5 Alternatives to a Game Design Doc « Gravity Ghost. If you're building a game with a team, communicating the design vision in a clear manner is essential.
So what does a game design look like? The most well-known way to describe a game's systems is by writing a Game Design Document. But I much prefer to work visually, so here are 5 ways you can communicate your vision without resorting to long blocks of text. Few things can sum up your goal like an illustration of the desired result. I sent this to my team on Friday, showing the systems we're going to be building for the next 90 days: Pencil sketch, plus a Photoshop pass for color and contrast. Even if you've embraced the philosophy of rapid prototyping and iteration, at each stage you need a goal to iterate towards. What if your game needs moving parts to explain what's going on? The final presentation had nearly 70 slides illustrating steps in the gameplay. Guide to a Better Game Design - YoYoGames Wiki. From YoYoGames Wiki Game Design is the most important part of any game, no matter how good the graphics , sounds , and game play are – no game would ever be complete without having good Game Design.
And, in this guide, we will show you some good ways to have good game design and therefore a good game in general. Love the Game! If you just want to make a game for the sake of it then stop right now! In order to make a good game, you need inspiration, you need to want to make the game, love the game idea, and love the game itself – enjoying playing this game! Have a Plan! Before the development process of a game starts, planning would help avoid any problems occurring during the development. Believe it or not, plans are always important. Also, let’s get one thing straight! After you have that all sorted out, then you are officially ready to start working on a good game that many people will (hopefully) like. Change is Fine!
Create an “Atmosphere” Variety is always good! Difficulty Random! Dynamic! Hyperbole Games. I bumped into Corey Young on Twitter like I have many of my design peers.
Like an athletic team recruiter seeking his first round draft pick, I began bugging Corey to write a column for Hyperbole because the man is opinionated, well-spoken, and has not one publishing deal, but many publishing deals. Corey has things to teach. I was delighted to read what I hope is only the first of many guest columns. Corey’s advice here is outstanding, thorough, and inspirational. It is absurdly quotable. Guest Column by: Corey Young (CoreyYoung.com) You’ve created the best boardgame since Senet, yet for some reason the big publishers haven’t sent a limousine to pick you up. If you think about it, you have several face-to-face opportunities with publishers each year. Does it work? The techniques I use are simple, but it requires a bit of preparation and finesse. (Step 1) Ensure that your game is ready: The goal of a pitch is for the publisher’s representative to look at your prototype. A Method for Developing Game Concepts.
I use this method along with other ideation methods (i.e. brainstorming).
Why do I use it? It’s better suited for iteration.It’s focused on creating a game concept, not a bunch of loose random ideas for features. It lets the individual take time to germinate game concepts. The first part of this method believes that the concept process should be iterative. While many sources talk about iterative approaches to design and development, I believe this should be an universal approach— from ideation-to-design-to-tuning of a game. Ideation if not focused correctly can develop concepts but leave the important questions that lead to a design unanswered. Most brainstorming methods focus on fast-group-procreation of concepts, this method encourages slow-individual-germination of game concepts. You can access the Quick Concept Format worksheet here.
How to use: Give your concept a working title. The QCF is also an excellent tool for aiding designers in structuring discussions about design. Game Design, Psychology, Flow, and Mastery - Articles - Slippery Slope and Perpetual Comeback. If a game has slippery slope, it means that falling behind causes you to fall even further behind.
For example, imagine that every time your team scored in basketball that the opponent’s team lost a player. In that game, falling behind is doubly bad because each basket counts for score AND it makes the opposing team less able to score points of its own. The actual game of basketball does not have this screwy feature though, so real basketball does not have slippery slope. Scoring in real basketball puts you closer to winning but does not at all hamper your opponents’ ability to score. Slippery slope is another name for positive feedback, a loop that amplifies itself as in a nuclear reaction. Slippery slope is usually a bad property in a game. StarCraft and Chess do have slippery slope. This is why there are a lot of forfeits in Chess.