Adaptive User Interface til World of Warcraft
Forfatter
Pedersen, Thomas Albeck
Semester
4. semester
Uddannelse
Udgivelsesår
2015
Afleveret
2015-06-01
Antal sider
47
Resumé
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan et adaptivt brugerinterface kan understøtte spilleroplevelsen i World of Warcraft, et komplekst MMORPG hvor den stigende systemkompleksitet ofte fører til omfattende brugergrænseflader. Spillet giver mulighed for manuel tilpasning og brug af tredjeparts-addons, men mange spillere mangler viden til at konfigurere et effektivt interface, og forskellige spillertyper har forskellige behov. Afhandlingen adresserer problemformuleringen: hvordan en adaptiv tilgang baseret på spillertyper og spildesign kan støtte interfacet i World of Warcraft. Gennem en teoretisk gennemgang og syntese behandles, hvilke UI-aspekter der kan forbedres (immersion, flow og reduktion af cognitive loads), samt hvilke inputkilder et adaptivt system kan udnytte (spillertyper, motivationsfaktorer, player modeling i flere varianter). Derudover sammenfattes erfaringer med adaptivitet i spildesign (adaptive difficulty, storytelling, NPC’er) og eksisterende UI-modifikation i MMORPGs, herunder fordele og ulemper ved adaptive interfaces. På baggrund heraf skitseres overvejelser for et muligt adaptivt UI til WoW, inklusiv kontekstuelle input som spillerens type, motivation og placering/omstændigheder samt et forslag om et addonsorteringssystem. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at WoW-spillere har forskellige ønsker og behov, og at et adaptivt interface kan støtte individuelle spillestile ved at reducere irrelevant information og fremhæve det, der er mest relevant for den enkelte; perspektiver for overførsel til andre MMORPGs diskuteres.
This thesis investigates how an adaptive user interface can support the player experience in World of Warcraft, a complex MMORPG where increasing system complexity often leads to dense user interfaces. While the game allows manual customization and third‑party addons, many players lack the expertise to configure an effective interface, and different player types have different needs. The central question is how an adaptive approach grounded in player types and game design can support the World of Warcraft interface. Using a theoretical review and synthesis, the thesis examines which UI aspects can be improved (immersion, flow, and reducing cognitive loads) and what inputs an adaptive system could leverage (player types, motivational factors, and several forms of player modeling). It also summarizes prior uses of adaptivity in game design (adaptive difficulty, storytelling, and NPCs) and existing UI modification practices in MMORPGs, including pros and cons of adaptive interfaces. Building on this, it outlines considerations for a potential adaptive UI for WoW, including contextual inputs such as player type, motivation, and location/circumstances, as well as a proposed addon sorting system. The thesis concludes that WoW players have diverse wants and needs, and that an adaptive interface can support individual playstyles by filtering out irrelevant information and emphasizing what is most pertinent to each player; it also discusses how such ideas could extend to other MMORPGs.
[Dette resumé er genereret med hjælp fra AI direkte fra projektet fuldtekst]