Authors:
Robin Horst
;
Micha Lanvers
and
Ralf Dörner
Affiliation:
RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, Unter den Eichen, Wiesbaden, Germany
Keyword(s):
Computer Game Modification, Modding, Story Writing, Layperson Authoring of Real-time Interactive Systems.
Abstract:
A computer game modification (mod) is an extension or variation of an already published computer game, usually developed by hobbyists. Creating computer games requires expertise from different disciplines. For role-playing games (RPGs), one of them is the development of coherent stories, for example, through quests and dialogues between characters. Different expert authoring tools exist supporting story writing specialists in their profession. However, based on the results of our related work analysis and expert interviews with two lead storywriters of successful mods (Enderal and Legends of Ahssûn), we identified a gap of research regarding story writing tools suitable for the modding community. In this paper, we introduce quest-centric concepts for supporting modders in designing and managing quests for RPG mods and illustrate how to use graph-based visualization techniques for modeling interactive dialogues and dependencies between quest components of a story. Based on statistical
ly significant results of an expert user study utilizing a reference implementation of our concepts, we conclude that the quest-centric concepts supported our participants and that the proposed graph visualizations and automatic optimization suggestions were particularly helpful to them.
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