Construction
The action of introducing or rearranging game elements to create structures in game worlds.
Building is a common activity possible in games; this may be actual constructions or simply actions that are diegetically presented as constructing something but other possibilities exist. One is that players may construct their own set of game elements to bring to a game, which may include actually building or creating them also. Another is
The introduction of game elements in the game can be the cause of players' actions. When the game elements introduced are perceived as something requiring organizing the environment (in technical terms, countering entropy) this can be framed as Construction.
Contents
Examples
Players of Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40K need to construct the armies which they intended to play with using ones they have purchased. The Category:Collectible Card Games:Collectible Card Games Magic: the Gathering and Pokémon Trading Card Game work in a similar fashion. For those participating in Live Action Roleplaying Games such as 1942 – Noen å stole på and Dragonbane need to create not only some items with narrative importance but also everyday utensils and clothing.
In Puerto Rico and Race for the Galaxy players win or lose by how they build their colonies and empires respectively, and an important part of mastering the game is knowing how to construct efficient combinations.
Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress
Incredible Machine game series
the 'engineer' class in the Team Fortress series
'field ops', 'engineer', 'constructor', and 'technician'
[Stimulated Planning]]
A World without Oil ?
Example: Pontifex by ChronicLogic allows players to build bridges that are tested by a physics engine that sends a train over the bridges.
Example: The Sims allows players to construct homes for their Sims, redecorating and rebuilding the houses as the needs and living conditions of the Sims change.
Example: The board game The Settlers of Catan allows players to build villages and towns at the intersections of hexes in the game, and roads between them.
Example: Massively multiplayer online roleplaying games usually allow players to construct houses by buying them and construct items through actions. Text-based multiplayer dungeons take this further by letting high-level players create new areas in the Game World and program the functionality of areas and game elements.
Using the pattern
One use of Construction is to make players consider different Combos, as for example Puerto Rico and Race for the Galaxy requires. These Combos can intentionally be put into the game design as a way to modulate Construction but can also easily emerge as an effect.
Player Created Game Elements Player-Created Characters
The game elements used from Construction can come from a number of different source. One is from outside the game as Game Element Insertion, while another is that they are created by the game system and a third is that they are simply rearranged within the Game Worlds through Movement.
or within the game but
Coding can be a form of Construction when is used to support Action Programming or the create of AI Players, as for example done in Probots and C-Robots. This is taken further in the Player Constructed Worlds of early Massively Multiplayer Games such as Kingdoms and DragonMud since the actual Game Worlds are the result of player Construction. Taking this even more step further is the examples of how players construct computers in games such as Conway's Game of Life, Minecraft, and Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress to be able to code within the Game Worlds.
Casual Gameplay Private Game Spaces Freedom of Choice Heterogeneous Game Element Ownership Multiplayer Games Zero-Player Games Single-Player Games Persistent Game Worlds
The main design choices for supporting Construction include the design of the new game elements that are the product of the action, what Resources are needed, the possibility of succeeding, and the variations in designs that the players can create. Requiring scarce Resources for construction to occur can give rise to Exploration or Gain Ownership as well as Trading. Linking the chance of success to a Skill encourages Construction as a Competence Area. Allowing a large variation in the possible Constructions give players a Freedom of Choice and the Creative Control to Experiment and select Player Defined Goals. The possibility of failed Constructions leading to alternative Constructions also encourages Experimenting.
The amount of Construction in a game can easily be limited by making it a Privileged Ability.
An obvious way to affect the Game World in this fashion is through Tile-Laying.
Diegetic Aspects
Interface Aspects
Narrative Aspects
Consequences
Construction can easily give rise to Combos and Emergent Gameplay, and knowing about these effects is often part of what is required to have Game Mastery in games focusing on Construction.
The introduction of game elements through Construction is functionally similar to the effect of Producers but does not need to use Spawning. As such, Construction can more easily be given representations that allow the introduction of Game Elements in Game Worlds without breaking Diegetic Consistency.
Construction actions typically represent Investments and are perceived as Constructive Play. With enough possible permutations in what and how to construct things, the pattern gives Freedom of Choice and Creative Control which in turn can lead to Surprises, both for themselves and others. When players can create game elements that affect the Game Worlds, especially in Persistent Game Worlds, Construction can enable Player Constructed Worlds.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Freedom of Choice, Combos, Constructive Play, Creative Control, Emergent Gameplay, Investments, Player Constructed Worlds, Producers
with Combos or Emergent Gameplay
with Creative Control
Can Modulate
Can Be Instantiated By
Action Programming, AI Players, Game Element Insertion, Movement
Can Be Modulated By
Possible Closure Effects
Potentially Conflicting With
History
An updated version of the pattern Construction that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design[1].
References
- ↑ Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.
Acknowledgements
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