SCUMM: A Lusory Game Engine

For my blog post, I decided to cover a childhood favourite of mine, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, the sequel to the LucasArts cult favourite Secrets of Monkey Island. Not to say Monkey Island 2 isn’t popular as well given that it was re-released in 2010 by Disney but I will focus on the original version released in 1991. Just a warning: this post will include spoilers for the sake of analysis.

In Monkey Island 2, players play as Guybrush Threepwood, pirate extraordinaire, on the search for the mysterious treasure known as Big Whoop. Right away players are introduced to the central objectives of exploration (to explore the world of the game) and solution (solve the puzzles) in an embedded narrative as the game opens on Guybrush telling some pirates of his desire to find a map and charter a ship to find Big Whoop (Nacke, 2014a).

Following this scene players are thrust out into the world of Scabb Island with Guybrush as their avatar. There is no introduction to the mechanics in-game, as players are expected to read the game manual in advance if they want to know the controls.

Player interaction with the game is constrained by a unique user interface produced by the Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion (SCUMM) game engine. SCUMM is best known for being a pseudo programming language designed by LucasArts, but also greatly affects the in-game experience.

When the players are exploring the world, they can see several objects in the lower half of the screen or game view (see screenshot below). Notice that it features objects in the form of verbs and resources in the form of items. It looks fairly simple, however, unique outcomes are created by selecting one of the nine verb options to interact with different resources and objects in the game world. These interactions are based on the internal relationships these objects have with each other or which objects can be used in combination with each other (Nacke, 2014b). To combine objects players simply click on the objects they want to act upon in the order they wish to combine them.

For example, in this screenshot the player has chosen the “Give” verb object in combination with the “Bone” resource resulting in “Give bone to Walt” as is displayed in the game view.

Typically, when players combine objects in the SCUMM system they either acquire further resources for the player to use or alter resources already in hand changing the game state, or the conditions of the game in a moment of time (2014c). The more attributes or properties these objects have, the more behaviours or potential actions they can perform in a given game state (2014b). In Monkey Island 2, where the behaviours of the objects are only revealed to players by trying combinations of objects with each other, the SCUMM system quickly becomes complex despite being based on only nine verb objects.

Two typical behaviours, for example, are “Talk to” + a non-playable character object and “Use” + resource + another resource. Potential combinations only become more complicated from there. For example, in Chapter 1: Largo Embargo players face a puzzle where they have to open a box, place some cheese squiggles inside, prop the box open with a stick, then tie a string to the stick in order to catch a rat which is running around. This puzzle can only be solved when the correct sequence of actions or, procedure, is followed (2014c). In this case, it’s:

“Open” + “Box” > “Use” + “Cheese Squiggles” + “Box” > “Use” + “Stick” + “Box” > “Use” + “String” + “Stick” > “Move to” + location nearby > “Pull” + “String” > “Open” + “Box” > “Pick Up” + “Rat”

Players are always limited to choosing a verb object first and then another object or objects to act upon in order to interact with the game world. The rules prevent any other combination or order of actions from working, generating conflict as players aim to uncover the correct procedure by trying all the combinations of objects possible within the rules (2014c). To make the game even more challenging, objects within the game, particularly the resources, often have dynamic behaviours which change as new objects are introduced to the game during play.

For example, in the rat puzzle mentioned above players cannot combine the stick with the string in advance (“Use” + “Stick” + “String”). If they try Guybrush says, “I don’t think I can tie the string to the stick with one hand”. However, if they follow the procedure then the behaviour of the “String” changes and it can be tied to the “Stick” once it is on the ground. In this way the game writing plays two essential roles: 1) it enhances the lusory attitude (more on this later) by following what would be a boundary in real life — it’s challenging to tie a string to a stick one-handed! And 2) it gives a clue to the correct procedure, you need to get the stick out of your hands first.

Sequences govern the player experience at large, providing the opportunity for emergent narrative as Guybrush interacts with objects in the game world based on the combinations players try to create (2014a). Emergent play also results as players try out every combination of objects to see how many behaviours exist, even if they don’t seem logical since witty responses to every procedure have been accounted for in the game writing (see screenshot above).

Using the SCUMM system then means that meaningful decisions govern a majority of the game as players choose which sequence of game objects to interact with causing a change in game state. Whether or not that change forwards the narrative arc and brings Guybrush closer to Big Whoop is a matter of puzzle solving on the player’s side resulting in player’s feeling they are personally interacting with the Monkey Island realm with each decision, deepening the lusory attitude, or the player’s investment in the game (Nacke, 2014b).

However, because the game functions on meaningful decisions, I always find myself encountering decision fatigue when it comes to Monkey Island 2. Decision fatigue is the theory that the quality of decisions people make goes down as they make more choices over time (Tierney, 2011). Meaningful decisions make players care. They create emotional investment in the game, but in the SCUMM system where the complex procedures require some ingenuity, the more playtime goes on, the more tired players become and the quality of their decisions suffer resulting in players feeling stuck at a puzzle or even frustrated.

Game designers should keep in mind the SCUMM system certainly represents a unique opportunity for creating a lusory experience by generating a complex game experience through simple rules but managing the amount of objects, attributes, and behaviours governing gameplay is important for creating an enjoyable experience. Monkey Island 2 does a good job of mitigating player frustrations by including humour game writing but the amount of walkthroughs online is evidence enough that players inevitably become too tired to solve all of the puzzles on their own. When it comes to SCUMM, balance and patience will be necessary.

Works Cited

Nacke, L. (September 19, 2014a). Dramatic Elements of Games and Narrative Design. The Acagamic. Retrieved March 2, 2016, from http://www.acagamic.com/courses/infr1330-2014/dramatic-elements-of-games-and-narrative-design/.

Nacke, L. (September 12, 2014b). The formal systems of games and game design atoms. The Acagamic. Retrieved March 2, 2016, from http://www.acagamic.com/courses/infr1330-2014/the-formal-systems-of-games-and-game-design-atoms/.

Nacke, L. (September 12, 2014c). The formal systems of games and game design atoms. The Acagamic. Retrieved March 3, 2016, from http://www.acagamic.com/courses/infr1330-2014/the-formal-systems-of-games-and-game-design-atoms/.

Tierney, J. (August 17, 2011). Do You Suffer from Decision Fatigue? New York Times Magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html .