Presentation given at the Videojogos 2012 conference, December 14th, 2012, Lisbon, Portugal, Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

1. Multiuser serious game development:
Virtual worlds vs. Game engines
Leonel Morgado
leonelm@utad.pt

4. //pseudocode
function Throw(...)
{
animate(player1)
detachBall(player1);
moveball(to_player2);
attachBall(player2);
animate(player2);
}

9. Game elements
World participants

13. Detachable

18. 1
Access
2
Production
3
Deployment

19. 1
Acesso
2
Produção
3
Operacionalização

20. 1
Acesso
2
Produção
3
Operacionalização
Stage3D/Molehill

21. 1
Acesso Adequate graphics cards
Admin access for installation, updating…
2
Risk of operation conflicts
Custom network settings and requirements
Produção
No studies on vulnerabilities
3
Operacionalização
Stage3D/Molehill
Browser add-ons: similar problems,
but rendered simpler due to widespread availability
WebGL support is still limited
Streaming is quite demanding on network latency

22. 1
Access
2
Development
professionals
Production
3
Development
Deployment amateurs

23. 1
Acesso
2
2
Development
Produção
professionals
3
Development
professionals
Operacionalização

24. 1
Acesso
Games engines (presentation and control)
2
OLIVE
2
Artificial agent engines
Development
Produção
professionals
BEcool
3
Quagents
Development
professionals
Operacionalização
Virtual worlds

25. 1
Acesso
Games engines (presentation and control)
2
OLIVE
2 Most common approach
for development of serious games
Artificial agent engines
Development
User seen as a player/trainee with strict goals professionals
Produção
BEcool
3 Greater control over the user experience
Quagents
Greater flexibility of implementation Development
professionals
Operacionalização
Higher level of required resources / investment
Virtual worlds
The education process is entirely predefined

26. 1
Acesso
2
2 Development
professionals
Produção
Development
3
amateurs
Operacionalização

27. 1
Acesso
2
2 Development
professionals
Produção
Development
3
amateurs
Operacionalização

28. 1
Acesso
2
Possible in many worlds (varies in degree)
Lesser resource requirements/investment
2
lows the creation and adaptation of spaces for
Development
professionals
context and customization
Produção
Allows “ordering” of components fromDevelopment
3
professionals (not just full systems) amateurs
Operacionalização Behaviour definition by end users
is still a challenge
Choreographies cannot (yet!)
be shared as common content

29. 1
Access
2
Production
3
Deployment

30. 1
Acesso
2
Produção
3 Define
methods,
3 actions,
processes
Operacionalização

31. 1
Acesso
2
Produção
3
3
Operacionalização

32. 1
Acesso
2
Who is each person/avatar?
Which credentials? Personal or organizational?
Produção
Private or public? If private, how to handle guests?
3
How to save & track processes and results?
How can resources and componentes be distributed?
3 How to support participants and organizations?
Operacionalização

33. 1
Acesso
2
Produção
3
3
Operacionalização

34. 1
Acesso MULTIS
2
Produção
3
3
Operacionalização

35. System architecture

36. Integration with
management, assessment,…

37. Thank you!
Questions welcomed!
leonelm@utad.pt