fundamentals of game design, 2 nd edition
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Fundamentals of Game Design, 2 nd Edition. by Ernest Adams. Chapter 9: Gameplay. Objectives. Understand the basic principles that a designer should follow to make games fun - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Fundamentals of Game Design, 2nd Edition
by Ernest Adams
Chapter 9: Gameplay
Chapter 9 Gameplay 2© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Objectives
Understand the basic principles that a designer should follow to make games fun
Explain how the hierarchy of challenges requires players to complete atomic challenges, sub-missions, and missions to accomplish the ultimate goal of winning the game
Define intrinsic skill required and stress and discuss how these factors contribute to the difficulty of the game
Chapter 9 Gameplay 3© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Objectives (Cont.)
List challenges commonly used in games Define actions in the context of the game
world and describe how actions are selected to meet specific challenges or serve other functions in the game
Discuss the arguments in favor of and opposed to supplying a saving mechanism and explain the most widely used methods for saving a game
Chapter 9 Gameplay 4© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Making Games Fun
Execution matters more than innovation The chief reason a game is not fun is that it
contains elementary errors Aspects of game development that contribute to
fun: Avoiding errors; basic craftsmanship is most important Tuning and polishing is second; pay attention to details Imaginative variations on the game’s premise is third True design innovation is only 5% of the source of fun
Chapter 9 Gameplay 5© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Making Games Fun (Cont.)
Finding the fun factor: Gameplay comes first Get a feature right or leave it out Design around the player Know your target audience Abstract or automate parts of the game that aren’t fun Be true to your vision Strive for harmony, elegance, and beauty
Chapter 9 Gameplay 6© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Hierarchy of Challenges
Hierarchy from lowest to highest Atomic challenge Sub-mission Mission Complete the game
Hierarchy of Challenges Win Game
Complete Level 1 Find Item Mission
Win fight Solve puzzle Find item
Solve Puzzle Mission Win fight Win fight Solve puzzzle
Defeat Level Boss Mission Win fight Explore maze DEFEAT LEVEL BOSS
Chapter 9 Gameplay 7© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Hierarchy of Challenges Win Game
Complete Level 2 Win Big Fight Mission
Find item Win fight Win big fight
Destroy Object Mission Solve puzzle Win fight Destroy object
Defeat Level Boss Mission Bargain successfully Solve puzzle DEFEAT LEVEL BOSS
Chapter 9 Gameplay 8© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Hierarchy of Challenges Win Game
Complete Level 3 Solve Puzzle Mission
Win fight Win fight Solve puzzle
Rescue NPC Mission Find item Win fight Rescue NPC
Defeat Final Boss Mission Win fight Win fight DEFEAT FINAL BOSS
Chapter 9 Gameplay 9© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 9 Gameplay 10© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Hierarchy of Challenges (Cont.)
Informing the player about challenges Games tell the player about explicit challenges Players discover implicit challenges on their own Explicit instructions are given about the victory
condition and lowest-level atomic challenges Intermediate-level challenges
The most interesting games offer multiple ways to win Recognize and reward victory achieved no matter how
the player achieves it
Intermediate Challenges
Chapter 9 Gameplay 11© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Capture Enemy Flag
Defensive Approach
Defensive Approach
Defensive Approach
Defend own Production
Win Fights
Capture Flag
Destroy Enemy Production
Win Fights
Capture Flag
Divert Enemy Attention
Scout Unguarded Route to Flag
Capture Flag
Chapter 9 Gameplay 12© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Hierarchy of Challenges (Cont.) Simultaneous atomic challenges
Overcoming several atomic challenges at the same time increases the difficulty
Common way of doing this is to bombard the player with enemies
Other games (such as management games) present more complex interrelated simultaneous challenges
The more simultaneous atomic challenges a player faces under time pressure, the greater the stress
Chapter 9 Gameplay 13© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Skill, Stress, and Absolute Difficulty
Intrinsic skill required is the skill needed to overcome a challenge in an unlimited amount of time
Stress is the effect of time pressure on the player’s ability to overcome a challenge
Absolute difficulty is skill required plus time pressure
Chapter 9 Gameplay 14© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges
Physical coordination challenges Variations
Test speed and reaction time Test accuracy and precision Test intuitive understanding of physics Test timing and rhythm Test ability to make combination moves
Reduce time available to increase difficulty
Chapter 9 Gameplay 15© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Logic and mathematical challenges
Formal logic puzzles No outside knowledge required To increase difficulty, increase the number of objects
and the ways they can be manipulated Players normally get all the time they need to solve Avoid puzzles that can only be solved by trial-and-error
Mathematical challenges Games require players to reason about probabilities Make educated guesses with imperfect knowledge
Chapter 9 Gameplay 16© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Races and time pressure
Be first to accomplish a goal Can be combined with other types of challenges Time pressure increases stress on the player
Factual knowledge challenges Direct tests of factual knowledge usually occur
only in trivia and quiz games In other kinds of games, all facts must be present
in the game or you must make it clear in advance that outside knowledge is required
Chapter 9 Gameplay 17© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Memory challenges
Test ability to recall things seen or heard in game To make it easier, give players longer to
memorize and test them soon after they have done so
Pattern recognition challenges Test ability to recognize visible, audible, changing,
or behavioral patterns To increase difficulty, make the pattern longer,
more intricate, or more subtle
Chapter 9 Gameplay 18© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Exploration challenges
Spatial awareness challenges Test ability to learn and navigate To decrease difficulty, provide a map
Locked doors Any obstacle that prevents the player from proceeding
until he disables it Avoid unmarked switches far from the door
Chapter 9 Gameplay 19© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Exploration challenges (cont.)
Traps Device that harms the avatar when triggered Fun comes from outwitting the trap
Mazes and illogical spaces Every place looks alike and player must discover
relationships between the areas Can be implemented as logic or pattern-recognition
puzzles
Chapter 9 Gameplay 20© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Exploration challenges (cont.)
Teleporters Mechanism that transports player to a new location To make the challenge easier, make the teleporter
predictable and reversible Finding hidden objects
Sometimes hidden in reasonable places player can deduce from clues
Sometimes hidden in obscure ones Easter eggs are special rewards in particularly obscure
locations
Chapter 9 Gameplay 21© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Conflict
Requires direct opposition of forces, some of which are under player control
Conflict challenges can be broken down into: Strategy Tactics Logistics Survival and reduction of enemy forces Defending vulnerable items or units Stealth
Chapter 9 Gameplay 22© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Economic challenges
The behavior of resources creates economic challenges Accumulating resources—this can be wealth, points, or
anything valuable Achieving balance—this can be a more interesting
challenge than simply accumulating resources Caring for living things—challenges the player to meet
the needs of each individual
Chapter 9 Gameplay 23© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Commonly Used Challenges (Cont.) Conceptual reasoning and lateral thinking
puzzles Conceptual reasoning puzzles require reasoning
and knowledge to solve a problem Lateral thinking uses extrinsic knowledge in
unexpected ways
Chapter 9 Gameplay 24© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Actions
Actions for gameplay Most actions are intended to meet challenges Games offer fewer actions than challenges to limit
size of user interface and animation costs Most actions can address more than one type of
challenge Define actions
Based on player’s role and actions to overcome challenges
Chapter 9 Gameplay 25© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Actions (Cont.)
Actions that serve other functions Actions not related to challenges include actions
for: Unstructured play Creation and self-expression Socialization Participating in the story Controlling the game software
Chapter 9 Gameplay 26© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Saving the Game
Reasons for saving a game Allow player to leave and return later Let player recover from mistakes Encourage player to try alternate strategy
Consequences for immersion and storytelling Harms immersion Reduces tension
Chapter 9 Gameplay 27© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Saving the Game (Cont.)
Ways of saving a game Password to restart a level Save to a file or save slot Quick save Automatic save and checkpoints
Always allow players some way to save and reload
Chapter 9 Gameplay 28© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Summary
You should now understand Gameplay is the heart of a game’s fun Challenges can be organized into a hierarchy Skill and stress determine absolute difficulty Commonly used challenges test different skills Few actions can be used to overcome many
challenges Players should be allowed to save and reload