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Chapter 9 - Gameplay

Chapter 9 - Gameplay. What is Gameplay?. Gameplay : Consists of the challenges and actions that a game offers. Challenges for the player to overcome and actions that let her overcome them. Making games fun. The primary goal of a game designer is to provide entertainment

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Chapter 9 - Gameplay

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  1. Chapter 9 - Gameplay

  2. What is Gameplay? • Gameplay: Consists of the challenges and actions that a game offers. Challenges for the player to overcome and actions that let her overcome them

  3. Making games fun • The primary goal of a game designer is to provide entertainment • Gameplay is the primary means of entertainment • Without gameplay, an activity may be fun, but it is not a game

  4. Execution Matters more than Innovation “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety nine percent perspiration” -Thomas Edison

  5. Most of what makes a game fun has nothing to do with imagination or creativity • The vast majority of things that make a game not fun result from bad execution rather than a bad idea.

  6. How to make a game fun • Avoid elementary errors: Bad programming, bad music and sound, bad art, bad user interfaces, and bad game design all ruin the players funs

  7. How to make a game fun cont.. (2) Tuning and Polishing: -This means paying attention to detail, getting everything perfect. -This is the difference between a good game and a mediocre one.

  8. How to make a game fun cont.. (3) Imaginative variations on the games premise: -Take the basic elements of the game and construct and enjoyable experience out of them -Level designers do most of this work

  9. How to make a game fun cont.. (4) True design innovation: Encompasses the games original idea and subsequent decisions that you make

  10. How to make a game fun cont.. • Innovation by the game designer contributes only a small part of the fun of the game. • This may make it sound like there is not a lot of point in game design…

  11. Finding the Fun Factor • There is no formula for making your game fun • There are a set of principles to keep in mind as your design and build your game:

  12. Finding the Fun Factor cont… Gameplay comes first: Create your game to give people fun things to do

  13. Finding the Fun Factor cont… Get a feature right or leave it out: It is far worse to ship a game with a broken feature than it is to with a missing feature

  14. Finding the Fun Factor cont… Design around the player: Examine every decision from the players point of view. Games that lose sight of the player, lose sight of fun

  15. Finding the Fun Factor cont… Know your target audience: Different groups of players want different things, know what they want and what they think is fun, and then provide it

  16. Finding the Fun Factor cont… Abstract or automate parts of the simulation that aren’t fun: If you model your game on the real world, leave out the parts that aren’t fun

  17. Finding the Fun Factor cont… Be true to your vision: Don’t add unnecessary features that will distract you from your original vision.

  18. Finding the Fun Factor cont… Strive for harmony, elegance, and beauty: A lack of aesthetic perfection doesn’t take all the fun out of a game, but the absence of these qualities appreciably diminishes it

  19. The Hierarchy of Challenges “When you’re up to your ass in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp” -Unattributed

  20. Hierarchy of Challenges for Super Mario Bros:

  21. Informing the player about challenges Explicit Challenges: Challenges that are told directly to the player i.e “save the princess” -Typically the topmost and the bottom most challenges are explicit challenges

  22. Informing the player about challenges cont… Implicit Challenges: Challenges that the player discovers on their own • Most intermediate challenges are implicit • If there are no implicit challenges, it doesn’t feel like a game

  23. Design Rule: Reward victory no matter how the players achieve it

  24. Skill, Stress, and Absolute difficulty Intrinsic skill: The level of skill needed to surmount the challenge if you give the player an unlimited amount of time in which to do it.

  25. Skill, Stress, and Absolute difficulty Cont… Stress: Measures how a player perceives the effect of time pressure on his ability to meet a challenge requiring a given level of intrinsic skill.

  26. Skill, Stress, and Absolute difficulty Cont… Absolute Difficulty: Refers to the intrinsic skill required and stressfulness put together

  27. Commonly used Challenges-Physical Coordination Challenges: • Tests the players physical abilities – most commonly hand-eye coordination • There are different types of physical coordination challenges…

  28. Physical Coordination Challenges: Speed and Reaction time: • Speed challenges test the players ability to make rapid inputs on the controls • Reaction time challenges test the players ability to react quickly to events • Example: Tetris

  29. Physical Coordination Challenges Cont… Accuracy and Precision: • Accuracy and Precision challenges need not to take place in a time limit • Example: Wii Sports Archery

  30. Physical Coordination Challenges Cont… Intuitive understanding of physics • In a racing game, players must learn through experience a cars breaking distance, acceleration rate, etc. • Example: Portal

  31. Physical Coordination Challenges Cont… Timing and Rhythm: • Timing and Rhythm challenges test the players ability to press the right button at the right time • Example – Guitar Hero

  32. Physical Coordination Challenges Cont… Combination moves: • Many fighting games require complex combinations of button presses in order to do a cool move • Example – Street Fighter

  33. Logical and Mathematical Challenges Formal logic puzzles: • The definition of the puzzle contains, or explains everything the player needs to solve to puzzle • Example – Minesweeper

  34. Design Rule Avoid trial and error solutions

  35. Logical and Mathematical Challenges Cont… Mathematical challenges: • Include an element of chance • Example - Hearts

  36. Race and Time Pressure Challenges • Discourages careful strategic thought and instead encourages direct brute-force solution • Increases the stress on a player and changes the feeling of the gameplay considerably • Example - Frogger

  37. Factual Knowledge Challenges • Direct test of players knowledge of factual information • Usually occurs in trivia and quiz games • Example – Trivial Pursuit Design Rule: Make it clear when factual knowledge is required

  38. Memory Challenges • Tests the players ability to recall things the she has seen or heard in the game • Action and adventure games get you to remember things that will be needed later on • Example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kZQMtifOE

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