Game Design

Contents

• Chapter 1 What Players Want....................... Contents Summary


• Chapter 2 Interview: Sid Meier......................
  
  
  • and Story .......................... Chapter 3 Brainstorming a Game Idea: Gameplay, Technology,
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 4 Game Analysis:Centipede ..................


• Chapter 5 Focus.............................


• Chapter 6 Interview: Ed Logg ......................


• Chapter 7 The Elements of Gameplay .................


• Chapter 8 Game Analysis:Tetris ....................


• Chapter 9 Artificial Intelligence.....................


• Chapter 10 Interview: Steve Meretzky .................


• Chapter 11 Storytelling.........................


• Chapter 12 Game Analysis:Loom ...................


• Chapter 13 Multi-Player ........................


• Chapter 14 Interview: Chris Crawford .................


• Chapter 15 Getting the Gameplay Working ..............


• Chapter 16 Game Analysis:Myth: The Fallen Lords...........


• Chapter 17 Game Development Documentation............


• Chapter 18 Interview: Jordan Mechner.................


• Chapter 19 The Design Document...................


• Chapter 20 Game Analysis:The Sims..................


• Chapter 21 Designing Design Tools...................


• Chapter 22 Interview: Will Wright ...................


• Chapter 23 Level Design........................


• Chapter 24 Game Analysis:Grand Theft Auto III ............


• Chapter 25 Playtesting.........................


• Chapter 26 Interview: Doug Church ..................


• Conclusion ...............................


• Appendix A Sample Design Document:Atomic Sam...........


• Appendix B Sample Design Document:The Suffering..........


• Glossary.................................


• Selected Bibliography..........................


• Index ..................................


• Chapter 1 What Players Want..................... Introduction..................................xx
  
  
  • Why Do Players Play?.............................
    
    
    • Players Want a Challenge..........................
    
    
    • Players Want to Socialize..........................
    
    
    • Players Want a Dynamic Solitary Experience...............
    
    
    • Players Want Bragging Rights.......................
    
    
    • Players Want an Emotional Experience..................
    
    
    • Players Want to Explore..........................
    
    
    • Players Want to Fantasize .........................
    
    
    • Players Want to Interact..........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • What Do Players Expect?...........................
    
    
    • Players Expect a Consistent World ....................
    
    
    • Players Expect to Understand the Game-World’s Bounds........
    
    
    • Players Expect Reasonable Solutions to Work..............
    
    
    • Players Expect Direction.........................
    
    
    • Players Expect to Accomplish a Task Incrementally...........
    
    
    • Players Expect to Be Immersed .....................
    
    
    • Players Expect Some Setbacks......................
    
    
    • Players Expect a Fair Chance.......................
    
    
    • Players Expect to Not Need to Repeat Themselves...........
    
    
    • Players Expect to Not Get Hopelessly Stuck ..............
    
    
    • Players Expect to Do, Not to Watch ...................
      
      
      • It Is Missing................................ Players Do Not Know What They Want, but They Know When
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • A Never-Ending List.............................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 2 Interview: Sid Meier....................
  
  
  • and Story............................. Chapter 3 Brainstorming a Game Idea: Gameplay, Technology,
    
    
    • Starting Points ................................
      
      
      • Starting with Gameplay..........................
      
      
      • Starting with Technology.........................
      
      
      • Starting with Story ............................
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Working with Limitations...........................
      
      
      • Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis ....................
      
      
      • Damage Incorporated...........................
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Centipede 3D ...............................
    
    
    • The Suffering ...............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Embrace Your Limitations..........................
    
    
    • Established Technology..........................
    
    
    • The Case of the Many Mushrooms....................
    
    
    • The Time Allotted.............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • If You Choose Not to Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice........
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 4 Game Analysis:Centipede ................
  
  
  • Classic Arcade Game Traits .........................
  
  
  • Input......................................
  
  
  • Interconnectedness..............................
  
  
  • Escalating Tension..............................
  
  
  • One Person, One Game............................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 5 Focus ...........................
  
  
  • Establishing Focus..............................
    
    
    • An Example: Winter Carnival Whirlwind.................
    
    
    • The Function of the Focus.........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Maintaining Focus ..............................
    
    
    • Fleshing Out the Focus..........................
    
    
    • Changing Focus..............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Sub-Focuses..................................
  
  
  • Using Focus..................................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 6 Interview: Ed Logg ....................


• Chapter 7 The Elements of Gameplay ...............
  
  
  • Unique Solutions ..............................
    
    
    • Anticipatory versus Complex Systems.................
    
    
    • Emergence................................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Non-Linearity................................
    
    
    • Types of Non-Linearity..........................
    
    
    • Implementation..............................
    
    
    • The Purpose of Non-Linearity......................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Modeling Reality...............................
  
  
  • Teaching the Player.............................
    
    
    • Tutorials .................................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Input/Output.................................
    
    
    • Controls and Input............................
    
    
    • Output and Game-World Feedback ...................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Basic Elements ...............................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 8 Game Analysis:Tetris ..................
  
  
  • Puzzle Game or Action Game?.......................
  
  
  • Tetris as a Classic Arcade Game ......................
  
  
  • The Technology...............................
  
  
  • Artificial Intelligence ............................
  
  
  • Escalating Tension..............................
  
  
  • Simplicity and Symmetry..........................
  
  
  • Fifteen Years On, Who Would Publish Tetris?...............
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 9 Artificial Intelligence...................
  
  
  • Goals of Game AI..............................
    
    
    • Challenge the Player...........................
    
    
    • Not Do Dumb Things ..........................
    
    
    • Be Unpredictable.............................
    
    
    • Assist Storytelling............................
    
    
    • Create a Living World..........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The Sloped Playing Field..........................
    
    
    • How Real Is Too Real?..........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • AI Agents and Their Environment.....................
  
  
  • How Good Is Good Enough?........................
  
  
  • Scripting...................................
  
  
  • Artificial Stupidity..............................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 10 Interview: Steve Meretzky ...............


• Chapter 11 Storytelling.......................
  
  
  • Designer’s Story Versus Player’s Story ..................
  
  
  • Places for Storytelling............................
    
    
    • Out-of-Game...............................
    
    
    • In-Game..................................
    
    
    • External Materials............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Linear Writing Pitfalls............................
    
    
    • Player Character Personality ......................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Game Stories ................................
    
    
    • Non-Linearity...............................
    
    
    • Working with the Gameplay.......................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • TheDream..................................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 12 Game Analysis:Loom..................
  
  
  • Focused Game Mechanics..........................
  
  
  • User Interface................................
  
  
  • The Drafts System .............................
  
  
  • Difficulty...................................
  
  
  • Story.....................................
  
  
  • Loom as an Adventure Game........................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 13 Multi-Player.......................
  
  
  • Motivations .................................
  
  
  • TheForms..................................
    
    
    • Single System Multi-Player.......................
    
    
    • Online Multi-Player ...........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Design Considerations ...........................
    
    
    • Playing to Strengths...........................
    
    
    • Protect Newbies.............................
    
    
    • Socialization ...............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Development Issues.............................
    
    
    • Playtesting and User Feedback .....................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • A World of Their Own............................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 14 Interview: Chris Crawford ...............


• Chapter 15 Getting the Gameplay Working ............
  
  
  • The Organic Process ............................
    
    
    • Too Much Too Soon ...........................
    
    
    • Keep It Simple..............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Building the Game..............................
    
    
    • Core Technology.............................
    
    
    • Incremental Steps ............................
    
    
    • A Fully Functional Area .........................
    
    
    • Going Through Changes.........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Programming ................................
  
  
  • When Is It Fun?...............................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 16 Game Analysis:Myth: The Fallen Lords ........
  
  
  • Use of Technology..............................
  
  
  • Game Focus.................................
  
  
  • Storytelling .................................
  
  
  • Hard-Core Gaming .............................
  
  
  • Multi-Player.................................
  
  
  • A Cohesive Whole..............................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 17 Game Development Documentation..........
  
  
  • Document Your Game............................
    
    
    • Concept Document, Pitch Document, or Proposal...........
    
    
    • Competitive Analysis...........................
    
    
    • Design Document ............................
    
    
    • Flowcharts................................
    
    
    • Story Bible................................
    
    
    • Script...................................
    
    
    • Art Bible .................................
    
    
    • The Game Minute............................
    
    
    • Storyboards................................
    
    
    • Technical Design Document.......................
    
    
    • Schedules and Business/Marketing Documents ............
    
    
    • No Standard Documentation.......................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The Benefits of Documentation.......................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 18 Interview: Jordan Mechner...............


• Chapter 19 The Design Document .................
  
  
  • The Writing Style..............................
  
  
  • The Sections.................................
    
    
    • Table of Contents.............................
    
    
    • Introduction/Overview or Executive Summary.............
    
    
    • Game Mechanics.............................
    
    
    • Artificial Intelligence...........................
    
    
    • Game Elements: Characters, Items, and Objects/Mechanisms ....
    
    
    • Story Overview..............................
    
    
    • Game Progression............................
    
    
    • System Menus..............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • One Man’s Opinion .............................
  
  
  • Inauspicious Design Documents......................
    
    
    • The Wafer-Thin or Ellipsis Special Document .............
    
    
    • The Back-Story Tome..........................
    
    
    • The Overkill Document.........................
    
    
    • The Pie-in-the-Sky Document......................
    
    
    • The Fossilized Document........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • A Matter of Weight .............................
    
    
    • Getting It Read..............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Documentation Is Only the Beginning...................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 20 Game Analysis:The Sims................
  
  
  • Abdicating Authorship............................
  
  
  • Familiar Subject Matter...........................
  
  
  • Safe Experimentation............................
  
  
  • Depth and Focus...............................
  
  
  • Interface...................................
  
  
  • Controlled Versus Autonomous Behavior .................
  
  
  • A Lesson to Be Learned ..........................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 21 Designing Design Tools.................
  
  
  • Desired Functionality............................
    
    
    • Visualizing the Level...........................
    
    
    • The Big Picture..............................
    
    
    • Jumping into the Game..........................
    
    
    • Editing the World.............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Scripting Languages and Object Behaviors ................
  
  
  • Us Versus Them...............................
    
    
    • The Best of Intentions..........................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • A Game Editor for All Seasons.......................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 22 Interview: Will Wright .................


• Chapter 23 Level Design ......................
  
  
  • Levels in Different Games .........................
    
    
    • Level Separation.............................
    
    
    • Level Order................................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The Components of a Level.........................
    
    
    • Action...................................
    
    
    • Exploration................................
    
    
    • Puzzle Solving ..............................
    
    
    • Storytelling................................
    
    
    • Aesthetics ................................
    
    
    • Balancing It All..............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Level Flow..................................
  
  
  • Elements of Good Levels..........................
    
    
    • Players Cannot Get Stuck........................
    
    
    • Sub-Goals.................................
    
    
    • Landmarks................................
    
    
    • Critical Path................................
    
    
    • Limited Backtracking ..........................
    
    
    • Success the First Time..........................
    
    
    • Navigable Areas Clearly Marked ....................
    
    
    • Choices..................................
    
    
    • A Personal List..............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The Process.................................
    
    
    • Step 1. Preliminary............................
    
    
    • Step 2. Conceptual and Sketched Outline................
    
    
    • Step 3. Base Architecture/Block Out..................
    
    
    • Step 4. Refine Architecture Until It Is Fun...............
    
    
    • Step 5. Base Gameplay..........................
    
    
    • Step 6. Refine Gameplay Until It Is Fun.................
    
    
    • Step 7. Refine Aesthetics ........................
    
    
    • Step 8. Playtesting............................
    
    
    • Process Variations............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Who Does Level Design?..........................
  
  
  • Collaboration.................................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 24 Game Analysis:Grand Theft Auto III..........
  
  
  • Believable Game-World...........................
  
  
  • A Living City.................................
  
  
  • Actions and Consequences.........................
  
  
  • Storytelling .................................
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 25 Playtesting .......................
  
  
  • Finding the Right Testers..........................
    
    
    • Who Should Test.............................
      
      
      • Who Should Not Test...........................
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • When to Test.................................
    
    
    • HowtoTest.................................
    
    
    • Guided and Unguided Testing........................
    
    
    • Balancing...................................
      
      
      • Your Game Is Too Hard .........................
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • The Artistic Vision .............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Chapter 26 Interview: Doug Church ................
  
  
  • Conclusion ..........................
    
    
    • Art......................................
    
    
    • The Medium.................................
    
    
    • The Motive .................................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Appendix A Sample Design Document:Atomic Sam ........
  
  
  • I. Overview .................................
  
  
  • II. Game Mechanics.............................
  
  
  • III. Artificial Intelligence ..........................
  
  
  • IV. Game Elements .............................
  
  
  • V. Story Overview..............................
  
  
  • VI. Game Progression............................
  
  
  • VII. Bibliography ..............................
  
  
  
  


• Appendix B Sample Design Document:The Suffering........
  
  
  • Section I: Introduction............................
  
  
  • Section II: Game Mechanics ........................
    
    
    • Controls Overview............................
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Section III: Resources............................
  
  
  • Section IV: NPCs ..............................
  
  
  • Section V: Story...............................
  
  
  • Section VI: Gameflow............................
  
  
  • Section VIII: Menus.............................
  
  
  • Glossary ...........................
  
  
  • Selected Bibliography ....................
  
  
  • Index.............................