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Game PlaySE 3GB3 – Game Design

Grant Custard

Reference: Fundamentals of Game Design, Chapter 9 Gameplay

2 x 50 min periods

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AgendaIntro – Making Games FunHierarchy of ChallengesSkill, Stress and Absolute

DifficultyCommonly Used ChallengesActionsSaving the Game

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Intro – Making Games FunExecution Over Innovation

◦Avoid elementary errors◦Tuning and polishing◦Imaginative variations◦True design innovation◦A small bit of magic

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Intro – Making Games FunFinding the Fun Factor

◦Design around the player◦Know your target audience◦Abstract or Automate parts that are

not fun◦Be true to your vision◦Strive for harmony, elegance, and

beauty

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AgendaIntro – Making Games FunHierarchy of ChallengesSkill, Stress and Absolute

DifficultyCommonly Used ChallengesActionsSaving the Game

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Challenge DefinitionsMission: events that make up the

ultimate goal, complete the game.

Sub-Mission: events that make up each mission.

Atomic Challenges: are the lowest-level challenges in a game. i.e. jump the over the hole or defeat the enemy.

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A Possible Challenge Hierarchy

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Informing the Player about ChallengesExplicit Challenges: challenges that

are directly given to the player. ◦i.e. through the story the player is told

to complete the given challenge.Implicit Challenges: challenges that

require the player to discover them on their own. ◦Possibilities include discovery through

subtle hints or the players curiosity. ◦i.e. Elder Scrolls VI: Oblivion

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Intermediate ChallengesAre normally left as implicit.Design Rule: Reward Victory No

Matter How the Player Achieves It.

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Simultaneous Atomic ChallengesOne way to increase the difficulty

is to force the player to overcome many atomic challenges at once.◦i.e. fighting many enemies at once.

Case Study: Cousins’s Hierarchy

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AgendaIntro – Making Games FunHierarchy of ChallengesSkill, Stress and Absolute

DifficultyCommonly Used ChallengesActionsSaving the Game

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DefinitionsIntrinsic Skill: the level of skill

required to surmount the challenge.

Stress: the effect of time pressure on the player.

Absolute Difficulty: the combination of intrinsic skill and stress, making the overall difficulty level.

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Intrinsic Skill verse Stress

TetrisHockey Simulator

Real Hockey

Racing Simulator

Tetris Real Hockey Hockey Simulator Racing Simulator

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AgendaIntro – Making Games FunHierarchy of ChallengesSkill, Stress and Absolute

DifficultyCommonly Used ChallengesActionsSaving the Game

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Commonly Used ChallengesPhysical CoordinationLogic and MathematicalRaces and Time PressureFactual KnowledgeMemoryPattern RecognitionExplorationConflictEconomicConceptual Reasoning and Lateral

Thinking

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Physical CoordinationDifficulty mostly based on time stress.Sub-Categories:

◦Speed and Reaction Time◦Accuracy and Precision◦Intuitive Understanding of Physics◦Timing and Rhythm◦Combination Moves

Examples:◦Tetris, Need for Speed, World of Goo,

Guitar Hero, Street Fighter

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Logic and MathematicalDifficulty mostly based on

intrinsic skillDesign Rule: Avoid Trial and Error

Solutions.Sub-Categories:

◦Formal Logic Puzzles◦Mathematical Challenges

Examples:◦Rubik’s Cube, Poker, Hearts

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Races and Time PressureDifficulty mostly based on time

stress.To keep Absolute Difficulty

constant, scale the required skill and stress.

Examples:◦Call of Duty + time pressure =

running with machine gun◦Need for Speed

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Factual KnowledgeDifficulty mostly based on the

players and the topics.Answers to the questions do not

have to be present in the game.Examples:

◦Trivial Pursuit, Buzz, Scene It

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MemoryDifficulty mostly based on how

long there is to memorize, the amount to memorize and when it must be recalled.

Design Rule: Make it Clear when Factual Knowledge is Required

Examples:◦Brain Age, Big Brain Academy,

Corridors

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Pattern RecognitionDifficulty mostly based on the

how long, intricate and subtle the pattern is

Examples:◦Bio Shock enemies are weak against

specific strategies.◦Bejewelled

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ExplorationMust have other challenges or it will only

be sightseeing.Sub-Categories:

◦Spatial Awareness Challenges◦Locked Doors◦Traps◦Mazes and Illogical Spaces◦Teleporters◦Finding Hidden Objects

Examples:◦Decent, Zelda, Prince of Persia, PacMan, Portal,

Gears of War COG tags

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ConflictConflict versus Conflict of InterestSub-Categories:

◦Strategy◦Tactics◦Logistics◦Survival and Reduction of Enemy Forces◦Defending Vulnerable Items or Units◦Stealth

Examples:◦Starcraft, Rainbow Six, Civilization, Age of

Empires, Fable, Metal Gear Solid

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EconomicDifficulty can be altered by

varying the amount of resources available

Sub-Categories:◦Accumulation Resources◦Achieving Balance◦Caring for Living Things

Examples:◦Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, Spore

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Conceptual Reasoning and Lateral Thinking

Difficulty mostly based on intrinsic skill

Require knowledge from outside the domain of the challenge

Sub-Categories:◦Conceptual Reasoning◦Lateral Thinking

Examples:◦Assassins Creed 16’s Puzzles, Escape

from Monkey Island

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AgendaIntro – Making Games FunHierarchy of ChallengesSkill, Stress and Absolute

DifficultyCommonly Used ChallengesSaving the GameActions

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Reasons for Saving a Game

Allowing the Player to Leave the Game and Return to it Later.

Letting the Player Recover from Disastrous Mistakes.

Encouraging the Player to Explore Alternate Strategies.

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Consequences for Immersion and StorytellingBeing able to save and re-load a

game is unrealistic, this harms the player’s immersion.

Being able to reload a game can also destroy the stories dramatic tension.

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Ways of Saving a GamePasswordsSave to a File or Save SlotQuick-SaveAutomatic Save and Checkpoints

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To Save or Not to SaveDesign Rule: Allow the Player to

Save and Reload the Game.Players buy games to play them

the way that makes them “feel good”.

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AgendaIntro – Making Games FunHierarchy of ChallengesSkill, Stress and Absolute

DifficultyCommonly Used ChallengesSaving the GameActions

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ActionsActions are the events that occur

in the game world caused directly by the user interface.

Actions are the verbs of a game.◦i.e. I shoot, I jump, I use ….

An action hierarchy is not useful to the player or the game designer.

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Actions for GameplayActions that are intended to meet

the challenges within the game.There may require many actions

to complete a challenge.The user interface has limited

space and therefore only limited actions can be available to the user.

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Defining Your ActionsWhat actions should be available

to the user?Much effort should be put into

defining and refining how the actions available overcome atomic challenges.

Should any actions be available that do not solve challenges?

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Actions that Serve Other FunctionsSub-categories:

◦Unstructured Play◦Actions for Creation and Self-

expression◦Actions for Socialization◦Actions to Participate in the Story◦Actions to Control the Game

Software

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Character Action ExerciseYou want to design the actions

for game with the following description:◦Player Avatar is a Soldier◦Game is 3rd Person◦Game is an action-adventure◦Target audience are males age 18 to

35◦Setting is WWII 1939 to 1945

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Summary

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Questions or Discussion