Lessons from a Live-Action Star Trek Simulator for Game Developers

"The pirates are hiding in a nearby nebula," a fleet officer informs us. "We can either investigate each one, risking the convoy's safety, or send probes to gather information, alerting the pirates to our presence. Alternatively, we can proceed to the rendezvous point, hoping to avoid an ambush." We are standing on the bridge of the USC Havock, an immersive Star Trek-style experience created by Parabolic Theatre. Located under a railway arch near Vauxhall in London, Bridge Command puts visitors in charge of a starship, offering a unique, dynamic experience. The strategies presented to us emerge near the end of our mission. Unlike many video game story choices, we can change our approach at any moment. We can stop sending probes and explore the nebulas ourselves or deploy our shuttle crew to cover more ground. My friend, assigned as chief engineer, yelled during the intense battle: "If you don't get your act together, I'll hit the self-destruct button." Allowing such agency in an immersive theater experience may seem easy, given the ability of human actors to improvise and adapt. However, beneath the surface, Bridge Command is essentially a video game. The touchscreen bridge stations run on a modified version of EmptyEpsilon, a bridge simulator available on Steam, rendering the game environment on the main screen. Owen Kingston, co-creator of Bridge Command and artistic director of Parabolic Theatre, acknowledges that the show operates without many restrictions faced by game developers. He believes that pushing past these limitations is crucial to creating an experience like Bridge Command. Some immersive experience creators rely on a decision tree approach, similar to those used in role-playing games or choose-your-own-adventure novels. However, Kingston argues that this system is not designed for live environments. In a live experience with dynamic actors, it's foolish not to leverage their ability to respond and adapt to the players' actions. Kingston explains that Bridge Command missions are written around emotional beats, with staff and actors dropping in additional events to deliver these beats while adapting to the visitors' reactions. The rule is that if a player's action seems logical within the show's world, the staff will incorporate it into the story. This approach is challenging for video game developers to replicate. However, Kingston believes that video games will eventually move away from decision tree structures and provide more reactive storylines. The 'computer says no' problem, where players are limited by the game's inability to accommodate every possible action, is a significant issue in game development. Kingston suggests that being able to dynamically create options based on player logic could be a game-changer. Bridge Command achieves this with live actors, but if computer games can find a way to do it, it would be highly beneficial. Bridge Command also offers inspiration for developers working on asymmetric multiplayer games. In titles like Dead by Daylight and Secret Neighbor, one player often has a unique, antagonistic role, but the core gameplay remains similar. Bridge Command, on the other hand, features completely different functionality and interfaces for each station, fostering better teamwork and collaboration. When moving to a competitive environment, ensuring fairness becomes more complicated due to the unique powers and abilities. However, Kingston sees huge potential in bringing multiple starships into the same simulation for cooperative or competitive battles. The immersive show has one last trick: it remembers the players. Each person creates a profile, and the staff records their missions, significant events, and notable actions. This information is used to plan future missions, making the experience feel unique to each player. Kingston compares this to the nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor, where callbacks to previous experiences make the game feel more personal. By making players feel like they're part of the world, Bridge Command creates a truly immersive experience.