| { |
| "pattern_name": "Agents", |
| "description": "Entities in games that take the roles of players but are controlled by the game system.", |
| "content": [ |
| "Sometimes one cannot find enough players to make a game playable or enjoyable. To make gameplay possible in these situations, the game design may provide means of simulating players. These simulated players, or [[Agents]], can also be used to flesh out team-based games so that the teams are of equal size or simply let players train without having to play against other people." |
| ], |
| "using_the_pattern": [ |
| "Creating [[Agents]] requires that [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]] can sufficiently simulate the actions and plans of players, which in many cases requires significant computer power and AI programming. However, the skill of these [[Agents]] can easily be downgraded once they have been created and this can be used to create [[Handicaps]] for players." |
| ], |
| "consequences": [ |
| "[[Agents]] provide the possibility to play [[Multiplayer Games]] when not enough players are available by providing [[Enemies]] controlled by the game system. This allows for [[Competition]], [[Conflict]], and [[Tied Results]], and even [[Social Interaction]] to be present, or at least simulated, in situations where they would otherwise be impossible." |
| ], |
| "relations": { |
| "Instantiates": [ |
| "Enemies", |
| "Tied Results" |
| ], |
| "Modulates": [ |
| "Conflict", |
| "Competition", |
| "Multiplayer Games", |
| "Handicaps", |
| "Social Interaction" |
| ], |
| "Instantiated by": [ |
| "Dedicated Game Facilitators" |
| ], |
| "Modulated by": [], |
| "Potentially conflicting with": [] |
| }, |
| "examples": [ |
| "Bots in first-person shooters or real-time strategy games let players simulate multiplayer variants of the game." |
| ], |
| "label": "13. Game Design Patterns for Game Sessions", |
| "pattern_links": [ |
| { |
| "name": "Multiplayer Games", |
| "file": "MultiplayerGames" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Handicaps", |
| "file": "Handicaps" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Competition", |
| "file": "Competition" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Social Interaction", |
| "file": "SocialInteraction" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Enemies", |
| "file": "Enemies" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Dedicated Game Facilitators", |
| "file": "DedicatedGameFacilitators" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Tied Results", |
| "file": "TiedResults" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Conflict", |
| "file": "Conflict" |
| } |
| ], |
| "pattern_id": "Agents", |
| "playable_concept": "Not available yet", |
| "metadata": { |
| "version": "1.2.2.2", |
| "date_processed": "2025-04-26", |
| "source_file": "Agents.htm", |
| "converter_version": "1.2.2.2" |
| } |
| } |
