Casual Kinect

Jean-Francois PrevostDeveloper Account Manager

Microsoft

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Kinect So Far

• Announced at E3 2009• Launched in Fall 2010• Guinness World Record as “World’s

Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device”

• 18M devices sold

Casual Kinect - Agenda

• Controller Free Gaming• Design Considerations• The Rules of Kinect• Things We’ve Learned• Q&A

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Casual Kinect - Agenda

• Controller Free Gaming• Design Considerations• The Rules of Kinect• Things We’ve Learned• Q&A

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Controller Free Gaming

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RGB CAMERARGB CAMERA

MULTI-ARRAY MICMULTI-ARRAY MICMOTORIZED TILTMOTORIZED TILT

3D DEPTH SENSORS3D DEPTH SENSORS

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Controller

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Controller – Controller Settings Can Be Daunting!

Image courtesy of Penny Arcade.

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Controller – How Some May See It…

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

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Controller – My Perception

And I love it! …BUT!!!

New Experiences And Opportunities!

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Controller Free Gaming – Happy Action Theater

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Casual Kinect - Agenda

• Controller Free Gaming• Design Considerations• The Rules of Kinect• Things We’ve Learned• Q&A

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Design Considerations

• What do you NEED?– Full Kinect support? My focus for today!– Seated skeletal tracking?– Hybrid support?

• Forza 4

– Speech only?• Mass Effect 3

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Before You Start

Kinect design•Embrace Kinect!•Controller mapping may not be… optimal.

Testing•Be ready to prototype and test•Test early, test often•Good intentions are not enough!•When testing, sit aside and observe the player•You need to explain how to play? Need more work

– Adjust the gameplay? Add feedback?

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The Challenge

– Can we make virtual interfaces that• Are obvious obvious how to operate• CommunicateCommunicate what’s happening• Are fast, comfortable and funfun for your

audience to use• And that, actually, you know, workwork?

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Casual Kinect - Agenda

• Controller Free Gaming• Design Considerations• The Rules of Kinect• Things We Learned• Q&A

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Explain what the player can do.

Represent what they are doing.

Make it fun to match the two.

Test your implementation.

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Explain what the player can do.

Represent what they are doing.

Make it fun to match the two.

Test your implementation.

Explain What The Player Can Do

• At every moment in the game, explain to the player– what interaction options they have– the effect of each option

• Choose a clear conceptual model– Does the player immediately understand how to use

it?– I know how to drive a car…– … but I don’t know how to fly a dragon

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Explain: What Gestures Are Being Detected?

• Make it as clear as you can• Especially in games with non-obvious gestures

– Easier if you’re just copying the guy onscreen– More than 3-4 available gestures? You have a

challenge.

• How do you teach a wider range of moves?– Show animations during loading? In game?– Tutorial at start? Ongoing? On main menu? Optional

or not?– Reference guide on pause menu?– Can you redesign gestures to not need tutoring?

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Explain: Where Should The Player Be?

• Tell the player where to position themselves– Playspace indicator at the start– Bring it up again if they drift– One or two players?

• Intent to play

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Explain: Are There Voice Controls?

• Does player know that voice is an option?– Show a microphone option?– When is the game listening?

• Can the player open the mic selectively?– Say a trigger phrase, like “Xbox...”?

• What phrases can the player say?– Aim for <10-15 in any one context– Can have many contexts

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Speech Recognition Case Study: VUI Bar

• Engagement model– Mic indicator for speech-enabled menus– Keyword to engage

• Teaching user the grammar– “See it, say it”

“Know it, say it”

• Feedback and confirmation

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A New Way To Explain, In Your Menus

pas·si·vate (ps-vt) v. pas·si·vat·ed, pas·si·vat·ing, pas·si·vates v.tr.

To perform an instantaneous action on a UI element, that has an instantaneous effect that is non-critical, instantly reversible, but useful – perhaps showing more detail about the effect of that element; as opposed to an action that has a major effect (c.f. activate)

passi·vation n.

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Passivation

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Experience the single-

player story

You and a friend will repel the invasiontogether

Play exciting minigamesYou and a friend will repel the invasiontogether

About this mode:

Passivation

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Explain what the player can do.

Represent what they are doing.

Make it fun to match the two.

Test your implementation.

Represent: The Player’s Movements

• “Avateering”• Video image• Augmented Reality• 3D depth image• Menu pointer• ‘Image’ of your hands• Indirect (vehicle etc)• Limb highlights• Etc., etc., etc.

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How To Immediately Fail Your Kinect UI Review

WAVE TO START!WAVE TO START!

Represent: Drifting Out Of The Playspace

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Pause the Game

Pause the Game

“MOVE BACK!” and show triangle

“MOVE FORWARD!” & triangle

“MOVE LEFT/RIGHT!”and show triangle

Pause the

Game

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Explain what the player can do.

Represent what they are doing.

Make it fun to match the two.

Test your implementation.

Make It Fun: Not Just Functional

• Fun is the goal of every part of your game

• Avoid frustration, delay and fatigue

• Think about the physical and time costs of your UI design

• If “taking inspiration”, understand and improve it

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Get To The Game!

• Get to the game quickly

• Avoid unnecessary menus

• Skippable videos

• Optional tutorial

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The Fastest UI Of All?

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+ EFIGS + regional dialects + Japanese

+ Big hit on the dash+ Very fast, very cool+ Really easy to build

- Passivation?- Not all languages- Needs backup?

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Explain what the player can do.

Represent what they are doing.

Make it fun to match the two.

Test your implementation.

User Testing

• Good intentions are not enough

• Your UI will have problems

• Your biggest problems will be easy to find

• Watching others use your UI will make you a better designer– Your users are not like you

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User Testing

• To really test your UI…• … have someone try your game…• … then sit down and don’t talk!

• Need to explain what to do?• Can the player figure out how to navigate?• Something’s missing! Need more feedback…• Odds are the player is right. You may be wrong!

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Remember

When demoing your game, •You won’t be in their house to demo•Let the new player take control•Take notes and videos•Identify confusion and frustration•Identify what works, too!

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Explain what the player can do.

Represent what they are doing.

Make it fun to match the two.

Test your implementation.

Casual Kinect - Agenda

• Controller Free Gaming• Design Considerations• The Rules of Kinect• Things We’ve Learned• Q&A

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Things We’ve Learned

Making Aim And Hover More Fun

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• Avoid small and/or closely-spaced buttons– If you can’t, be very clear what’s selected

• Bigger buttons better, but only to a point• Consider magnetic or sticky buttons• Repeated Accidental Activation Syndrome• Make the hover countdown clear

– Make it proportional to the “cost” of the button• Costly to recover from bad selection?

Make it longer.• Otherwise feel free to make it shorter,

0.75s can work!• Think how passivation can help you

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Do!

• Live by The Rules of KINECT

– Explain what they should do– Represent what they are doing– Make it fun to match them up– Test your implementation

• Make cutscenes skippable• Speed them to the fun bit• Keep the player in the right

place

Like Totally Do These...

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Mimicking a controller (go hybrid?)No play without ‘intent to play’Overloading menu screensAssuming shared lingoAssuming the player has played game XForcing players to have their photo takenConfusing Avatar’s hand with cursorBoring the player with unnecessary tutorial

But These, Not So Much

Casual Kinect - Agenda

• Controller Free Gaming• Design Considerations• The Rules of Kinect• Things We’ve Learned• Q&A

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Q&A

Questions?

Jean-Francois Prevostjprevost@microsoft.com

Want to learn more about Kinect?Gamefest Presentations•http://www.microsoftgamefest.com/•http://www.microsoftgamefest.com/seattle2011.htm#KINECT/NUI