Chris Henderson

Gtg961v

9-9-05

Written Assignment 2: Spatial Analysis

Games Analyzed:

(M) Myst (realMyst version) – the version of Myst the creators remade the way they would have done it if they had had better computer hardware.

(L) Legend of Zelda (NES)

(Z) Zork

What legacy and computational effects make the virtual spaces feel real?

(M) Myst uses a number of environmental features to let the player feel the world they are exploring. Visually, the beautiful graphics display objects and setting we recognize. The ocean moves, rain comes every few minutes, boats, boards, lightning, everything to make the constructed world look natural. Also, other than regular background music, the player can hear the environment as well. Through the first level, the player hears the rain, the ocean and even creaking doors and floorboards.

(L) In Zelda, the world is made real through little sprites; a row of trees, stretch of water, rocks, enemies, and other objects. The interaction with these sprites makes it active and alive. The player can fight monsters, burn down trees, blow up boulders, etc.

(Z) In Zork, a text adventure game, the whole world is made real by, well, text. The authors use vivid descriptions of the spaces the player enters. Examining objects in the room brings depth to each place.

How do you know where you are?

(M) Myst has a full 3-D layout. The player merely has to move its mouse to where he wants to look.

(L) Zelda has a few ways to let the player know where he is. First, in the top left is a gray rectangle with a blinking marker at the player’s position. This only lets the player know where he is compared to the whole map, but has no details. In the rectangle outside world, different areas have noticeable features. The graveyard is tinted gray and blue, the north part has brown rocks, and there are green and brown forests. Each of these, give the player more information on where he is. In a dungeon, though, the map is different, but it is still followed the same way. The dungeons also look much different from the outside. It has a room-like border around each square and is also generally darker.

(Z) In Zork, when the player enters a new space (room, clearing, anything) a description of it is printed to the screen. The actual name of the space is the first line of the description. eg- “Kitchen” or “Living Room”

How do you know the relationship of your current location to your previous location?

(M) In realMyst, the motion is mostly continuous. Wherever you walk, the camera follows as your POV, thus, if you turn around, you can see your previous location

(L) Firstly, the areas in Zelda are represented in square blocks. So, the player interacts and moves in these blocks. To go North, South, East, or West to another block, the player goes to that edge of the screen. So, if the player goes North, he knows that going back South will put him back where he was. Also, the previous area will slide off of the screen in the opposite direction, emphasizing the players movement. Also, if a player enters a doorway/secret passage, a door is usually at the bottom of the screen for the entrance back out. One exception for this is the lost woods that the programmers put in to trick the player. A certain set of directions is needed to get out of it.

(Z) In Zork, each room description includes a description of a way back to the previous space. It is organized logically, so, if a player is in a house and goes <South> then there is usually another room there. The form of a house (or path, etc) is formed using referential descriptions of each space.

What objects and possible events do you expect to find in these spaces?

(M) In each space, the player hopes to find anything that could help move him along through the game. Switches, keys, knobs, books, lights, symbols, drawers, buttons, etc could be used. When a button/switch is activated, the player is usually hinted that something else in the “world” has changed and he goes to look for it.

(L) In Zelda, the player learns to expect monsters, items, people, landscape sprites (trees/boulders/etc) in the spaces. After a few items are acquired, the player expects to find places to use them. Eg- the candle is used to burn down trees, possibly revealing a secret passageway.

( Z) Zork is similar to both. In each space, the player sees descriptions of different objects and expects that each examination will show him more about the spaces. Objects can be taken, examined for clues, etc. Eventually, random monsters will appear, making the player learn to expect those encounters, too.

Analyze the spaces. How is it organized and what are the options for movement?

(M) Myst has the simplest, most visual environment, as stated earlier. To look around just point you mouse and to move click the mouse in the direction wanted. The screen will move with you. It’s simply as if the player is immersed in this 3D world, able to see all 360 degrees.

(L) Also, stated briefly earlier, Zelda spaces are organized in squares. The player can move anywhere another non-monster sprite is not. Forests, rocks, and water are 3 types of boundaries prohibiting movement. The player moves N, S, E, or W through the blocks. The landscape will continue onto the next screen, another way the player knows where he is.

(Z) The descriptions of spaces in Zork follow a set format. The first line names the place the player is currently in. The next line describes that place. The next set of sentences tell of every passage (known) out of the space and the last lines list every object seen in the room. But, most of the descriptions disappear after the first time entering that space. When the player returns, only the spaces name and items seen are printed to the screen. (Though, if you want all of the description, you can type “look around”)

What aspects/objects provided a path or desire to follow a certain direction?

(M) Almost every time the player sees a hallway or stairway he is intrigued to follow it. Especially shown in the beginning, every room/space found was at the end of a stairway or dark passage. The player becomes accustomed to finding the paths to other spaces.

(L) In Zelda, the key is adventure. To find the objects needed the player must explore. The main inviting object is a passageway, shown as a black box with a flight of stairs. The player knows, through playing the game, important things usually lie inside of them. It could either be free money, a dungeon, a store, free items, gambling, etc. Also, certain “people” talked to in the game give hints about where secret objects lie; another way to get the player looking around.

(Z) At the basic level, the player will usually visit each place an area leads to. But, most important to the game, is what brings them back. If a player finds a door that needs a key and he doesn’t have one at first, he will go to look for one. After a key is found, he will travel back to that space in order to see if the key works. There is much back and forth movement in Zork, as any adventure game.