NewsProgram is a 30 minute animated movie that simulates a broadcast television news shows. The goal of NewsProgram are to parody the idiosyncratic behaviors that arise when character personalities are represented through media and represent the visual narratives that evolve through facial and physical gestures.
The animation runs in real-time as an game program. The final artwork will be distributed through network download.
Everyday broadcast news shows shape time-sensitive information into visual presentations that are narrated live to viewing audiences. The style of delivery is carefully considered through appearance of the personality, interactions that appears on screen. Within the duration of these packages, time is allotted for a given number of segments. An example set of segments would include: Top Stories, Local News, Debate, Finance, Sports, and Weather. Every segment is further divided into sub-segments, arraigned for narrative cohesion, and remains in constant relationship to the shifting character personalities that appear within the show. Everyday this process is repeated, packages are created, and the formal construction of a media narrative are revealed. NewsProgram is based on this sublime media narrative.
A game engine is a set of software tools that provides low-level rendering for objects, dynamic lights, as well as audio and memory management. Artists working with game engines primarily focus on programming object behaviors, organizing events in time and adjusting properties that effect how engines will render these objects in 3d space. Objects the are rendered in an engine can be simple static models, 2 dimensional shapes, or objects represent characters that are animated and moved in response to timed events with distinctive behaviors. NewsProgram uses a game engine to programmatically simulate the behaviors of news characters and their subtle behaviors as they deliver the news. A distinctive feature of NewsProgram is that primary characters will always look into the camera as they deliver during new segments. Main characters subtly turn their heads from left to right, nod and deliver their reports, their eyes will look directly into the camera. When Multiple characters are in view of the camera, the primary character will look into the camera and and secondary characters will incrementally turn towards the speaking character and look directly at, them. These behaviors part of the non-verbal communication present in television new program. narrative will be structured and organized to be formally presented.
A cut-scene is a game design term that refers to movie sequences that appear during non-playing events and advances the overall game’s narrative. In the classic arcade game Ms. PacMan a primitive cut-scene is displayed after completing the first 3 levels. The game’s video screen momentarily appears black and an animation sequence begins. Mr. PacMan chases Ms. PacMan from right to left, then Ms. PacMan chases Mr. PacMan from left to right, finally each character meets in the middle of the screen with text that reads “When They first met”, audio is played, next level is displayed and game-play resumes. Players that are fortunate enough to advance through multiple levels, will see cut-scenes continually appear. Not only do these entertaining sequences provide rewards for a players’ accomplishments, they enable games with identical game-play to be distinguished from one another. Ms. Pacman is a obviously a sequel to Pacman, technically everything about these 2 games are identical, with the exception of cut-scenes. In the opening sequence of Super Mario64, trees, water and a castle are cinematically presented through the view of a swooping camera that flies through a 3 dimensional landscape. This sequence resolves to focus on a hollow pipe that Mario is dramatically shot out from. The camera tilts to keep Mario in view as gravity appears to pull him back towards solid ground, the game begins and Mario becomes the players’ avatar. Over time the inter-relationships between game-play and cut-scenes has become the most critical element of immersive game development.
integration of narratives cut-scenes in games has become a standard critical element to the distinction one game from another. Mario 64, Metal Gear Solid and Grand Theft Auto have helped to redefined these sequences and solidified cut-scenes as standard as a advanced this. has become the status quo. Almost every video game created has some form of cut-scene contained inside. In Tomb-Raider a cut-scene appears,
Characters
Each characters is constructed as finite state machines.
A running timeline will alter the environment, set camera positions and enable characters to adapt to the existing narrative. This process of programming character entities to respond to changes during software run-time is a common method in game design. Semi-autonomous entities are are often referred to as NPCs or Non Playing Characters. As computers have become faster and games have become more immerse the continual invention of NPCs has flourished.
"The newfound stature of game AI is readily visible to ordinary players. The Sims features a button on its preferences screen that lets you toggle "free will" on and off. Turn it off, and the characters become hapless puppets, relying on your instructions at every turn. Turn it on, and the Sims take on a life of their own: dancing, swimming, shooting pool, showering - all dictated by their ever-changing moods."
Although there are a variety of forms of games and machina, the difference between the two is how a through time a narrative progresses. All Games, in some form or another require a player. As a player you are required to unlock, discover, or maneuver their way through a set of levels. In a common game levels are the milestones to narrative blocks. As the player achieves goal and advances through a games levels the narrative is advanced. In essence games narratives are dependent on players. Machinima does not require a player to advance a narrative; instead in its most objective form it excludes a player, and advances through time independently. Then as a narrative block then as a player the games narrative is dependent upon the users' ability to advance from level to level.
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1. Movies created in this format are considered to be a form of machine-animation or machinima.
