CSS 385Introduction to Game Development
Lecture 2
Yusuf Pisan
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Making Your First Game: Practical Rules
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHMNeNapL1E
Role of Game Designer
Advocate for Player - player experience
● Playtesters - early testing
Passions and Skills
● + Communication, Teamwork, Process, Inspiration
Playcentric Design Process
● Player Experience Goals - what do you want them to think/feel● Iterative Design - design, test, evaluate, repeat
Innovation
● Independent Games Festival
Designers You Should Know -- see Chapter 1
Fail and Fail Again
https://officechai.com/startups/51-failed-games-rovio-created-angry-birds-now-going-public-1-billion-valuation/
Iterative Design1. Brainstorming
Short description of player experience goals
2. Physical Prototype3. Presentation (optional)
Secure funds
4. Software PrototypeUsing different software/platform, maybe just clickable web pages
5. Design DocumentationMaking sure everybody on the team shares the same goals - not necessarily a big static document
6. Production
Exercise: Rock-Paper-Scissors based game
Share your games - Combine Groups
1. 4 players2. Clues to actions3. Added betting4. Points + 2 faces5. Progress bar6. 2 hands7. 4 elements - different symbols8. Group game - leader9. Drinking
10. Team Based - no player elimination
Combine groups
Make a new rock-paper-scissors based game - possibly incorporating some elements of previous game
On the index paper
Everybody's name
Rules of your game - sufficient detail so somebody else can play it
Exchange rules
Play game in front of class
How is it different than the intended game?
What did they miss, interpret differently?
Do you think they had an emotion in-mind for the player?
If so, what emotion?
Creative Process - 1
Thoughts are associative – new ideas by combining others
Finding patterns - Will Wright game based on ant colonies
In your brain vs on the internet - cannot associate ideas if they are not in your brain
Read, ask questions, investigate
A believable rumor - width of railroad tracks
https://www.truthorfiction.com/railwidth/
Creative Process - 2
Play - board games, card games, AR/VR games, role-playing games, standup-comedy, improvisation
What we know about creativity
1. Intense emotional involvement2. Struggles and fails3. Distracted period4. Solution leaps to the front (seems obvious in hindsight)
Creative Process - 3
“Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration” –
Edison
Enjoy the 1% because everything else is hard work
Emergence comes from ideas contributing, adding to each other
Rip your idea to pieces before others get a chance!
Creative Process - 4
Once you have an idea
– Is it really good?
– Worth spending time and money on?
– Even if “rehash” should bring improvement to original and new challenges
– Discuss with someone that can appreciate the idea
Creative Process - 5
Target Audience
• Gather feedback from colleagues
• Think about core objectives
• List the challenges
– Will help determine genre
• Determine how player will interface
• Define unique features, essential to gameplay
– Has features been done before? If not, is there a
reason why not?
• Consider theme (not graphical theme)
• Solidify in two- to three-page document
Creative Process - 6
Never design by committee
– But blend of “like-minded” people can be very effective
• Meet with team with one-pager
• Keep early meetings focused on design and not on technical
• Write all ideas down, may come in handy later
• Incorporate changes into 2-3 page document
• Move on to Concept Document
Iterative Design - 21. Brainstorming2. Physical Prototype3. Presentation (optional)4. Software Prototype5. Design Documentation6. Production
Exercise: War OR Slapjack based gamehttps://www.bicyclecards.com/rules-tags/accumulating-game/
Make sure you play the game with original rules first!
What is a Game?
Movie?
Toy?
Puzzle?
● A Closed formal system that● Engages players in structured conflict and● Resolves in uncertainty in an unequal outcome
What is a Video Game?
What do we gain/lose moving to video games
Lose: physical pieces, physical interactions, social interaction
Gain: real-time, immersive, complexity
Video Games
● Involve players - no zero person game● Making decisions● Needs a Goal
“When a designer is asked how his game is going to make a difference, I hope he … talks about gameplay, fun and creativity – as opposed to an answer that simply focuses on how good it looks” – Sid Meier
(Civilizations, Railroad Tycoon, Pirates)
Approaching Game Design
● Used to be taught as art - game design cannot be taught● BUT, art can be taught● Art has technical disciplines - music, film, poetry● Game Design as an art form is the best approach
Game Design Practices can be learned
Game Theory
Branch of economics
Mathematically analyzed to determine payoffs
Assumes rational players
Players want to maximize their potential utility
Using logic to solve problems
Game Theory is not sufficient, but can be useful in analyzing games (rock-paper-scissors)
GameplayAdventure game: knight, dwarf, priest, thief
• During combat, knight and dwarf in front, thief fires arrows
• Priest casts spells (assume all cost the same)
– E-bolts (do damage equal to sword)
– Band-aids (heal equal to sword)
• Which spell should Priest cast?
– Against single opponent (they are equal)
– Against opponent with 6 arms (bolts)
– Against many opponents with weak attacks (bandaids)
● Can always decide which is better● Not so interesting
Gameplay - Making it Interesting
• Now, suppose
– Band-aids still affect single target but ebolts have an area affect
– E-bolts do less damage, but armor doesn’t make a difference
• Now, which spell should Priest cast?
– Answer isn’t as easy. Interesting choices.
● Good gameplay.
“A game is a series of interesting choices.”
Sid Meier (pirates, civilization…)
Before Next Class
Readings -- see syllabus
Submit UFO 2D tutorial - due before class next Tuesday. Be ready to demo your modified game in-class.
Extra Extra: Maze
Most older games contained mazes. Players had to tediously map out the maze using pen-paper
Think of mechanics that make making the maze graph a puzzle in itself.
● Maze wraps around● Pass through the same point, but actually in different parts of
the maze