0:00:00.240,0:00:06.709 2016 has been an interesting year, all things[br]considered, but nothing has caught me by surprise 0:00:06.709,0:00:10.380 quite like the comeback of the "immersive[br]sim". 0:00:10.380,0:00:15.200 Deus Ex is getting a fourth game later this[br]month, and Harvey Smith is making another 0:00:15.200,0:00:19.920 Thief-like stealth game at Arkane Studios.[br]Which is also making a new Prey game which 0:00:19.920,0:00:23.279 is said to be a spiritual successor to System[br]Shock 2. 0:00:23.279,0:00:27.320 Which is getting an actual successor courtesy[br]of Warren Spector, who is also helping Paul 0:00:27.320,0:00:32.070 Neurath make an unofficial sequel to Ultima[br]Underworld. And the first System Shock is 0:00:32.070,0:00:33.670 getting a remake, too. 0:00:33.670,0:00:37.380 But if you haven't heard of those games, or[br]haven't heard of those names, or you're wondering 0:00:37.380,0:00:41.300 what the hell an immersive sim is and want[br]to know why should we care that it's getting 0:00:41.300,0:00:46.720 a huge revival, then... this is Game Maker's[br]Toolkit, I'm Mark Brown, and in this episode 0:00:46.720,0:00:53.520 we're looking at the rise, fall and return[br]of a truly fascinating game design philosophy. 0:00:54.420,0:01:00.100 You can't talk about immersive sims without[br]first talking about 1992's Ultima Underworld: 0:01:00.110,0:01:06.109 The Stygian Abyss. A.k.a the most influential[br]game you've never played. Its 3D engine prompted 0:01:06.109,0:01:11.460 John Carmack to write a better one and make[br]Wolfenstein 3D, and putting an RPG into that 0:01:11.460,0:01:16.230 3D world inspired Bethesda to do the same[br]with the first Elder Scrolls game. 0:01:16.230,0:01:21.549 But Underworld's standout feature was using[br]clever systems, artificial intelligence, and 0:01:21.549,0:01:26.500 even rudimentary physics to try and simulate[br]a believable space that wasn't completely 0:01:26.500,0:01:28.560 predetermined by the developer. 0:01:28.560,0:01:33.330 The overarching design goal was to give players[br]unique stories, and then let them come up with 0:01:33.330,0:01:38.220 personal solutions to quests, much like in[br]a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Only, replace 0:01:38.220,0:01:42.950 the human dungeon master with a complex nest[br]of intertwining systems. 0:01:42.950,0:01:47.979 The game's developer, Looking Glass Studios,[br]would explore this idea of simulated spaces 0:01:47.979,0:01:50.819 and player agency in all of its major games. 0:01:50.820,0:01:56.320 System Shock took Ultima into outer space,[br]and killed off all the humans to avoid those 0:01:56.320,0:02:01.880 immersion-breaking conversations. Thief used[br]advanced artificial intelligence and open-plan 0:02:01.890,0:02:07.799 design to forge one of the first proper stealth[br]games. And at Ion Storm Austin, ex-Looking 0:02:07.799,0:02:13.339 Glass staffers mixed System Shock's shooting[br]with Thief's sneaking for the incredible Deus Ex. 0:02:13.340,0:02:18.920 Or Dooz Ex, as you called it in the year 2000.[br]Don't lie. You totally did. 0:02:18.920,0:02:24.010 So what is an immersive sim? What ties all[br]these games together, and makes them different 0:02:24.010,0:02:29.510 from the other first person games being made[br]around the same time? Well here are my, personal, 0:02:29.510,0:02:32.460 tenets of what makes these games special. 0:02:32.460,0:02:36.070 Immersive sims, for one, offer high levels[br]of agency. 0:02:36.070,0:02:41.110 Which means you can achieve goals in multiple[br]ways, and pick your own routes, tactics, and 0:02:41.110,0:02:46.080 gameplay style. The designers tell you what[br]to do - like, break into Lord Bafford's Manor 0:02:46.080,0:02:49.390 and swipe his sceptre in Thief - but doesn't[br]tell you how to do it. 0:02:49.390,0:02:53.860 The designers provide a large open space,[br]perhaps a handful of predetermined routes 0:02:53.860,0:02:58.210 that support different playstyles, and often[br]some suggestions for how you can finish your 0:02:58.210,0:03:00.300 mission. But the rest is up to you. 0:03:00.300,0:03:05.210 To avoid overwhelming the player with choices,[br]your options are sometimes limited by decisions 0:03:05.210,0:03:10.130 you made earlier. In System Shock 2 you can[br]only carry so many items, and you can only 0:03:10.130,0:03:14.180 use the powers you've installed and the skills[br]you've developed, so sometimes it's about 0:03:14.180,0:03:18.680 finding the path that matches the playstyle[br]you're developing, rather than randomly picking 0:03:18.680,0:03:20.640 new ones for every moment. 0:03:20.640,0:03:23.380 Immersive sims are also highly systemic. 0:03:23.380,0:03:28.720 Most games are heavily scripted. Crazy stuff[br]happens when you stand on invisible triggers, 0:03:28.730,0:03:33.230 characters play one-off animations at specific[br]bits, and obstacles in the game world just 0:03:33.230,0:03:36.550 do exactly what they need to do in that moment,[br]and nothing more. 0:03:36.550,0:03:41.920 Immersive sims, however, are built from systems.[br]So elements have globally defined characteristics 0:03:41.920,0:03:46.430 which means every alarm post works the same[br]way, every torch can be extinguished, and 0:03:46.430,0:03:50.330 while different doors might have different[br]properties, they're all based off the same 0:03:50.330,0:03:52.200 generic door mould. 0:03:52.200,0:03:56.560 There are also endless rules that the world[br]follows. Enemies can find you based on sight 0:03:56.560,0:04:01.420 and sound, and will then run off and trigger[br]an alarm. Footsteps sound louder on tiled 0:04:01.420,0:04:06.290 floors, turrets shoot who you tell them to[br]shoot, and objects fall when pushed. Remember: 0:04:06.290,0:04:08.380 physics were still novel back then. 0:04:08.380,0:04:13.310 For a neat example of scripting versus systems,[br]note how in Thief: The Dark Project, you can 0:04:13.310,0:04:19.090 attach rope arrows to any wooden surface.[br]Whereas In Thief 2014, which dropped a lot of 0:04:19.090,0:04:24.820 the emergent sim stuff you can only plunge your grapple into beams marked with white rope. 0:04:24.830,0:04:29.150 The less prescripted stuff means that immersive[br]sims can be emergent. 0:04:29.150,0:04:32.780 When two systems talk to each other, interesting[br]new behaviours can emerge. 0:04:32.780,0:04:37.360 These interlinking systems[br]give the player opportunities to come up with 0:04:37.360,0:04:42.270 smart, intentional strategies that exploit[br]the game's rules. Put a gas grenade on an 0:04:42.270,0:04:47.919 alarm and then let yourself be spotted, to[br]create a nasty trap. Coax this self-detonating enemy 0:04:47.919,0:04:51.419 near a fragile door, and then kill it, to open a passageway. 0:04:51.420,0:04:56.740 Emergent gameplay can also lead to a mad chain[br]reaction that you could not possibly predict, 0:04:56.750,0:05:01.669 and puzzle solutions that the developer simply[br]didn't foresee. Like using LAM mines - which 0:05:01.669,0:05:05.989 the player can safely stand on - as an endless[br]ladder to clamber up walls. 0:05:05.989,0:05:11.699 Immersive sims are consistent. They try to[br]avoid special cases and one-offs, and there 0:05:11.699,0:05:16.400 are rarely any failure states for anything[br]other than getting killed. You won't find 0:05:16.400,0:05:20.680 these games telling you to return to the mission[br]area, or making you restart the level because 0:05:20.680,0:05:24.669 an ally was killed in duty. The simulation[br]just continues. 0:05:24.669,0:05:28.560 There are limits, though. You can shoot any[br]character you like in Deus Ex, but you can't 0:05:28.560,0:05:32.120 just kill plot-relevant characters... until[br]you're actually allowed to. 0:05:32.120,0:05:35.650 And at that point, you'll find that immersive[br]sims are reactive. 0:05:35.650,0:05:39.860 The plot doesn't have to drastically change[br]to reflect your choices, but characters will 0:05:39.860,0:05:44.081 act in different ways and say different things[br]to reflect on your decisions. Even if you 0:05:44.081,0:05:45.850 thought no one would notice... 0:05:45.850,0:05:50.810 MANDERLEY: By the way, Denton, stay out of the ladies[br]restroom. 0:05:50.810,0:05:56.340 The games judge your actions during gameplay,[br]not in clearly designated choice sections. 0:05:56.340,0:06:02.090 Clint Hocking, who was inspired by immersive[br]sims with Far Cry 2, has said "by creating a 0:06:02.090,0:06:07.889 chain of influence that cascaded between the[br]narrative and the WASD keys, Deus Ex allowed 0:06:07.889,0:06:12.689 players to experience the repercussions of[br]their immediate input level actions as they 0:06:12.689,0:06:17.240 echoed upward into the very plot of the game". 0:06:17.240,0:06:22.199 So these are the tools that Looking Glass[br]and Ion Storm used to make games that felt 0:06:22.199,0:06:27.379 immersive. Not with photorealistic graphics[br]or by getting rid of the HUD, but by letting 0:06:27.379,0:06:29.189 go of the player's hand. 0:06:29.189,0:06:34.349 Deus Ex, for example, was "designed, from[br]the start, as a game about player expression, 0:06:34.349,0:06:39.789 not about how clever we were as designers,[br]programmers, artists, or storytellers" says 0:06:39.789,0:06:44.729 director Warren Spector. "The game was conceived[br]with the idea that we'd accept players as 0:06:44.729,0:06:49.639 our collaborators, that we'd put power back[br]in their hands, ask them to make choices, 0:06:49.639,0:06:53.099 and let them deal with the consequences of[br]those choices". 0:06:53.099,0:06:57.211 To those of us who played them, immersive[br]sims felt like the future. They let us do 0:06:57.211,0:07:01.830 what we wanted, they reacted to our decisions,[br]and they operated in spaces that acted more 0:07:01.830,0:07:06.849 like a simulation of a real place than a phoney[br]video game rollercoaster ride. 0:07:06.849,0:07:12.879 But there were, after all, only a few of us.[br]Deus Ex sold like 500,000 copies while Half 0:07:12.880,0:07:17.430 Life - equally brilliant, but for a very different[br]reason - shifted millions. 0:07:17.430,0:07:22.710 Deus Ex was a cult classic, not a landmark[br]title that would start a revolution. 0:07:22.710,0:07:27.419 Immersive sims muddled along with the forgettable[br]Deus Ex sequel Invisible War, the contentious 0:07:27.419,0:07:32.150 third Thief game Deadly Shadows, and the more[br]well received spiritual successor to Underworld, 0:07:32.150,0:07:38.639 Arx Fatalis. But the closure of Looking Glass[br]in 2000 and Ion Storm Austin in 2005, and 0:07:38.639,0:07:43.919 the booming blockbuster success of more linear[br]and scripted games, meant the design ethos 0:07:43.919,0:07:45.520 kinda went away. 0:07:45.520,0:07:50.091 It bubbled up here and there, mostly thanks[br]to new Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, as 0:07:50.091,0:07:55.300 well as BioShock from System Shock 2 designer[br]Ken Levine, and Eastern European efforts like 0:07:55.300,0:07:59.129 Pathologic out of Russia and STALKER out of[br]Ukraine. 0:07:59.129,0:08:05.340 But now, the genre seems to be making a triumphant[br]return as games and names and ideas from Looking 0:08:05.349,0:08:08.289 Glass and Ion Storm history have returned. 0:08:08.289,0:08:13.419 The new Deus Ex games are made by all new[br]people but are pretty faithful to the original 0:08:13.419,0:08:17.970 game, other than the crappy inconsistent boss[br]characters (who were mercifully changed in 0:08:17.970,0:08:22.409 the director's cut edition), and slightly[br]less scope for emergent gameplay. You'll get 0:08:22.409,0:08:27.199 plenty of that in Dishonored, though, which[br]comes from Deus Ex lead designer Harvey Smith. 0:08:27.199,0:08:32.229 This stealth games lets you juggle loads of[br]magic powers, and lots of interweaving systems, 0:08:32.229,0:08:37.279 to come up with unique ways to assassinate[br]your targets. It's also highly reactive to 0:08:37.279,0:08:42.849 your playstyle, with rats becoming more plentiful[br]if you choose to murder loads of guards. 0:08:42.849,0:08:46.420 And then there are all the upcoming games[br]I mentioned in the opener, which should be 0:08:46.420,0:08:51.480 very interesting. "While I've seen some efforts,[br]especially from the guys at Arkane, to sort 0:08:51.480,0:08:55.649 of extend the design philosophy of Looking[br]Glass - I'd like to go further with that," 0:08:55.649,0:08:57.230 says Spector. "It's nice to 0:08:57.230,0:09:01.730 see more people trying, but I think there's[br]a ways we could go as well, in terms of empowering 0:09:01.730,0:09:06.680 players to tell their own stories. Those are[br]the directions I'm going to try to go in". 0:09:06.680,0:09:11.320 What I'm most excited by, is the opportunity[br]to update this old philosophy with the tech 0:09:11.320,0:09:12.660 and design of today. 0:09:12.660,0:09:19.440 Immersive sims really take advantage of, well, sims. Simulations. And games are now much better at 0:09:19.440,0:09:24.910 simulating crowds, artificial intelligence,[br]fire, weather, and physics. 0:09:24.910,0:09:29.420 This genre can also learn from other types[br]of games, and borrow stuff like 0:09:29.420,0:09:32.269 stories that[br]dramatically react to your actions like in 0:09:32.269,0:09:36.870 Shadow of Mordor. And yes, they can also benefit[br]from the photorealistic stuff to make these 0:09:36.870,0:09:38.460 worlds even more believable. 0:09:38.460,0:09:44.180 And going forward, there's VR: perhaps immersive[br]sims are the perfect match for virtual reality. 0:09:44.180,0:09:49.420 Indeed, even in the earliest days of Looking[br]Glass, the studio thought about future technology. 0:09:49.420,0:09:53.620 Major contributor Marc LeBlanc said "everyone[br]was hearing about how virtual reality was 0:09:53.620,0:09:57.810 coming and most people thought that virtual[br]reality was a hardware thing. We were kinda 0:09:57.810,0:10:01.691 coming at it from the software thing: if there's[br]going to be a virtual reality that you're 0:10:01.691,0:10:07.029 interacting with then it's gonna have to have[br]rules and a simulation and stuff like that". 0:10:07.900,0:10:12.680 But, ultimately, this a design ethos that[br]just needs to be explored further. Immersive 0:10:12.680,0:10:16.300 sims, with their system-driven worlds and[br]consistent behaviour - are never going to 0:10:16.300,0:10:21.251 be as flashy (or as profitable) as crazy,[br]scripted, rollercoaster rides. But 0:10:21.251,0:10:26.550 sims like Fallout and Deus Ex, and games with[br]similar design goals like Metal Gear Solid 0:10:26.550,0:10:29.769 V and Hitman, do something truly unique. 0:10:29.769,0:10:34.690 "Simulations allow players to explore not[br]just a space but a 'possibility space'," says 0:10:34.690,0:10:39.060 Warren Spector. "They can make their own fun,[br]tell their own stories, solve problems the 0:10:39.060,0:10:43.670 way they want, and see the consequences of[br]their choices. That's the thing that games 0:10:43.670,0:10:49.490 can do that no other medium in human history[br]has been able to do". 0:10:49.490,0:10:54.220 Thank you so much for watching. If you are[br]wondering where Boss Keys is, the episode 0:10:54.230,0:11:00.459 on Majora's Mask is up next. As for Game Maker's[br]Toolkit it is funded entirely by people on 0:11:00.459,0:11:04.509 Patreon, who are amazing and I want to thank[br]them all right now. But I'm going to give 0:11:04.509,0:11:09.349 a special, on screen shoutout to everyone[br]who donates $5 or more.