Factors of a mental state

Background:

The game can be divided into five chapters. In Chapter 2, the player is given a question by a character in the game named Skyle. The player and Skyle come up with answers, the player chooses an answer, and Skyle checks whether the answer is good enough. If the answer is not good enough the interaction repeats. Skyle is a collaborator with emotions and mental states. Her face with appropriate facial expression is shown on the GUI.

During the interaction, her mental state can change for various reasons. Previously I made a list of mental states that she can have during the interaction, and tried to create a state diagram that describes how the game engine changes her mental state. That turned out to be a plate of spaghetti.

After some thoughts on the relation between facial expressions and mental states, I decide to see what happen if I break down each mental state into its factors. By doing so, perhaps I can focus on the state changes of the factors, which may be an easier problem.


Concept:
Re: Post

Five factors that I want to consider are: Resolution, Acceptance, Liking, Embarrassment and Disclosure. The expression that Skyle shows reflects the state of these factors corresponding to either what she is thinking or what she thinks about the player.

Resolution:
WW: Default
WL: Has clue after being wrong, high stakes
LW: No clue but is confident that the player can solve
LL: No clue, repeated failure, and answer is never reached
Neutral: Tired, facially tired

(Skyle gets tired when the session is long. Skyle is facially tired when fixed on a facial expression for a few rounds in real time. momentarily staying in neutral recharges the expression.)

Eyelids:
High: Default
Mid: Reviewing known information,
Low: Evaluating answers, or silently thinking, tired
Closed: Blink, really tired

Pupils:
Large: Default
Small: Answer is wrong, topic is about injustice

Cheeks:
Normal: Default
Red: An answer that Skyle opposes is correct.

Lips:
Open: Speaking, an answer is correct
Slightly Open: About to speak
Closed: Default
Tightly Closed: an answer is wrong repeatedly, a confident answer is wrong


Since these factors determines the facial expression, the game no longer needs to articulate Skyle's emotion.

[ Skyle's Default Expression (PNG) ]

List of Contents

The following is an attempt to list all components of this interactive story. Since I know the chapters of the story, I can catalog the components by chapter. Each component described below has two tags. The first tag indicates the status. The second tag indicates the component type.

For Status:
O = done to satisfaction
X = not done

For Component Type:
GUI = Something that is an interactive environment for the player
Res = (Resource) Something the game grabs. This could be text, image, etc.
Rule = Something that dictates how the game behaves
Struct = (Structure) Something the game uses to store player generated content


The Components:

Chapter 1: A Fleeting Guardian
The player solves riddles to locate Skyle in the City. In the very beginning, the player starts at a location with a narrative description followed by a question. The player answers the question by selecting the next location to view. If the selected location is the answer, the players moves closer to Skyle. If the player selects the wrong location, the distance resets. After a few rounds, if the distance is close enough, the player meets Skyle, who introduces herself to the player.

Minimum Components:
X [Res] Locations with names and descriptions
O [Res] Riddles with answers
X [Res] Skyle's self introduction
X [GUI] For viewing text
X [GUI] For selecting the next location
X [Rule] For computing the distance to Skyle based on player's choices of location

Upgrades:
X [Res] Background image for each location
X [Res] Images of Skyle
X [Res] Images of dummy characters in the city
X [Res] Description of dummy characters


Chapter 2: The Treasure Within
Skyle asks the player a question and explores the answer with the player. The player answers the question by proposing an explanation, which is tested against facts. After solving a few questions correctly, Skyle introduces the concept of schemata, and the item that represents the player's schemata and known facts. The player chooses an icon for the item and names the item.

Minimum Components:
O [Res] Questions
X [Res] Facts
X [Res] Skyle's verbal responses w.r.t. the results
X [Res] Skyle's introduction of schemata
X [Res] Icons for the gift
X [Res] Description of the symbolism for each icon
X [GUI] For composing explanations
X [GUI] For choosing and naming the gift
X [GUI] For browsing schemata and facts
X [Rule] For checking an explanation against facts
O [Rule] For affecting Skyle's emotion
X [Struct] For storing explanations
X [Struct] For storing schemata

Upgrade:
In this upgrade, the form of gift depends on the schemata used to solve the questions.
X [Rule] Skyle's dialog to pick the icon of the gift


Chapter 3: Forgotten Dreams
Skyle introduces the player to Shadows, which are problems that troubles people. The player uses schemata to solve Shadows. The schemata is checked against the facts that sustains the schemata of the Shadows. If the schemata is invalid, Skyle returns the invalidating fact. If the player accepts the fact, the related schemata of the player also become invalid, which makes Shadows solved by those schemata reappear. The objective of the game is to solve all Shadows.

Minimum Components:
X [Res] Skyle's introduction to Shadows
O [Res] Description for each Shadow
X [Res] Schemata and facts that sustain each Shadow
X [Res] Description of the effects to the character when the Shadow is solved
X [GUI] For viewing the health of all Shadows
X [GUI] For browsing the schemata of a character
X [Rule] For affecting Skyle's emotion
X [Rule] For fetching an invalidating fact from a character
X [Rule] For interpreting the health of the player's schemata

Upgrade:
After solving Shadows, Skyle recognizes the player as a Seeker and introduces the player to other Seekers.
X [Res] Skyle's recognition of the player as a Seeker
X [Res] Skyle's introduction to Seekers
X [Database] Status of Seekers
X [GUI] For viewing the status of other Seekers
X [Rule] For ranking the player against other Seekers

Misc Components
X [Res] Theme music
X [GUI] Title screen


Comments:

Which parts of this list create drama?

Drama is the quality that evokes anticipation of a revelation in the player, and aligns the player's emotion with the climax. To create drama is to show a conflicting situation and to tell the player when they are close to the resolution. So there are two parts: To provide conflict, and to tease.

Chapter 1:
The revelation is the player meeting Skyle. The conflict is her mysterious appearance before the player meets her. The player knows that he is close when the riddle is left more recently. When the player finds a message she left three days ago, the message points to where she was two days ago. So if the player finds the message she left yesterday, the player can solve for where she is today.

Chapter 2:
The revelation is the gift. The conflict is the phenomenon that cannot be solved without schemata. As the player explores the schemata to explain the phenomenon, Skyle comments on the player's style and explores what the player likes. Since an explanation is validated by parts, the player can tell he is close to solving the question by counting the parts yet to be validated. At the same time, the player can tell something is up because Skyle starts to comment more about the player instead of the original question.

Chapter 3:
The revelation is the role as Seeker. The conflict is not knowing the schemata and facts that Shadows have. As the player solves Shadows, Skyle starts to describe what she does and the world she faces. The player gets to know what Skyle's abilities are, and how the player's effort fit in the overall situation.

How the story is told

The story is told using dialogs and visual aids. Usually, the visual aids are not scenes, but symbols of the concepts. During a conversation, the screen area is used as a whiteboard to place visual aids. The whiteboard is jointly populated by the items that the player or Skyle bring into the conversation. Dialog is displayed as close caption.



Conversation is done by clicking or dragging item into the dialog area. The items are collected by the player while exploring places.


Chapter 1

The chapter begins with a few photos of places. The player clicks on one of them and it enters the whiteboard. A description is displayed. Items mentioned in the description are added to the whiteboard. Among the items is a note with a date that contains a question. To answer the question, the player drags an item to the note.

The first question is easy, and the answer is among the displayed items. The second question is also easy, but the answer is not among them. The player must explore the displayed items to look for the answer in their extended associations. The third question is a riddle.

When the player catches up to the current day, solving the riddle leads the player to Skyle. Once Skyle recognize that she is associated to the player and the Skyle has played enough, she introduces herself, which gives the player her icon to summon her.

If Skyle leaves before the player gets her icon, the riddle session continues.

Summary of the Player's possible actions:

o Dragging an item into the active area displays its description
o .. Items mentioned in the description are temporarily stored in a cache area
o Dragging an item to a note answers the question of the note
o .. If the answer is correct, the story moves forward
o Dragging an item outside the active area stores the item for later use
o Tossing an item outside the screen area removes the item.
o Putting Skyle into the active area summons Skyle.
o Double clicking the active area brings up a description of the board
o .. and its related items to the cache.

Character Design

Skyle is an escapist, a witch without a mentor.

She escapes because she cannot tell whether the overwhelming problems belong to her or the others. She cannot decide because she has an innate ability to know people's problems and affect them. She is a witch because she fears her unexplained ability to intrude people's minds. She is mentorless because she knows no other similar to herself to get guidance on what she should do with her ability.

Many stories begins in a world with a problem. In her story, the world has no problem. The problem is her, for she is a witch. She is the type that everyone fears, the type that the world banishes.

This is why she is found missing at where she ought to be. Her intuition leads her to places no one goes, and to places people go at times they don't.

Skyle is at a place where one can see the sky, but never the sun.

Where is she?

A. The school
B. The subway
C. The stadium

I absolutely love your game design Wai. This is very unique.
When I saw the word "Ditch", it reminded me of some rogue or thief or some sort of character of that job occupation. Ditching the situation. That is what came to me. I love the artwork as well.

I would go and buy this game if it was out on store shelves. I am a person who loves to visualize the places and characters in the story I would create or hear someone else's creative idea.

Your questions and answers and thought process for the next poster think. Instead of play. Even though that person doesn't even think he or she is playing. Which in turn they are.

The last post you asked where was Skyle.

My thought process would be this:

o.. The school: Depending on the hour of the day. If it were night and she was at school you would not see the sun. But the question does not ask day or night. Just asked can not see the sun.

o.. The subway: The subway travels under the city and onto subway railways throughout the city day and night.

o.. The stadium: Crowded during the day and half the night.

My answer would be the subway. This also gives the answer to other locations through out the game. How many countries or areas is still a mystery but she is an escapist. To escape would be my best choice. Use the subway.

Re: Ghostknight

Could you specify what you like about the design, so that I know what to keep if I change the design?

At the moment, I like how the description makes the player imagine. This is different from games where the player tries to get the answer by looking at a scene the game provides.


The reasons

When I posted the question, I had one answer in mind, but to make the game more replayable, I want to make it such that each place could be the right answer under the right circumstance.

After asking the player the question: "Where is she?" The player gets three choices:
A. The School
B. The Subway
C. The Stadium

When the player examines a place, the player gets another question:

Why can one see the sky, but not the sun at [Place]?

a. The sun does not shine from that part of sky
b. Something blocks the sun in the sky
c. The place only exists at night

Right after showing these possible answers, the game will show the picture of the selected [Place]. The picture might either support one reason or contradicts all three. To pass this first question, the player would drag two items to the whiteboard. The first item is an image of a place. The second item is the reason, represented by the . If the combination is correct, the game continues. If it is wrong, the game shows the contradiction.

If the player does not get the right answer the first time, the game tells the player that Skyle was there but she is already gone, but left a note on the scene.


Expanding this question

The minimum design must have three images, one for each place. Of the three images, only one image needs to be a correct answer. To expand the question, I could add more reasons and places. There could be multiple images for a school but for each game run, the game would only use one image of the school.

The first three images

School:
An old brick building of with windows on one side on its bleached front wall facing a desolate street.

Subway:
A wet entrance to a subway surrounded by skyscrapers with tinted glass windows reflecting raining clouds.

Stadium:
An empty football stadium with workers laying grass on the field under a retractable roof.

Hello Wai,

Well I reread your post again and this is what I liked about your game design. Other then it being unique and you have already said your self "it gives the player a chance to use his or her own thinking cap" Its a detective game. But with a witch and shadow people.

The last part of my previous post I had thought you were trying to ask the forum of ideas or suggestions to answer your last sentence for your game design. That is why I had answered it. Giving the logic that the question was set and someone needed to answer it. So I gave my own observations a whirl.

I like the chapter headings. Are these the only places? I hope not. I would like to see how these come about to figure out each clues to go to the next chapter.

My question for background
Shadow #2. The girl that doesn't smiles.
Is this a side story to read? Its an interesting idea but I wouldn't know if there would be any ideas to a puzzle to help out the father or the girl?
I get from this scene the beginning sequence of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Instead of Charlie with a huge mouth piece and a father for a dentist, you have a girl with crooked teeth and a father who tries to help her out but then a divorce settles in to the lifeline and then she doesn't smile anymore but she is happy enough to have her father back in her life close at hand.

I guess your right. After thinking about it. Its just for the background piece. A filler story? But why this story? Maybe you have other ideas for this part of your game?

I just looked over the chapter headings again.
I have noticed that there are some Q&A formats are short while others are long.
Chapter 1: A Fleeting Guardian, Chapter 2: The Treasure Within, Chapter 3: Forgotten Dreams, will these be separate as you have it in its own chapter or will it be in one main chapter itself and then move to another main chapter part 2?

Or are these chapter headings ideas that could lead into a larger area for each puzzle to follow through to get to the answer of finding out who Skyle is?

Logic and Reasoning. If Reasoning fails. Keep asking. Lol

Re:

You were right, I inteded to collect suggestions when I ask questions. But being interested in the questions myself, I would also answer them. The questions may seem rhetorical but they are not.

Any place that is unique, or ordinary with something people overlook would fit the design. In Chapter 1, the player needs to follow the places that Skyle visited until the player meets Skyle. Because of the way the game is designed, it would be easy to keep adding new places when the game is made.


Shadows:

Quote: Shadow #2. The girl that doesn't smiles.
Is this a side story to read? Its an interesting idea but I wouldn't know if there would be any ideas to a puzzle to help out the father or the girl?

In a detective stories there are case files. In Ditch there are Shadows. Each shadow is a puzzle that Skyle and the player solve. When the game enters that chapter, solving those puzzles is the game. The player would hypothesize reasons why the girl is stuck, Skyle helps test those hypotheses by entering the girl's mind. Eventually the player completes the schemata that let the girl overcome the mental knot and reaches a resolution. Chapter 3 is supposed to have a couple simpler shadows than one difficult shadow. When the difficult one is solved, the chapter ends and the game enters Chapter 4. In Chapter 3, there could be many possible shadows that takes the place as the centerpiece. The shadow is chosen by the player among the options.

So the shadows are not filler story or background pieces. If Ditch is an RTS game, the shadow is equivalent to the terrain map and the enemy. Skyle is both the scouts and the warriors. The player interprets the reports and decide the targets.


Chapters:

I don't get your question about the chapters. The chapters are divisions of the game state. When the player starts the game the first time, the game runs Chapter 1, where the story is about locating Skyle, while the game is about observation and logic. Once the player meets Skyle, the game enters Chapter 2.

Chapter 2 differs from Chapter 1 in that Skyle now knows the player and talks to the player. Instead of chasing her, the player is going to places with Skyle discovering odd events and objects. In gameplay, the puzzles that the player solves moves toward definitions and characterizations. The purpose of answering the questions is not to find Skyle, but to solve some seeming contradictions in real life. When the player solves the contradictions Skyle gives the player a gift, and the game enters Chapter 3.

Chapter 3 differs from the previous chapters in that it deals specifically with people and their knots of thoughts. In this chapter, Skyle is overwhelmed and eventually tells the player what she has been doing or trying to do since she knew she could enter people's minds. The chapter ends after the player and Skyle solve a difficult shadow. At the end of this chapter, Skyle needs to go for a hiatus but leaves a way for the player to find her.




Difficulty:

My main difficulty with this design is that it seems to take a lot of assets just to make a representative prototype. It feels like inventing the meaning of color. Why is it easier to make a puzzle or action game than to make Ditch?

Is it because...

a) I have never seen a game like Ditch so that I have nothing to copy from
b) It is harder to have realistic content
c) I have never seen a though process laid out as a puzzle
d) I am trying to avoid designing it like a branching story
e) I haven't started coding
f) There is no foreseeable audience to play the game
g) I don't know enough about the content that the game ought to have
h) I want to make multiplayer console games and I don't see how this would fit
i) It takes a lot of asset to make it replayable, if I code it for myself, I am the first and only person not able to play it (since I know the answers).
j) I don't know how to code it in a way that would surprise myself

Questions you came up with

a) I have never seen a game like Ditch so that I have nothing to copy from
b) It is harder to have realistic content
c) I have never seen a though process laid out as a puzzle
d) I am trying to avoid designing it like a branching story
e) I haven't started coding
f) There is no foreseeable audience to play the game
g) I don't know enough about the content that the game ought to have
h) I want to make multiplayer console games and I don't see how this would fit
i) It takes a lot of asset to make it replayable, if I code it for myself, I am the first and only person not able to play it (since I know the answers).
j) I don't know how to code it in a way that would surprise myself


Answers or the best I can come up with:

A) This reminds me of the games like Myth and the other game similar to Myth but you don't have someone to follow but in conjunction its a thought process. Point and click to figure out the clues to find out why the land or area has been deserted. Well there is a person as it where its the story or the character of the story?

B) Not hard to come up with realistic content. There is realistic content everywhere. Just knowing how to take that content and jumble them up to find the questions and then trying to figure out the answers correct or feasible answers to know what the question is to move ahead.

C) See Letter B

D) See Letter B AND C

E) I personally don't know how to code.

F) Sure there is.

G) The content doesn't need to just contain realistic content but with your imagination of what you would like to reveal and decide on how about going from one place to another.

H) This game is actually a multiplayer game. Skyle is the main player and you as the player is the secondary player. The secondary player is the support or aid on helping out Skyle in her quest.

I) Replayability: The story with all of the questions and answers correct or not make it replayable. After the player has completed the game he or she will come back to answer the questions in another way to find out new content that the writer has come up with. To lead a new direction or possibility to figure out what if this happened instead of that. Even though you have already told Skyle that she was there but had already left and she left clues or a message for you to figure out where she went to rest etc.

J) I am sure there is a way to program this. But once again I do no code nor program. Everything I do is free hand design. Pen and paper.


I had thought about you already knowing these answers to your questions and probably not. I wanted to help you out again.

Re:

I started coding. If you are interested I could show the progress and you could comment on it. Otherwise I would just keep coding until it can demonstrate a complete play session with four parts: the prompt, the exploration, the decision, the revelation.

1. Prompt: The part where the game asks the question
2. Exploration: The part where the player explores the possible answers
3. Decision: The part where the player commits to a solution
4. Revelation: the part where the game shows whether the solution is correct

I did 1 and 2. I am now working on 3 and 4.