| { | |
| "pattern_name": "Characters", | |
| "description": "Abstract representations of persons in a game.", | |
| "content": [ | |
| "Many games let players control game elements that represent people or creatures that act in the [[Game World]]. When these people or creatures have characteristics not directly shown in the [[Game World]] that can change during gameplay, these game elements have an abstract element called [[Character]]." | |
| ], | |
| "using_the_pattern": [ | |
| "The design of use of [[Characters]] in games can either be on the level of creating explicit characters or by creating rules for how players can create their own [[Characters]]. Independent of how [[Characters]] are created, the game designer can choose whether [[Character Development]] should be possible and if players should be able to affect it. Allowing players control over [[Character Development]] increases [[Freedom of Choice]] as well as creates [[Planned Character Development]], which is a form of [[Investment]]. This planning offers players the chance of [[Varied Gameplay]] by making use of [[New Abilities]] to instantiate potential [[Orthogonal Unit Differentiation]]. [[Planned Character Development]] gives the possibility for [[Team Development]] in games with [[Team Play]]. However, unless games make use of [[Game Masters]], this kind of [[Freedom of Choice]] regarding [[Characters]] may be difficult to combine with [[Narrative Structures]].", | |
| "Creating complete [[Characters]] lets them fit within an [[Alternative Reality]] and allows personalized and unique [[Avatars]] for each [[Character]]. In games with [[Combat]] or [[Overcome]] goals between the players, pre-created [[Characters]] can be extensively play-tested to ensure [[Player Balance]]. The use of pre-created [[Characters]] is common in games either where [[Character Development]] is not a large part of gameplay or where the [[Character]], and any [[Character Development]], is closely tied to a tightly controlled [[Narrative Structure]].", | |
| "Typical ways of letting players create [[Characters]] are based around [[Randomness]] or [[Budgeted Action Points]]. These are in turn used to determine the many various characteristics possible: the [[Handle]] that identifies the character to other players; number values that represent physical or mental abilities or status of measurements such as [[Lives]], health, and fatigue; [[Skills]] that affect the likelihood of succeeding with actions and may give [[Privileged Abilities]] such as being a [[Producer]] that can create [[Renewable Resources]]; advantages, disadvantages, quirks, or other ways of describing character traits and motivating initial Decreased Abilities, Improved Abilities, or [[Privileged Abilities]]; worldly possessions and equipment that represents [[Resources]] or [[Tools]]; and occupations, social statuses, and social networks that define the characters place in the [[Game World]]. In games with [[Avatars]], some of these characteristics are usually cosmetic. The variety of values associated with [[Characters]] then open up for the range of [[Rewards]], such as [[Improved Abilities]] through raised [[Skills]], and [[Penalties]], such as [[Decreased Abilities]] through received [[Damage]], that can occur during gameplay.", | |
| "When players have rules for creating [[Characters]], this gives them [[Freedom of Choice]] and [[Creative Control]] depending on the level of [[Randomness]] involved in the process, but this increases the possibilities for [[Identification]] and[[Immersion]] through [[Emotional Immersion]] in all cases. The personalization possible also allows players to construct [[Player Defined Goals]] for their [[Characters]] as they are created, and can give them the [[Illusion of Influence]] over how the [[Narrative Structure]] will develop. However, with a larger amount of [[Freedom of Choice]] regarding the character creation process, the problem of fitting or adjusting the character to an integral role in a [[Narrative Structure]] increases also. This problem can be mitigated by the presence of [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]] that can perform [[Negotiation]] to make the [[Character]] suitable to the planned events in the game or modify the [[Narrative Structure]] to fit the [[Character]]." | |
| ], | |
| "consequences": [ | |
| "[[Characters]] provide games with points for [[Identification]] and through these points [[Emotional Immersion]], which can strengthen the impact of, and widen the range of, [[Penalties]] usable in the game, especially in the case of [[Persistent Game Worlds]]. The presence of [[Characters]] also allows more detailed [[Enemies]] and richer [[Narrative Structure]] where social relationships and [[Character Development]] can be important components. This is especially true in cases where [[Roleplaying]] the [[Characters]] or [[Storytelling]] about the [[Characters]] is possible.", | |
| "In games with [[Game Worlds]], [[Characters]] form links between abstract game state values and concrete game state values through their connection to [[Avatars]]. When no concrete [[Game World]] exists, [[Characters]] take the role of [[Focus Loci]] in replacement of [[Avatars]].", | |
| "In [[Multiplayer Games]], having [[Characters]] with different [[Privileged Abilities]] allows [[Orthogonal Unit Differentiation]] and lets players specialize in different [[Competence Areas]]. However, the differences in abilities may cause [[Player Balance]] to be disrupted." | |
| ], | |
| "relations": { | |
| "Instantiates": [ | |
| "Competence Areas", | |
| "Emotional Immersion", | |
| "Investments", | |
| "Focus Loci", | |
| "Illusion of Influence", | |
| "Identification", | |
| "Creative Control", | |
| "Immersion", | |
| "Enemies", | |
| "Orthogonal Unit Differentiation", | |
| "Player Defined Goals", | |
| "Narrative Structures" | |
| ], | |
| "Modulates": [ | |
| "Avatars", | |
| "Multiplayer Games", | |
| "Player Balance", | |
| "Alternative Reality", | |
| "Varied Gameplay", | |
| "Roleplaying" | |
| ], | |
| "Instantiated by": [], | |
| "Modulated by": [ | |
| "Damage", | |
| "Penalties", | |
| "Planned Character Development", | |
| "Producers", | |
| "Resources", | |
| "Budgeted Action Points", | |
| "Decreased Abilities", | |
| "Improved Abilities", | |
| "Dedicated Game Facilitators", | |
| "Renewable Resources", | |
| "Persistent Game Worlds", | |
| "Rewards", | |
| "Lives", | |
| "Tools", | |
| "Skills", | |
| "Privileged Abilities", | |
| "Storytelling", | |
| "New Abilities", | |
| "Character Development", | |
| "Randomness", | |
| "Handles", | |
| "Freedom of Choice", | |
| "Game Masters" | |
| ], | |
| "Potentially conflicting with": [] | |
| }, | |
| "examples": [ | |
| "Roleplaying games let each player control a character, and one of the main types of achievement in the games is to raise the character's level, stats, or skills.", | |
| "Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a first-person shooter where players have characters that can develop between levels by gaining experience points in various skills." | |
| ], | |
| "label": "9. Game Design Patterns for Narrative Structures, Predictability, and\n Immersion Patterns", | |
| "pattern_links": [ | |
| { | |
| "name": "Competence Areas", | |
| "file": "CompetenceAreas" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Freedom of Choice", | |
| "file": "FreedomofChoice" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Decreased Abilities", | |
| "file": "DecreasedAbilities" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Damage", | |
| "file": "Damage" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Character Development", | |
| "file": "CharacterDevelopment" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Storytelling", | |
| "file": "Storytelling" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Immersion", | |
| "file": "Immersion" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Game Masters", | |
| "file": "GameMasters" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Alternative Reality", | |
| "file": "AlternativeReality" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Producers", | |
| "file": "Producers" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Player Defined Goals", | |
| "file": "PlayerDefinedGoals" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Emotional Immersion", | |
| "file": "EmotionalImmersion" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Avatars", | |
| "file": "Avatars" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Investments", | |
| "file": "Investments" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Budgeted Action Points", | |
| "file": "BudgetedActionPoints" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Improved Abilities", | |
| "file": "ImprovedAbilities" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Identification", | |
| "file": "Identification" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Focus Loci", | |
| "file": "FocusLoci" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "New Abilities", | |
| "file": "NewAbilities" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Randomness", | |
| "file": "Randomness" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Renewable Resources", | |
| "file": "RenewableResources" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Player Balance", | |
| "file": "PlayerBalance" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Penalties", | |
| "file": "Penalties" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Enemies", | |
| "file": "Enemies" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Varied Gameplay", | |
| "file": "VariedGameplay" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Dedicated Game Facilitators", | |
| "file": "DedicatedGameFacilitators" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Tools", | |
| "file": "Tools" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Lives", | |
| "file": "Lives" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Skills", | |
| "file": "Skills" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Rewards", | |
| "file": "Rewards" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Orthogonal Unit Differentiation", | |
| "file": "OrthogonalUnitDifferentiation" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Multiplayer Games", | |
| "file": "MultiplayerGames" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Illusion of Influence", | |
| "file": "IllusionofInfluence" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Narrative Structures", | |
| "file": "NarrativeStructures" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Roleplaying", | |
| "file": "Roleplaying" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Privileged Abilities", | |
| "file": "PrivilegedAbilities" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Handles", | |
| "file": "Handles" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Persistent Game Worlds", | |
| "file": "PersistentGameWorlds" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Creative Control", | |
| "file": "CreativeControl" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Planned Character Development", | |
| "file": "PlannedCharacterDevelopment" | |
| }, | |
| { | |
| "name": "Resources", | |
| "file": "Resources" | |
| } | |
| ], | |
| "pattern_id": "Characters", | |
| "playable_concept": "Not available yet", | |
| "metadata": { | |
| "version": "1.2.2.2", | |
| "date_processed": "2025-04-26", | |
| "source_file": "Characters.htm", | |
| "converter_version": "1.2.2.2" | |
| } | |
| } |