video game design by alexandre mandryka design and creative consultant
TRANSCRIPT
Video Game Design
By Alexandre MandrykaDesign and creative consultant
www.gamewhispering.com
Game Maker
What a Game Designer was
Jordan Mechner (80s)
Programming Art Rules Levels
Karateka Prince of Persia
Game Making
Game creation evolved
• Game design is already a huge responsibility• GD and game vision require different skills• They each need full time attentionLet’s discuss Game vision and Game design
Game Maker
Programming Art Rules LevelsGame design Level design
Game vision
ESTABLISH THE PRODUCT VISIONIn response to your business opportunity
Beautiful!Fun!Let’s make a
great game!!!
Ideas must be clearly stated
Ideas must be communicated
Ideas must be understood
Team
Implementation
Creative
Business
Communicate through different layers Adapt rationally to adjustment
A Project Vision is a sentence …
• That describes what the project is about, what it tries to deliver
• It implies strong choices that will make the game stand apart
• That will help make consistent decisions throughout the project
• Similar to EA’s Core X, Ubisoft’s meaning …
Examples:
• Halo 2’s Online: “Recreating the Lan Party Online”
• NFSU creators said “Need for speed, but at night”
• Prince of Persia 4: “How far would you go by love?”
This is a creative statement
The mandate informs the vision
• Xbox was an hybrid between a console and a PC
• Microsoft needed a bridge between the two
Mandate was:Þ Halo 1 had to deliver FPS to consolesÞ Target the American teenagersÞ Create a Hollywood-blockbuster product
Game Vision (my guess)
In response to the mandate:
In the most desperate times, faith is your most valuable ally
Overwhelming oddsBadass & Faceless heroTwisted open-ended plot
PLAYER EXPERIENCEMaking it more concrete
“Players want to feel like Schwarzenegger”
Which Schwarzenegger please?
Dutch in Predator(village scene)
Stealth approach Tense fight Winning the fight
GD LDAI
LD GDSound
Allow intelligent & stealth
approach of all encounters
Assassination move
Health regen
Increasing enemy accuracy
Anim
Encounters designed to
support clear transition to “winning”
“Losing” behavior
“Losing” animations
“Winning” Music
Assess situation Kill sentries Get in/out of cover Move in the open One-liners“Stick around”
“Feel like they’re a ninja”
• Can read enemies’ minds• Can toy with enemiesAIÞ An AI that you can anticipateÞ Search patterns will never include 180 turnsArtÞ Enemy visuals should convey their
behaviors/functionsLD=> Back to the “support intelligent / stealth
approach” item
So …
• As you saw, Project Vision isn’t just an abstract sentence
• It is not also only aimed at game design
• Break it down to more concrete details
• Each discipline must respond to it
From mandate to features
Execs
Discipline team
Discipline team
Discipline team
Vision holder(s)
Vision holder(s) Leads
Feature FeatureFeature
Player Experience
Product Vision
Mandate
LET’S TALK ABOUT DESIGNBlowing your mind now
Game VS Toy
Rules, what you can, or can’t doWinning/Loosing conditions
Nothing is forbiddenEverything is allowed
Designing a game is all about defining rulesthat let winning strategies emerge
Rule
• A principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
• Limits how you can act
• Deal with same constraints as others and still win!
Limit player efficiency to allow different styles to be viable
Offside
What if there’s no offside?What is the effect on the optimal strategy?
Two types of rules
Direct rulesHow you score pointsDirects optimal play
Indirect rulesLimits unwanted strategies
You can’t decide player behaviour directlyRules only prevent unwanted strategies
No rules for you!
In the meantime, in Wimbledon
No use of video for referee?
Depends on your target and intention
Plays with frustrationTeases anger and violenceÞTalks to the needs of the mass
Design is just a means to an end
Sum of 4 runs
Intended experiencePrecisionThe most regular wins
Intended experienceFearlessThe most outrageous wins
Best of 2 runs
Halo’s 30 seconds of fun
accuracyEngagement Enemy killed
Out of ammo
Player ChoiceReload
Grenade
Melee
average
good
WRAPPING IT UPAll good things come to end
Making games is a creative process
Not assembly work
Take reference in other creative industries
Rationale over opinion
Focus on skills, develop specialists
THANK YOU!ANY QUESTIONS?
Alexandre MandrykaDesign and creative consultant
www.gamewhispering.com