Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
the play-by-play announcer. The color commentator speaks at more dramatic
moments or when an athlete has done something particularly spectacular (or par-
ticularly bad). For example, in tennis, you might have a color comment such as,
“She's having a terrible time with those double faults!” when an athlete commits
four double faults in a single game. Remember, a commentator would use this line
only once, not after every subsequent double fault.
When you need to create commentary for a set of match events, sit down with the
programmers and discuss the events to make sure the software can detect them.
Some, such as a strikeout in baseball, will be uncomplicated, but many events will
be judgment calls. A dropped pass in football that the athlete really
should
have
caught, for instance, is not so easily detectable; you can detect the dropped pass,
but what determines whether the receiver should have caught it? The probability of
the receiver's catching the pass must be calculated from such things as the receiv-
er's dexterity rating and the accuracy with which the quarterback threw the pass in
the first place—provided that the ball wasn't tipped away by a defender. It's always
best to err on the side of caution in these cases: Don't design judgment calls that
the player is likely to disagree with, or he'll think you've delivered a stupid game.
As the saying goes, “It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open
one's mouth and remove all doubt.”
Don't forget the introductory and wrap-up material at the beginning and end of the
match—commentary such as, “Welcome to Invesco Field for today's game between
the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos. It's a cold and windy day.”
For more detailed information on writing commentary scripts, including the many
tricky issues associated with assembling commentary out of speech fragments, read
Chapter 13, “Interchangeable Dialogue Content,” of
Game Writing: Narrative Skills
for Videogames
, edited by Chris Bateman (Bateman, 2006).
Sports games offer some of the most beautifully realistic graphics and audio of any
genre, and their presentation features borrow heavily from those seen on televi-
sion. TV sports presentations have their own particular look and feel, which change
from time to time, and many game art directors take their cue from them.
Interaction Model
The interaction model in sports games varies considerably depending on the sport,
but in most cases, the player controls an avatar who is an athlete in the match. In
one-on-one sports such as tennis, this is straightforward, but in team sports, the
player's control typically switches automatically from one athlete to another as the
focus of play changes. In basketball games, for example, control switches to the
athlete who has the ball. If the player's team is on defense, most games allow the
