How is a coherent game world dependant on the consistent quality of visual output as well as or realistic logic.
The pursuit of creating the perfect immersive coherent world is a no small thing, considering the many different paths taken over the past decade by games developers to create a game world where players can essentially completely lose themselves. Factors such as quality of graphics, storylines and realistic logic all play a heavy part on creating a coherent world. What I will be investigating is does a coherent game world depend on the consistent quality of visual graphics as well as or realistic logic.
So, to begin. What exactly is a coherent world? To answer this I will take you through some examples. First, Runescape. Runescape is a fantasy massive multiplayer online role play game based in a medieval realm. While the world is as described, fantasy, it follows the same logic as the real world does. The game follows a specific style, which is evidently consistent throughout the entire game world. While the environment changes from zone to zone all the structures and land flows seamlessly between each zone.
Another example would be World of Warcraft, another fantasy massive multiplayer online role play game. Again, the game world is comprised of thousands of areas in hundreds of zones, which all interact with each other and create a smooth exchange for the player between areas which keeps a sense of realism.
Moving on to another game called Battlefield 3. Battlefield 3 is a game based in what is essentially reality, creating a player that is a much harsher judge of the games realistic style. Things are meant to react in game exactly how they react in real life, from guns, explosions, vehicles and even their avatar. Battlefield does this amazingly, keeping the player immersed in a viable and coherent world.
Command & Conquer has the more difficult job than Runescape or World of Warcraft, perhaps even more than Battlefield 3. Not only does it need to keep a logical gameplay style, but it also needs to create what is essentially a whole new perspective of the laws of physics to carry off what it presents. Aliens, flying spaceships and more.
Moving on, what is meant by consistent quality of visual graphics? As mentioned previously, it is the seamless graphic styles as well as quality through multiple zones, if not all, in a game world. The game must maintain a stern level of quality and detail in their models as well as storyline throughout the entire game. For example, the game boasts it’s detailed environment, yet slip up on smaller game assets such as the much complained about 40 pixel microscope (which was later patched along with a few other slip ups).
Most importantly within games, the models, such as characters, need to fit in with their environment. Having an incredibly high quality character in a low quality environment or vice versa is a great way to lessen the players immersion in a game.
Another point to take note is how realistic logic is used in games, which takes me on to the question “What is realistic logic in games?”. As Newton puts it, “Every action has a reaction”. Any action in a game must have a reaction, especially when it comes to how the player interacts with the world they are immersed into. If someone is playing for example, a racing game, it would not make sense for the car to come to a complete stop when it hits an object. The player would expect some kind action performed by the game to simulate a crash, whether it be a broken windscreen or even damage to the vehicle they are driving.
Even in games the laws of physics need to be taken into account, there are even game engines developed solely to replicated real world physics in a simulated environment. How simulated forces react to each other is vital to a coherent world, as any illogical reactions to actions can break the coherency of the world.
When it comes at how a coherent world effects the player, you need to look at immersion. Immersion in computer games is a phenomenon that has been looked at for many years, one of the biggest challenges for a game designer is how to make a game immersive enough to grab the attention of the player and keep their attention focused on the game.
Spatial Presence is an important factor, to explain it simply, the idea is that a game (or any other media such as novels or movies) creates spatial presence when the player begins to feel like they are actually present in the virtual world of the game. This can be achieved in many ways, for example, in World of Warcraft when a player wishes to travel from one zone on the map to another they can do so by using a flight path; a flight path is a transportation link between two fixed geographical points via fixed paths on aerial mounts that fly the player over the map giving the player a better presence in the game than say, a loading screen.
As mentioned before, a coherent world should be seamless, creating a game where players can travel and engage in activities without the absence of what is considered to be “realistic” laws of physics and simple logic learned from the real world.
With that covered, does the consistent quality of visual graphics create a coherent world?
Taking a look at Age of Empires, RAGE and LA Noir, they all have the same issue... Low quality 3D assets in a game world that is a high end graphic game. This completely disrupts the players enjoyment and immersion in a game, especially when they are so blatant even within gameplay. So there is no simple answer to this, the consistent quality of graphics in games does make a game more likely to be coherent, but it is not the only thing that makes a game world coherent.
Next up, what part does game logic play in the task of creating a coherent world? I’ve taken Runescape and Battlefield 3 as an example, two completely different games, but both use simple game logic. In runescape, players level their character by training skills. These skills are based on real world skills and involve simple world logic. For example, cut down a tree you use an axe, or to cook some food you use a heat source. It would not make sense to be able to cut down a tree with a tool such as a spoon, similarly it would not make sense to cook food on something that does not generate heat.
Having simple logic in games that can be applied from real life creates a much more viable coherent world than having to do tasks in a non-realistic way. Which, like graphics, leads me to believe that while creating a coherent world game logic does help, but it is not down to game logic alone.
Can a coherent world be created without consistent visual graphics or realistic logic?
The answer simply is yes, but only with certain types of games. Take classic arcade games for example. They have relatively poor graphics that are not consistent (unless you count pixel based graphics) and little to no real world logic. Whether it be a yellow pizza shaped pac man to a space invader, arcade games are from an era where any game was an impressive feat.
Overall, I feel that consistent quality of visual output and realistic logics pretty much go hand in hand. Without one or the other it is difficult to create and maintain a coherent game world that can immerse the player into the game, especially now as players are demanding more and more detailed and comprehensive games.
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