Page 28 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 28 of 47 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
included a distinctive visual cue: when one member of the swarm is selected for manipulation, the
other Swarmites turn toward it attentively, watching to see what it will do (at the player’s behest).
Behavioral changes spread through the swarm over the course of several seconds, simulating an
organic process of group learning. This is an elegant design solution, but Leafcutters does not
allow the same visual cue; Swarm benefits from the humanoid form of its Swarmites, as well as
the relatively flat, open space which they inhabit, both of which make this group watching
situation easy to relate. In Leafcutters, it is much more difficult to signal “stopping and
watching,” since the ants are non-humanoid and their lines of sight are usually blocked. Instead,
the ants who will be affected by changes are highlighted yellow, with a brightness depending on
how well their current active triggers match those selected by the player, and therefore how
strongly the player’s suggestions will affect their behavior.
Figure 3: Swarmites at attention
23
Object Description
| Title | Leafcutters: life simulation gameplay designed to evoke engagement with real-world subject matter |
| Author | Graner, William B. |
| Author email | granerw@gmail.com; bill@bgraner.com |
| Degree | Master of Fine Arts |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Interactive Media |
| School | School of Cinematic Arts |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-05-05 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-05-05 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Gibson, Jeremy |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Fullerton, Tracy Anderson, Steven F. |
| Abstract | Leafcutters is a life simulation game about leafcutting ants which is designed to evoke engagement with real world subject matter. In this game, players shape the behaviors of a colony of ants in order to establish complex behaviors such as foraging and fungus farming. The game system in Leafcutters is adapted from existing biological research on ants, with an emphasis on the accurate adaptation of a natural system into a game system. This project draws on previous works in artificial life, life simulation games, swarm games, virtual pets, and virtual ants. Leafcutters is a work of expressive AI, an evocative knowledge object, and an educational game. |
| Keyword | simulation game; evocative knowledge object; educational game; video game |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3919 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Graner, William B. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Graner-4578 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume40/etd-Graner-4578.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 28 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | included a distinctive visual cue: when one member of the swarm is selected for manipulation, the other Swarmites turn toward it attentively, watching to see what it will do (at the player’s behest). Behavioral changes spread through the swarm over the course of several seconds, simulating an organic process of group learning. This is an elegant design solution, but Leafcutters does not allow the same visual cue; Swarm benefits from the humanoid form of its Swarmites, as well as the relatively flat, open space which they inhabit, both of which make this group watching situation easy to relate. In Leafcutters, it is much more difficult to signal “stopping and watching,” since the ants are non-humanoid and their lines of sight are usually blocked. Instead, the ants who will be affected by changes are highlighted yellow, with a brightness depending on how well their current active triggers match those selected by the player, and therefore how strongly the player’s suggestions will affect their behavior. Figure 3: Swarmites at attention 23 |
