[arg_discuss] Topic of the Week Aug. 17: Ghost Players

[John Evans]

Let's say you want to give 10 hints to 10 different players, and you want the players to put their hints together to come up with a solution.  (cf. The Westing Game)  However, what if one of those players isn't playing your game any more, because they got bored or circumstances in their life changed; their account may exist, but they're a "ghost player".  If your 10th hint is languishing in some in-game message inbox, your players are never going to solve the puzzle.  One solution, of course, is redundancy—designing a set of hints so that the information overlaps, and let's say any 5 of the 10 will yield all the necessary information.


>So if the real players got stuck on a puzzle, the Ghost Player could send a hint as if he just had a brainstorm.


...oh, wait, you mean RINGERS.  Or "plants".  I see. >_>

Well...the way I see it, you're providing the players information through a channel that will make them feel as though "one of their own" came up with the solution.  They don't feel like the solution was just "handed" to them.  However, it's a gamble; if the players figure out that this information source isn't legitimate, they may feel betrayed.  (Of course, this could be a good thing; If the information source turns out to be a character that was manipulating the characters for their own ends, the players might enjoy that.  "You all did so well, I only had to give you a couple of hints...mwahahahahaha.")

In a perfect world (or a perfect game), the players would figure out the solutions to the puzzles on their own.  Or, let me put it this way: In a perfect game, the players would never be blocked or frustrated for too long.  (What "too long" means is open to debate.)  There's a theory that some people enjoy a certain amount of frustration in a puzzle; once they solve it, they experience a sense of triumph.  If you believe that, then the "ringer hint" is robbing some player of that triumphant insight.

As for me personally, I wouldn't use this tactic.  I would rather offer hints through an NPC, but in exchange for something.  Perhaps the players have to perform a service or give up something.  Perhaps they have to solve a different puzzle for a hint to the first puzzle (I'll leave finding the possible pitfall in this tactic as an exercise to the reader).  So, because the players had to "pay", they don't feel betrayed; they had to work for the hint, after all.  I was at a live event for Prototype 161 and they had something like this; Each team had a stash of "bloodstones" (little red plastic things), and they could trade the stones for hints.  There were also challenges that happened every now and then, like, do 50 pushups and get 5 stones to increase your stash.

--
John Evans
Chaoseed Software - http://chaoseed.com

-----Original Message-----

>From: "O'Donnell, Dean M" <dodo at WPI.EDU>

>Sent: Aug 17, 2009 12:14 PM

>To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG <arg_discuss at igda.org>

>Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] Topic of the Week Aug. 17: Ghost Players

>

>As used at ARGFest, it was a term denoting "players" who were actually controlled by the PMs.

>

>So if the real players got stuck on a puzzle, the Ghost Player could send a hint as if he just had a brainstorm.

>

>Dean

>________________________________________

>From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Hugh Davies [marcus.helm at gmail.com]

>Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 11:46 AM

>To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

>Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] Topic of the Week Aug. 17: Ghost Players

>

>I'm assuming Ghost Player are those uncommitted followers of a games

>narrative who rarely make their presence known.

>

>A ludic term for lurking?

>

>hugh

>

>

>On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 4:39 PM, Nathan Mishler <nathan at studiocypher.com>wrote:

>

>> Okay.

>>

>> Hmm. Define Ghost Players?

>>

>> On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 10:08 AM, Andrea Phillips<andrhia at gmail.com>

>> wrote:

>> > The topic of "Ghost Players" came up at ARGfest.

>> >

>> > Discuss.

>> >

>> > --

>> > Andrea Phillips

>> > http://www.aaphillips.com

>> > AIM: Andrh1a * Skype: Andrhia

>> > Words * Culture * Interaction

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>> >

>>

>>

>>

>> --

>> Nathan Mishler

>> Studio Cypher, LLC

>> "Curious Games for Curious People"

>> http://www.twitter.com/StudioCypher

>> (812) 361-5981

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