Centipede 3Dis a remake of the arcade gameCentipede, and attempts to
take what that original game did well and transplant it to a 3D environ-
ment. The originalCentipedefeatured fast-action shooting combat in
waves, with the player’s deft maneuvering of the ship being the key to suc-
cess, and with enemies that moved in completely predictable patterns.
Instead of being on one level for the entire game asCentipedewas,Centi-
pede 3Dtakes the player through a progression of levels. The new game
also embraces certain gameplay norms of modern console games, such as
replayable levels, bonus objectives, and obstacle navigation. The action
and combat portions ofCentipede 3D, however, will be extremely reminis-
cent of the original game, employing identical AI wherever possible, and
thus retaining the gameplay feel of the original.With our new focus, the game assets we had developed thus far were readdressed, and
a number of levels had to be discarded, while others were significantly reworked. A
small amount of coding that had been done had to be modified, but fortunately no
change in the artwork was necessary. All told, our refocus resulted in some loss of
work. However, in the end this lost work was worth it because the finalCentipede 3D
had a consistent, focused style of gameplay. And as a direct result, it was fun to play.
It is important to note that our focus forCentipede 3Dwas not a standalone focus as
I advocated earlier in this chapter. The focus forCentipede 3Drefers to another game,
the originalCentipede, and thereby does not stand completely on its own. Of course,
Centipede 3Dis a remake, and as such it makes sense to refer to the game the project
follows. For either a remake or a sequel, the game you are making has a direct relation
to the other game you refer to in the focus, and a large part of whether the game is
deemed a success or not will rest on how well it follows up its predecessor. As such,
throughout the game’s development, the team members should be asking themselves
how their work relates to the original game, and whether what they are trying to
accomplish in terms of gameplay is a logical and worthy successor. Since this is such a
central concern, it belongs in the focus. In working on a sequel or a remake, your entire
team should have played the original game through, and hence can be expected to
understand it reasonably well. Note, however, that the focus forCentipede 3Dincludes a
brief description of the primary appeal of the originalCentipede, so that the focus can
stand by itself better than if the central concerns of the classic game were assumed. If
the focus must refer to another game, it is important to make sure everyone involved
with the project understands the focus of that other game as well.
Sub-Focuses..................................
It may be advantageous to take the focus technique to another level by including
sub-focuses. Though not absolutely necessary, this will allow you to start to flesh out
your game idea while keeping track of your overall focus. A sub-focus is distinct from
the main focus, and should be designated as such when presented alongside the main
focus. You can see a sub-focus as a concept that supports your main focus, and one that
will help your game attain that central focus. A sub-focus alone cannot be used to design
a game. It serves primarily to support your main goal, to break apart other objectives
your game will strive for in an attempt to accomplish the central focus.
82 Chapter 5: Focus