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Principles of Virtual Sensation
Now switch to the “Pop” option. A simple spray of arbitrarily star-shaped particles is the difference between a very satisfying interaction and one that seems totally wrong. Even if a spray of dust or particles where objects touch would be surprising if they happened in the real world (the constant sparking of metal on metal in Soul Calibur, for example), players interpret them correctly. As long as something happens when objects interact, and that something seems to be appropriate for the speed, mass, and weight of the objects, the feeling of impact is conveyed. What’s “appropriate” may require some experimentation to get right. For example, the “pop small” option in Cube Movement 4, in which the same star particles now have very little speed to their explosion, feels much less satisfying. By contrast, the “pop large” option feels like too great a reaction for the forces at work. It almost looks as though the swinging circular piece is a blade spinning at great speed, with showers of sparks shooting off as it touches pieces of metal. Finally, it’s important to look for best practices from film when emphasizing object interactions. Camera tricks, especially, are great to draw from. The classic example is having the camera shake when a huge impact or explosion occurs. World War 2 themed games seem to have pushed this direction the farthest, emulating shell-shock down to the ringing noise and blurred vision, taking cues from films like Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line. It’s possible to use effects like camera shake in just about any context, though, as illustrated by its frequent use to emphasize impact in platformers and fighting games. 7. Appealing Reaction – Producing appealing reaction regardless of context or input. Additional effects and baked on animation can also add to appeal. The animations in Jak and Daxter add a lot of appeal to what is otherwise a fairly bland underlying virtual sensation. Most of the techniques used to animate Jak come from traditional animation –squash and stretch and so on – but it’s interesting to note the effect the animations have on perception of virtual sensation. Jak’s movement, while very simple when divorced from the layer of animation on top of it, seems organic, complex, and appealing. In New Super Mario Brothers there is a similar effect: if Mario were just a cube the virtual sensation would not be as appealing. As it is, Mario’s run cycle speeds up gradually and slows down again as he starts and stops, throwing up dust particles both as he runs and if he quickly changes directions. The result is much more compelling than the (already excellent) naked virtual sensation. The other part of appeal is making sure that no matter what input the player gives the system, the result is compelling. This is especially important for things like crashes and failure states. An enlightened approach is to spend more time on the failure states, making them varied and interesting, since this is where the player will spend most of their time. For example, in Ski Stunt Simulator, it’s fun to crash and mangle the skier. Because the skier is a “rag doll” physics rig, complete with constraints to simulate joints and different, individual masses for each limb, crashing him produces a satisfying, organic-looking result. It’s not just one canned animation playing back every time. He’ll smack his head, tumble down a ravine, or impale himself on a cliff side. In a sort of extreme sports mishap kind of way, it’s very appealing to watch him crash and go limp as his body contorts and tumbles. There’s a very visceral “oooh daaaamn!” kind of reaction, one that has a hugely positive effect both on learning and capture. Because the failure state is so much fun, learning is much easier and frustration mitigated. If you try a run numerous times and still aren’t successful, you can always crash the skier intentionally a few times to put a smile on your face. Likewise, observers will often be “captured” by Ski Stunt Simulator’s organic look, especially when the skier crashes, enticing them to play. |
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