Here are the topics we covered before the midterm. I have added subtopics for more detail. Here are the main topics covered in class. Most are covered in the Art of Game Design book (AGD). The slides I presented are either slides I made based on the book (the ln slides) or the slides from the book I used last year (the CO slides). These latter slides can be found at book.prototools.net. Click on the First Edition link. The chapters are grouped into three parts, which you have to open to see slides for each chapter. So COn will refer to the nth chapter in the first edition. Topic Chapter in AGD Slides _____ -------------- ------ Definition of game 4 CO1, slides 19-30 subtopics what a "game" is - why are definitions important? The elemental tetrad 5 CO2, CO4, ln5 subtopics Frameworks for game analysis MDA - Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics Tracy Fullerton's Formal,Dramatic and Dynamic Elements Jesse Schell's Elemental tetrad - Aesthetics, Mechanics, Story, Technology The inscribed layer The work of a game designer Seven components of mechanics objectives - player goals player relationships - how players compete or cooperate rules - what players can and cannot do to achieve goals boundaries - what are the edges of the game resources - what has value in the game spaces - where the game takes place tables - probabilities in the game players can have short-,mid- and long-term goals goals often conflict with each other Fullerton lists seven ways that players interact with other players and the game one player vs the game several players vs the game several players work cooperatively one player vs another player several players vs each other several players vs one player (game master) teams of players against other teams player roles in a game protagonist competitor collaborator citizen rules can be expressed in text or programs boundaries define the space and time in which the game playing takes place This space and time is called the "magic circle" Alternative reality games blur the difference when players are playing the game and their everyday life (game can interrupt their lives at any time) Two kinds of resources: object that are used in the game, attributes like hit points, experience level spaces can be the board in a board game or world displayed in a video game Tables show probabilities of possible outcomes, how attributes change as players progress through game Aesthetics covers how game components look, feel, sound, smell, taste, etc. Narrative provides the drama in a game Four components premise setting characters plot The plot doesn't have to be linear (story can change depending on player decisions) Having a story helps players to understand goals, rules, and whether they are making progress inscribed technology includes ways to provide randomness, track character attributes and progress. What is a game made of? Mechanics Story (= Narrative) Aesthetics Technology The Elemental Tetrad Designer skills 1 ln1 subtopics What do game designers need to know? Just about everything (long list) Listening is most important skill Theme of game 6 ln6 subtopics Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Buccaneer Gold example The best themes resonate Iterative design, 7,8 CO7 Brainstorming subtopics acting like a designer Iterative process: analysis, design, implementation, testing, repeat brainstorming overscoping Software Engineering, 8 CO27 Agile, Scrum, Burndown chart subtopics Waterfall method didn't work for creative software Agile mentality = Following your individual design sense & continually asking questions Making a simple prototype and iterating Bouncing your ideas off of other creative people Listening to and reacting to playtesters' feedback Scrum development scrum team Backlog/Features list Releases and Sprints Scrum meeting Burndown chart/burndown velocity How hours are estimated Paper Prototyping 8 CO9 subtopics paper prototyping some aspects of games can be prototyped faster using paper, pipe cleaners, legos two approaches draw sketches of what player will see as game progresses make a board game out of paper simulating game this way can test ideas good for understanding player movement good for balancing; adjusting parameters of things like weapons sketching user interfaces is faster than programming them easier to try out wild ideas Who is the player? 9 ln9 subtopics different kinds of audience, based on age, differences in what males and females like, game pleasures Game Balance 13 ln13 subtopics fairness, symmetric games, asymmetric games, challenge vs. success, meaningful choices, skill vs. chance, head vs. hand, competition vs. cooperation, short vs. long, rewards, punishment, freedom vs. controlled experience, simple vs. complex, detail vs. imagination, game balancing methodologies, balancing game economies, dynamic game balancing, weirdness in Pirates of the Caribbean Balancing homework Game Mechanics 12 ln12 subtopics space, nested space, objects, attributes and states, secrets, actions, emergent game play, rules, goals, real skills, virtual skills, chance, skill and chance interaction random distributions 12 CO11, slides 16-18, 21-28,35-38 and feedback subtopics Schell's ten rules of probability the more dice are thrown, the more sum approximates a bell curve we can get unusual distributions in several ways special dice spinners decks of cards games can have positive or negative feedback game testing 28 CO10 subtopics how you ask people to test your game affects whether you get honest feedback distinction between investigator and playtester initially you are the playtester then your trusted friends tissue playtesters for measuring first time experience others might be found to test game make available on internet for testing puzzles 14 ln14 subtopics differences between puzzles and games, replayability of games, principles of good puzzles We also went through the initial implementation of the Coin Dash game.