Comparative Studies of popular computer games' design principles

Re-Volt VS Mario Kart WiiTong Chun Kit 08543688d

Wong Wing Fai 08504417dLung Wing Kiu 08549400dKwan Kai Hong 08603063d

Re-Volt

Developers Acclaim Cheltenham

Publishers Acclaim Entertainment

Platform PC

Release date

1999

Genre(s) Racing (Radio control car),Simulation

Modes Single player,Local multiplayer,Online multiplayer

Input Methods

Keyboard,Joystick

Mario Kart

Developers Nintendo EAD

Publishers Nintendo

Native Resolution

480i480p

Platform Wii Console

Release date 2008

Genre(s) Racing (Go-kart-style)

Modes Single-player,Local multiplayer,Online multiplayer

Input methods

Wii Remote,Wii Remote + Wii Wheel,Wii Remote + Nunchuk,Gamepad

Player groups and characteristics

Re-Volt• All ages, gender and

demographic groups• Targeted on teenagers and

kids• Multi-languages• For both hard gamers and

casual gamers

Mario Kart Wii• All ages, gender and

demographic groups• Targeted on teenagers and

kids• More friendly to females• Multi-languages• For both hard gamers and

casual gamers

Reinforcement – Stimulus

Re-Volt• Control a cool and popular

RC car• Attack enemies and escape

the attack from enemies• Using driving skills and

driving boards

Mario Kart Wii• Love driving• Attack enemies and escape

the attack from enemies• Using driving skills and

driving boards

Reinforcement – Challenges

Re-Volt• Player begin from the last• Easy challenge get small

reward• Difficult challenge get big

reward

Mario Kart Wii• Player begin from the last• Easy challenge get small

reward• Difficult challenge get big

reward• Do extra missions gain

special reward

Reinforcement – Rewards (Re-Volt)

• Modes– Racing unlock: Complete the first in the race to unlock– Mission unlock: Collect items to unlock

• Rewards– Cars– Tracks

Reinforcement – Rewards (Mario Kart Wii)

• Modes– Racing unlock: Complete the first in the race to unlock– Mission unlock: Collect items to unlock– Event unlock: Play all tracks once to unlock

• Rewards– Cars / Motors– Tracks– Items– Characters

Reinforcement – Difficulty

• Depend on the player car performance• NPCs will use cars with similar capabilities.

Reinforcement – Strategy Development

Re-Volt• Car selection• Items collected• Shortcut• Driving skills

Mario Kart Wii• Car selection• Character selection• Items collected• Driving skills• Cooperate missions

Reinforcement – The concept of Luck

• While player pick up the item• Randomly assign a weapon or an item to player• All players can collect items• Some powerful items are more difficult to get• Worse player have more chance to get a more powerful item

Reinforcement – Satisfaction

• Begin as the last and complete as the first

Cognitive Dissonance

• Conflict with a person’s believes and attitudes• Players drive “dangerously” to win• Intentionally crash other players to make them lose

Cognitive Dissonance

• They don’t drive like that in real world– Creates dissonance

• Solve dissonance by changing thoughts– Players think they are in a game not in the real world, it’s different!– Use unrealistic design in the game to let players distinguish from real

world

Theory of Regret

• If the player complete the second in the race, he will win the race

• If the player can complete the race earlier one second, he may get any rewards

• Players may occur some unfortunate events or mistakes, e.g. player’s car crashed to the wall or be attacked by the enemy car

• If the player goes wrong direction or path, he will probably lose this match

Cognitive System – Cognitive Skills

• Both games has an easy learning curve• They have to learn

– Track environments– Using the pickups tactically/skillfully

• Players need to multitask when playing– Puts great deal of load to cognitive system– Tasks:

• Drive fast without crashing• Pickup items• Attack

Cognitive System – Motor Skills

• Transform cognitive skills to motor skills– Thoughts -> key presses

• React very quick like reflex action to win• Examples

– If the road is moving right, right key needs to be pressed– Avoid obstacles– Get back to track as fast possible after crash

Cognitive System – Memorizing

• Short term memory– Where the items placed– Where each player is– Who is heading

• Long term memory– Shortcuts– Crashing mistakes

Cognitive System – Coordinating

Re-Volt• Hard to control• Realistic physical

environment• More demanding player

skills

Mario Kart Wii• Easy to control• Approximated simulation

physical environment • Less demanding player skills

Cognitive System – Attention Design

Re-Volt Mario Kart Wii

• Screen elements designed according to needed attention

Cognitive System – Attention Design

• Attention shifts not as many as RTS games– Focused mainly in driving

• Attention shifts are different according to situation• Last position or behind most players

– Avoid crashes– Pickup items– Attack

• First position– More focused in driving– No opponents in front to attack

Cognitive System – Attention Design

• Attention duration should also be considered in design• Players in different environments have different characteristics• Play mobile game while waiting for bus

– Easily distracted and lose attention– Can’t expect long continous attention– Gameplay lasts for minutes

• Play console game at home– Dedicated time– Less distraction– Gameplay lasts for hours

• Above is reflected in the design in the racing games

Cognitive System – Interference among game knowledge

• Experience in playing games generally• How to drift the car• Pass through the curves with the minimum speed reduction

Cognitive System – Visual Transformation

• Transform what they see on the screen into an imaginary 3D space

• Camera/Viewport have to be well designed– Ease visual transformation by player’s brain

• In Mario Kart Wii/Re-Volt– Camera at the back of car– Predictable

• Left side of screen is left side of car• Going into the screen is the front side of car

– Easy to understand

Social and Cultural characteristics – Cultural difference

Re-Volt• The style of the game

elements are more realistic• Most of them are come

from the real world

Mario Kart Wii• Fictional & unrealistic style• Cartoonish color scheme

Cognitive System – The concept of Fun(Physical fun)

• Experience a simulation of driving in the real world.

• Enjoy driving in high speed

Cognitive System – The concept of Fun(Social fun)

• Both Re-Volt and Mario Kart Wii support multi-players mode and allow many people to compete with each others or cooperate to win a battle or defeat a boss.

Cognitive System – The concept of Fun(Mental fun)

• Both Re-Volt and Mario Kart Wii share a similar Mental fun– Pressure build-up and release

• Aimed by other players behind• Being over taken by other players/ cannot desert other players

Cognitive System – The concept of Fun(Mental fun)

• Mario Kart Wii also provides another source of mental fun– BGM

• The players’ emotion may be driven by the BGM of tracks, special BGM for different event and voices of the characters

Cognitive System – The concept of Survival

• Both Re-Volt and Mario Kart Wii share a similar survival concept– Familiarize with the controlling technique of different cars– Familiarize with the tracks– Familiarize with the weapons characteristics

Other design elements – Play mechanics

• Both Re-Volt & Mario Kart Wii have Intelligent NPCs

• The collision response simulation is quite different

Other design elements – Interfaces design (Re-Volt)

1. Current place

2. The total time, last lap time and best lap time elapsed

5. Item collected

3. Distance between front car

4. Distance between back car 6. Car speed7. A direction sign

Other design elements – Interfaces design (Mario Kart Wii)

3. Item collected

4: Mini-map

2. The total time elapsed

1. Current place

Other design elements – Graphical & Game elements design

Re-Volt: toy-feeling• RC cars design(antenna,

electric motor, batteries etc.)

• Items design(fireworks missiles, bowling balls)

• Tracks design(supermarket, museum, ship)

Mario Kart Wii: fictional & unreal

• Characters & cars design (cartoonish & fictional, original from other Mario series)

• Items design (original from Mario series)

• Animated 3D characters (cheering, stunning)

Other design elements – Audio and Music

Re-Volt• No BGMs• Only SEs present in the

game

Mario Kart Wii• BGMs and SEs present in

the game• Different track has different

BGMs• Some special BGM will be

played when some special events occur

Other design elements – Control Schemes

Re-Volt• Support keyboards and

joysticks• Control keys can be changed

base on players’ preference

Mario Kart Wii• Support Wii remote only,

Wii remote with Nunchuk or Wii Wheel

Other design elements – Game Modes

• Similarities and differences in game modesGame Modes Re-Volt Mario Kart Wii

Single player Yes Yes

Multi-player No Yes

Link Play Yes Yes

Championship Yes Yes

Battle Yes Yes

Time trial Yes Yes

Conclusion

• How to apply the learnt theories into the analysis

• Realize that minor gameplay characteristics may affect the gameplay a lot