Abstract Player Constructs
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.
Contents
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.
The various "colors" collected in Pik-Min series to create new Pik-Mins is a vital part of a player's current game state, and as associated to him or her an Abstract Player Construct.
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).
Typical parts of Abstract Player Constructs include Attributes (e.g. money and manpower), Privileged Abilities, Resources, Technologies, and other Abstract Player Constructs. The Civilization series is an example of a game that has the last structure - here civilizations are Abstract Player Constructs that contain cities (and Units from the fourth installment of the series) that in turn also are Abstract Player Constructs. While Abstract Player Constructs do not make use of Game Items as regularly as Characters do, it can more often be feasible to make use of Pick-Ups, as for example the collecting of the various "colors" in Pik-Min series shows an example of.
While Abstract Player Constructs may be stored digitally in computer-based games, other games make use of tangible game elements. Character Sheets are common for Characters, but for other types of Abstract Player Constructs an option is using collections of Cards. Examples of games that make use of Cards for this purpose include Race for the Galaxy, Erosion, Ursuppe, American Megafauna, and Origins: How We Became Human. Puerto Rico does the same with Tiles placed on a private game board.
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. They are also not so often used together with Teams as Characters are, but when they are the same design options as those described under Characters are possible. Maintenance Costs are however a design choice not occurring as often in Characters as in Abstract Player Constructs.
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 and Asymmetric Starting Conditions; 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 Levels but also causes disruptions in Player Balance.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Asymmetric Starting Conditions, Diegetic Consistency, Excise
with Abstract Player Construct Development
Player Time Investments, Player-Planned Development
with Asymmetric Starting Conditions
with Privileged Abilities
Orthogonal Unit Differentiation
Can Modulate
Installations, Game Worlds, Units
Can Be Instantiated By
Can Be Modulated By
Abstract Player Construct Development, Attributes, Gameplay Statistics, Maintenance Costs, Pick-Ups, Privileged Abilities, Resources, Technologies
Possible Closure Effects
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Potentially Conflicting With
Player Balance when used together with Asymmetric Starting Conditions
History
New pattern created in this wiki.
References
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Acknowledgements
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