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Goals
• To develop skills for analyzing, describing, and discussing games and their structures using concepts and theories
What
Games• Examples Today
– The Settlers of Catan– Monopoly– Space Invaders– Tetris
• Wed to Fri – Group assignments &
discussions• Essay
Theories, Concepts • Game elements
– Järvinen, 2008. Games without Frontiers
• Emotions – Lankoski, unpublished
manuscript• Feedback systems
– Further reading: Salen & Zimmerman, 2004. Rules of Play
• Probabilities
Essay
• Choose a game or a part of the game– Except: example and exercise games
• 8-12 pages, 12 pt Times or equivalent, double spaced• You should describe the game (or the part) using the
concepts or theories from– Lankoski, “Computer Games and Emotions”– Järvinen, “Chapter Four: Theory of Game Elements”– (Salen & Zimmerman, “Chapter 18: Games as Cybernetic Systems”)
• Deadline Friday 10.12.– Writing tutoring (at latest) in the week 48
• Missing the deadline will decrease the grade (1/week), unless new schedule is agreed beforehand!
Essay…
• A game analysis essay should be independent work that should be readable and understandable by a person who is not expert on subject matter. Essay should contain:
1. Introduction: a description of the goals of the essay, short introduction to a game analyzed, description of the main concept used in the essay (with references);
2. Main part structured by the needs of analysis;3. Conclusions summarizing main findings;4. References
• References should be formatted according to Harvard system.
Assignment
• Become familiar with the game– the Settlers of Catan
• One game box (4 players)• http://www.playcatan.com/ (introductory game)
– Space Invaders• Taito Legends, PS 2• http://www.freespaceinvaders.org/
– Tetris• http://www.tetris.com/how-to-play-tetris/• http://www.tetrisfriends.com/games/Marathon/game.php?ref=from-homepage-ad
– Monopoly• One game box
• 1 hour to play
Game Analysis
Settlers of Catan: Game Elements
• Procedures– Build Board– Player Setup -> Game Mechanics: Place the settlements and roads – Yield
• rand_num = random(1-6) + random(1-6) DICE!• if rand_num=7:
– player_move_robber -> Game Mechanic: Move Robber & Select Player whom to steal– all_discard -> Game Mechanic: Select Resources to Discard
• foreach hex=rand_num : – if hex not disabled_by_robber: collect_yield
– Buy (road, settlement, city, development_card) <- initiated by Game Mechanic• if player[active] have_enough_resources and can_place:
– place (road, settlement, city) OR add (development_card)
• Not completed list of procedures
Game Analysis
Settlers of Catan: Balance
• A multiplayer game is balanced when each player have equal change of winning in the beginning– In terms of formal features
• Symmetry creates balance– Not the only way to balance a game
• Setters of Catan is symmetric in terms of– Game Mechanics– Component-of-self
• Not symmetric in terms of setup– Setup
• Asymmetry is compensated with setup order player1–player2–player3–player4–player4–player3–player2–player1
• Game board?
Game Analysis
Probabilities
1 2 3 4 5 6
Probability 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6
1D6
2D6
1 2 3 4 5 61 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Prob
2 1/36
3 2/36
4 3/36
5 4/36
6 5/36
7 6/36
8 5/36
9 4/36
10 3/36
11 2/36
12 1/36
Game Analysis
Probabilities
• Dice throws are always independent events– Previous event does not influence the probability of the
next event!• But cards are dependent events
– The probability to get two aces from the unused deck is 4/52 (four aces in 52 cards) * 3/51 (three aces and 51 cards left)
Game Analysis
Settlers of Catan: Balance…
5.56%
11.11%
13.89%
3 OR 5 OR 8:5.56+11.11+13.89 = 30.56%
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
11/36=30.56%
Or calculate using table
Game Analysis
Settlers of Catan: Balance…
• Now we can calculate probabilities for the board– But what these probabilities tell…
• Does the board afford balanced play?– Is there enough good locations to
place initial settlement for all the players?
– Is there good locations to expand later?
- YES
- YES, unless on made a bad choices in the setup
Game Analysis
Settlers of Catan: Feedback Loops
ResourcesSettlement
& Cities
+
VictoryPoints
Positive Feedback Loop Negative Feedback Loop
Probability of Negative feedback activating 1-4 times in a round: 1-(30/36)^4 = 51,8%• no robbers in a round: (30/36)^4
Resources
If more than 7 resource cards in one’s hand & 7
7
-
Space Invaders
• Components– Invaders, the ship, bullets– Bunkers (or environment?)
• Game mechanics– Move left, move right, shoot
• Goals– Shoot invaders, stay alive, high score
• Procedures– ship move, can shoot?, bullet move, bunker
damage, invader move, ufo appear, ufo move, invader hit, invader shoot, lost life, new wave, game over, …
• Feedback loops– Less the invaders, faster they move, extra lives
Space Invaders, Taito 1978Image source: Wikipedia
Game Analysis
MonopolyChange to end up in a square
1/40 = 2,50%?
3 doublesin a row
1/16 Card takesto Jail
A player can increaseprobability to land to
these squares(out with doubles)
Game Analysis
Monopoly
Breakeven Times, assumes short jail stayBased on data from http://www.tkcs-collins.com/truman/monopoly/monopoly.shtml
There is positive feedback loop• Gains are insignificant if no monopoliesPrison: conditional negative feedback• Pay to get out, or• Staying reduces changes of collecting rents
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