Argax Project:: Dissertation: A Rough Draft Node

From the 24 participants that completed all components of the study, the following are the 48 raw responses to three of the open-ended questions of the response survey. Each response is tagged with common themes found across more than one response. See Chapter VIII for a summary of these responses and the resulting conclusions.

Part.	Play	Group	Reinc	Most memorable or noteworthy event	Tags
1	1	1	0	Interesting plot - mystery, danger, murder	mood
1	2	1	1	exciting story line - danger, suspense, scary	mood
2	1	0	1	the major being killed	event
2	2	0	0	the beast hammering on my door, as i did not know if it would pound through the door or not	event, revenant(unseen)
8	1	0	1	The ending was very memorable, as my character died by being attacked by a revenant.	event, revenant(killed by)
8	2	0	0	nothing, at least i didn't die this time	none, frustration, difference
20	1	0	1	Using the restroom. I typed pee, and it recognized it as a command.	event, action, interface
20	2	0	0	Killing the revenant. Description, detail, and mood settings made the action feel as if I were playing an original Resident Evil game.	event, action, revenant(killing it), mood(description)
21	1	1	0	near the end of the game when your player was struck with fear while listening to the noises at night. I could vividly imaging this scene, and it was scary!	event, revenant (unseen), mood
21	2	1	1	this time around I got worked! it was memorable getting killed.	event, revenant(killed by), difference
44	1	0	1	kissing miss miriam. It was the one off the cuff thing I tried that worked; not that it had any larger narrative effect	event, action
44	2	0	0	my failure to achieve anything. I got the knife and knew that roman had a hammer, but I couldn't get into the crates or the command module, and I didn't seem to have any way to get Roman to agree to a plan to do that. I had this idea that I might have been able to kill the revenant with the knife, open the hammer with the crates, get other interesting stuff, and possibly help us descend at the end by curring the gas bags, but nothing really happenend again.	event, action, frustration, no consequence, npcs(flat)
49	1	1	0	The sudden appearance of the revenant was the most memorable moment. Even though I expected something to happen, the fact that the revenant did not appear until after going through the entire vessel a few times caught me off guard.	event, revenant(meeting)
49	2	1	1	Finally killing the revenant, after it managed to escape on every previous encounter with it.	event, action, revenant(killing it)
50	1	0	1	plummeting to my death	event, action
50	2	0	0	Sense of danger at animal/bad guy lurking	mood
52	1	0	1	The most memorable event was the Revenant (spelling?) showing up suddenly after looking at all of the dead characters. It was unexpected, to say the least. I thought I was looking for a murderer on board.	event, revenant(meeting), mood(scenery)
52	2	0	0	Because I chose to wait, I wasn't the leader. This time it was the others who were leading me.	event, npcs(auto)
57	1	1	0	The revenant appearing and it's subsequent death. It was memorable because of all of the action associated with it, and because it seemed particularly significant to the story.	event, revenant(meeting, killing it)
57	2	1	1	Getting attacked by the revenant.	event, revenant(attacked by)
58	1	0	1	The description of the revenant. The descriptions of everything are very well done.	mood(descriptions)
58	2	0	0	descriptions	mood(descriptions)
59	1	1	0	the scream my character heard. but there was no option to investigate it.	event, revenant(unseen), frustration
59	2	1	1	the faint knocking. because I had the option to do something or not	event, option
61	1	1	0	seeing the undead -- that would be shocking	event, revenant(meeting)
61	2	1	1	dying from revenant	event, revenant(killed by)
63	1	1	0	Talking to miss miriam during the tutorial. It was memorable because the choices available when talking to her were more diverse and interesting than at any other part in the story.	event, action, tutorial, options, npcs(flat)
63	2	1	1	hitting the revenant with the hammer a second time. It was memorable because it made no difference whether I hit it a second time with a hammer or without. I still died.	event, action, frustration, difference (none)
64	1	0	1	I attacked the Revenant and apparently I died. I liked the description of my death.	event, action, revenant(killed by), mood(description)
64	2	0	0	Defeating the Revenant. I died the last game, so it was good to survive this time.	event, action, revenant(killing it), difference
72	1	0	1	going into the dining room and having no exit before I found the wc. On the full version: the Captain's message of danger with no explanation.	event, tutorial, mood
72	2	0	0	the sky seemed to clear out, there was no scary blackness out that window	event, mood(scenery)
74	1	0	1	Lingering in a room while following Major Winters and having them call back towards me to follow them. I've never seen that in a text-based game before.	event, npcs (auto)
74	2	0	0	Didn't grab the knife right away, so it felt uneasy.	event, action, mood
76	1	0	1	One of the characters used the stout hammer to kill the zombie creature. I think it was the written dialogue that made it memorable.	event, npcs (auto), mood(descriptions)
76	2	0	0	Nothing, really.	none
80	1	0	1	Being followed from the meeting room, with some passengers joining and some disagreeing, which makes me want to see if that is scripted or interactive	event, npcs (auto)
80	2	0	0	Having NPCs take charge and leave while I was dithering with other stuff.	event, npcs (auto)
84	1	0	1	The appearance of the revenant in front of your character because it put your character in jeopardy.	event, revenant(meeting)
84	2	0	0	discovering the bodies of the zeppelin crew.	event, mood(scenery)
95	1	1	0	If you went back to your room after the night the captain dies, the description of something pounding on the door down the hallway got me excited.	event, revenant(unseen), mood(description)
95	2	1	1	When the revenant first appeared and me stabbing it with the large knife	event, action, revenant(meeting, attacking it)
96	1	0	1	The one on one character interaction in the tutorial was memorable because unlike addressing all the people at once, it felt like I interacting with the characters more.	event, action, tutorial, npcs
96	2	0	0	Exploring outside the passenger gondola, because I was hoping out find out what the creature was.	event, action
97	1	1	0	attacking someone	event, action, npcs
97	2	1	1	breaking the chair, because a person in the story did it	event, action, npcs (auto)
100	1	0	1	When I ventured up with Major Winters and Roman into the upper deck and they left me in a room alone. I was trying to put the food in cupboards into the sacks so that I could carry them down, but I couldn't figure out the commands before they had left. When I was reminded of the creatures running in the shadows I quickly fled to find them.	event, action, mood, revenant, interface, frustration
100	2	0	0	When Major Winters and Mrs Winters were separated by a closed hatch and we had heard a scream from the other side, Mrs Winters demanded the hatch opened. When I followed afterwards, however, there was no consequence that I could tell came directly from the previous event. However, it was memorable to see the characters interaction to a fluid event.	event, npcs (auto), no consequence

Part.	Play	Group	Reinc	Least enjoyable aspect of the game	Tags
1	1	1	0	Limited ability to do much beyond talking to others and the speech/topics were limited - little control over events	options, story control
1	2	1	1	Not being to do what I wanted	options
2	1	0	1	it was a little frustrating trying to find commands that worked with the environment	input
2	2	0	0	limited options	options
8	1	0	1	I didn't really enjoy the whole game, but I think that the lack of background information about what this thing was going to be about and the short tutorial was very made this game even more unenjoyable
8	2	0	0		none
20	1	0	1	Having to visualize character and world orientation and reading.	orientation, reading
20	2	0	0	Reading.	reading
21	1	1	0	So far in the game I just followed around the other characters, by hitting enter and seeing where they went (as we explored), I felt as though I wasn't forced to lead or figure out anything for myself with the exception of going to the bathroom.	objective
21	2	1	1	I was not clear on the commands to use my items	input
44	1	0	1	the fact that there were not many objects around to interact with and I was kind of assuming I had to find the right kinds of objects to suceed. I was unclear about my objective. Just stay alive? Romance some other characters? Show myself to be more competent than some other characters? Get to the bottom of relationships between those characters?	options (objects), objective
44	2	0	0	frustration being unable to suggest courses of action to other characters, and general sense that I was missing something important	options (npc), story control, objective
49	1	1	0	Having to deal with the other characters with no observable benefits was the least enjoyable part of the game. I think (although I am not certain) that talking to the other passengers "unlocks" certain other events later on such as the revenant attack(s), going to sleep, and such, but there is no immediate evidence to suggest that this is the case.	consequences (npc)
49	2	1	1	Although character interaction is much improved from the first version, it still seems a bit awkward, particularly in conversations.	input
50	1	0	1	Not being able to understand what was going on as far as the mechanics of interaction	input
50	2	0	0	Actions felt constrained, couldn't go after the mysterious noises	options
52	1	0	1	Not understanding the commands at first made it hard to progress through the story. Additionally, I didn't know how I could make the story progress. I think I eventually figured out that if I used "wait" then things would happen more quickly.	input, story control
52	2	0	0	The fact that the monster wasn't killed this time.	resolution
57	1	1	0		none
57	2	1	1	Getting killed so quickly	resolution
58	1	0	1	Couldn't do all the actions I wanted to.	input, options
58	2	0	0		none
59	1	1	0	though I agreed to explore the zeppelin, it seem to have no effect on the rest of the story. also, the most memorable event of the story (the scream) had no opportunity for a response, whereas there were moments when there seemed to be no reason I that had to make a decision.	consequences
59	2	1	1	it is not clear on what I'm capable of accomplishing within the game. there a prompts for me to do something without any indication of what I can choose to do. it is very frustrating!	options
61	1	1	0	hard to manuever and say what I wanted in talk mode	input, orientation, options (npc)
61	2	1	1	can't control character	input, options
63	1	1	0	The narrative was confusing and disorienting. The story was boring.	orientation (narrative)
63	2	1	1	The fact that the revenant kills the main character whether or not he/she fights which makes me feel that being able to control the actions of the main character is futile since the outcome is inevitably the same.	resolution, story control(agency)
64	1	0	1	Minor: Typing. I kept misspelling "examine".	input
64	2	0	0	Reading, but that's because I'm spoiled by graphics and voice acting in games these days.	reading
72	1	0	1	trying to remember the commands to the areas. E and W seemed to be the general choice but I don't understand the connection. My room was S, don't know why. Also, the same commands kept popping up for different areas. E command was to go to more than one area during the game.	input
72	2	0	0	having to scroll up to see what command went to where. I really didn't know what my quest was in this game... to die?	input, objective
74	1	0	1	Having to read, at time, a lot of text.	reading
74	2	0	0	The creepiness of navigating a zeppelin full of corpses. The game ended before I could carry out my murderous plans.
76	1	0	1	I kept forgetting where I had been or I kept getting turned around because I couldn't see a layout of the environment.	orientation
76	2	0	0		none
80	1	0	1	Setting
80	2	0	0	Incomplete	resolution
84	1	0	1	No resolution of the revenant.	resolution
84	2	0	0	lack of drama
95	1	1	0	Wish it was longer :D	none?
95	2	1	1	I do wish the revenant was harder to kill
96	1	0	1	The concept of time- how fast it goes, how long WAITing takes, how I would choose WAIT and the next thing that happened was dawn and End of Session.	orientation (time)
96	2	0	0	Not really getting anywhere even though I kept retracing steps and LOOKing at everything.	resolution, story control
97	1	1	0	not remembering where i was in context of everything else	orientation
97	2	1	1	hard to know/remember where everyone was	orientation
100	1	0	1	Struggling to complete actions that I thought were applicable commands to the situation but lacked the finesse to communicate them to the game quickly, without error.	input
100	2	0	0	Events happened very quickly and unfortunately the murders seem to have little to no consequence to the player character. Even when left alone nothing threatens me but instead makes me feel a lot of tension. The game ended very abruptly while I was still above deck and had no awareness that the night had passed. It was much shorter as well. It was almost as if the Non-Player Characters were exacting the story elements with greater effect in the 2nd game while I was elsewhere.	resolution, orientation (time)

Part.	Play	Group	Reinc	Most enjoyable aspect of the game	Tags
1	1	1	0	Interesting storyline	story
1	2	1	1	The storyline	story
2	1	0	1	mastering the commands for moving around	agency (mastery)
2	2	0	0	controlling the story	agency (story control)
8	1	0	1	nothing	none
8	2	0	0		none
20	1	0	1	Interesting story and dialogue.	story, npcs
20	2	0	0	Story. Likened the investigation and exploration to an early 90s horror game.	story, exploration
21	1	1	0		none
21	2	1	1	very fun this time around, unlike last round i led the exploration group and got myself into trouble. Because i failed i really want to play again.	variation
44	1	0	1	Nice setting	setting
44	2	0	0	general setting and context was good. I like the 1920's and zeppelins. Descriptions were nice. got some sense of getting further second time around, but still this general frustration with being unable to actually make significant progress in the game, or see the characters interacting in significant ways	setting, variation
49	1	1	0	Simply searching around the airship for clues was enjoyable for me; I think that part of this was nostalgia, while knowing that there was a problem that I could solve (assuming that I survived) was another component.	exploration, objective
49	2	1	1	Problem solving remains the most enjoyable part of the game, especially knowing that the revenant can in fact be killed.	objective
50	1	0	1	figuring out how to jump off the balcony, and do other things I feel the designer(s) didn't want me to do	agency (world)
50	2	0	0	Sense of mood, some of the descriptions	descriptions, mood
52	1	0	1	Making things happen was the most enjoyable aspect of the game.	agency
52	2	0	0	Not being the leader this time around. Also, I got one additional investigator this time around.	variation
57	1	1	0		none
57	2	1	1	Interacting with the other characters and getting to explore the setting.	exploration, npc (interacting with)
58	1	0	1	Descriptions	descriptions
58	2	0	0		none
59	1	1	0	the alternate timeline and using zeppelins as passenger vehicles	setting
59	2	1	1	riding on a zeppelin.	setting
61	1	1	0	choosing a story line to follow	agency (story)
61	2	1	1	interesting locations described	descriptions, setting
63	1	1	0	Talking to Miss Miriam about the Vampire book.	npc (interacting with)
63	2	1	1	Being able to type "hit revenant with hammer" and the character doing exactly that, he hit the revenant with the stout hammer.	agency (world)
64	1	0	1	Why I like any other RPG, I can influence the outcome of the story	agency (story)
64	2	0	0	The degree of freedom	options
72	1	0	1	The chaotic event in the middle of the game wondering why there had been a masacre.	story, mood
72	2	0	0	reading. Everyone should read.	reading
74	1	0	1	Trying commands and seeing what happens.	agency (world)
74	2	0	0	Knowing I was about to stab the other passengers eventually.	objective (personal)
76	1	0	1	The commands were nicely done. It was great that you could type in different versions of that command and the game would recognize it, like l for look.	agency (input)
76	2	0	0		none
80	1	0	1	Intrigue	mood
80	2	0	0	Mystery	mood
84	1	0	1	Discovering what happened to the crew (the cause of their deaths).	objective
84	2	0	0	exploration	exploration
95	1	1	0	Very descriptive, very believable (character wise), love the setting	setting, npc, descriptions
95	2	1	1	Definitely the atmosphere of the game, creepy, something is hunting you down, no place to really run too	mood
96	1	0	1	Finding things that I could actually interact with like the food or knife.	agency (world)
96	2	0	0	Hoping that searching everything would turn up something.	exploration, objective
97	1	1	0	unlimited options in what i can do	options
97	2	1	1		none
100	1	0	1	Watching the story unfold even if I didn't do anything. The continual presence of events occurring around me (such as scratching at a door or other characters leaving me in a room alone) built a lot of tension.	story autonomy
100	2	0	0	Seeing a slightly different version the second time around was the most enjoyable part of the play through. My memorable moment when Mrs Winters was worried about her husband brought unexpected realism to her character. I think this was in large part because her concern was voiced suddenly as if coming from her own motivation and not in a cookie cutter response to my actions. The forcing of events and responses from NPCs in the world definitely create a livelier environment.	variation, story autonomy(npc)

Argax Project

Appendix 6: Open-ended Responses