book

Designing Games

by Tynan Sylvester

February 2013

Beginner

413 pages

11h 16m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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A Note on the TextWe’d Like to Hear from YouSafari® Books Online
Mechanics and EventsThe Primacy of EmotionEmotional TriggersEmotion and ChangeThe Emotional Black BoxThe BridgeEmotional MisattributionThe Basic Emotional TriggersEmotion Through LearningEmotion Through Character ArcsEmotion Through ChallengeEmotion Through Social InteractionEmotion Through AcquisitionEmotion Through MusicEmotion Through SpectacleEmotion Through BeautyEmotion Through EnvironmentEmotion Through Newfangled TechnologyEmotion Through Primal ThreatsEmotion Through Sexual SignalsThe Fiction LayerFiction Versus MechanicsConstructing ExperiencesPure EmotionJuxtapositionAntagonistic EmotionsAtmosphereEmotional VariationFlowImmersionEngines of Experience
Elegance from EmergenceI Love the Smell of Elegance in the MorningElegance Case Study: Predator versus Hellion
DepthAccessibilitySkill RangeSkill Without Explicit GoalsStretching Skill RangeReinventionElastic ChallengesTrainingEmotional Life SupportDifficulty ModificationHandling FailureFailure Traps
Narrative ToolsScripted StorySoft ScriptingWorld NarrativeWorld Narrative MethodsWorld Narrative and InteractivityWorld CoherenceEmergent StoryApopheniaLabelingAbstractionRecordkeepingSportscaster SystemsStory OrderingStory StructuresAgency ProblemsPlayer–Character Motivation AlignmentThe Human Interaction ProblemCase Study: Fallout 3My StoryBreakdownThe Goofy UndertoneContent OrderingPacingSetting
Feeling the FuturePredictabilityPredictability and Predefined DecisionsPredictability and AIInformation BalanceInformation StarvationInformation GlutWays to Hide InformationInformation Balance Case Study: PokerProblematic Information SourcesFictional AmbiguityMetagame InformationDecisions and FlowDecision ScopeAvoiding Flow GapsAvoiding OverflowTurn-Based Decision PacingDecision VariationDecisions Case Study: Counter-Strike
Goals of BalanceBalancing for FairnessBalancing for DepthBalancing for Other ReasonsDegenerate StrategiesThe Viable Strategy-Counting FallacyBalance and SkillWho to Balance forWhether to BalanceBalance Challenges and SolutionsBalancing Methods
Game TheoryGames and Strategy InteractionsNash EquilibriaRock-Paper-Scissors and Matching PenniesMixed StrategiesYomiYomi Case Study: Modern Warfare 2Destructive Player BehaviorDivergent GoalsSkill Differentials

Dopamine PleasureDopamine MotivationRewards AnticipationReinforcement SchedulesFixed RatioVariable RatioOther Reinforcement SchedulesSuperimposed Reinforcement SchedulesEmergent Reinforcement SchedulesExtrinsic and Intrinsic MotivationRewards AlignmentPlayer’s Remorse
MetaphorMetaphor SourcesMetaphor VocabularySignal and NoiseNoise and Art ComplexityVisual HierarchyRedundancyIndirect ControlNudgingPrimingSocial ImitationInputControl ArrangementControl FeelInput AssistanceControl LatencyDesigning Input
Design PurposeThe Tournament MarketThe Matthew EffectThe Innovator’s DilemmaMarket SegmentsUnderserved Market SegmentsValue CurvesValue FocusNobody Knows Anything!Confirmation BiasSetting Expectations
The OverplannerThe UnderplannerUnderplanning and OverplanningThe Costs of UnderplanningThe Costs of OverplanningIterationIteration ExamplePlanning HorizonWhy We OverplanCultural HabitInborn OverconfidenceTherapeutic PlanningGroup Planning BiasHindsight BiasTest ProtocolSelf-TestingOver-The-Shoulder PlaytestingChoosing PlaytestersSample SizeQuestioning TechniqueGrayboxingWhat Not to GrayboxPremature ProductionGraybox Evaluation SkillThe Screenplay MetaphorThe Paradox of QualityThe Fallacy of VisionSerendipityBelieving in Iteration
Knowledge Creation MethodsRuminationResearchArtistic MethodsBrainstormingWritten AnalysisDebateTestingMetricsInvented MethodsThe Organic Process
The Dependency StackCascading UncertaintyThe Design BacklogCore GameplaySmall-Scale Dependency StacksDependencies and External Design Needs
The Banality of EvilTaylorismThe Distributed MindDistributed AuthorityArrogation and TrustCommunicating Intent
Extrinsic RewardsMeaningful WorkClimateFear and LoveSocial MotivationPlaytests-Driven MotivationExpectations-Driven MotivationChicken MotivatorsThe Progress Principle
Decision EffectsDecision Effects Case Study
OpennessCandorHumilityHunger
Chapter 1: Engines of ExperienceChapter 5: DecisionsChapter 6: BalanceChapter 7: MultiplayerChapter 8: Motivation and FulfillmentChapter 9: InterfaceChapter 10: The MarketChapter 11: Planning and IterationChapter 12: Knowledge CreationChapter 14: AuthorityChapter 17: Values

Content preview from Designing Games

Chapter 9. Interface

Commander Snargode picked up the strange human piece of plastic and focused all four of his eyestalks on it. “I suppose this is how they talk to the machine,” he pulsed.

“Yes,” replied Engineer Xyzvaz. “We’ve observed them manipulating that with their five-way skeletal tentacles.”

“We can adapt that for our use,” pulsed Snargode. “Make a version for our body shape.”

“Correct,” replied Xyzvaz. “The trouble isn’t with that device. It’s what appears on the visual rectangle when we run the algorithm. None of us can understand what’s going on. Look.”

Xyzvaz manipulated a control and the wall sprang to life. On it, a number of humans moved around a poorly rendered Earthly environment. They wore various kinds of dress—cloth, metal, nothing. Some sat still, others ran excitedly. A few appeared to be nonhumans, but still moved and interacted in humanlike ways. Various human technology was scattered across the image. “We’ve tried,” pulsed Xyzvaz. “But none of us can tell what any of this means.”

“Xyzvaz,” pulsed Snargode, “stealing this game was supposed to help us understand the humans, not confuse us.

“Unfortunately, it seems we need to understand the humans before we can understand the game.”

IF A TREE FALLS in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? In game design, the answer is no. Events only have emotional value if players perceive and understand them.