Introduction to Game Design. Playing: Galaxy Trucker Watching: The Big Bang Theory Reading: Master Thesis! Listening: Slayer

Transcription

1 Introduction to Game Design and Development Playing: Galaxy Trucker Watching: The Big Bang Theory Reading: Master Thesis! Listening: Slayer

2 Game Design: What is it?

3 Game Design is Design Design is concerned with the conception and planning of all the instances of the artificial or human-made world: signs and images, physical objects, activities, and services and systems or environments Richard Buchanan

4 Game Design is Design Every design is in some sense a social communication, and what matters is... The emotional intensity with which the essentials have been explored and expressed George Nelson

5 Game Design: Working Definition Game Design is the processof coordinating the evolutionof the design of a game Bateman e Boon

6 Game Development: What is it?

7 Game Development: Working Def. Game Developmentis the process by which a game is produced Wikipedia Design and Development are integrated processes!

8 Game Design and Development

9 Game Design and Development The goal of game development is to create the user experience (fun) Not the designer/developer experience (fun) Game Design must be egoless, balancing the desires and needs of all participants Bateman e Boon

10 Designing Interactive Experiences Designers User Experience Interaction Mechanics Donald Norman Users

11 Designing Interactive Experiences Five design principles Visibility Making the relevant parts visible Mappings Establish relationships between controls and actions Establish relationships between controls and actions Affordances Establish perceived use of items Constraints Prevent players from doing what they shouldn t Feedback Report what players have done and accomplish

12 Game Design and Development Is teamwork Gameplay Designers Lightning Designers 3D Programers AI Programers Sound Programers Game Logic Programers Character Designers Strory Writers Texture Designers Actors 3D Modelers Level Designers Character Animators Producers Sounds Designers Music Designers User Interface Designers Marketing Team User Interface Programers Financial Advisors Media Publishers License Holders Playtesters Players

13 Teamwork: Main Roles Game Designer Promote the discussion of concepts Create low-fi prototypes Write the design documents Communicate the vision to the entire team Create levels Act as advocate of the player

14 Teamwork: Main Roles Producer Main communication link with the publisher Manage the schedule and the budget Manage contracts Get the resources Track and allocate resources Act as team leader Motivate the team

15 Teamwork: Main Roles Programer Draft technical specifications Implement all technical aspects Software prototypes Software tools Game modules and engines Data structures Communication aspects Documenting code

16 Teamwork: Main Roles Artist Create concept art Create art assets Characters and animations World Objects Cut scenes Interfaces Sound and music

17 Teamwork: Main Roles Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer Create test plan Execute tests Includes play-testing Record and analyse players data Report bugs Report design problems

18 The Process of Game Development

19 The Process of Game Development Keywords Creativity Communication Iteration Planning Players...

20 Game Development Phases 1. Concept 2. Preproduction 3. Production 4. Postproduction

21 Concept Phase

22 Concept Phase Goal Get the idea through Where concepts came from?

23 Zen Game Design (Bateman e Boon) 2 Base Principles There is not a single method for game design Game design should reflect the needs of all stakeholders Implicit Principle There are methods for Game Design and Development

24 Game Design Methods M1 First Principles Goals World Abstraction Design Game

25 Black and White First Principles

26 Game Design Methods M2 Clone and Tweak Existing Design Modified Design Game

27 Clone and Tweak Warcraft Civilization 2

28 Game Design Methods M3 Use of Meta-rules Rules Design Game

29 Use of Meta-Rules Project 400 Dogma 2001

30 Game Design Methods M4 Expressing Technology Technology Design Game

31 Expressing Technology Far Cry Wii Sports

32 Game Design Methods M5 The Frankenstein Aproach Materials Design Game

33 Frankenstein Approach Conkers Twelve Tales Conkers Bad Fur Day

34 Game Design Methods M6 Story Driven Design Narrative Design Game

35 Broken Sword Story Driven Design

36 Game Design Methods M7 The Branding Approach Brand World Abstraction Narrative Design Game

37 Franchise Approach Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth

38 Game Design Methods M8 Iterative Design Discussion Design Game

39 Game Design Methods Goals Existing Design Materials World Abstraction Technology Design Rules Game Brand Narrative Others

40 Concept Phase Producing the Conceptual Design First Design Document Proof of Concept Mock-up Get the Green Light Publishers, Producers Executives from Distribution, Licensing, Marketing, Financial

41 Preproduction Phase

42 Preproduction Phase Goals Plan the work Prove that you can do it Refine the Design Document Build the Team Define Schedule and Budget

43 Build the Team What makes a good team? Senior members are important Add experience to the team Include young/new members Often bring new perspectives Give them the opportunity to grow Heterogeneity Someone that knows the Audience

44 Build the Team The producer s view Create job descriptions Fill these descriptions Search company employers Allow for bidding Choose to subcontract Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreements Call For Proposals» The bid package The Development Agreement» Milestones

45 Scheduling (1) Programming milestones Creation of all visual assets Creation of all audio assets Creation of a demo version (for E3, etc...) Play-testing License approvals (platform holders, etc...) Vacations and Holidays

46 Scheduling (2) Delivery of assets for marketing Creation of package Creation of manuals Creation of strategy guides ESRB rating Green light meetings

47 Scheduling: Good Practices Have a detailed game design document Have a team selected Schedule backwards Shipping to Beta Then, schedule forward Probably will move the shipping date Identify bottlenecks Prioritize features

48 Budget Profit and Loss Analysis Costs Production costs Salaries, meals, equipment, travel Marketing Royalties Revenues Sales Merchandise

49 Pre-production Phase The Green Light Kickoff Team Schedule Budgets Design Documents

50 Production Phase

51 Production Phase The work begins! Critical Issues Art assets Team dynamics Design problems Technology problems Money problems => Red Flags

52 Production Phase Art assets List everything Track everything Establish approval cycles Establish delivery formats

53 Production Phase Team dynamics Keep the team cohesion Manage expectations Avoid the prima donna attitude Everybody is important Everybody is important Promote communication The programer vs artist issue Make everybody play the game Keep the momentum Don t let the team relax after a major success

54 Production Phase Design problems Create playable releases often Give the deserved importance to play-testing Reduce game features Iterate the development process Design by committee Listen to everyone's suggestions

55 Production Phase Technology problems Reuse technology Use agile development Identify problems as early as possible Build tools Create playable releases often On the target platform

56 Production Phase Money problems Produce a promotional demo Expect the unexpected Reduce game features Delay the shipping date

57 Postproduction Phase

58 Postproduction Localizations ESRB Rating Boxing and Packaging Merchandise Documents Manual and guides

59 Postproduction Quality Assurance Testing Write a Post Mortem report Support the community Patches and modding tools

60 Bibliography 21th Century Game Design, Chris Bateman and Richard Boon. Charles River Media Introduction to Game Development, Steve Rabin. Charles River Media Game Design Workshop, Tracy Fullerton. Morgan Kaufmann Rules of Play, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman. MIT Press. 2003