A Pattern-Based Game Mechanics Design Assistant

Video game designers iteratively improve player experience by play testing game software and adjusting its design. Deciding how to improve gameplay is difficult and time-consuming because designers lack an effective means for exploring decision alternatives and modifying a game’s mechanics. We aim to improve designer productivity and game quality by providing tools that speed-up the game design process. In particular, we wish to learn how patterns encoding common game design knowledge can help to improve design tools. Micro-Machinations (MM) is a language and software library that enables game designers to modify a game’s mechanics at run-time. We propose a pattern-base

Screening middelen tegen bodemplagen in kool : veldonderzoek naar middelen om emelten en aardvlooien te bestrijden in koolgewassen 2009 in opdracht van Productschap Tuinbouw

In de vollegrondsgroenteteelt nemen de problemen met bodemgebonden plaaginsecten toe. Dit wordt voor een deel verweten aan een beperkt insecticidenaanbod. Telers van groenten in de volle grond hebben belang bij de beschikbaarheid van meerdere effectieve bestrijdingsmiddelen tegen bodemgebonden plaagorganismen in diverse gewassen. Hieraan tegemoet komend heeft het Productschap Tuinbouw opdracht gegeven om onderzoek uit te voeren naar middelen die gewassen beschermen tegen schade door bodemgebonden plaaginsecten

De mogelijkheden van UV-C straling voor de bestrijding van ziekten en plagen in de akkerbouw : een literatuurstudie

In deze studie is op een rij gezet wat er voor de akkerbouw in de literatuur bekend is over de mogelijkheden van UV-C licht voor de bestrijding van ziekten en plagen. Het bleek dat er over de toepassing in de akkerbouw met lage doseringen UV-C licht en met korte blootstellingstijden, weinig relevante literatuur beschikbaar is. Daarom is ook naar andere literatuur gezocht om eventuele perspectieven voor de akkerbouw op te kunnen sporen. Het blijkt dat bacteriën relatief makkelijk gedood worden door UV-C straling. Het DNA van deze micro-organismen wordt snel beschadigd met minder reproductie of afsterving tot gevolg. De schimmels blijken sterk te verschillen in gevoeligheid voor UV-C. Door UV-C belichting van geoogste producten kunnen aanwezige pathogenen op de producten worden gedood (direct effect) of het product kan fysiologisch veranderen waardoor de pathogenen minder kans maken (geïnduceerde resistentie). De perspectieven voor de akkerbouw zijn beperkt

Model Differencing for Textual DSLs

The syntactic and semantic comparison of models is important for understanding and supporting their evolution. In this paper we present TMDIFF, a technique for semantically comparing models that are represented as text. TMDIFF incorporates the referential structure of a language, which is determined by symbolic names and language-specific scoping rules. Furthermore, it employs a novel technique for matching entities existing in source and target versions of a model, and finds entities that are added or removed. As a result, TMDIFF is fully language parametric, and brings the benefits of model differencing to textual languages

Adapting Game Mechanics with Micro-Machinations

In early game development phases game designers adjust game rules in a rapid, iterative and flexible way. In later phases, when software prototypes are available, play testing provides more detailed feedback about player experience. More often than not, the realized and the intended gameplay emerging from game software differ. Unfortunately, adjusting it is hard because designers lack a means for efficiently defining, fine-tuning and balancing game mechanics. The language Machinations provides a graphical notation for expressing the rules of game economies that fits with a designer’s understanding and vocabulary, but is limited to design itself. Micro-Mach

Micro-Machinations: A DSL for Game Economies

In the multi-billion dollar game industry, time to market limits the time developers have for improving games. Game designers and software engineers usually live on opposite sides of the fence, and both lose time when adjustments best understood by designers are implemented by engineers. Designers lack a common vocabulary for expressing gameplay, which hampers specification, communication and agreement. We aim to speed up the game development process by improving designer productivity and design quality. The language Machinations has introduced a graphical notation for expressing the rules of game economies that is close to a designer’s vocabulary. We present the language Micro- Machinations (MM) that details and formalizes the meaning of a significant subset of Machination’s language features and adds sever

Preventie en bestrijding van slakken

Veel biologische telers proberen grondbewerking tegenwoordig tot een minimum te beperken. Dit is goed voor de bodemstructuur en het bodemleven. Maar minimale grondbewerking lijkt schade door slakken juist te bevorderen. Ook de brede inzet van groenbemesters kan de slakkenpopulatie bevorderen. Dit kan leiden tot aanzienlijke schade als gevolg van verontreiniging en vraat. In dit biokennisbericht een aantal handreikingen om opbrengstderving door slakken te beperken

Cascade: A meta-language for change, cause and effect

Live programming brings code to life with immediate and continuous feedback. To enjoy its benefits, programmers need powerful languages and live programming environments for understanding the effects of code modifications on running programs. Unfortunately, the enabling technology that powers these languages, is missing. Change, a crucial enabler for explorative coding, omniscient debugging and version control, is a potential solution. We aim to deliver generic solutions for creating these languages, in particular Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs). We present Cascade, a meta-language for expressing DSLs with interface- and feedback-mechanisms that drive live programming. We demonstrate run-time migrations, ripple effects and live desugaring of three existing DSLs. Our results show that an explicit representation of change is instrumental for how these languages are built, and that cause-and-effect relationships are vital for delivering precise feedback

Cascade: A meta-language for change, cause and effect

Live programming brings code to life with immediate and continuous feedback. To enjoy its benefits, programmers need powerful languages and live programming environments for understanding the effects of coding actions and developing running programs. Unfortunately, the enabling technology that powers these languages is missing. Change, a crucial enabler for explorative coding, omniscient debugging and version control, is a potential solution. In this position paper, we argue that an explicit representation of change is instrumental for how these languages are built, and that cause-and-effect relationships are vital for more precise feedback. We aim to deliver generic solutions for creating these languages. We introduce Cascade, a meta-language and framework for expressing languages with interface- and feedback-mechanisms that drive live programming. Our preliminary results show that Cascade is a promising approach that simplifies developing language back-ends