GAME DEVELOPMENT 1 DESIGNING GOOD GAMES

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1 GAME DEVELOPMENT 1 DESIGNING GOOD GAMES

2 Question: What makes a computer game a game? A computer game is a software program in which one or more players make decisions through the control of game objects and resources in pursuit of a goal.

3 A computer game: Is a software program Involves a player or players Is about making decisions Is about control Contains objects and resources Needs a goal

4 What makes a GOOD computer game?

5 What makes a GOOD computer game? Has a challenging, yet attainable goal. Creates interesting and difficult decisions, often under pressure.

6 What makes a GOOD computer game? Balance: the game shouldn t be too hard or too easy, the player should have a chance to reach a goal but it can t be so easy it becomes boring. Balance between competing players: one should not be stronger or possess more power than another.

7 What makes a GOOD computer game? Rewards: Something good should happen when a goal is achieved. Examples: more power, extra life, access to better resources Flow: keeping the challenges, pace and competition realistic to the capabilities of the player

8 What makes a GOOD computer game? Immersion feeling part of the game Connected to the story behind the game & during the game Does a player s actions & decisions really matter Does a player really care about the characters or goals within the game Balanced and real (real within the context of the game) Graphics & sound also play a large role in the feel of a game

9 Necessary Components The Story The Game World Main Characters Music and Sound Effects Special Effects

10 Necessary Components The Story A good game will have the character follow some sort of logical path; they have a story Even games like PacMan & Tetris started as stories to help the designers ensure the games had focus Some games (sports, historical, movie based) come with a story already in place where others are 100% original

11 Necessary Components The Game World Can be in 3D graphic detail, 2D abstract & cartoonish or just text and static images The world has to be realistic in context of the game.

12 Necessary Components Main Characters Every game has at least 1 character; In a first person game, the player is the character; in third person games the character must have a strong, relatable personality

13 Necessary Components Music / Sound Effects Background music adds a lot to the game experience Choose music or sounds that match the tone and flow of the game; a creepy game should have creepy music; funny games should have funny music Sound effects need to match the action

14 Necessary Components Special Effects Just like in a movie they can greatly enhance the players experience Sometimes less is more; make sure they don t slow the game down or get too repetitive Too much razzle dazzle becomes distracting and even annoying

15 Do, Critique, Learn Come up with a game plan and start developing Continually critique your work as you go Have others critique the game as you go Learn from others / work with others Use resources from other game developers, learn from other s mistakes 2 heads are better than 1; So 3, 4 or 5 are better yet

16 CODING COMMANDMENTS As you're about to embark on the world of building computer games there are a few things to keep in mind. The following are the 7 commandments to follow to bring your games to the next level.

17 CODING COMMANDMENTS COMMANDMENT 1: TESTING It cannot be said enough, but when you go to publish your game and have others try it out for the first time you only get one chance to impress. Having a game with errors is a large red flag. Try these things to avoid bugs: Test at least 5 times. Have others test your game. More eyes the better.

18 CODING COMMANDMENTS COMMANDMENT 2: LOOK AT OTHER GAMES You can always learn from others (that is life advice), but this is especially true when building games. Use sites like and other arcade sites to get an idea on what makes a good game.

19 CODING COMMANDMENTS COMMANDMENT 3: CORRECT SPELLING AND GRAMMAR A game is more than just its graphics and gameplay. A good game builds a story, and a story shouldn't contain spelling and grammar mistakes. Don't give users an easy reason to dislike your game, spell-check is your friend.

20 CODING COMMANDMENTS COMMANDMENT 4: CONTROLS ARE KEY Make sure that the buttons you choose to control characters and other objects within your game are easy for a user to reach. Having a user press tab + 0 isn't really functional. Rule of thumb: The closer the keys are the better.

21 CODING COMMANDMENTS COMMANDMENT 5: USING SOUND As we will cover later in the presentation, sound is a necessary component and commandment to any game. Think of it this way, side by side a game with sound is more engaging and less stale. Use sound sparingly though, too much sound is a bad thing. Also, make sound relevant to the action happening on the screen.

22 CODING COMMANDMENTS COMMANDMENT 6: USE RESOURCES Yes, even your teacher doesn't know everything (sorry teacher). Before and during the building out process of a game use online tutorials to help guide you and give you new ideas to enhance your game. Also, tutorials are a great way to learn best practices when it comes to coding games. Free Game Development Software Stencyl - 2D Game Engine Game Maker - 2D Game Engine Blender - 3D Modeling with built in game engine Unity - 3D Game Engine UDK - 3D Game Engine Gimp - Raster Graphics (Like Photoshop) Google Sketch Up - 3D Modeling Autodesk Maya - Free for students Game Art and Resources Open Game Art Free Game Arts Psionic Games - 3D Game Resources Sprite Lib Lost Garden CG Textures Google 3D Warehouse Blender 3D Models Free Sound Public Domain Sounds Super Flash Bros Sound Fx

23 CODING COMMANDMENTS COMMANDMENT 7: CREATE A CLEAN USER INTERFACE It's important to remember that the person playing the game isn't the person that built the game. Don't forget to display important details to the user on the screen or HUD (heads up display). Items that might be included are health, lives, time, etc.

24 CODING COMMANDMENTS