Shared Discovery in Action Role-Playing Games

10/28/2024

A recurring phenomenon in Action Role-Playing Games is the volume of item-related information conveyed in an inorganic manner. Consequently, player experience is expected to be hindered in multiple fields, especially considering the distinctions between casual and dedicated players. Autonomy, for instance, is expected to be impacted by the mitigation of opportunities for meaningful choices, with some items rapidly becoming obsolete due to other tools possessing immediately available information. A “shared discovery” solution is proposed based on recognised positive impacts of uncertainty in games (e.g.: fog of war) - this in-character approach (simulating a fictional character mastering obtained items) progressively unveils item data through active use, instead of immediately displaying all inherent information. To implement and evaluate this system, the game Grim Dawn was modified, with two evaluation procedures having been conducted. The results indicate that shared discovery does not greatly influence experience, though it originates an inferior sense of mastery, especially among casual players. Nonetheless, casual players seemingly inspect item data more closely when engaged with shared discovery. When determining their next weapon, casual players also appear to appreciate the analysis of statistics more than dedicated players, who prefer to explore multiple weapons and manipulation effects.

Authors in the community:

• 

  M

  Miguel Filipe Rego Belbute

  ist196453

Supervisors of this institution:

• 

  C

  Carlos António Roque Martinho

  ist14181

electrical-engineering-electronic-engineering-information-engineering - Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering

eng - English

Instituto Superior Técnico