Wonderful design: Applying Appraisal Theory to Procedural Level Generation

Procedural level generation for games is an active field of research with successful applications. However, how to generate content that embodies design intent is still an open research question. Level designers lack abstractions and tools for authoring generated artifacts for affecting emotion. We propose a novel pattern language for generative level design inspired by Appraisal Theory. Its patterns enable designers to add meaning, depth, and cohesiveness to the resulting content, and modify artifacts to make the content more engaging. We illustrate how these patterns can be implemented in a generative grammar for level generation for an adventure game. Formative evaluation of generated level content demonstrates the feasibility of the approach and suggests points for further improvements. Future work could focus on other elements which seem important for affecting emotions, including pacing, perception, and expectation

Towards a unified language for card game design

Card game creation is a powerful tool for game design.Using playing cards, game designers can rapidly prototype and iteratively playtest a game’s core mechanisms to explore alternatives and improve the gameplay. However, this process is time-consuming, imprecise and challenging to steer and focus. We aim to empower designers with solutions that automate game design processes. In particular, we study to what extent a unified game design language can offer the- oretical foundations, systematic techniques and practical solutions. We propose a novel approach towards a solution that leverages the expressive power of playing cards. Initially focusing on well- known card games, we illustrate the steps for creating CardScript, a formal language and toolkit that supports game design processes. The approach also has the potential to impact a wider research area. When fully developed, a unified language with a common tool set can enable reuse, and eventually support joint research agendas. We start the discussion by highlighting perspectives that relate open challenges to opportunities for future collaboration

Graphical means for inspecting qualitative models of system behaviour

This article presents the design and evaluation of a tool for inspecting conceptual models of system behaviour. The basis for this research is the Garp framework for qualitative simulation. This framework includes modelling primitives, such as entities, quantities and causal dependencies, which are combined into model fragments and scenarios. Given a library of model fragments and a scenario describing an initial situation, the qualitative simulation engine generates predictions in the form of a state-transition graph. This rich knowledge representation has potential for educational purposes. However, communicating the contents of simulation models effectively to learners is not trivial. The predicate logic format used by Garp is not easy for non-experts to understand, and a simulation often contains so much information that it is difficult to get an overview while still having access to detailed information. To address these problems, a tool has been developed that generates graphical representations of the information contained in a qualitative simulation. This tool, named VisiGarp, incorporates a vocabulary of graphical elements for model ingredients and relationships, and combines these into interactive diagrams. VisiGarp has been evaluated by thirty students, with promising results, using a setup which included simulation results and exercises about Brazilian Cerrado ecology