Ok, now you have a flowing Sniper Rifle and all the other weapons are fun by themselves. How do you put them together? This slide is for the Engineers. Design needs to start doing rough balancing in the middle of production, probably before you hit any kind of Code Complete milestones. Properly supporting the designers … Continue reading
Betting Against the Bank A dizzying array of factors fed into the current global financial meltdown. Sub-prime mortgages, anti-market regulation, credit default swaps, a real estate bubble, global conspiracy, global warming, alien sabotage… the list is endless. But when it comes to the collapse of specific commercial institutions like Bear Sterns, it is pretty clear that short-selling accelerated … Continue reading
This picture has nothing to do with the topic, I just loved it. Certain settings have a lot more impact on how fun an element is than others. Usually they must be set precisely in order to maximize the player’s flow. Make sure to note these values for later so you know what you can … Continue reading
Uncharted 2 I recently finished Uncharted 2. I thought the acting and the pacing were excellent. The story followed a well-worn arc, but had enough unexpected set pieces to keep it fresh. The combat was dramatically improved over the first game, but still didn’t come together enough to justify the amount of fighting required. The … Continue reading
But how do I know which initial settings will lead to flow? How do I train myself to set things up the right way? Or an even better question, how to I make myself into a good designer? Sniping flow is very fragile because it is so easy to break. Distractions, misses, and frustration abound. … Continue reading
Cadence A pattern of beats and rests that describes a recognizable rhythm and creates a sense of repose or resolution But first, a verse: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Poetry has cadence, And so should your gameplay. What a terrible poem! Any second-grader could write a better one. It isn’t the content; if I … Continue reading
After paper design, we move to initial settings. Usually there is a period in between while the programmers build the system into the game. Some of the best producers I have worked with really understood the fact that this stage needs some breathing room! How many of you are familiar with the concept of Flow? … Continue reading
Most of the time involved in playing any game is spent waiting. In a turn based board game each player waits for the others in sequence. Even in a timed chess game the actual portion of the game spent moving a piece from one square to another is much less than the time spent waiting for … Continue reading
The second way to develop a sense of balance about paper designs is to look for anticipation. (Anticipation really isn’t the right word for it, maybe “Imperfect Predictability”?) If you make players guess, they won’t see the point and will quit. If you don’t give them a chance, they will feel controlled and quit. Balance … Continue reading
