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Come with Me: a cooperative game focusing on player emotion

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Come with Me: a cooperative game focusing on player emotion

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Content COME WITH ME
A COOPERATIVE GAME FOCUSING ON PLAYER EMOTION
By
Xin Ye
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
May 2021
Copyright 2021 Xin Ye
Acknowledgments
Firstly, I would like to thank my thesis advisors, Richard Lemarchand and Tracy
Fullerton, for guiding me through this project. I would also like to thank all the faculty and staff
of the Interactive Media and Games Department at USC for all the assistance and support.
The production of Come with Me would not have been possible without the help of my
team members. I would also like to thank my team members Marshall (Xiangyu) Wang (lead
engineer), Hesh (Yuran) Yan (engineer), Maxton Waller (composer), Jon Brunson (technical
sound designer), Weston Bell-Geddes (usability/marketing), and Qiming Lin (technical artist) for
their incredible contributions to this project.
Finally, I would like to thank my mom and dad who supported me to finish my MFA. I
would also like to thank myself, for my persistence and hard work during this COVID-19 period.
ii
Abstract
Come with Me is a two-player cooperative game designed to focus on player emotion. It
is a co-op game that aims to create players’ connection with characters and generate player
emotion to care about the characters. In this game, players can feel a strong bond with the
characters and the game world. This paper explains the design concept of gameplay and
narrative, which tries to enhance player emotion and connection.
iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………………..ii
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………....….iii
Introduction/Overview………………………………………………………………………….. 1
Thesis Question………………………………………………………………………………..2
Project Goals…………………………………………………………………………………..3
Target Audience………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Gameplay Design………………………………………………………………………………... 4
Character Design………………………………………………………………………………4
Core Mechanics and Features……………………………………………………………….... 5
Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………....5
Mechanics……………………………………………………………………………….... 7
Level Design………………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Level 1: Village: Establishing Scene……………………………………………………... 7
Level 2: Forest: Com > Mi……………………………………………………………….. 8
Level 3: Snow: Com = Mi………………………………………………………………... 8
Level 4: Tree: Com = Mi…………………………………………………………………. 9
Level 5: Cave: Com < Mi……………………………………………………………….... 9
Level 6: Village: Return: Com………………………………………..…………………...9
Narrative Design……………………………………………………………………………….. 10
Character Setting……………………………………………………………………………..10
Story in the Game…………………………………………………………………………… 11
Memory Pieces……………………………………………………………………………….11
Emotion Design: Interaction Between Players………………………………………………..14
Gameplay Design for Emotion…………………………………………………………….... 14
Mechanics……………………………………………………………………………….. 14
Level Design: Environment and Lighting………………………………………………..15
Narrative Design for Emotion………………………………………………………………..16
Prior Art………………………………………………………………………………………... 19
Narrative Inspiration…………………………………………………………………….. 19
Mechanic Inspiration…………………………………………………………………..... 19
Player Experience Inspiration………………………………………………………..…..20
Gameplay Experience Evaluation…………………………………………………………….. 21
iv
Usability Testing…………………………………………………………………………….. 21
Camera…………………………………………………………………………………... 21
Design………………………………………………………………………………….... 23
Emotion…………………………………………………………………………………..24
Met Project Goal……………………………………………………………………………..24
Further Development…………………………………………………………………………...25
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….... 26
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………. 27
v
Introduction/Overview
Fig. 1. Come with Me: Com (Right) and Mi (Left)
Come with Me is a two-player cooperative game set in a puzzle-filled magical world.
Players solve puzzles together and help each other by using asymmetrical abilities, and by
collecting memories to uncover the mystery behind the story world.
When the village plunges into darkness, Com and Mi (Fig. 1), the two main characters,
go on an adventure to bring back the light. Com is strong and bulky whereas Mi is small and
agile. Players can only complete their adventure by working closely together.
Genre
3D | Third-Person | Adventure | Puzzle-Solving
1
Thesis Question
There are a lot of co-op games on the market, and a large percentage of them are
fast-paced. From Overcooked to Human Fall Flat, popular co-op games always have similar
features. With the simplest narrative providing the reason for play, players can easily work
together to become a team and cooperate immediately within 20 minutes for each level. In these
co-op games, characters always look similar and have the same power. Players usually don’t care
about the characters in these co-op games. They enjoy the game, feel happy when playing, and
forget the narrative and characters very quickly after playing.
What if we could make players care about characters in a co-op game within 20 minutes?
My thesis project seeks to challenge the question, “Can players care about characters and
feel sad for them in a co-op game under 20 minutes?” Sadness is a difficult emotion to achieve
because it requires an immersive experience so that players can feel a strong bond with the
characters and the game world.
Therefore, I designed the game concept Come with Me to do just that. It is a cooperative
puzzle adventure game for two players. In this game, players will have asymmetrical abilities
and need to go through the journey by helping each other. Through cooperation, two players will
also care about each other and further build up a relationship during the journey.
Come with Me is designed to enhance player emotion. By sacrificing one of the
characters at the end of the experience, Come with Me wants players to care about them and feel
sad at the end of the story. Come with Me is an experimental game, trying to lead players through
an emotional experience - from happy and playful to sad and reflective - while engaging in the
cooperative experience.
2
Project Goals
In Come with Me, two players will:
● help each other during the journey.
● care about each other and build up a relationship during the journey.
● care about the characters in the game and feel sad at the end of the experience.
Target Audience
The game is for ages 10 and up people who love to play games with their friends and who
enjoy solving puzzles and love adventure games.
3
Gameplay Design
The game mechanic needed to be easy to understand and fun to play. All the design
decisions made with this point in mind.
Character Design
The two characters need to look and feel very different because they will have
asymmetrical abilities. Complementary colors are a good way to not only show their difference
and contrast but also catch players’ attention. Some mystery patterns increase the characters’
uniqueness, yet also imply that they live together and are representative of part of their
backstories.
When it came to game design, I knew I might be the only artist and therefore needed a
design where I would be able to do all the art and animation in this game, so both characters had
to have simple shapes without hands for the purpose of simplifying the modeling and animation
process. The characters’ names also come from the game title.
Fig. 2. Character design: Left (purple tall one): Com, Right (yellow small one): Mi
4
Core Mechanics and Features
Analysis
In “Game Mechanics for Cooperative Games,” Bernardo Rocha and his co-authors
identified six cooperative game design patterns.
1
I used these patterns as a framework for
analysing and designing the game mechanics in Come with Me.
● Complementarity
Complementarity is the most important and obvious way to let players group together.
Rocha defines complementarity as characters that have different abilities that will complement
each other. In Come with Me, both characters have entirely different and opposite features and
skills.
Hämäläinen gives a slightly different definition for complementarity. Complementary
actions refer to situations in which players’ individual tasks need to be synchronized with each
other in a timely manner to perform a joint task.
2
The activating buttons mechanic is the most
important and common mechanic in the game. There are two types of platform puzzle buttons:
buttons that need to be activated by one specific character (Com or Mi), and buttons that need to
be activated by both characters at the same time. These buttons can activate the platform to move
up or down, appear or disappear, which can be used to assist players to go through each level.
● Synergies between abilities
Some of the abilities of one character type have some synergy with abilities of another
character type. In Come with Me, Mi can jump higher, and Com is bigger and taller. Based on the
2
Hämäläinen, Raija, et al. “How to Raise Different Game Collaboration Activities: The Association Between Game Mechanics,
Players’ Roles and Collaboration Processes.” Simulation & gaming, vol. 49, no. 1, 2018, pp. 50-71.
1
José Bernardo, Rocha, et al. “Game Mechanics for Cooperative Games.” Conference: ZON Digital Games, 2008, pp. 72-80.
5
different body sizes, one player can step on another player’s body if they need to reach a higher
place.
● Abilities that can only be used on another player
Games provide players with abilities that can only be used on another player to encourage
cooperation between players. In Come with Me, Mi is afraid of water so every time the Mi player
drops into the water, the Com player can help the Mi player to get out of the water by reaching to
him/her.
● Shared goals
A group of players will have one non-exclusive goal that can be completed in a group. In
Come with Me, the narrative provides a reason for them to collect the sun symbol and bring the
light back to the village. This generates social interaction and collaboration between two
players.
3
● Synergies between goals
When players have different goals, one of the design approaches used to force them to
cooperate together is to have some sort of synergy between their goals. In Come with Me, Com
and Mi do not have different goals in order to make sure that the game resolves within 20 mins.
● Special rules for players of the same team
Special rules denote rules that are used to enforce cooperation within teams. In Come
with Me, the player cannot kill each other or die. They will not progress in the game if they don't
help each other. Neither character alone can go through the level and two players must make the
effort to solve the level.
3
Oksanen, Kimmo, and Raija Hämäläinen. “Game Mechanics in the Design of a Collaborative 3D Serious Game.” Simulation &
gaming, vol. 45, no. 2, 2014, pp. 255-278.
6
Mechanics
1. Asymmetrical abilities:
a. Mi - small, light, moves quickly, jumps higher, cannot swim, can jump on Com.
b. Com - big, heavy, moves slowly, jumps lower, can swim and can save Mi from
the water.
2. Interact with the environment:
a. Activate different platform puzzle buttons to help each other.
b. Observe secret memory pieces to unlock the backstories.
3. Collect sun symbol fragments to:
a. Gain new power.
b. Save the village.
Level Design
Level 1: Village: Establishing Scene
Level 1 is designed to show the players a new world and explain their asymmetrical
abilities and the reason why they go on a journey together. The open map is built to let players
have enough space to try the control and the camera.
The Mi player can explore the village and learn some of the backstories. Mi lives in the
forest next to the village. All the villagers look like Com, and Mi is very different from them.
The Com player can explore the forest. The final portal is also set upon the waterfall in the forest
which is a Valve that can be seen by the Com player if the player looks at the waterfall carefully,
but they cannot go up the waterfall. The village can be seen by Com in order to imply Com to go
back to the village to open the door for Mi.
7
Some actions are similar and symmetrical; for example, Mi can step on the tomato field
and Com can collect apples on the tree, which are red and correspond with the tomato. The level
design forces Mi to step on the tomato field and trigger the animation. The trail of the sun
symbol implies that the players should chase it. The river in the forest is set to teach players that
Mi cannot go into the water, which sets up level 2’s main mechanic.
Level 2: Forest: Com > Mi
In this level, the memory pieces are introduced at the very beginning. The Mi player
needs to learn to step on the Com player’s body in order to reach a higher place. When obtaining
the piece, the backstory image is unlocked. Some other pieces are hidden in the map, one of them
is in a small hole and can only be obtained by the Mi player, which establishes the size difference
between Com and Mi.
The water and river force Mi to rely on Com. Mi needs Com’s assistance every time they
cross the river. Com can help Mi to climb up a higher place and Com can carry Mi through the
water. Furthermore, players will be familiar with the platform puzzle button mechanic. They will
experience all kinds of platform puzzle buttons in this level and finally use the key to unlock the
door and find the first sun symbol fragment.
Level 3: Snow: Com = Mi
In level 3, the map separates them. Com and Mi need to help each other by opening the
pathway, which they do by activating different platform puzzle buttons at the same time. Finally,
they meet. The memory pieces are next to the key transfer portal to let the players notice the new
mechanic. When Com and Mi are standing in the portal area, the key can be transferred from one
8
to another. The puzzle becomes harder so colors are used to cue players which platform puzzle
buttons cause what platforms to move.
Level 4: Tree: Com = Mi
The puzzles become harder. The Com and Mi players should be getting better at helping
each other. In this level, they need to open the pathway for each other. Level 4 brings together all
the mechanics from level 1, 2 and 3. The players will finish collecting all the sun symbol
fragments, and Mi will absorb the power. The platform where Mi stands becomes unstable, and
finally, Mi drops into the hole.
Level 5: Cave: Com < Mi
Mi gains power because players have collected all of the sun symbol fragments. Mi can
now emit light in the darkness and lead the characters on their path. Com can also learn to push
stones. Stones are placed in the level that Com needs to push out of the way. The final puzzle
leads to an ultimate sacrifice: the level puzzle buttons need Com to push stones onto them so that
they are activated. The sacrifice scene will be triggered, after they solve the puzzle.
Level 6: Village: Return: Com
The final portal is set at the waterfall from level 1, where the Com player begins the
game. The position of all the things in the level is the same as those in level 1, but are damaged
or have died because of the lack of sunlight. Only the Com player is in this level, because Mi
dies in level 5. In level 6, the Com player brings the sun back to the village so that Mi’s sacrifice
is not in vain.
9
Narrative Design
The narrative is the foundation of the game. A complicated story was created at the
beginning of development. Players still could not understand the story even though I showed
them the whole storyboard. It was simplified during development by telling a simple story in one
sentence: a village loses the sun and the main characters need to collect light and bring it back to
the village. All the mysteries are hidden in the memory pieces. The game will not tell the whole
story, so players will have their own feelings about the story at the end of the game based on the
memory pieces they have collected.
Character Setting
No matter how simple the story is, the characters must have their own personality and
story. Each character has their own intention to do something based on who they are. I developed
their backgrounds in order to make the story more interesting and logical.
Com is the son of the village elder. Growing up with their father, they are naive and kind
to everyone. As a future village elder, Com believed that they have the responsibility to take care
of all villagers, including Mi.
Mi is an innocent kid who was born in this beautiful village. They don't know who their
parents are and why they are here. They wanted to play with villagers, who are all purple
cuboids, but because of Mi’s difference in color and shape, no one played with Mi. To get the
villagers to notice them and play with them, Mi started doing acts of mischief, such as pulling
out villagers’ vegetables from the ground.
10
Story in the Game
Come with Me begins with Com in the forest and Mi in the village. Mi can explore the
village and Com can explore the forest. Mi will step on tomatoes (this is a forced area of the
level) which will cause a villager to chase and kick them, which is the Point of Attack of the
story. This leads to the sun symbol of the village becoming angry and absorbing all the light that
it gives to the village, then flying away to the forest, leaving the town in darkness. Com opens
the gate door for Mi, and they start to chase the sun symbol. Suddenly, the symbol breaks into
three pieces because it absorbs too much energy. Com and Mi begin to follow the trail of those
fragments and they begin their adventure.
In the beginning, Com helps Mi a lot. During the journey, Mi grows up and can help Com
do some tasks. They find the final fragment in the trunk and those fragments combine to be a
symbol that it is absorbed by Mi, so Mi becomes brighter. At this point, the platform where Mi is
at becomes unstable and Mi falls into a hole. Com jumps into the hole to save Mi. They drop into
a dark cave. In the cave, Mi leads the way with their bright light and the two try to find a way
back to the surface. When they finish the final puzzle, the cave becomes unstable and some rocks
drop down from the top. Just as Com is about to be hit by a big rock, Mi pushes Com away and
is crushed under the rock. Com tries to push the rock away but fails to do so and Mi is killed.
Finally, Com brings the sun symbol back to the village so that Mi’s sacrifice is not in vain.
Memory Pieces
I divided the backstories of the game into 16 memory pieces, and players can use their
imagination to fill in the whole story as they are revealed. There are many ways to interpret the
narrative based on the 16 memory pieces.
11
Fig. 3. The 16 memory pieces
The 16 memory pieces are placed in levels 2 to 5 - four pieces in each level. Each level
has its own theme, and narrative idea:
● Level 2 - Introduction of Com and Mi:
○ Mi wants to play games with village kids but they don’t allow Mi to play with
them.
○ Mi looks at the mirror and considers why they look different.
○ An old man, the village head, is talking to the villagers.
○ The village head is Com’s father, who tells Com to love and care for the villagers.
● Level 3 - How Com and Mi becoming friends:
○ Com finds that Mi is excluded and sad.
○ Com invites Mi to take care of a flower.
○ Com and Mi successfully help the flower bloom by watering.
12
○ Com and Mi start playing together, trying to pick an apple.
● Level 4 - Relationship between Com and Mi:
○ Mi is chased by the villagers because they ruin a seedling.
○ Mi hides behind Com and the villagers are angry.
○ Com and Mi mistakenly stir up a hornet's nest.
○ Mi hits a rock and Com takes care of them.
● Level 5 - The lost legend of the sun symbol.
○ One upon a time, plants died because of no light and villagers had a hard time to
survive.
○ Villagers prayed for the light and the sun symbol came.
○ The sun symbol brought the light and plants started growing.
○ Mi’s ancestors control the sun symbol.
If players do not collect any of the pieces, Come with Me can be seen as a simple story:
Com and Mi go on the journey to bring the sun symbol back. They find all fragments together
and Mi saves Com from a falling stone. Finally, Com brings the sun back and saves the village.
If players collect some of the pieces, they will discover more about the backstories. If players
collect all of them, they can fully create the whole story based on these pictures. The memory
pieces encourage replayability if players want to know the whole story.
13
Emotion Design: Interaction Between Players
Gameplay Design for Emotion
Mechanics
1. Complementarity
Complementarity is one of the most commonly used collaborative design mechanisms to
enhance emotion. Players need to act together to solve a problem, which creates interdependence
among players and emphasizes the critical role of each player in problem solving, since no one
player can solve the problem alone.
4
The activating platform puzzle button mechanic is a
complementary action that encourages players to communicate with each other by telling them
where and when to activate the buttons.
2. Responsibility and Assistance
Taking responsibility for another character emotionally bonds you to that character. When
you are bonded to one or more characters in a game, you’re more willing to participate in the
world of that game. When a player takes responsibility for another character, it actually gives the
player himself or herself emotional depth just as taking responsibility for a friend or a child in
real life gives a person depth. That's because you need to expand your vision to see not just what
you need, but what that other person needs.
5
Assistance is a way to let the helpers feel they have
values and are demanded. In Come with Me, at first, Com is the character who is in a position to
help Mi a lot, not only because they are older and have bigger size, but also because of the
narrative premise that Com always takes care of Mi. The Com player shows emotional support
5
Freeman, David. Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering. New Riders, 2003.
4
Hämäläinen, Raija, et al. “How to Raise Different Game Collaboration Activities: The Association Between Game Mechanics,
Players’ Roles and Collaboration Processes.” Simulation & gaming, vol. 49, no. 1, 2018, pp. 50-71.
14
for the Mi player by helping Mi to jump to a higher place, or saving Mi from the water. In the
end, Mi gains the powerful lights and leads the way for Com in a way that lets the Mi player feel
that they are needed.
3. Integrate the Story With the Gameplay Mechanics: Cooperation in Level 6
When Com is walking toward the bridge, the Com player cannot send the sun back by
pressing the button on the keyboard/controller. Instead, although the Mi player was sacrificed in
level 5, the Mi player still needs to help to bring the sun symbol back by pressing the button on
the keyboard/controller at the same time in order to let Com know Mi’s remaining power is here
to help. This mechanic was inspired by Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
Level Design: Environment and Lighting
3D space opens up new dimensions for virtual interactions. Within the virtual world
players appear as avatars, promoting interaction with the game world and the other players and
enhancing commitment to the game.
6
Level 1 is the introduction of the world. Everything is fine and normal. The sun is very
bright.
Level 2 is the beginning of the journey. The skybox is warm and the lighting is warm to
express the claim and beauty of nature.
Level 3’s map separates the two players. The environment becomes cold as they are
climbing up and snow is falling, showing some of their loneliness from not being together at this
level.
6
Hämäläinen, Raija, et al. “Learning to Collaborate: Designing Collaboration in a 3-D Game Environment.” The Internet and
higher education, vol. 9, no. 1, 2006, pp. 47-61.
15
Level 4 is set in a big tree trunk, the map becomes smaller, in order to create the feeling
of being inside and constrained. The lighting becomes darker and less colorful.
Level 5 is set in a dark cave under the tree, where the map becomes much smaller and
constrained, in order to create the feeling of uncertainty and instability. Some rocks falling on the
road foreshadows the sacrifice scene.
Level 6 is rainy, the sky is dark and all trees are dead because there is no light. Some
rocks fall down and block the way. The ambiance aims to reinforce the sadness of losing Mi.
The purpose is to put players into a beautiful and colorful environment at first and put
them in a dark and depressing environment at the end in comparison.
Narrative Design for Emotion
1. Memory Pieces
Showing their relationship by using images in each level helps to plant the idea in
players’ minds that Com and Mi are best friends. When players not only experience the
adventure that they are going through together in the current time, but also see the history of the
characters in the memory pieces - caring for and protecting each other - their bonding will
increase. Emotionally complex relationships are created not only between two players but also
between players and characters.
2. Animation: Sacrifice
In Creating Emotion in Games: the Craft and Art of Emotioneering, Freeman gives an
interesting collection of ideas and possible strategies to emotionally engage players. Emotional
pain can be generated when we put the characters in danger. Players will feel for those characters
16
and identify with them. Painful moments are powerful emotional moments when you lose one or
more characters you’re close to.
Com is the one who always helps and protects Mi through the early levels. Level 5 is the
first time Mi becomes courageous because they want to protect their best friend from danger.
This is the climax of the whole story. This climax also shows Mi’s bravery and self-sacrifice,
causing the players to feel deeply for both characters. Mi’s sacrifice will make the players
sympathize with Mi more and feel for them both, creating sadness over the loss of a character
they had protected.
Fig. 4. Sacrifice animation screenshot: diagonal line to create dynamics
With the knowledge I learned from professor Bruce A. Block’s The Visual Story, I use the
cinematic camera to create diagonal lines in the climax of level 5’s sacrifice animation. The
Principle of Contrast & Affinity structure the linear motif of the sequence. Visually, this
sequence will build in intensity toward a climax.
7
7
Block, Bruce. The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media. Oxford: Routledge, 2008.
17
3. An Ending That Is a Little Uncertain
When the Com player is bringing the sun symbol back to the village, the Mi player still
needs to press the buttons on the keyboard/controller together. The mechanic ties the story to the
gameplay and gives Mi players a way to still help to do something for the village, even after their
character has died. This mechanic lets them help return the sun, show that Mi is within Com, and
create uncertainty over whether Mi had truly died or not. Each viewer will complete the story in
his or her own mind, in his or her own way. The ending is a little open, but not so open that it
frustrates us by providing us too little to base any speculations on.
8
In the end, the sun appears
and the sky gets brighter. They save the village and everything returns to normal.
8
Freeman, David. Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering. New Riders, 2003.
18
Prior Art
Narrative Inspiration
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is an indie puzzle game. The player leads the princess, Ida, through
mazes of optical illusions and impossible objects while manipulating the world around her to
reach various platforms.
The game includes a completed story inside, told by only certain sentences. The audience
can get the story easily and develop sympathy for the character.
In Forgotten Shores, there is a crushing platform that blocks Ida’s path. To open the path
for Idea, Totem needs to support the platform on their head. After Ida passes through, the
platform keeps crushing, and Totem breaks apart and finally falls into the darkness. This moment
of Totem helping Ida and its sacrifice (although it comes back later) is very memorable. I feel
strong sadness about Totem and want to save its life.
Mechanic Inspiration
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Brothers is presented from a third-person view, following the two brothers. The brothers
are moved individually by two thumbsticks on the controller. The player progresses by
manipulating the two brothers at the same time to complete various puzzles, often requiring the
player to manipulate both brothers to perform different functions.
I was touched by the scene when the little brother is going back home by swimming after
he lost his brother. The bigger brother can still encourage him by controlling the thumbstick.
19
Player Experience Inspiration
A Way Out
A Way Out is an action-adventure game. In the game, players control Leo and Vincent,
two convicted prisoners who must break out of prison and stay on the run from authorities.
Players need to cooperate with each other in order to progress, and each situation can be
approached differently, with both characters taking different roles.
Players care about both characters at the end of the game. They build a connection
between two players.
These three example narrative co-op games have game times of more than 3 hours each.
Come with Me is a thesis game that takes on the challenge of getting players to care about
characters and feel sad for them within a 20 minute-long game.
20
Gameplay Experience Evaluation
Usability Testing
After each playtest, usability sent a questionnaire and asked questions of the play testers. The
questionnaire included rating about:
● QUALITY of the GRAPHICS
● GAMEPLAY in this game to be very ENJOYABLE or not
● CONTROLS were EASY or HARD
● The OVERALL level of DIFFICULTY
● CAMERA CONTROLS
After that, usability asked 3 questions:
● Use 3 words to describe your experience.
● What was your favorite moment or interaction?
● What was your least favorite moment or interaction?
Finally, usability wrote a detailed report.
Camera
Based on the report, the camera always had the lowest score. The third-person camera
was hard to develop, and it required a lot of attention to details of each map. At the early stage,
our team focused a lot on playtests of our camera because it is the most important feature besides
the gameplay mechanic that largely affects the game experience. The camera was continually
iterated based on players’ feedback.
● First version: A manual camera which was controlled by both players on one screen.
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○ Example of the camera: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker co-op mode.
○ Camera was very difficult to navigate.
○ It created motion sickness when another player rotated the camera.
○ Two players competed for the control for the camera, or one player controlled the
camera for the whole game.
This camera created a lot of problems, so we iterated to separate the screen for two
players.
● Second version: Manual cameras which are controlled by players on separate screens.
○ Example of the camera: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
○ Explorers thought it was good to control the camera themselves.
○ Other players didn’t like to control the camera themselves and suggested that the
camera should be code-driven. “I wish I could not have to worry about the
camera, I wish the camera automatically adjusted to a zone.”
Therefore, we started to create a code-driven camera.
● Third version: Auto spine camera.
○ The map was very complicated; even though the spine camera was smooth, it was
hard to control.
In the middle of Alpha, we added the auto camera, which lets the players switch between
camera modes however they like.
● Fourth version: Auto camera with trigger area.
○ Camera values were set separately in each trigger volume.
○ It was hard and time-consuming to adjust the value.
22
○ Since the auto-mode camera was fixed, players were uncomfortable when the
camera was not where they wanted to look at.
The auto camera was not coded perfectly and so forced the player to switch to manual
mode.
● Fifth version: Smart camera with manual control.
○ Example of the camera: Super Mario Odyssey.
○ The system helps to rotate the camera partly based on players’ movement.
○ Players feel good, the camera helps to navigate and is easy to use.
We used two-thirds of our development time in the camera. Luckily, we finally have a
satisfying camera to use based on feedback. This new camera allows players to focus on the
platforming and story and not on the perspective changes.
Design
We got very good responses from playtesters about the graphics, difficulty of the puzzles,
character design and level design.
The difficulty is good and :
● Players loved the graphics, gameplay, and characters.
● Players really liked the design of characters and emojis.
● Players who seldomly play games spend much more time on each puzzle and level. They
indicate that the level design is not very hard to figure out, even for newbies like them.
The level design and the puzzles I designed are complex enough for players to require
some time to think about, but they do not get stuck for a long time. They enjoyed collaborating
with each other throughout the levels.
23
Emotion
The Com players feel like they are really helping the Mi players when the Mi players
cannot move in the water. Commonly heard interactions during playtests were: “Come here, I am
stuck!” “I am coming! Haha! Wait for me.” The Mi players also feel good because they can get
to the smaller or higher place to get the memory pieces, and feel good when they lead the way in
level 5. “See, I can get this piece from the hole.” “Follow me! Let’s go!” Players notice the color
become desaturated and the cave feels gradually more depressing, and feel uncertain about what
will happen next. Their facial expressions show that they feel very bad when the climax moment
happens. At level 6, both players are almost completely silent at first and they look unhappy,
which is different from the beginning of the game when two players kept communicating and
laughing. At the end, they feel satisfied when they save the village together.
Met Project Goal
Based on the usability report, I would like to say we met the project goal of our design.
Players feel sad for the characters and get the story. They love Com and Mi very much. They
think they are closer to each other after they play this game.
24
Further Development
We will put this game on Steam for free. We are now preparing for all the materials that
Steam needs, including the art assets and the trailer. We plan to release it in May.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a further development plan after that. We have done the
best we can do to polish this game and are very happy that it meets our experience goals. My
teammates and I will graduate in May and have jobs, so we do not plan to work on it past
graduation.
However, if it becomes popular on Steam, maybe we will get back and work together on
new versions or new ideas.
25
Conclusion
The production of Come with Me was tough but worthwhile. This was my first time
acting as a creative director and leading a whole team. I needed to make every decision and was
responsible for the whole production and team. During the collaboration with different team
members, I realized that communication is a time-consuming process. Being a creative director
is stressful, but this is a good way for personal growth. Throughout the development process, I
think our team has done our best to create this game which we are proud of.
Back to the thesis question, I feel that we showed that it is possible to let the player care
about the characters in a co-op game. Impressive graphics, animations, and sound play an
important role in the overall experience and support the narrative, immersing players in the game
world, making them care about characters, and enhancing their emotion. All the designs resonate
naturally with players at a subconscious level and engage them to the fullest.
In conclusion, if a team puts the effort into the narrative and uses level design, character
design, audio, and all other aspects of development to support the narrative, those designs will
create beautiful and innovative experiences which enhance player emotion.
26
Bibliography
Block, Bruce. The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media.
Oxford: Routledge, 2008.
Freeman, David. Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering. New Riders,
2003.
Hämäläinen, Raija, et al. “How to Raise Different Game Collaboration Activities: The
Association Between Game Mechanics, Players’ Roles and Collaboration Processes.”
Simulation & gaming, vol. 49, no. 1, 2018, pp. 50-71.
Hämäläinen, Raija, et al. “Learning to Collaborate: Designing Collaboration in a 3-D Game
Environment.” The Internet and higher education, vol. 9, no. 1, 2006, pp. 47-61.
José Bernardo, Rocha, et al. “Game Mechanics for Cooperative Games.” Conference: ZON
Digital Games, 2008, pp. 72-80.
Oksanen, Kimmo, and Raija Hämäläinen. “Game Mechanics in the Design of a Collaborative 3D
Serious Game.” Simulation & gaming, vol. 45, no. 2, 2014, pp. 255-278.
27

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Asset Metadata

Creator Ye, Xin (author)

Core Title Come with Me: a cooperative game focusing on player emotion

School School of Cinematic Arts

Degree Master of Fine Arts

Degree Program Interactive Media

Publication Date 04/13/2021

Defense Date 04/14/2021

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag co-op game,cooperative game,emotion design,game,game design,interactive,interactive design,Interactive Media,level design,narrative design,OAI-PMH Harvest,player emotion

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Lemarchand, Richard (committee chair), Fullerton, Tracy (committee member)

Creator Email xinye@ucdavis.edu,xinye@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-442350

Unique identifier UC11668603

Identifier etd-YeXin-9444.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-442350 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-YeXin-9444.pdf

Dmrecord 442350

Document Type Thesis

Rights Ye, Xin

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA