IST 402: Design of Interactive Immersive Environments

1
IST 402 Design of Interactive Immersive
Environments

• Other Names
• Game Design
• Interactive Narrative
• Design of the New Media

2
A Word of Advice

• Programming knowledge
• Basic concepts
• Matrix operations
• Vector geometry
• Game design
• Game play
• Course is hands-on and project oriented.

3
Grading and Projects

• Individual Projects 40
• First half of the class
• 4 projects
• A scene with a character that the user directs
  to walk from one place to another
• Adding a radar and alerting user to approaching
  enemies a Mod for Unreal Tournament
• Enhancing AI strategy of Warcraft or Rise of
  Nations
• Creating a Sim Object
• Group Project (4-5 people) 40
• Proposal
• Prototype I
• Prototype II
• Final
• Participation 20
• Group discussions
• Forum posting
• Panel presentation (Please sign up for a slot)

4
Software used for the class

• Programming languages
• .NET, C or Java
• Scripting languages provided by the games e.g.
  Unreal Script
• Games
• Warcraft III or Rise of Nations
• Catz
• Unreal Tournament or Half Life
• The Sims
• Wildtangent Driver and SDK

5
Facilities Provided

• S/W on Classroom computers
• .NET on all machines
• Games 20 copies of each game is distributed
  among machines so that each machine will have
  one game for each genre
• Wildtangent SDK
• Unreal Tournament SDK
• Half Life SDK
• You have these machines during class time and at
  a scheduled evening slot.

6
Working at Home

• Wildtangent is free
• I can provide Visual Studio .NET Enterprise
• You will need to buy the games

7
Special Equipments for projects

• We have the following equipment in 314 Lab
• Sound Booth we will get sometime in Jan
• G4 with video editing software
• Adobe priemier and after effects
• You can also use video production equipment in
  the Architecture or Film dept.
• You need to talk with me about using any of these
  equipments.

8
Interactive Immersive Environments

• How to create immersive production?
• Elements of Performance (Aristotles Poetics)
• Plot
• Character
• Diction
• Thought
• Spectacle
• Music
• In film, you also have camera
• How do we create an interactive production, and
  what does interactivity mean?

9
Interactive Immersive Environments

• Interactivity Models
• psychological space connection interacting at a
  psychological level, e.g. observing inner
  thoughts of characters, or affecting
  characters motivations or inner states.
• E.g. Janet Murrays Class http//thistle.skiles.
  gatech.edu/JMurray_Research/68
• spatial navigation navigation through
  architectures or space
• E.g. Myst
• Titillation driven by or rewarded with sensual
  stimulation
• E.g. Dracula, Devil May Cry

10
Interactive Immersive Environments

• Interactivity Models (Contd)
• Relational
• Character driven
• Driven by building relationship with characters
• E.g. Living Letters, Catz
• Playwright, playing God
• E.g. Sims, Black and White
• Thought and Strategy
• E.g. Warcraft

11
Interactive Immersive Environments

• Increasing Emotional Involvement or
  Engagement through
• Story Reward
• If you make this level, you get to know what
  happens to the princess.
• Investment
• customizing your characters
• Making choices that affect your characters
  image
• Experimentation and problem solving
• Different ways of getting at one solution
• Different strategies of fighting an enemy
• What else?

12
Next Class

• Panel what makes a good interactive experience?
• Recommended Readings
• Holopainen, J. Meyers, S. (2000)
  Neuropsychology and Game Design
  Consciousness Reframed 2000. http//www.stephan.co
  m/NeuroBio.html.
• Kramer, W (2001) What makes a Game Good?
  Available at http//www.thegamesjournal.com/a
  rticles/WhatMakesaGame.shtml
• Doug Church. (1999) Formal Abstract Design
  Tools. Game Developers Magazine, Vol 3, Issue
  28