fundamentals of game design, 2 nd edition by ernest adams chapter 16: sports games
TRANSCRIPT
Fundamentals of Game Design, 2nd Edition
by Ernest Adams
Chapter 16: Sports Games
Chapter 16 Sports Games 2© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc. 2
Objectives
Know the definition of athletic sports games and be familiar with the types of challenges that these types of sports games offer
Understand the challenges of meeting players’ expectations about a real-world game in a video game implementation
Chapter 16 Sports Games 3© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc. 3
Objectives (Cont.)
Know the basics of adapting a physical sports game mechanic to a virtual world
Understand the design complexities for physics, AI, and player skill ratings required for a sports game
Use flowcharting to help define AI states within a sports game
Chapter 16 Sports Games 4© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc. 4
Objectives (Cont.)
Know the issues involved in licensing sports organizations, teams, and players, including the use of names and images
Understand mapping known physical game play mechanics to computer-human interface devices
Chapter 16 Sports Games 5© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
What Are Sports Games?
A sports game simulates some aspect of a real or imaginary athletic sport, whether it is playing in matches, managing a team or career, or both
Match play makes use of physical and strategic challenges
The management challenges are chiefly economic
Chapter 16 Sports Games 6© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Game Features
Game structure Main gameplay mode is match play Outside of match play, game’s modes relate to
other aspects of the sport Pause the game for coaching tasks
Player roles Athlete is most common role—player follows the
action rather than a single athlete in team sports Player may also take role of coach or manager
Chapter 16 Sports Games 7© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Game Features (Cont.)
Gameplay and rules Challenges and actions match the sport
Athlete—Physical challenges Coach—Strategic challenges
Rules might have to be relaxed because controlling athletes onscreen does not correspond exactly to real-life sports experiences
Need to decide what to do about athlete mistakes outside of player control Allow players to set referee parameters
Chapter 16 Sports Games 8© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Game Features (Cont.)
Competition modes All competition modes are allowed Sports games are more popular on consoles to
permit multiplayer competition One mode should include computer versus itself
so players can watch a match
Chapter 16 Sports Games 9© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Game Features (Cont.)
Victory and loss conditions Match real sport’s victory and loss conditions Modes
Season mode Exhibition mode Sudden death Round robin Tournament mode Franchise mode
Chapter 16 Sports Games 10© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Game Features (Cont.)
Opportunities for creative play Team creation—players create their own teams Strategy design—players can create their own
strategies Playing field design—players can edit the shape
of the playing field if sport allows this option
Chapter 16 Sports Games 11© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Game Features (Cont.)
Inventing a sport is a risky option that is hard to sell
Weather Weather can invoke special rules Weather affects the game
Instant replay is an essential feature Include all usual video forward/reverse features Allow player to move camera around Allow locking the camera to an athlete or the ball
Chapter 16 Sports Games 12© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Core Mechanics
Physics for sports games Physics engine determines the behavior of
moving bodies in the match Physics should not be perfectly realistic because
Player does not have precise control Player is not a professional athlete
Chapter 16 Sports Games 13© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Core Mechanics (Cont.)
Rating the athletes Developing ratings is a big task Ratings provide data for the physics engine to
simulate the athletes accurately Common ratings are provided for all athletes—
speed, agility, weight, etc. Specialized ratings apply to specific positions—
passing strength, passing accuracy, etc.
Chapter 16 Sports Games 14© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Core Mechanics (Cont.)
Athlete AI design Define the state space
Play in a match is broken into states defined by rules and strategy (e.g., fly ball, foul ball, grounder, strikeout)
Create a flowchart to map the game’s states Set collective and individual goals in each state
Individual goals are what each athlete tries to achieve in the course of playing his position
Collective goal is what the team is trying to achieve as a whole; the collective goal determines individual goals
Chapter 16 Sports Games 15© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Core Mechanics (Cont.)
Injuries Injuries introduce some chance Allow players to turn off injuries
Arcade mode versus simulation mode Arcade mode increases action and decreases
realism; produces higher scores Simulation mode increases realism but probably
decreases action
Chapter 16 Sports Games 16© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Core Mechanics (Cont.)
Simulating matches automatically Computer plays out matches and records results To fake results quickly, roll dice to generate game
scores Scores must be restricted to a credible range Doesn’t generate other statistics
Allowing a home field advantage is not recommended
Chapter 16 Sports Games 17© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Game World
Setting Accurate copies of real stadiums and arenas Weather significantly affects games played
outdoors Crowd noises contribute to setting
Chapter 16 Sports Games 18© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Game World (Cont.)
Licenses, trademarks, and publicity rights Team and league trademarks
In America, the league holds the license to use the team and league names, logos, uniform designs, etc.
A variety of governing bodies manage individual sports Events are owned by the organization producing them Stadiums are now asserting trademark rights too
Personal publicity rights owned by the athlete or an organization
Chapter 16 Sports Games 19© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Game World (Cont.)
Audio commentary Needed to feel like you’re watching the match on
television Play-by-play and color commentary Note the events that should trigger a specific
comment
Chapter 16 Sports Games 20© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Presentation Layer
Interaction model Player usually controls an avatar Which athlete is being controlled can change as
the play progresses (in team sports) Camera models
Don’t use first-person; players watch the athletes Overhead—individual sports End view or side view—team sports Picture-in-picture—sports with more than one
focal point, e.g. baseball or cricket
Chapter 16 Sports Games 21© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
The Presentation Layer (Cont.)
User interface design Input Devices
Motion-sensitive (e.g. Wii controller) best for sports In team games, let the player press a button to switch
control to the most appropriate defending athlete Displays
User interface can change every second, depending on conditions in the match
Each state requires a set of options Mark the controlled athlete with a label Use overlays rather than pull-down menus
Chapter 16 Sports Games 22© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Summary
You should now understand How to identify a sports game How to describe the player’s expectations for a
sports game How to adapt a sport for a video game How to rate players How to flowchart states in a match How to license teams and players How to create a user interface for a sports game