"Simultaion as a game design tool", presented at ACE conference 2009.

1. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Timo Nummenmaa
1 Jussi Kuittinen
2 Jussi Holopainen
3
1
University of Tampere
2
University of Jyväskylä
3
Nokia Research Center
ACE 2009
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

2. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

3. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

4. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Background
Aim at formalising game design
Better understand game design process and thinking
Produce re-usable design components
Improve designer support
Games and Innovation -project
Focus on creativity in the game design process
Multiple industry partners
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

5. Background
Introduction Design as activity
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Simulations and prototypes
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

6. Background
Introduction Design as activity
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Simulations and prototypes
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

7. Background
Introduction Design as activity
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Simulations and prototypes
Conclusions
Designer Works Through Representations
Explict form
Communication
Seeing-moving-seeing by Schön
Far from incidental outputs but are rather central inputs to
the thought process by Lawson
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

8. Background
Introduction Design as activity
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Simulations and prototypes
Conclusions
Design Is Constant Leaping Between Dierent Levels of
Abstraction
Löwgren and Stolterman's model of designing.
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

9. Background
Introduction Design as activity
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Simulations and prototypes
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

10. Background
Introduction Design as activity
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Simulations and prototypes
Conclusions
Prototypes and Simulations Are Representations of the
Design Situation
Evaluating and exploring the design situation
Prototype is a concrete representation of some aspects of the
design
Simulation model is a formalised representation of an
abstracted game system
The process of building one is essential design activity
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

11. Background
Introduction Design as activity
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Simulations and prototypes
Conclusions
Prototypes and Simulations Have Dierent Uses
Prototyping emphasises player experience
Simulating emphasises system dynamics
Simulation complements prototyping
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

12. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

13. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

14. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Our Approach to Modelling
Action-oriented
Actions are global - not initiated by an object
First identify actions, then objects
High level of abstraction
Abstract all non-essential gameplay aspects
Easy to understand
Flexible
Easily modiable
Not limited to a specic type of game
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

15. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
DisCo
Distributed Co-operation, a formal specication method for
reactive systems
http://disco.cs.tut./
Created at the Tampere University of Technology
Open Source
Probabilistic features added later
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

16. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
DisCo
Disco specication (written in the DisCo specication
language)
Layers
Classes
Integers, booleans, records, sets, sequences, states ...
Extended or new types
Relations between classes
Actions that alter the state of the system
Actions have a guard
Creation (created with a graphical tool)
Objects and their states
Relation states
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

17. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Example: DisCo-language
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

18. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Visualition Tools
Important as a tool for understanding
Simulation results
System properties
Should be specic for the needs of each game
Our visualisations were not built in features of DisCo
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

19. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

20. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Tower Bloxx
Single-player
Single-button game
Player builds a tower by
dropping ats on top of
each other
Game get harder as tower
progresses
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

21. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
A Model of Tower Bloxx
Actions
Action Result
Drop best A at drops directly onto the top at.
Drop ok A at drops slightly to the left or right.
Drop poor A at drops on the edge of the top at.
Drop and take down Drop misses and takes down 1-3 ats.
Drop and fail Drop misses altogether. User loses a life.
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

22. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
A Model of Tower Bloxx
Objects
Object Description
Flat The block that is dropped.
Tower Tower formed of blocks.
Environment Stores user and environment data.
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

23. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
A Simplied Model of Tower Bloxx
Game start
Select next drop action Drop action
Alter game state
Game end
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

24. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Example: TowerBloxx
Swaying modier Tower visualisation
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

25. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Mythical: The Mobile Awakening
Massively multiplayer pervasive online
roleplaying game
Players were contemporary wizards who used
their mobile phones to control the magic
around them
Game structure well suited for creating a
DisCo specication
Consists of
Encounters
Rituals
Action based model was created, similarly as
for TowerBloxx
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

26. Background
Introduction Our approach
Simulation as a Game Design Tool Our models
Conclusions
Example: The Mobile Awakening
For tests, players had varying interest in dierent game
features
3000
Player Eagerness for Skip probability Eagerness Skip probability 2500
encounters for encounters for rituals for rituals 2000
E x perienc e
Player 1 50 0 10 40 1500 P1
P2
Player 2 40 10 20 30 1000 P3
P4
P5
Player 3 30 20 30 20 500
0
Player 4 20 30 40 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 10
Player 5
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
10 40 50 0
Time
30
25
20
Honour
15 P1
P2
P3
10 P4
P5
5
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 100
0
Time
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

27. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Outline
1 Background
2 Introduction
Design as activity
Simulations and prototypes
3 Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Our approach
Our models
4 Conclusions
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

28. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Lessons Learnt
Highly abstracted and action-oriented approach simplies the
model and design thinking
As easily modiable product models, simulation supports
leaping between abstraction layers
Simulation allows the exploration of game aspects that
prototyping is ill-suited for
Visualisation helps understand the design choices
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

29. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Future Work
Use simulation in the design phase
Study action-orientedness as an approach to design thinking
Develop better tools
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool

30. Background
Introduction
Simulation as a Game Design Tool
Conclusions
Thank you for listening!
timo.nummenmaa@uta.
jussi.kuittinen@jyu.
T. Nummenmaa et al. Simulation as a Game Design Tool