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FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN WHAT IS GAME DESIGN?
Sayed AhmedBSc. Eng. in CSc. & Eng. (BUET)MSc. in CSc. (U of Manitoba)http://sayed.justEtc.nethttp://www.justETC.net
Just E.T.C for Business, Education, and Technology Solutionswww.JustEtc.net
Just E.T.C [email protected]
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COURSE TARGET You Will
Be Introduced to Unreal Learn major elements of Game Design Learn major elements of game play Learn fundamental game design techniques Develop a game design Critically evaluate games from different genres Develop an understanding of the basic elements of
game play Balancing Risk versus reward Engagement
Document a game design using a game design document
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TODAY’S CLASS Discuss What is a game Introduction to Unreal (Game Development Engine) Discuss the Elements of Game Play
Character Development Storytelling and Narrative User Interfaces Game Play Core Mechanics Game Balancing Level Design
Introduction to the Game Design Document Analyze a serious game in light of Game Design
Document Brainstorm Game Design Ideas 3
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DEFINE GAME DESIGN It’s a process that involves
Imagining a game Define how it will work (the story, the interaction,
the rules) Define the elements of the game
Conceptual Functional Artistic Others….
Communicate the idea to the design team What does a game designer do?
Perform all the above tasks4
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DESIGN ARTS OR SCIENCE Neither purely arts nor purely science The imagining of ideas and concepts, and
making the game aesthetic belong to Arts However, to be a great game, the game also
needs to function well. Though it’s not purely science but to implement the functionality, concepts from science and math are highly used
Games are crafts with highest possible level of elegance
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ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGN Game design is
creative and imaginative where inherent talent also plays a very important role
And hence, Game design cannot be represented as strict step by step procedure or rules or processes
However, game design is not a random process either (knowingly or unknowingly). We may be able to identify some similarities
(common/basic components/concepts/principles) in the successful games (may be genre dependent)
And device some common principles that hopefully will lead to good game design
Can work as guidelines for the novices (or checklist for the more experienced) 6
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KEY ELEMENTS OF GAMES As there is no perfect rule One way of seeing game design is
Identifying common elements in a genre of games And Create games in that genre with similar elements
but different story, or graphics goals Or find out the genre of your game concept, identify
the common elements of that genre, compare, think, innovate. Make the game more interesting
Your ideas, stories can be great but it also needs to have some of those common and useful elements
Publishers usually do not go for the very innovative ideas but want the idea similar to a recent hit with some more twists
The successful games are successful – there is a reason behind this
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KEY ELEMENTS OF GAME Common elements
Rules of the game (your concept should have rules) The player’s role The challenges …. Two games can have many common elements but
different settings, rules, strategies, and balancing Many games have the same/similar play mechanics
but with different graphics Identifying common elements
does not to encourage you to imitate/create cookie-cutter games
but to ensure that all essential elements are covered8
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GROUND RULES FOR GAME DESIGN Game design can be broken in three specific
area Core mechanics Storytelling Interactivity
Core mechanics Storytelling
All game has a story The game itself can be a story like princess of Persia The player can create the story (the way he plays and
reaches the goal) Talk about Narrative and non – narrative No story, the player creates the story Linear narrative, non linear narrative
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INTERACTIVITY Define how the interactivity will work
Graphics Sounds User Interface
Poor interactivity can ruin a game Wire wind for example
Use right click, icon based menus, select options to proceed
Interactivity includes the user interface as well Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mario 64 for Wii
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IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN DOCUMENT All game companies now want a design
document to be written The design document may not include all
ideas but can write down the decisions Many ideas come from lunch meetings If a feature is not written down
Someone has to create it on the fly Different team member may work to different goals
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TYPES OF DESIGN DOCUMENTS High Concept (2-4) pages Game treatment (10-20 pages) Game script (50-200 pages)
High Concept (2-4) pages Got a great game idea? Write a high concept
document. Will be used to express the idea to the publishers to fund the game
Covers Premise of the game Intended audience Genre 12
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GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT Game Treatment
Analysis of the Competition How your game is different A document to sale your game Some business and development details
Game Script Bible of the game Game design decisions Creative, conceptual, and functional Does not include how the game will be implemented in
software The design document may help you to play the games in
paper – brainstorm, get feedbacks A cheaper way to evaluate the game
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DESIGN DOCUMENT Design Document
The design document defines the game concept as well as functional and technical specifics of the game. A design document consists of 3 parts: Game Concept Document Game Design Document Technical Design Document
Game Design Document: Game Foundations (Game Features, The Essence of the Game play,
Characters, Game play Elements, AI) User Interface (Navigational Chart, Functional Requirements, Objects of the
User Interface) Graphics and Video (Graphics and Animations, Animated Insertions) Sounds and Music (General Description, Sound Effects, Music) Plot Level Description (The graph of the Positional Relationship of the Levels,
Queue of the New Objects Implementation, General Level Design Description)
Reference: http://digitalworlds.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/the-process-of-game-creation-the-game-design-document/ (Program Ace)
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ELEMENTS OF GAME PLAY Character Development, Storytelling and
Narrative, User Interfaces, Game play, Core Mechanics,
Game Balancing, Level Design Introduction to the Game Design Document Activity: Analyze a serious game in light of a
game design document – “Project Moonwalk” Group discussion of Moonwalk Activity: Brainstorm Game design ideas,
begin documentation15
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ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGNER Requires both
Talent Skill
Skill Set Imagination
Still if you do not have a talent for it, you can grow and improve (through exercise of imaginations)
Forms of Imagination Visual and auditory Dramatic
Good character plot, motivation, emotion, climaxes, and outcomes
Conceptual Relationship between ideas, their interactions, and
dependencies Basic knowledge of the technical capabilities of the platform
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ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGNER Analytical Competence
Able to recognize good part and bad part of a design. Self criticize and improve Take opinions, and process those opinions
Mathematical Competence Some math concepts are essential
Aesthetic Competence Writing Skills
Technical Writing Fiction Writing
Manual, Background Material, Character Description Dialog Writing
Audio voice cover and cinematic materials 18
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ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGNER Drawing Skills Ability to Compromise
Consider customer or publisher interests and adjust
Compromise to the limitation of the platform
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REFERENCES Fundamentals of Game Design, 2nd Edition,
Ernest Adams, Prentice Hall, 2006, ISBN-10: 0131687476. ISBN-13: 978-0131687479
http://computer.justetc.net
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FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGNUNREAL AND MAYA
Sayed AhmedBSc. Eng. in CSc. & Eng.MSc. in CSc.http://sayed.justetc.nethttp://www.justETC.net
Presented at the University of WinnipegWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
By
Just E.T.C www.JustEtc.net
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UNREAL GAME ENGINE (UDK) Reference:
Basics , creating a scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8eJUYMKvUo
Adding Objects/Items to the scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqVPQ5S_Au0&feature=related
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VIDEO TUTORIALS http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/VideoTutorials.
html User Interfaces
All Content Browsers
Import external objects View Port Options
Sound Effects Use existing sound waves Use Existing Sound Cues Create new sound waves/cues
Physics Whatever is shown in the class
UI Scenes Convert UI elements and add game play Import external objects and add properties
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CREATE AND USE EXISTING MAP FILES Create
http://www.fileplanet.com/209254/download/UDK-Tutorial---First-Map-Creation
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GAME DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CAREER Inside EA:
http://www.youtube.com/user/InsideEA EA Game Design Career Paths
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvPZ8xG4LlQ Mum, Dad, I want to be a Game
Designer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiQcANX
3NNE&feature=relmfu EA QA (Games Tester) Career Paths
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foyEgHHBcI4&feature=relmfu
EA Programming Career Paths http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Eo2ikm
bREo&feature=related
