Closed Captioning in Games

1
Closed Captioning in Games

• Reid Kimball
• GamesCC

• reid_at_rbkdesign.com
• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com

2
Personal Introduction

• Currently a Designer at LucasArts
• Playing videogames since 1990
• Hearing impaired due to Spinal Meningitis at
  16months old
• Began wearing hearing aids at age of 3
• Because of my unique position I have become an
  expert in closed captioning for games
• Started GamesCC group to research and develop
  CC for games

3
Today's Topics

• What is Closed Captioning?
• History of Closed Captioning in Games
• Examples of CC in games
• Doom3 and Doom3CC comparison
• How Dynamic Closed Captioning system works
• Future of Closed Captioning in games

4
What is Closed Captioning?

• Closed Captions were transmitted by (PBS), (NBC)
  and (ABC) in 1980 for emergency broadcasts
• Line 21 of the TV signal
• Contains text data
• Open vs. Closed Captioning
• Open The text data is baked into the video
  signal and cannot be turned off
• Closed The user has the option of turning on or
  off the captions
• Covers both dialog and sound effects

5
TV Closed Captioning

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/tv_c
  c.avi
• Size 1.38 MB
• Time 9 seconds

6
Early Days of Gaming

• Text based
• Limited graphics
• No or limited sound
• After the CD-Rom, use of text was reduced
• CD-Rom introduced in early 1990's
• More graphics, no need to textually describe when
  players can see what is happening
• More sounds, no need for text of dialog if it is
  audio
• King's Quest V Released in 1990 (CD-ROM)
• Myst Released in Sept. 24, 1993

7
Zork Grand Inquisitor

• Released October, 1997
• First game to feature Closed Captioning

8
Half-Life 2

• Released November 16, 2004
• Second game to feature closed captioning (7yrs
  after Zork Grand Inquisitor!)

9
Doom3CC

• Released December 12th, 2004
• Third game (via modification) to feature closed
  captioning

10
Examples of CC in games(or lack thereof)

• Burnout3
• Unreal 2
• POP SoT
• Star Trek Elite Force 2
• Grand Theft Auto Vice City

• SiN
• Psychonauts
• Star Wars Episode 3
• Half-Life Half-Life 2
• Doom3 Doom3CC

11
Burnout 3 No CC Options

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/burn
  out3_nocc_setup.avi
• Size 2.10 MB
• Time 19 seconds

12
Burnout 3 No CC in game

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/burn
  out3_nocc_game.avi
• Size 5.76 MB
• Time 29 seconds

13
Unreal 2 CC Options

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/U2_c
  c_options.avi
• Size 2.49 MB
• Time 11 seconds

14
Unreal 2 CC in cinematic(640x480)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/U2_c
  c_cinematic_640x480.avi
• Size 4.92 MB
• Time 19 seconds

15
Unreal 2 CC in cinematic(800x600)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/U2_c
  c_cinematic_800x600.avi
• Size 4.61 MB
• Time 18 seconds

16
Prince of Persia Sands of Time No CC Options

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/ppso
  t_nocc_options.avi
• Size 4.03 MB
• Time 38 seconds

17
Prince of Persia Sands of Time No CC in game

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/ppso
  t_nocc_game.avi
• Size 2.48 MB
• Time 22 seconds

18
Star Trek Elite Force 2

• Not clear where captioning options are (Audio or
  game?)
• Not clear what the options mean (off, normal,
  always?)
• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/EF2_
  cc_options.avi
• Size 5.34 MB
• Time 20 seconds

19
Star Trek Elite Force 2 (CC in cinematic as
normal)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/EF2_
  cc_normal_cinematic.avi
• Size 3.52 MB
• Time 13 seconds

20
Star Trek Elite Force 2 (CC in cinematic as
always)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/EF2_
  cc_always_cinematic.avi
• Size 4.31 MB
• Time 16 seconds

21
Grand Theft Auto Vice City(CC options)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/gtav
  c_cc_options.avi
• Size 1.70 MB
• Time 16 seconds

22
Grand Theft Auto Vice City(CC in cinematic)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/gtav
  c_cc_cinematic.avi
• Size 1.23 MB
• Time 11 seconds

23
SiN(CC options)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sin_
  cc_options.avi
• Size 6.20 MB
• Time 25 seconds

24
SiN(CC in cinematic)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sin_
  cc_cinematic.avi
• Size 3.46 MB
• Time 15 seconds

25
Psychonauts(No CC in opening cinematic)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/psyc
  honauts_nocc_cinematic.avi
• Size 2.38 MB
• Time 22 seconds

26
Psychonauts(CC options)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/psyc
  honauts_cc_setup.avi
• Size 2.77 MB
• Time 26 seconds

27
Psychonauts(CC in game)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/psyc
  honauts_cc_game.avi
• Size 2.57 MB
• Time 24 seconds

28
Star Wars Episode III(CC options)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sw_e
  p3_cc_options.avi
• Size 1.57 MB
• Time 13 seconds

29
Star Wars Episode III(CC in cinematic)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sw_e
  p3_cc_cinematic.avi
• Size 1.25 MB
• Time 10 seconds

30
Star Wars Episode III(CC in game)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/sw_e
  p3_cc_game.avi
• Size 1.69 MB
• Time 12 seconds

31
Half-Life(No CC in game)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/HL_n
  occ_game.avi
• Size 2.29 MB
• Time 8 seconds

32
Half-Life 2(CC options)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/HL2_
  cc_options.avi
• Size 2.27 MB
• Time 10 seconds

33
Half-Life 2(CC in game)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/HL2_
  cc_game.avi
• Size 6.91 MB
• Time 26 seconds

34
Doom3(No CC options)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3_n
  occ_options.avi
• Size 8.34 MB
• Time 31 seconds

35
Doom3(No CC in cinematic)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3_n
  occ_cinematic.avi
• Size 3.70 MB
• Time 14 seconds

36
Doom3CC(CC options)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3CC
  _options.avi
• Size 4.13 MB
• Time 17 seconds

37
Doom3CC(CC in cinematic)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3CC
  _cinematics.avi
• Size 3.72 MB
• Time 15 seconds

38
Doom3CC(CC in game)

• http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com/gdc2006/tutorial/D3CC
  _game_v2.0.avi
• Size 6.7 MB
• Time 26 seconds

39
Dynamic Closed Captioning System

• Many components help it tick
• File System
• Sound Interpreter
• Priority System
• Print to Screen
• Visual Radar
• CCEdit

40
DCC File System

• Level loads -gt find the .DCC file with the same
  name

41
Sound Interpreter

• When a sound is played we find it in our list of
  captions

42
Priority of Sounds and Captions

• Dialog always gets priority, and so does a
  caption that's already scrolling. 
• If the new sound has higher priority, it gets put
  in that slot. 
• Otherwise we do a complex calculation involving
  priority AND distance from player.

43
Printing to Screen

• We send all the relevant data to the GUI and it
  gets rendered to the screen.
• Font type, text size, scrolling or not, which
  caption bar to use

44
Visual Radar

• Designed to give vague info on distance and
  direction of a sound so not to give players and
  advantage
• Hopefully also emulates natural hearing

45
CCEdit

• Developed to help speed up the CC process
• Reduce errors in creating the .dcc files
• Missing/misplace brackets, missing priority
  assignments, etc

46
CCEdit Mockup
47
Future of CC in games?

• More games featuring CC I hope!
• Additional customizations for users (font, size,
  opacity, placement, visual radar)
• Built into console hardware as a system setting
• All games will use the consoles' system settings
• Play the game and CC is already on, won't spoil
  the auto-play cinematics

48
What's Next for GamesCC?

• GamesCC continues its effort to CC games and
  educate developers about the benefits of CC
• Current projects
• Doom3 Resurrection of Evil
• Quake4
• CCEdit
• Open source software
• Doom3CC nominated Best Doom3 Mod of the Year
  for IGDA Choice Awards 2006

49
Thank You

• Thank you for your interest in CC for games
• Please contact me for any questions, ideas,
  comments, etc regarding CC for games or GamesCC
  group
• E-Mail reid_at_rbkdesign.com
• GamesCC website http//gamescc.rbkdesign.com