tanks given that they would regenerate mental resistance quicker than others.

Defeating a manifestation of guilt

(Video Clip)

1 grandmother says “i don't want to be a burden” and cast spell “forgives when you don't deserve it”
2. Kyle tries to forgive grandmother, to diminish her guilt. (that is what she spreads around her). Choosing spell “forgive” which diminishes guilt. If he did
not have that spell he could use brute force of his depressed mood. (put her to rest)
2. Sarah perspective, casting Energy rush on Kyle. In neutral state, so she has the whole range. If to cast stronger energy rushes she needs to become more
jubilant (extrovert energy)
3. Axenus perspective, casting Resistance aid. To cast stronger, need to become more blissful (private harmony)

In order to vanquish Grandmother avatars would either need to get her mental resistance or the value of her emotion node guilt to zero.
If Adam chose the strategy to reduce Grandmothers guilt value he would need to cast the emotion spell 'Forgive' on her, which reduces guilt. If he is unable
to cast Forgive he would need to find an avatar who can. Suppose that the avatar Christine has a personality allowing her to cast Forgive, and that she comes
to help. Christine, being the caster, would be targeted by Grandmother. Grandmother would cast the spells and AAs specified by Adam on Christine, as well
as energy drain and resistance drain spells. Adam and other avatars coming to assist would want to make sure to give Christine both mental energy and
resistance to ensure her ability to cast and for her to not suffer a mental break-down. In order to give Christine mental energy and resistance the other avatars
would need to be in positive mood spaces on the mood co-ordinate system allowing them to cast spells of energy rush and resistance aid. In order to balance
their minds to be in the positive mood spaces allowing them to do this they could perform positive AAs toward each other.

If Adam instead chose to vanquish Grandmother by reducing her mental resistance to zero he would need to make sure to either himself be or, have a group
of assisting avatars who could be, in a depressed or furious space of the mood co-ordinate system. An avatar in a furious state can cast Grand Focussed
Aggression while regenerating mental energy quickly. An avatar in the furious mood space might need assistance from entities that can aid in giving mental
resistance in the case the conflict takes long time. An avatar in the depressed mood space can cast Grand Focussed Resistance Drain as well as Grand
Focussed Energy Drain. Since an avatar in the depressed mood state do not generate mental energy and resistance over time the avatar would need to steal
the mental energy and resistance from the opponent.
In assembling a group of avatars for reducing Grandmother's mental resistance Adam might want to make sure to include members who because of their
personalities deviate toward depressed states of mind, that is, avatars who have dominant neurotic facets. If the CM Grandmother ceases to exist in PI,
Adams curse of guilt also disappears.

MR-ME Resistance Aid

Spells

Energy
Aggression
Rush

Resistance Drain
Energy Drain
personality deﬁne to where in the mood system players generally are.

- neurotic introvert avatar would be an eminent damage dealer since the avatar's current mood would easily move towards the depressed
mood (energy drain, resistance drain)
- 2nd type of effective damage dealer would be an avatar with a neurotic extravert personality, who quickly could generate both energy and
resistance if in a mood of fury while (aggression)
- extraversion in general might function especially well as a healer if in a jubilant mood, being able to give mind energy
- inner harmony might be able to function especially well as tanks given that they would regenerate mental resistance quicker than others.

(also spawn blessing-CMs to help)

The well-known notions of role taking from MMORPGs where avatars normally have functions such as 'tank', 'healer' or 'damage dealer' are
comparable to possible avatar-roles in PI. However, where in MMORPGs the role normally is given by character class, it is in PI given by an
avatar's
personality. The role of tank index{tank} in a group of avatars engaging in combat in a MMORPG means that the avatar tanking takes the
damage dealt by opponents. The tank protects the other members of the group by making sure that the opponent's aggression is directed to
her.
The damage dealer index{damage dealer} normally lacks health and resistance to be able to be in direct contact with the opponent, but may
be located a bit further away from the tank and the opponent while using powerful ranged attacks. The role of the healerindex{healer} is to
heal the tank, and if needed also the damage dealer or herself. For an extensive explanation of the game-play strategies involved in these roles,
please refer to Musse Dolk's MMORPG Gamer's handbook shortcite{dolk08}.

Research questions
support RP?

Potential Answers
• By improving the characterising action potential
(CAP) of avatars to:
• Cater for complex, interesting avatars
• support players in expressing the character of their avatars in
a consistent way (i.e. “stay in character”)
• To make sure that the rule-system of an MMO incorporates
CAP in the game mechanics. (i.e. that avatars’ actions are
characterising for particular avatars)


going back to the questions.

Summary: CAP intertwined with
game mechanics
• CAP: The action potential of avatars characterise them by:
• Personality
• Affects what mood characters ﬂuctuate towards
• Deﬁnes what spells characters can cast (affecting the target’s
emotions, which in turn affect mood)


- role players like it according to test. early. 2 focus groups.
Self-players found personality to be IPIP-NEO personality trait evaluation were close to their own self-images of their personalities.

The participants of the WoM play test, who all played as themselves rather than role-played, expressed that the results of their IPIP-NEO
personality trait evaluation were close to their own self-images of their personalities. In MMO- RPGs play-styles where players play 'as
themselves' are more common than that of role-playing. Perhaps personalities of avatars that resembles players' own views of themselves can
make it more interesting to play since the self-playing might, via CAP and role-taking, display characterising behaviour and choices of action
for particular players no matter whether they self-play or role-play. In play situations not only the own behaviour, but also other avatars'
behaviour is an important part of the experience.

game mechanics
• Personality
• Current Mood define how fast energy and resistance is
regenerated. It also defines what a character can do at a given
moment:
• Affective actions (affecting the target’s emotions, which in
turn affect mood)
• Restorative and destructive spells (affecting target’s energy
and resistance)


Mood.
trends in fluctuation, but highest effect from own actions and interactions with others. AA constriction helping to stay in character (characters
mood - dep on personal reaction).
Spell casting also dep on mood. Agression - only if character is furious.


game mechanics
• Personality
• Current Mood define how fast energy and resistance is
regenerated. It also defines what a character can do at a given
moment:
• Affective actions (affecting the target’s emotions, which in
turn affect mood)
• Restorative and destructive spells (affecting target’s energy
and resistance)
• By spawning and creating manifestations players leave their mark
in the world and provide other players with manifestations to
interact with.


expression to others of self. (auto for SSMs)
authoring. RP is much about story. RP can make fictional. But a self player can add RL inspired manifestations, and playfully deal with them
with others - creating meaningful content. (story construction.
//tension between game-narrative: False argument.. Rule-sets not good enough, not accommodating. My contribution, for what it’s worth.
Michael and Andrew overcame it facade in that setting. (digra 05 vancouver)
CAP - characterise to whom. Here purely what AP there is. experienced by others.
Mind music (own symphony as representation of state).


Future work
Play test of PI prototype focussing on:
• Players’ attitudes towards CAP in PI for self-
play and for role-play
• Story construction by use of sentiments
• Semi-autonomy – is there a sweet-spot?
• Autonomous behaviour of NPCs and
manifestations equipped with MMs


biofeedback input

- role players like it according to test. early. 2 focus groups.
Self-players found personality to be IPIP-NEO personality trait evaluation were close to their own self-images of their personalities.

Thank you
for listening
Mirjam Eladhari
Michael Mateas

contact: mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se

Rules for role play in Virtual Game Worlds - Case study: The Pataphysic Institute

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