Video Game Design By Alexandre Mandryka Design and creative consultant

Game Maker What a Game Designer was Jordan Mechner (80s) ProgrammingArtRulesLevels KaratekaPrince 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 attention  Let’s discuss Game vision and Game design Game Maker ProgrammingArtRulesLevelsGame designLevel design Game vision

ESTABLISH THE PRODUCT VISION In 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 layersAdapt 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:  Halo 1 had to deliver FPS to consoles  Target the American teenagers  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 odds  Badass & Faceless hero  Twisted open-ended plot

PLAYER EXPERIENCE Making it more concrete

“Players want to feel like Schwarzenegger” Which Schwarzenegger please?

Dutch in Predator (village scene) Stealth approachTense fight Winning the fight GD LD AI LD GD Sound 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 situationKill sentriesGet in/out of coverMove in the openOne-liners “Stick around”

“Feel like they’re a ninja” Can read enemies’ minds Can toy with enemies AI  An AI that you can anticipate  Search patterns will never include 180 turns Art  Enemy visuals should convey their behaviors/functions LD => 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 Vision holder(s) Leads Feature Player Experience Product Vision Mandate

LET’S TALK ABOUT DESIGN Blowing your mind now

Game VS Toy Rules, what you can, or can’t do Winning/Loosing conditions Nothing is forbidden Everything is allowed Designing a game is all about defining rules that 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 rules How you score points  Directs optimal play Indirect rules Limits unwanted strategies You can’t decide player behaviour directly Rules only prevent unwanted strategies

Talking about “unwanted” strategies... Check this video

No rules for you!

In the meantime, in Wimbledon

No use of video for referee?

Depends on your target and intention Plays with frustration Teases anger and violence  Talks to the needs of the mass

Design is just a means to an end

Sum of 4 runs Intended experience Precision The most regular wins

Intended experience Fearless The most outrageous wins Best of 2 runs

Halo’s 30 seconds of fun accuracy EngagementEnemy killed Out of ammo Player Choice Reload Grenade Melee average good

WRAPPING IT UP All 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

Alexandre Mandryka Design and creative consultant