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12 Steps to Great Game Design
Posted On October 27, 2007 by GB Shah filed under Miscellaneous
Finally you have taken that insatiable step forward. You and your team members are now planning to write your first game! We are sure you will be groping around for fresh ideas checking out the games available in the market and trying to identify the right idea, right technology etc. Assume that you have everything else with you, i.e the right compiler, programming talent and artistic skills. Still if you need to get ahead as a successful game developer, you need design skills.
Design skills cannot be taught at a school, much of it is inborn and rest comes from experience. DeveloperIQ compiles some of the best-known design principles in this article.
1. The Kiss Factor - Kiss stands for Keep It Simple and Stupid. The best selling games may have intricate plots, and awesome graphics. But the basic plot will remain simple, with subplots taking the player to higher levels. The goal of the game should be simple, and must be expressed in a few words. Examples are: save a princess, kill all the wolves, win a race, etc. Simplicity has its own advantage.
2. Communication Statements - Remember that in all likelihood a newbie will be playing the game you have designed. The player may have little or no experience in using computers, leave alone playing computer games. Even the most cleverly designed adventure isn't going to hold the players' interest for very long if they have trouble communicating what they want to do. The language should be clear. Games are nothing but interactive fiction and like a good story-teller, you need to let the player develop a storyboard of his own. An "undo" command, built-in hints, the ability to allow players to configure the function keys as typing shortcuts, and automatic mapping will all contribute to the reduction of frustration on the part of the player.
3. Puzzle has to be structured properly - Every game whether its action or arcade has a certain amount of puzzle inside. You should not force players to wander aimlessly from one puzzle to the next, halting their progress completely until they solve the only available puzzle. Branch out your puzzle structure and make it as nonlinear as possible. Interweave your puzzles with one another and allow players to tread through multiple paths into the adventure. That is, don't make players solve the puzzles in the same order every time; give them some flexibility. The only point in the game where there should be only one path for the player to follow is at the conclusion, where all the branches of puzzles come together to form a final challenge. Puzzle connectivity is also important. Make sure each puzzle "fits in" with all the others. If you have an extremely challenging puzzle, but you can't make it fit logically into your adventure, don't just throw it in for the sake of using it. Save it and use it in another game, where it is appropriate.
Game making can draw a parallel from the film industry. Just as in a movie too many unrelated sub-plots spoils its chances at Box Office, too many puzzles can kill its chances at the box office.
4. Balance the difficulty of your puzzles - Most cases the best adventure games are the ones that curve the difficulty of their puzzles. Keep them fairly simple at first, to allow the player to get into the game, then gradually raise the challenge as players go deeper into it. It's perfectly okay to throw in a difficult or obscure puzzle or two in the early stages of the game, but the key is not to overwhelm the player at the outset. The primary deciding factor as to the difficulty of the puzzles should be how difficult you've chosen to make the game as a whole. If you're writing for expert players, design your puzzles accordingly. If beginners are your target audience, include a lot of simple, one- or two-step puzzles. After a particularly arduous puzzle, reward the player with a few simpler ones. You'd be surprised at how many players lose interest when a game's puzzles aren't balanced.
5. Never ignore logic and science - Users relate games to real world. A good racing gaming tries to provide information as real life as possible. If you are writing a game called Marathon, ensure that the distance is 26 odd miles, and not 50. Stick to the standards as well as laws of nature. The more realistic your adventure, the more it will draw players in.
6. Fiction needs to be as descriptive as possible - A game is like a movie or a novel. Descriptions help a lot. Suppose you are writing a game where Indian soldiers are fighting a battle out in Kargil. Instead of mentioning that you are at the top of a mountain, you must mention that you are on top of Tiger Hills or Point 4222 etc. Information excites most gamers. Some games give good information on weapons used, aircrafts employed or even the weather. Use interactive text. However never go overboard with description.
7. Give a fair chance to win - Everyone loves a winner and everyone loves winning. Some people think that a tough game with no real chance of winning is exciting. But winning is important. Most gamers play to relax. The sense of triumph after winning a game is exhilarating! And the only way players will be entertained is if they're treated fairly. Don't let the game get too much into an unsolvable state. Don't force the player to have too much foresight. Inventory management is a crucial part of an adventure game in which the number of things a player can carry is limited. Obviously, if they're going into a dungeon they'll need a light source, a weapon, and probably some food and water, but if they're going to need something less obvious, you'd be wise to provide a hint beforehand. Of course, players can always restore, but going through a lot of moves to get back to where they were before can be frustrating, and too many save files can become difficult to keep track of. It's best to give players a general idea of which items they won't need and thus can leave behind. Don't make them pick and choose too much. Don't create puzzles that absolutely have to be solved within a specific time frame, unless you give the player a reasonable hint. Include good error messages in your program to tell players if they're doing something wrong, but don't insult players in the process. Be clever, but not verbally abusive. Random events are good for spicing up adventure games, but never, EVER base the decision of whether a player lives or dies upon the outcome of a random-number generator.
8. Reward at every stage - Players love recognition. Even the lousiest like some kind of a reward for their effort. This brings in more enthusiasm and gets the player hooked on. Don't put off the entire reward until the end. Congratulate players when they solve a difficult puzzle, possibly by giving them a special item or power.
9. Never go over board with rewards - Once a gamer feels that winning the game is easy, he loses interest. At the same time, don't hold the player's hand all the way through the game. Let them experience a game death if their actions aren't clever enough. Dying is a natural part of adventure games.
10. Never ignore the story - Puzzles are fun, but the story itself should be the main point of an adventure game. Rather than having the player wander aimlessly around solving puzzles, develop the story as the player moves along. An unexpected plot twist or the introduction of a new NPC can really liven things up, especially when it occurs in the midst of a good puzzle. Puzzles alone can carry a game so far. Another thing to keep in mind is that a game should have a good introduction and ending. Actually, an introduction is optional. Some writers may prefer to simply have the game begin as soon as it loads. A good ending, though, is indispensable. Is it worth struggling through a game just to be rewarded with the words, "Congratulations, you win"? A good game ending should tie up any and all loose ends the story may still have, pave the way for the sequel if you're writing a series of games, and leave players feeling as though they have truly accomplished something. Good endings will be read again and again by players, but we can guarantee that a lame ending will only be seen once.
11. Include good information sources in your game - Most of the time, when writing the game's introduction, you'll want to tell the players only so much about your world. Let them learn the various intricacies and details of it themselves. If your world is vast and complex, build several sources of information into your game to help the player accomplish this. You could implement an encyclopedia, newspapers, a computer database, or some other form of information storage. In addition, you might want to make one or more characters act as primary information sources. The player could then ask those characters about various people, places, or things in the game. The more you tell the player about your world, the more complex and realistic it will appear.
12. Long live the game - A lot of good adventure games become dust collectors after players have solved them. Often this can be prevented, or at least delayed, by a little extra effort on the part of the author. Give some of your puzzles multiple solutions. Think up imaginative ways of dying and humorous tricks for the player to try. Some adventures even have multiple endings depending on various things the player has done (or not done) during the course of the game. All of these things can keep players interested for quite some time after they've been through the entire game.
If you see yourself making any of these mistakes, you might consider rethinking at least part of your original design. Designing a good text adventure is a long, complicated, involving, and extremely frustrating task, but in the end it can be very rewarding. Good interactive fiction is always in demand, and we sincerely hope we have enlightened you and guided you toward successfully creating your own.
Design skills cannot be taught at a school, much of it is inborn and rest comes from experience. DeveloperIQ compiles some of the best-known design principles in this article.
1. The Kiss Factor - Kiss stands for Keep It Simple and Stupid. The best selling games may have intricate plots, and awesome graphics. But the basic plot will remain simple, with subplots taking the player to higher levels. The goal of the game should be simple, and must be expressed in a few words. Examples are: save a princess, kill all the wolves, win a race, etc. Simplicity has its own advantage.
2. Communication Statements - Remember that in all likelihood a newbie will be playing the game you have designed. The player may have little or no experience in using computers, leave alone playing computer games. Even the most cleverly designed adventure isn't going to hold the players' interest for very long if they have trouble communicating what they want to do. The language should be clear. Games are nothing but interactive fiction and like a good story-teller, you need to let the player develop a storyboard of his own. An "undo" command, built-in hints, the ability to allow players to configure the function keys as typing shortcuts, and automatic mapping will all contribute to the reduction of frustration on the part of the player.
3. Puzzle has to be structured properly - Every game whether its action or arcade has a certain amount of puzzle inside. You should not force players to wander aimlessly from one puzzle to the next, halting their progress completely until they solve the only available puzzle. Branch out your puzzle structure and make it as nonlinear as possible. Interweave your puzzles with one another and allow players to tread through multiple paths into the adventure. That is, don't make players solve the puzzles in the same order every time; give them some flexibility. The only point in the game where there should be only one path for the player to follow is at the conclusion, where all the branches of puzzles come together to form a final challenge. Puzzle connectivity is also important. Make sure each puzzle "fits in" with all the others. If you have an extremely challenging puzzle, but you can't make it fit logically into your adventure, don't just throw it in for the sake of using it. Save it and use it in another game, where it is appropriate.
Game making can draw a parallel from the film industry. Just as in a movie too many unrelated sub-plots spoils its chances at Box Office, too many puzzles can kill its chances at the box office.
4. Balance the difficulty of your puzzles - Most cases the best adventure games are the ones that curve the difficulty of their puzzles. Keep them fairly simple at first, to allow the player to get into the game, then gradually raise the challenge as players go deeper into it. It's perfectly okay to throw in a difficult or obscure puzzle or two in the early stages of the game, but the key is not to overwhelm the player at the outset. The primary deciding factor as to the difficulty of the puzzles should be how difficult you've chosen to make the game as a whole. If you're writing for expert players, design your puzzles accordingly. If beginners are your target audience, include a lot of simple, one- or two-step puzzles. After a particularly arduous puzzle, reward the player with a few simpler ones. You'd be surprised at how many players lose interest when a game's puzzles aren't balanced.
5. Never ignore logic and science - Users relate games to real world. A good racing gaming tries to provide information as real life as possible. If you are writing a game called Marathon, ensure that the distance is 26 odd miles, and not 50. Stick to the standards as well as laws of nature. The more realistic your adventure, the more it will draw players in.
6. Fiction needs to be as descriptive as possible - A game is like a movie or a novel. Descriptions help a lot. Suppose you are writing a game where Indian soldiers are fighting a battle out in Kargil. Instead of mentioning that you are at the top of a mountain, you must mention that you are on top of Tiger Hills or Point 4222 etc. Information excites most gamers. Some games give good information on weapons used, aircrafts employed or even the weather. Use interactive text. However never go overboard with description.
7. Give a fair chance to win - Everyone loves a winner and everyone loves winning. Some people think that a tough game with no real chance of winning is exciting. But winning is important. Most gamers play to relax. The sense of triumph after winning a game is exhilarating! And the only way players will be entertained is if they're treated fairly. Don't let the game get too much into an unsolvable state. Don't force the player to have too much foresight. Inventory management is a crucial part of an adventure game in which the number of things a player can carry is limited. Obviously, if they're going into a dungeon they'll need a light source, a weapon, and probably some food and water, but if they're going to need something less obvious, you'd be wise to provide a hint beforehand. Of course, players can always restore, but going through a lot of moves to get back to where they were before can be frustrating, and too many save files can become difficult to keep track of. It's best to give players a general idea of which items they won't need and thus can leave behind. Don't make them pick and choose too much. Don't create puzzles that absolutely have to be solved within a specific time frame, unless you give the player a reasonable hint. Include good error messages in your program to tell players if they're doing something wrong, but don't insult players in the process. Be clever, but not verbally abusive. Random events are good for spicing up adventure games, but never, EVER base the decision of whether a player lives or dies upon the outcome of a random-number generator.
8. Reward at every stage - Players love recognition. Even the lousiest like some kind of a reward for their effort. This brings in more enthusiasm and gets the player hooked on. Don't put off the entire reward until the end. Congratulate players when they solve a difficult puzzle, possibly by giving them a special item or power.
9. Never go over board with rewards - Once a gamer feels that winning the game is easy, he loses interest. At the same time, don't hold the player's hand all the way through the game. Let them experience a game death if their actions aren't clever enough. Dying is a natural part of adventure games.
10. Never ignore the story - Puzzles are fun, but the story itself should be the main point of an adventure game. Rather than having the player wander aimlessly around solving puzzles, develop the story as the player moves along. An unexpected plot twist or the introduction of a new NPC can really liven things up, especially when it occurs in the midst of a good puzzle. Puzzles alone can carry a game so far. Another thing to keep in mind is that a game should have a good introduction and ending. Actually, an introduction is optional. Some writers may prefer to simply have the game begin as soon as it loads. A good ending, though, is indispensable. Is it worth struggling through a game just to be rewarded with the words, "Congratulations, you win"? A good game ending should tie up any and all loose ends the story may still have, pave the way for the sequel if you're writing a series of games, and leave players feeling as though they have truly accomplished something. Good endings will be read again and again by players, but we can guarantee that a lame ending will only be seen once.
11. Include good information sources in your game - Most of the time, when writing the game's introduction, you'll want to tell the players only so much about your world. Let them learn the various intricacies and details of it themselves. If your world is vast and complex, build several sources of information into your game to help the player accomplish this. You could implement an encyclopedia, newspapers, a computer database, or some other form of information storage. In addition, you might want to make one or more characters act as primary information sources. The player could then ask those characters about various people, places, or things in the game. The more you tell the player about your world, the more complex and realistic it will appear.
12. Long live the game - A lot of good adventure games become dust collectors after players have solved them. Often this can be prevented, or at least delayed, by a little extra effort on the part of the author. Give some of your puzzles multiple solutions. Think up imaginative ways of dying and humorous tricks for the player to try. Some adventures even have multiple endings depending on various things the player has done (or not done) during the course of the game. All of these things can keep players interested for quite some time after they've been through the entire game.
If you see yourself making any of these mistakes, you might consider rethinking at least part of your original design. Designing a good text adventure is a long, complicated, involving, and extremely frustrating task, but in the end it can be very rewarding. Good interactive fiction is always in demand, and we sincerely hope we have enlightened you and guided you toward successfully creating your own.