Difference between revisions of "Collaborative Actions"

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[[Category:Patterns]]
 
[[Category:Patterns]]
[[Category:Needs work]]
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[[Category:Action Patterns]]
 
[[Category:Needs revision]]
 
[[Category:Needs revision]]
[[Category:Needs examples]]
 
 
[[Category:Needs references]]
 
[[Category:Needs references]]
[[Category:Staffan's current workpage]]
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''Compound actions that require several agents to perform specific individual actions for them to occur.''
[[Category:Stub]]
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''Compound actions that require several players to perform specific individual actions for them to occur.''
+
  
 
Some effects in games require several players to do act together for them to take place at all. These actions are called [[Collaborative Actions]] since the players are either actively collaborating or can be seen to do so by others even if the players themselves are not aware of it.
 
Some effects in games require several players to do act together for them to take place at all. These actions are called [[Collaborative Actions]] since the players are either actively collaborating or can be seen to do so by others even if the players themselves are not aware of it.
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One of the simplest cases of [[Collaborative Actions]] is found in [[Tug of war]] since both teams need to coordinate their efforts to be more efficient than the other.
 
One of the simplest cases of [[Collaborative Actions]] is found in [[Tug of war]] since both teams need to coordinate their efforts to be more efficient than the other.
  
Example: Tekken Tag Tournament allows special combination attacks performed by two avatars during the exchange of between different active avatars.
+
The computer game [[Tekken Tag Tournament]] in the [[Tekken series]] allows players in the ''Pair Play Mode'' to performed special combination maneuvers by switching which player is active in th middle of attacks. [[Team Fortress Classic]] allows players to get their avatars to places normally not available but standing on each others shoulders, building `human' pyramids. Further, computer-based games can easily let players not close to each other in the game still perform [[Collaborative Actions]]. For example, affecting the opposing teams ''tick'' counter in the [[Battlefield series]] requires one team to by in control of a majority of the existing flag points, something that can only be done by several players working together.
  
Example: guarding a majority of the flag points in Battlefield 1942 is necessary to affect the opposing teams `tick' counter and requires several different players in different locations.
+
The group of characters used in [[Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game]] can be considered the result of [[Collaborative Actions]] since they cannot be chosen independently - the choice of one player can remove the possibility for the next player to select characters from whole categories of characters.
 
+
Example: some multiplayer first-person shooters have areas which cannot be reached by individual avatar jumping but can be reached if several avatars build `human' pyramids.
+
  
 
== Using the pattern ==
 
== Using the pattern ==
 +
[[Collaborative Actions]] require that the players are able to combine their actions, either to perform the together at a certain time or by having individual actions some people support other players' to do actions that otherwise would not be possible. When designing [[Collaborative Actions]] in games the following things have to be taken into account: how much [[Coordination]] is required between the players; how the outcome of the action is based on the precision and type of the [[Coordination]]; how are the possible rewards shared and in which way; how different are the actions required; and how is the [[Coordination]] is made possible as in, for example, [[Player Decided Results]]. Note that [[Collaborative Actions]] do not need to include [[Cooperation]]; [[Bidding]], [[Drafting]], and [[Trading]] are compound actions requiring many players actions with affect and require each other without the players cooperating.
  
[[Extended Actions]]
+
The individual actions that create [[Collaborative Actions]] do not explicitly need to be designed to do so since they can be achieve through [[Emergent Gameplay]]. But when they are wished to be more explicitly designed, they can be create to require two or more actions to be performed simultaneously or by requiring several specific game elements with [[Asymmetric Abilities]] to perform different actions. The first case can be instantiated by having several [[Incompatible Goals]] that have to be completed at the same time, for example holding several [[Check Points]] at once. Other examples of designed [[Collaborative Actions]] include [[Negotiation]], especially in the form of [[Trading]]. Ganging up is a form of [[Collaborative Actions|Collaborative Action]] that is typically used to gain tactical advantages in [[Combat]] but can be found in any [[Competition]] situation where players may decide to act together against perceived leaders, creating a form of [[Balancing Effects]].
[[Betrayal]]
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[[Stimulated Planning]]
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[[Freedom of Choice]]
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[[Delayed Reciprocity]]  
+
  
Altruistic Actions
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[[Collaborative Actions]] are often used in games supporting [[Teams]] so that not only do players have [[Mutual Goals]] but that working together is more efficient than working alone.
, Construction
+
As simple way of achieving this is by making [[Team Combos]] possible. While [[Shared Rewards]] can be used in any game to encourage players to start [[Collaborative Actions]], the use of [[Shared Penalties]] can make the completion of actions into [[Committed Goals]].
  
 +
To provide more [[Complex Gameplay]], [[Collaborative Actions]] can have [[Delayed Effects]]. Besides requiring more [[Coordination]] this also opens up for [[Betrayal]] since individual actions can be hidden. [[Enforced Player Anonymity]] can likewise encourage [[Betrayal]] but also ensure that the actions are not based on anything not provided by the game. Making [[Collaborative Actions]] only benefit one player, i.e. making any possible [[Rewards|Reward]] a [[Individual Rewards|Individual Reward]], typically makes the agents that help fulfill the action to assume that it is a case of [[Delayed Reciprocity]] due to [[Delayed Effects]] (which also creates more [[Complex Gameplay]]). As with any other type of actions, [[Collaborative Actions]] can be made into [[Extended Actions]] to provide more [[Challenging Gameplay]].
  
Collaborative Actions require that the players are able to combine and coordinate their actions either by performing actions together at a certain time or by having actions by one or more players support other players' actions. The results of this type of coordinated actions are, usually, more effective and in some cases it is even impossible to succeed with precise coordination.
+
Stretching the definition of agents, players may be able to do [[Collaborative Actions]] on their own when they control several [[Units]], but this requires [[Attention Swapping]].
  
When designing Collaborative Actions in games the following things have to be taken into account: how much coordination is required between the players; how the outcome of the action is based on the precision and type of the coordination; how are the possible rewards shared and in which way; how different are the actions required; and how is the coordination is made possible as in, for example, Player Decided Results.
+
=== Interface Aspects ===
 +
Games that wish to encourage [[Collaborative Actions]] may require [[Game State Indicators]] or [[Game State Overviews]] to let players know what other players are doing, or at least the effects of players actions (e.g. holding flag points in the [[Battlefield series]]). By doing so, they can provide [[Perceivable Margins]] as support [[Cooperation]]. Games designed to make the [[Collaborative Actions]] between stranger through the use of [[Enforced Player Anonymity]] of course also need to mediate the interaction so players' identifies cannot be determined.
  
Collaborative Actions can be achieved by requiring two or more actions to be performed simultaneously or by requiring several specific game elements with Asymmetric Abilities to perform different actions. The first case can be instantiated by having several Incompatible Goals that have to be completed at the same time, for example holding several Goal Points at once. Transfer of Control which is not based on Conflict is often based on Collaborative Action of Negotiation.
+
== Consequences ==
 +
[[Collaborative Actions]] is one way to achieve [[Cooperation]] in games, although it [[Bidding]], [[Drafting]], and [[Trading]] shows that this is not always the case. Further, observers may see [[Collaborative Actions]] as [[Cooperation]] where the people doing the actions do not, e.g. those excluded from [[Trading]] may feel those [[Trading]] are cooperating against them. When [[Collaborative Actions]] are performed they often are a display of [[Team Accomplishments]], especially when they provide new [[Abilities]] to players or can also be seen as forms of [[Combos]] done by several players, [[Avatars]], or [[Units]] rather than one. However, performing [[Collaborative Actions]] often requires the players to engage in [[Negotiation]] as an [[Extra-Game Actions|Extra-Game action]] and they also often needed [[Timing]]. All this provides [[Stimulated Planning]] and [[Constructive Gameplay]], as well as making [[Social Interaction]] necessary. Being able to coordinate [[Collaborative Actions]] is thus often a basis for [[Gameplay Mastery]] in games where they are possible, especially so in games where [[Teams]] match up against each other. A basic consequence of [[Collaborative Actions]] is to make for more [[Complex Gameplay]] simply because having to work together to do something that just being able to do it oneself adds complexity regarding [[Negotiation]], [[Coordination]], and [[Timing]].  
  
Examples of Collaborative Actions include Negotiation, especially Bidding in the form of voting and Trading, and Combos that are performed by more than one Avatar or Unit. Ganging up is a form ofCollaborative Action that is typically used to gain tactical advantages in Combat but can be found in any Competition situation where players may decide to act together against perceived leaders, in the latter case creating Balancing Effects through Collaborative Actions.
+
Even if [[Collaborative Actions]] may let players do things they otherwise could not, they in one sense modulate their [[Freedom of Choice]] since they require [[Coordination]] This is especially true when the [[Collaborative Actions]] are also [[Extended Actions]], in which case the actions can be seen as a form of [[Committed Goals]]. Similarly, [[Collaborative Actions]] do not have to be made by means of formalized [[Teams]], but performing them at least creates [[Dynamic Alliances]] while the actions are being performed. They can be encouraged by [[Shared Rewards]] or [[Player-Decided Distributions]]. [[Collaborative Actions]] where the possible [[Rewards]] is only one [[Individual Rewards|Individual Reward]] to a single player can give rise to [[Delayed Reciprocity]] and by that also [[Betrayal]]. When the outcomes are more complex, e.g. allowing [[Rewards]] for some players and [[Penalties]] for others, this can easily create [[Social Dilemmas]] for those involved.
  
While Shared Rewards can be used to encourage players to start Collaborative Actions, the use of Shared Penalties can make the completion of the actions, which are also Extended Actions, into Committed Goals and lessen the risk for Betrayal, or at least creating a cost for betraying.
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When the [[Collaborative Actions]] are created by placing [[Cards]] or [[Chips]], this can support [[Anonymous Actions]], and this can made more efficient with adding [[Randomness|Random]] actions to the mix.
  
=== Diegetic Aspects ===
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As [[Collaborative Actions]] often co-exist with either [[Cooperation]] or [[Negotiation]], it can lead to [[Reflective Communication]].
  
=== Interface Aspects ===
+
== Relations ==
 +
=== Can Instantiate ===
 +
[[Abilities]],
 +
[[Asymmetric Abilities]],
 +
[[Balancing Effects]],
 +
[[Combos]],
 +
[[Complex Gameplay]],
 +
[[Constructive Gameplay]],
 +
[[Coordination]],
 +
[[Cooperation]],
 +
[[Dynamic Alliances]],
 +
[[Extra-Game Actions]],
 +
[[Gameplay Mastery]],
 +
[[Negotiation]],
 +
[[Player-Decided Distributions]],
 +
[[Shared Penalties]],
 +
[[Shared Rewards]],
 +
[[Social Dilemmas]],
 +
[[Social Interaction]],
 +
[[Stimulated Planning]],
 +
[[Team Accomplishments]],
 +
[[Timing]]
  
=== Narrative Aspects ===
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==== with [[Cards]] or [[Chips]] ====
 +
[[Anonymous Actions]]
  
== Consequences ==
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==== with [[Delayed Effects]] or [[Delayed Reciprocity]] ====
[[Collaborative Actions]] is one way to achieve [[Cooperation]] in games, although it can be created in other ways also (e.g. striving towards [[Mutual Goals]] or being part of the same [[Teams|Team]]).
+
[[Betrayal]],
 +
[[Complex Gameplay]]
  
All Collaborative Actions can be seen as forms of Combos performed by several players, Avatars, or Units rather than one. Making Collaborative Actions possible often requires Negotiation as Extra-Game Actions which include Stimulated Planning and determining the Timing of when the actions are to be performed. This planning creates Social Interaction and is a basis for Cooperation and Constructive Play, although this can be modulated by Competition between the cooperating players or the possibility of Betrayal, especially when Delayed Reciprocity or Individual Rewards are used. As such, Collaborative Actions are common in Team Play are can show Perceivable Margins in players' intentions. Being able to coordinate Collaborative Actions is often a form of Game Mastery.
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==== with [[Delayed Effects]] and [[Individual Rewards]] ====
 +
[[Delayed Reciprocity]]
  
Collaborative Actions limit Freedom of Choice of individual players since they require other players to share the intentions or they require greater use of resource compared to actions that do not require collaboration. This is especially true when the Collaborative Actions are also Extended Actions, in which case the actions can be seen as a form of Committed Goals.
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==== with [[Shared Penalties]] ====
 +
[[Committed Goals]]
  
Collaborative Actions do not have to be made by means of formalized Team Play, but performing them at least creates Dynamic Alliances while the actions are being performed. They can be encouraged by Shared Rewards or Player-Decided Distribution of Rewards & Penalties. Collaborative Actions where the possible Reward is not a Shared Reward between the players usually gives rise to Delayed Reciprocity. These kinds of Collaborative Actions also give rise to the possibility of Betrayal. Transfer of Control which is not based on Conflict is often based on the Collaborative Action of Negotiation.
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==== with [[Cooperation]] or [[Negotiation]] ====
 
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[[Reflective Communication]]
When players control several Units, players may be able to do Collaborative Actions on their own but this requires Attention Swapping.
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, Delayed Reciprocity, Purchasable Game Advantages
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== Relations ==
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=== Can Instantiate ===
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[[Cooperation]]
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+
==== with ... ====
+
  
 
=== Can Modulate ===
 
=== Can Modulate ===
 +
[[Competition]],
 +
[[Freedom of Choice]],
 +
[[Teams]]
  
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
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[[Bidding]],
 +
[[Drafting]],
 +
[[Emergent Gameplay]],
 +
[[Incompatible Goals]],
 +
[[Negotiation]],
 +
[[Team Combos]],
 +
[[Trading]]
 +
 +
[[Attention Swapping]] together with [[Units]]
  
 
=== Can Be Modulated By ===
 
=== Can Be Modulated By ===
 +
[[Delayed Effects]],
 +
[[Enforced Player Anonymity]],
 +
[[Extended Actions]],
 +
[[Game State Indicators]], [[Game State Overviews]],
 +
[[Individual Rewards]],
 +
[[Player Decided Results]],
 +
[[Randomness]]
  
 
=== Possible Closure Effects ===
 
=== Possible Closure Effects ===
 +
-
  
 
=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
 
=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
 +
-
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==

Latest revision as of 08:03, 14 August 2019

Compound actions that require several agents to perform specific individual actions for them to occur.

Some effects in games require several players to do act together for them to take place at all. These actions are called Collaborative Actions since the players are either actively collaborating or can be seen to do so by others even if the players themselves are not aware of it.

Examples

One of the simplest cases of Collaborative Actions is found in Tug of war since both teams need to coordinate their efforts to be more efficient than the other.

The computer game Tekken Tag Tournament in the Tekken series allows players in the Pair Play Mode to performed special combination maneuvers by switching which player is active in th middle of attacks. Team Fortress Classic allows players to get their avatars to places normally not available but standing on each others shoulders, building `human' pyramids. Further, computer-based games can easily let players not close to each other in the game still perform Collaborative Actions. For example, affecting the opposing teams tick counter in the Battlefield series requires one team to by in control of a majority of the existing flag points, something that can only be done by several players working together.

The group of characters used in Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game can be considered the result of Collaborative Actions since they cannot be chosen independently - the choice of one player can remove the possibility for the next player to select characters from whole categories of characters.

Using the pattern

Collaborative Actions require that the players are able to combine their actions, either to perform the together at a certain time or by having individual actions some people support other players' to do actions that otherwise would not be possible. When designing Collaborative Actions in games the following things have to be taken into account: how much Coordination is required between the players; how the outcome of the action is based on the precision and type of the Coordination; how are the possible rewards shared and in which way; how different are the actions required; and how is the Coordination is made possible as in, for example, Player Decided Results. Note that Collaborative Actions do not need to include Cooperation; Bidding, Drafting, and Trading are compound actions requiring many players actions with affect and require each other without the players cooperating.

The individual actions that create Collaborative Actions do not explicitly need to be designed to do so since they can be achieve through Emergent Gameplay. But when they are wished to be more explicitly designed, they can be create to require two or more actions to be performed simultaneously or by requiring several specific game elements with Asymmetric Abilities to perform different actions. The first case can be instantiated by having several Incompatible Goals that have to be completed at the same time, for example holding several Check Points at once. Other examples of designed Collaborative Actions include Negotiation, especially in the form of Trading. Ganging up is a form of Collaborative Action that is typically used to gain tactical advantages in Combat but can be found in any Competition situation where players may decide to act together against perceived leaders, creating a form of Balancing Effects.

Collaborative Actions are often used in games supporting Teams so that not only do players have Mutual Goals but that working together is more efficient than working alone. As simple way of achieving this is by making Team Combos possible. While Shared Rewards can be used in any game to encourage players to start Collaborative Actions, the use of Shared Penalties can make the completion of actions into Committed Goals.

To provide more Complex Gameplay, Collaborative Actions can have Delayed Effects. Besides requiring more Coordination this also opens up for Betrayal since individual actions can be hidden. Enforced Player Anonymity can likewise encourage Betrayal but also ensure that the actions are not based on anything not provided by the game. Making Collaborative Actions only benefit one player, i.e. making any possible Reward a Individual Reward, typically makes the agents that help fulfill the action to assume that it is a case of Delayed Reciprocity due to Delayed Effects (which also creates more Complex Gameplay). As with any other type of actions, Collaborative Actions can be made into Extended Actions to provide more Challenging Gameplay.

Stretching the definition of agents, players may be able to do Collaborative Actions on their own when they control several Units, but this requires Attention Swapping.

Interface Aspects

Games that wish to encourage Collaborative Actions may require Game State Indicators or Game State Overviews to let players know what other players are doing, or at least the effects of players actions (e.g. holding flag points in the Battlefield series). By doing so, they can provide Perceivable Margins as support Cooperation. Games designed to make the Collaborative Actions between stranger through the use of Enforced Player Anonymity of course also need to mediate the interaction so players' identifies cannot be determined.

Consequences

Collaborative Actions is one way to achieve Cooperation in games, although it Bidding, Drafting, and Trading shows that this is not always the case. Further, observers may see Collaborative Actions as Cooperation where the people doing the actions do not, e.g. those excluded from Trading may feel those Trading are cooperating against them. When Collaborative Actions are performed they often are a display of Team Accomplishments, especially when they provide new Abilities to players or can also be seen as forms of Combos done by several players, Avatars, or Units rather than one. However, performing Collaborative Actions often requires the players to engage in Negotiation as an Extra-Game action and they also often needed Timing. All this provides Stimulated Planning and Constructive Gameplay, as well as making Social Interaction necessary. Being able to coordinate Collaborative Actions is thus often a basis for Gameplay Mastery in games where they are possible, especially so in games where Teams match up against each other. A basic consequence of Collaborative Actions is to make for more Complex Gameplay simply because having to work together to do something that just being able to do it oneself adds complexity regarding Negotiation, Coordination, and Timing.

Even if Collaborative Actions may let players do things they otherwise could not, they in one sense modulate their Freedom of Choice since they require Coordination This is especially true when the Collaborative Actions are also Extended Actions, in which case the actions can be seen as a form of Committed Goals. Similarly, Collaborative Actions do not have to be made by means of formalized Teams, but performing them at least creates Dynamic Alliances while the actions are being performed. They can be encouraged by Shared Rewards or Player-Decided Distributions. Collaborative Actions where the possible Rewards is only one Individual Reward to a single player can give rise to Delayed Reciprocity and by that also Betrayal. When the outcomes are more complex, e.g. allowing Rewards for some players and Penalties for others, this can easily create Social Dilemmas for those involved.

When the Collaborative Actions are created by placing Cards or Chips, this can support Anonymous Actions, and this can made more efficient with adding Random actions to the mix.

As Collaborative Actions often co-exist with either Cooperation or Negotiation, it can lead to Reflective Communication.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Abilities, Asymmetric Abilities, Balancing Effects, Combos, Complex Gameplay, Constructive Gameplay, Coordination, Cooperation, Dynamic Alliances, Extra-Game Actions, Gameplay Mastery, Negotiation, Player-Decided Distributions, Shared Penalties, Shared Rewards, Social Dilemmas, Social Interaction, Stimulated Planning, Team Accomplishments, Timing

with Cards or Chips

Anonymous Actions

with Delayed Effects or Delayed Reciprocity

Betrayal, Complex Gameplay

with Delayed Effects and Individual Rewards

Delayed Reciprocity

with Shared Penalties

Committed Goals

with Cooperation or Negotiation

Reflective Communication

Can Modulate

Competition, Freedom of Choice, Teams

Can Be Instantiated By

Bidding, Drafting, Emergent Gameplay, Incompatible Goals, Negotiation, Team Combos, Trading

Attention Swapping together with Units

Can Be Modulated By

Delayed Effects, Enforced Player Anonymity, Extended Actions, Game State Indicators, Game State Overviews, Individual Rewards, Player Decided Results, Randomness

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

-

History

An updated version of the pattern Collaborative Actions that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design[1].

References

  1. Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.

Acknowledgements

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