A unique use for voice recognition in games

Adding voice recognition to games has always been a volatile decision. The technology is limited, and people with accents, lisps or any sort of speech impediment are often misunderstood by the software. It's rarely a good idea to make it a mandatory part of a game, but recent efforts such as Tom Clancy's EndWar are beginning to prove that voice recognition has evolved to the point where it has become a viable form of input. We've essentially gained an entirely new way of interacting with games. Looking at the rapidly evolving technology, I've thought of an interesting way to integrate it into existing games without it being obtrusive or mandatory.

The idea first occurred to me while playing Fallout 3. I was exploring the wastes and stumbled across the ruins of an old church. As I approached the building, someone standing on the roof began to fire at me. I didn't know who he was. I didn't know what he wanted. I didn't even want to kill him. I just wanted to explore the church and be on my way. Sadly, that wasn't an option. I had to kill him, no matter how much I didn't want to. As I sniped him out from a safe distance, I thought to myself, If only there was a way to tell him I meant no harm... And then it hit me: Vocal input. Heck, I was even wearing a headset for the headphones anyways! If that were in place, I'd have been able to yell "Whoa, wait! I don't want to hurt you! I mean no harm!" at the guy, and potentially convince him to cease firing at me. If not, well, I'd have to kill him anyways. The fact that there would be the possibility of convincing him otherwise (Perhaps influenced by the in-game Charisma stat) would be an amazing addition. The thought of being able to avoid conflict and instead work out an alliance of some sort is just amazing to me. The in-game characters can do it, so why not me?

Of course, the level of sophistication required for what I described above is probably still many years away. At first we'd probably only have a few pre-determined phrases for it, and when my idea becomes that watered down, well, you may as just make a textual dialog choice instead. No, it will be many years for something like what I've outlined above to become reality. Not until the day that artificial intelligence can actually be considered, well, intelligent, will this be possible. I can dream, though, can't I?

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Mini-Article: A new genre of gaming

Every time an appropriate movie comes out, a game developer makes a video game adaption of it. In fact, sometimes the movie doesn't even have to be a good fit for a game conversion and it'll still be made (See: Alvin and the Chipmunks). But what if we were to take a different look at movie games? What if, instead of your standard platformer or FPS adaptions, we instead had...


...interactive movies? I know, you're probably thinking "This is the same as a normal movie game!". But hear me out. For this example, I'll be using the movie Cloverfield (As seen above). This movie follows the story of a group of young twenty-somethings as a horrific monster attacks their home town of New York. We follow them throughout their insane ordeal had when trying to escape from this unknown threat.

What if, in the interactive movie, we didn't follow them, but instead became them? We would take on the role of Rob, the movie's unofficial star, as he runs through the streets of Manhattan. And that's it, really. Other than that, this would be exactly like the movie, but we're the main character. Every second of gameplay would be through his eyes. We'd control him, of course, but there'd be no additional fight scenes or anything like that. Everything that happened in the movie happens here, and nothing more.

Sure, you're thinking "Well, why not just buy the DVD?". Well, really, there's no reason to buy either one over the other. It's all based on preference. People can watch the story unfold, or take part in it. It would be exactly as I said: An interactive movie.

Actually, that's not entirely true. There would be a few minor changes. For one, we could walk around and inspect things that in the movie was never even glanced at. We could talk to the other terrified people of New York, seeing if we can get any idea about what this monster is. We could even run off course a bit and scout out the area. But mostly, things would be exactly as they were in the film.

Okay, this may sound a little boring and unappealing to the masses, but hey, didn't Brain Age sound the same way at first? That's because this wouldn't exactly be aimed at us core gamers. It would be more for those who want to get a little more out of their movies without doing too much work or learning too many things. It would also be for those who want to feel the thrill of running from some unknown being, something I'd love to experience (Not for real, of course!).

I guess it's somewhat difficult to express my ideas in words. Just imagine any old movie, but instead of watching it, you're in it. But it's different from a traditional game adaption. But it's sort of the same! AUGH! This is so hard to explain... I hope you get the basic idea.

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The Duck Has Spoken.

Game idea: A game from the law's perspective

There have been a whole lot of games focusing on super heroes, and just about as many based on being on the wrong side of the law. But where are the games about being the man behind the badge? Why aren't there more titles starring the boys in blue? Where are all the cop games?

I'm thinking the game would have a very open-ended format. Players could merely roam around the city, in cruisers, on foot, riding motorbikes, or whatever. "Missions" would be received on the police radio, with a marker appearing on the map. Players then race to the objective and perform the necessary duty. What could the missions be? Here are some ideas:

Robberies: Cops get called to robberies all the time, and the thefts featured in the game could range from a stolen magazine to a bank heist. The required tasks once at the scene would vary from crime to crime. The player could arrive to find the suspect already under control thanks to a store clerk, or perhaps the situation would elevate to a chase on foot (Or even a vehicular pursuit). If things get real nasty, a stand-off could take place, with several units pointing their guns at the crook. Players would have a choice of holding their ground, ordering fellow officers to charge, or disabling the perpetrator with non-lethal weaponry.

Police Chases: Possibly the most action-packed part of any cop show or movie is the inevitable chase scene. What would a cop game be without one? When called to a chase-in-progress, the player would have to make a few key decisions in order to intercept the chase. Quick thinking and driving skills would be key here! Once caught up with the chase, the player can use one of many maneuvers to get an edge on the fleeing vehicle. Working together with other units in the chase, the player could orchestrate a rolling road block, closing in on the crook from all sides. Or perhaps spinning out the criminal is more your style? A carefully executed PIT maneuver is just what the doctor ordered in this case. Of course, there's always the option of chasing until the guy gives up or damages his car beyond operation, but that's no fun!

Domestic Disturbances: This is probably the kind of thing players will most often be called to. Sometimes it will be as simple as just reaching the target in time, but in other cases it may be much more. Perhaps the fight has turned ugly, resulting in an arrest and calling for backup. Or maybe the culprit takes his victim hostage, leading to a stand-off. As with the human nature it's based on, this type of mission can take many unexpected turns.

Of course that's just for starters. There's still drug busts, field sobriety tests, hostage situations (As suggested in "Domestic Disturbances") and anything else that makes up the world of policing.

Like with real cops, excessive force would not always be allowed. Unless approved by a superior officer (Or if the situation turns violent), players would be heavily penalized for attacking, shooting at or otherwise injuring their target. So no running down a crook with your car to put an end to a foot chase. No shooting out a lawbreaker's knee for stealing a woman's purse. Applying the right force to the right situation would be key, and becoming too violent could result in mission termination (AKA: Failure) and suspension (Or even expulsion) from the force. This black mark would haunt your character for the rest of his career, permanently tarnishing his or her reputation. And if your rep is no good, you're never going to make that promotion to chief!

The basis of a police game would lend itself greatly to the tutorial sections. In the game, your character could be a rookie on the force, and whenever a new type of mission or situation arises, the character could recall a training course at police academy, with the flashback serving as the tutorial.

And with further steps up the career ladder, the player would gain access to new "abilities", such as working with a police dog or gaining the use of advanced weaponry (Non-lethal bullets, tasers, etc).

Players should also take special care to maintain their equipment. You wouldn't want to go into a police chase and run out of gas, would you? And it would be imperative to always keep a full clip of ammo in your pistol.

The possibilities for a police video game are insane, and I'm simply stunned to have not seen anything like this so far. Who hasn't wanted to be a police officer, even once?

Feel free to discuss the possibilities in the comment section or in this thread.

The Duck Has Spoken.