Focus Loci - Revision history

Staffan Björk at 14:33, 19 January 2018

2018-01-19T14:33:22Z

Staffan Björk: /* Can Modulate */

2018-01-19T14:32:21Z

‎Can Modulate

Staffan Björk at 08:38, 2 September 2014

2014-09-02T08:38:48Z

Staffan Björk at 08:24, 2 September 2014

2014-09-02T08:24:39Z

Staffan Björk at 11:13, 30 July 2014

2014-07-30T11:13:05Z

Staffan Björk: /* Can Be Modulated By */

2014-07-26T08:08:41Z

‎Can Be Modulated By

Staffan Björk: /* Using the pattern */

2011-10-06T18:18:56Z

‎Using the pattern

Staffan Björk at 18:18, 6 October 2011

2011-10-06T18:18:49Z

Staffan Björk: /* Can Be Instantiated By */

2011-10-05T15:31:59Z

‎Can Be Instantiated By

Staffan Björk at 13:23, 4 September 2011

2011-09-04T13:23:14Z

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 === Narrative Aspects ===
-The specific choice of [[Focus Loci]] used in a game can affect which types of [[Narration Structures]] are suitable. For example, [[Detective Structures]] is difficult to use with [[God Fingers]] or [[Units]] since they allow players information from a non-diegetic perspective or from several different diegetic individuals.
+The specific choice of [[Focus Loci]] used in a game can affect which types of [[Narration Structures]] are suitable. For example, [[Detective Structures]] is difficult to use with [[God Fingers]] or [[Units]] since they allow players information from a non-diegetic perspective or from several different diegetic individuals. In contrast, the type of [[Focus Loci]] chosen can affect how the specifics of [[Predetermined Story Structures]] can be designed.
 == Consequences ==

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 [[Narration Structures]],
 [[Parties]],
 [[Teams]]

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 [[Focus Loci]] can change through the [[Abstract Player Construct Development]] of being giving [[New Abilities]]. Although these are typically giving as immaterial [[Rewards]], it is worth mentioning that they sometimes are represented through tangible [[Cards]], [[Tiles]], or [[Bookkeeping Tokens]].
 === Diegetic Aspects ===
@@ Line 75: / Line 77: @@
 === Can Be Modulated By ===
 [[Abstract Player Construct Development]],
 [[Clickability]],
 [[Game State Indicators]],

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 [[Focus Loci]] are game elements that provide methods for players to affect [[Game Worlds]], and are in many cases diegetically present in the [[Game Worlds]] themselves. These [[Focus Loci]] can support [[Engrossment]] in various ways depending on their specific characteristics, but very often [[Spatial Engrossment]] since they make players focus to specific parts of [[Game Worlds]] at a time and quite likely [[Movement]] or relations between parts of [[Game Worlds]]. They also create natural elements within games for players to [[Identification|Identify]] their gameplay experiences and efforts with, and when present in the [[Game Worlds]] represent [[Agents]] in these.
-Providing multiple [[Focus Loci]] can support [[Attention Swapping]] but may also create it by the individual [[Focus Loci]] being [[Attention Demanding]]. This may also affects [[Risk/Reward]] trade-offs that have to be made when initiating [[Extended Actions]].
+Providing multiple [[Focus Loci]] can support [[Attention Swapping]] but may also create it by the individual [[Focus Loci]] having [[Attention Demanding Gameplay]]. This may also affects [[Risk/Reward]] trade-offs that have to be made when initiating [[Extended Actions]].
 The choice of [[Focus Loci]] in games dictate which game elements players have direct control over and which they have [[Indirect Control]] over.
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 === Can Instantiate ===
 [[Agents]],
-[[Attention Demanding]],
+[[Attention Demanding Gameplay]],
 [[Attention Swapping]],
 [[Engrossment]],

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 [[Attention Swapping]],
 [[Game Worlds]],
 [[Parties]],
 [[Teams]]

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 [[Line of Sight]],
 [[Mini-maps]],
-[[New Abilities]],
+[[New Abilities]]
 [[Third-Person Views]] in games with [[God Views]]

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 [[Units]] naturally provide players with several [[Focus Loci]] but this can also be supported by allowing players to switch between different [[Avatars]] or [[Characters]]. [[God Fingers]] are quite often combined with these other types of [[Focus Loci]] in these situations since [[God Fingers]] provide a way easily switching between the other [[Focus Loci]]; they may also allow actions otherwise not possible (e.g. activating production of [[Units]] in buildings in [[:Category:Real-Time Strategy Games|Real-Time Strategy Games]] such as the [[Starcraft series]]). Such use of several [[Focus Loci]] can  allows single players to control [[Parties]] or [[Teams]] at high levels of granularity but requires [[Attention Swapping]]. This type of [[Attention Swapping]] can be removed by allowing players to activate actions for several [[Focus Loci]] at once - something present in both [[:Category:Real-Time Strategy Games|Real-Time Strategy Games]] such the [[Starcraft series]] and other computer-based [[:Category:Strategy Games|Strategy Games]] such as the [[Hearts of Iron series]]. This solution is however unlikely to remove [[Attention Swapping]] completely from games since those that have this type of gameplay are likely to create situations where the various [[Focus Loci]] cannot effectively be used by making them all perform the same actions.
-Although not as common as the four options mention above, [[Cards]] can, especially in [[Collectible Card Games]], be [[Focus Loci]] either when being played or by being in play and giving a player [[New Abilities]]. This of course assumes that [[Game Worlds]] that can be affected are at least implied, but examples of games that do this include [[Magic: The Gathering]], [[Dominion]], and [[Race for the Galaxy]]. [[Tiles]] offer the same design possibilities as [[Cards]] in this respect, but are also quite often used to create the actual [[Game Worlds]]. [[Bookkeeping Tokens]] whose presences indicate that a player has [[New Abilities]] are another form of more unusual [[Focus Loci]]. [[Dice]] are seldom [[Focus Loci]] except in pure dice games, since using them is not usually an activity affecting the game directly but rather a way of determining how actions are to be performed.
+Although not as common as the four options mention above, [[Cards]] can, especially in [[Collectible Card Games]], be [[Focus Loci]] either when being played or by being in play and giving a player [[New Abilities]]. This of course assumes that [[Game Worlds]] that can be affected are at least implied, but examples of games that do this include [[Magic: The Gathering]], [[Dominion]], and [[Race for the Galaxy]]. [[Tiles]] offer the same design possibilities as [[Cards]] in this respect, but are also quite often used to create the actual [[Game Worlds]]. [[Bookkeeping Tokens]] whose presences indicate that a player has [[New Abilities]] are another form of more unusual [[Focus Loci]]. [[Dice]] are seldom [[Focus Loci]] except in pure dice games, since using them is not usually an activity affecting the game directly but rather a way of determining how actions are to be performed. [[Installations]] can become [[Focus Loci]] even if they are often found in games with [[Avatars]] and [[Units]] and play a lesser role than these. This most occurs in [[:Category:Real-Time Strategy Games|Real-Time Strategy Games]].
-−
 [[Installations]] can become [[Focus Loci]] even if they are often found in games with [[Avatars]] and [[Units]] and play a lesser role than these. This most occurs in [[:Category:Real-Time Strategy Games|Real-Time Strategy Games]].
 While different [[Focus Loci]] can of course affect [[Game Worlds]] is vastly different ways, one way that most [[Focus Loci]] can affect [[Game Worlds]] is to give [[Area Control]] by being present in specific part of them ([[God Fingers]] are the typical exception). In contrast, [[Line of Sight]] is a general way in which [[Focus Loci]] powers of affecting [[Game Worlds]] can be changed. [[Clickability]] is a way of changing how affecting [[Game Worlds]] through [[Focus Loci]] is perceived and can be applied to most [[Focus Loci]] but works most easily with [[God Fingers]].

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Although not as common as the four options mention above, [[Cards]] can, especially in [[Collectible Card Games]], be [[Focus Loci]] either when being played or by being in play and giving a player [[New Abilities]]. This of course assumes that [[Game Worlds]] that can be affected are at least implied, but examples of games that do this include [[Magic: The Gathering]], [[Dominion]], and [[Race for the Galaxy]]. [[Tiles]] offer the same design possibilities as [[Cards]] in this respect, but are also quite often used to create the actual [[Game Worlds]]. [[Bookkeeping Tokens]] whose presences indicate that a player has [[New Abilities]] are another form of more unusual [[Focus Loci]]. [[Dice]] are seldom [[Focus Loci]] except in pure dice games, since using them is not usually an activity affecting the game directly but rather a way of determining how actions are to be performed.
 While different [[Focus Loci]] can of course affect [[Game Worlds]] is vastly different ways, one way that most [[Focus Loci]] can affect [[Game Worlds]] is to give [[Area Control]] by being present in specific part of them ([[God Fingers]] are the typical exception). In contrast, [[Line of Sight]] is a general way in which [[Focus Loci]] powers of affecting [[Game Worlds]] can be changed. [[Clickability]] is a way of changing how affecting [[Game Worlds]] through [[Focus Loci]] is perceived and can be applied to most [[Focus Loci]] but works most easily with [[God Fingers]].
@@ Line 67: / Line 69: @@
 [[Dice]],
 [[God Fingers]],
 [[Player Characters]],
 [[Tiles]],