Difference between revisions of "Detective Structures"

Revision as of 07:09, 28 May 2010

Information available for a player is limited to the information of one character.

The player experiences the game event aligned with a single character. The Detective Structure is typical pattern used in games, for example, in Half-Life (Valve Software, 2001), Deus Ex (Ion Storm, 2002), and Silent Hill 3 (Team Silent, 2003). Using the Pattern: Detective Structure is a form of Imperfect Information (Björk, Holopainen, 2005). The information available to the player is limited to what is available to one character; the player does not need to have unlimited access to what the character knows, feels, and perceives. Detective Structure can use First-Person Views (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) or Third-Person Views (Björk, Holopainen, 2005). Detective Structure with Clues (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) can be used to support Narrative Structure (Björk, Holopainen, 2005), for example, solving a mystery by finding Clues (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) to reach the Predefined Goals (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) such as Gain Information (Björk, Holopainen, 2005). Consequences: As Detective Structure limits the player’s information. a certain point-of-view, pattern Imperfect Information (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) and Uncertainty of Information (Björk, Holopainen, 2005). This means that it can be used more freely (than with Melodramatic Structure). This is likely to add to Tension (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) and create possibilities for Surprises (Björk, Holopainen, 2005). Relations: ——Instantiates: Imperfect Information (Björk, Holopainen, 2005), Uncertainty of Information (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) ——Instantiated by: none ——Modulates: Narrative Structure (Björk, Holopainen, 2005), Tension (Björk, Holopainen, 2005), Surprises (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) ——Modulated by: Clues (Björk, Holopainen, 2005), Gain Information (Björk, Holopainen, 2005), First-Person Views (Björk, Holopainen, 2005), Third-Person Views (Björk, Holopainen, 2005) ——Potentially conflicting with: Perfect Information, Melodramatic Structure

Examples

Using the pattern

Diegetic Aspects

Interface Aspects

Narrative Aspects

Consequences

Relations

Can Instantiate

Can Modulate

Can Be Instantiated By

Can Be Modulated By

Potentially Conflicting With

History

An updated version of the pattern Character Defining Actions, first introduced in Lankoski 2010^[1].

References

1. ↑ Lankoski (2010). Character-Driven Game Design - A Design Approach and Its Foundations in Character Engagement. PhD thesis at Aalto University. Publication Series of the School of Art and Design A 101.