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Play-Persona: Modeling Player Behaviour in Computer Games

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2.4 The EIDOS Metrics Suite<br />

The data for the case studies presented here are derived from the game Tomb Raider: Underworld<br />

(Crystal Dynamics, 2008). The data have been logged via the EIDOS Metrics Suite (Figure 2), an<br />

<strong>in</strong>strumentation system is designed to be able to <strong>in</strong>teract with the exist<strong>in</strong>g user-oriented research<br />

and test<strong>in</strong>g at the EIDOS studios and development houses; dur<strong>in</strong>g production as well as <strong>in</strong> the live<br />

period, <strong>in</strong> addition to provid<strong>in</strong>g gameplay metrics data. It is constructed so as to facilitate the<br />

collection of data from any EIDOS-produced game, and to deliver these data directly to a variety of<br />

analysis software, e.g. the native GIS. The user research conducted at with<strong>in</strong> EIDOS, e.g. at IO<br />

Interactive usually <strong>in</strong>volves an array of methods, record<strong>in</strong>gs and analyses [e.g. 16,25,33]. These<br />

varied data <strong>in</strong>put are generally utilized together (e.g. attitud<strong>in</strong>al data, screen capture and gameplay<br />

metrics), as the various user research test<strong>in</strong>g methods come with <strong>in</strong>herent strengths and<br />

weaknesses, requir<strong>in</strong>g method triangulation to produce viable results.<br />

The EIDOS metrics suite has several features <strong>in</strong> common with <strong>in</strong>strumentation techniques used <strong>in</strong><br />

the general HCI-field, e.g. that users <strong>in</strong>teract with a system that automatically record application<br />

events of <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> message streams, which are send to a central server for analysis. The metrics<br />

suite was developed by and is ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed by the EIDOS Onl<strong>in</strong>e Development Team, located at IO<br />

Interactive <strong>in</strong> Denmark. The team is responsible for ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the metrics suite and assist EIDOS<br />

developers <strong>in</strong> enabl<strong>in</strong>g and track<strong>in</strong>g metrics.<br />

Figure 2: General framework for the gameplay metrics capture and analysis process at IO Interactive. Data are captured<br />

from testers (players) to a central EIDOS SQL server, from where they are drawn <strong>in</strong>to different software analysis<br />

packages such as SPSS or ArcGIS for clean<strong>in</strong>g, evaluation and analysis. The data are then exported to visualization<br />

software), and a report developed for the target user (e.g. designer, QA).<br />

195

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