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--- companions_in_games [2009-01-26 10:59] – davegriffiths
+++ companions_in_games [2009-01-26 14:42] – davegriffiths
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 |{{:dogmeat.jpg}} Dogmeat from [[http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/home/home.php|Fallout 3]]|Cooperative play|Dogmeat warns the player of danger, can be sent to search for items and distract enemies in battle.|Not such a good response from gamers on Dogmeat - he is not strictly required to play the game and can get in the way in battle situations. Also seems a little contrived as he miraculously appears when you need help.|
 |{{:ashleygraham.jpg}} Ashley Graham from [[http://www.res-evil.com/re4/|Resident Evil 4]]|Needs rescuing and helps with some gameplay|Following and object avoidance, pointing out possible solutions to puzzles|Not good on this character either, as being in the horror genre, it's [[http://www.res-evil.com/re4/|very unforgiving to AI goofiness]]. The lack of attachment may also be due to the fact that unlike in Ico, where Yorda is with you all the time up to the last part, Ashley Graham often get recaptured.|
+|{{:floyd.jpg?200}} Floyd in [[wp>Jet Force Gemini]]|Helps with gameplay/optional 2nd player control/sidekick|A pet/companion robot which has to be built by the player. Helps with battles, has infinite (low power) fire and is indestructible.|What is interesting about Floyd is that the fact that the player has made a contribution to his construction //I felt the robot was more valuable to me as I had had to work at getting it and it wasn’t simply given to me// (from [[http://www.pawfal.org/dave/blog/2009/01/artificial-companions-in-games/#comments|Kassen]]. Attachment can be greatly helped by requiring the user to invest time in it's construction and having input in it's design.|
 =====Pet companions=====
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 There are also examples of games which immerse the player in more complex social situations, involving groups working together, or squads fighting together.
+^ Game  ^ Game description ^ Attachment level ^
+| {{:pikmin.jpg?200}}[[wp>Pikmin]]|The player has to grow and use small creatures called pikmin to retrieve parts of a ship which has crashed, and rebuild it to escape the planet. There are types of pikmin which have different abilities. Up to 100 pikmin can be active at one time.|The focus of the game is to interact with your pikmin as they help you to solve problems and carry out tasks. The game works well due to the large quantity of individuals, which is a much more forgiving strategy than using a single companion. They are also designed to be obviously very alien (as they are part plant) so the player can accept any shortcomings as "natural" and more amusing than frustrating limitations in game technology|
+| {{http://www.pawfal.org/dave/images/work/thething1.jpg?200}} [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(video_game)|The Thing]]|The player is in charge of a small squad of soldiers, and has to use them to move through the game. Your squad is  a "trust and fear" mechanic, where your team mates can secretly turn against you.|The trust and fear system put the agent behaviour and emotions at the centre of the game. Characters can have their trust in you increased by giving them weapons, or can be forced to carry out your orders by force - at a cost of trust by characters who witness this happening. Characters who have been with you for a long time become very valuable, and you find yourself protecting them much more as you play the game.|
+======Conclusions======
+Strategies used in increasing attachment to companions in games:
+  * The use of natural language is one of the quickest ways to break any illusion of intelligence, so leave it out, or use a language which you can't quite understand, but which still conveys basic levels of emotion.
+  * User investment in the design or construction of the agent, which increases a feeling of ownership.
+  * Collective intelligence - by using multiple agents.