Difference between revisions of "Abstract Player Constructs"

Revision as of 08:48, 21 April 2011

The abstract attributes and characteristics associated with a player of a game.

Many games divide gameplay into events taking place in a game world and abstract entities handling attributes and possible actions. Those entities in the latter group that are under player control are Abstract Player Constructs.

Examples

The financial empires built and destroyed in Monopoly can be seen as Abstract Player Constructs, consisting of the money and land deeds players have (and the latter may or may not be mortgaged). Grand strategy games such as the Civilization series and the Europa Universalis series let players take control over civilizations or countries.

The empires built in Race for the Galaxy, the colonies constructed in Puerto Rico, the farms developed in Agricola, and the mountain uplifted in Erosion are all Abstract Player Constructs since they are not part of one game world (even if the represent parts of it). Similarly, the abilities developed for species in Ursuppe, Spore, and American Megafauna are Abstract Player Constructs, as are the technologies developed in Origins: How We Became Human.

The people played in Roleplaying Games, e.g. Dungeons & Dragons or GURPS, are Abstract Player Constructs but are usually simply called Characters. The third edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay does add another type of Abstract Player Constructs - party sheets representing the type of group the players are and which provides specific abilities to them.

Using the pattern

While what types of information is a prime concern for the design of Abstract Player Constructs, a likewise important aspect is how they connect to how players can affect Game Worlds. Characters are a special case of Abstract Player Constructs that are often tied to Avatars. They distinguish themselves from other Abstract Player Constructs in often being more detailed, either to support Emotional Engrossment or being parts of Narration Structures. Another noteworthy aspect of them is that they are also the most common example, through Non-Player Characters, of abstract constructs that are not under some form of player control. Besides Characters, other examples of ways Abstract Player Constructs can be connected to Game Worlds is how they change the abilities and possible actions of Installations (see e.g. the Victoria series) or Units (see e.g. Ursuppe).

Attributes that represent physical or mental abilities and determine values such as Lives, Health, and fatigue; Skills that affect the likelihood of succeeding with actions and may give Privileged Abilities such as being a Producer that can create Renewable Resources; Advantages, Disadvantages

While Abstract Player Constructs in general may not allow the same personalization as Characters, they can often become more powerful during gameplay through Abstract Player Construct Development.

Diegetic Aspects

Somewhat paradoxically, that Abstract Player Constructs do not exist themselves in Game Worlds help provide Diegetic Consistency in these. This since there are many things one cannot directly observe in the real world, and not being able to do this in Game Worlds adds this similarity to a game.

Interface Aspects

The information contained in Abstract Player Constructs can be used to create Gameplay Statistics. One example of how this can be done exists in the ledgers Europa Universalis and Victoria series; these show both current and historical overviews of a country's statistics as well as comparisons to other countries of some types of statistics.

Narrative Aspects

While Abstract Player Constructs in themselves do usually not support narratives, this is more common for Characters, the retelling of an Abstract Player Construct Development during a game instance creates a narrative.

Consequences

Abstract Player Constructs let Game Worlds have more complexity than can be represented by the Game Worlds themselves, and thereby modulate these. When players can have some control and foresight into the Abstract Player Construct Development, this leads to Player-Planned Development and a way for Player Time Investments. However, games that allow or require players to interact with Abstract Player Constructs often can be perceived as forcing them to engage in Excise.

In Multiplayer Games, Abstract Player Constructs which provide different types of Privileged Abilities create Orthogonal Unit Differentiation; this is for example done through the combination of choices regarding leader and civilization in the Civilization series. Providing Asymmetric Starting Conditions for different Abstract Player Constructs, as done in the Europa Universalis and Victoria series, is a way to provide Difficulty Settings.

and lets players perform Team Combos. This also allows players to specialize in different Competence Areas regardless if Character Development exists or not, and gives opportunities of engaging in Team Strategy Identification. However, the differences in abilities may cause Player Balance to be disrupted.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Diegetic Consistency, Excise

with Abstract Player Construct Development

Player Time Investments, Player-Planned Development

with Asymmetric Starting Conditions

Difficulty Settings

with Privileged Abilities

Orthogonal Unit Differentiation

Can Modulate

Game Worlds

Can Be Instantiated By

Characters

Can Be Modulated By

Abstract Player Construct Development, Gameplay Statistics

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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