The Anatomy of a Design Document, Part 2: Documentation Guidelines for the Functional and Technical Specifications
The Anatomy of a Design Document, Part 2: Documentation Guidelines for the Functional and Technical Specifications Editor's note: Part 1 of this article was published on 10.19.99. Did you ever look at one of those huge design documents that barely fit into a four-inch thick, three-ring binder? You assume that by its page count that it must be good. Well, having read some of those design volumes from cover to cover, I can tell you that size does not matter. This article is part two of a two part series that provides guidelines that when followed will ensure that your design documents will be pertinent and to the point. Functional vs Technical Specifications Traditionally in the game industry, there was only one spec. This problem was tackled as more and more seasoned programmers and managers of business software development moved into games. Therefore, the technical staff waited until the functional specification was approved and signed-off before starting on the technical specification.
Effectively Organize Your Game’s Development With a Game Design Document
Have you ever dived right in to developing a game, but found yourself having to constantly change aspects of the design or the gameplay due to a lack of planning? You should consider using a game design document: a guiding vision of the game as a whole, pulling together ideas and plans for the design, development, and business sides of your game. Introduction To put it simply: we like to tell stories. And as the stories grew in complexity, so did the tools used in their making. Although video games were first just about getting the highest score possible when faced with a determined task, developers soon realized the endless possibilities laying ahead of them. A game has the potential to bond player and story in a way never seen before. Unfortunately, since a game is composed of so many different elements, different experts from different areas are required in its creation, making the coordination of the development process a rather tricky job. Overview Marketing High Concept Gameplay Art
Stuart Lilford's Blog - 5 Common mistakes made by students making their first games and how to fix them
The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. As a lecturer in game design I see and play a lot of student games. These are often the first games these students have ever made. I have seen some really talented students develop their first games and I’ve noticed a few recurring mistakes in some of their early work (even the really talented ones). Obviously everyone’s first few games are awful, mine own included (see: The Adventures of Turquoise Macdonald), but I believe that with a little sprinkle of polish over some of these areas, student games can overcome these common mistakes and their games could evolve from awful to almost-good. Every year I teach students how to make games and inevitable I am asked the question “how do I add a menu” or “how do I add pause functionality to the game”. Tutorials are a contentious subject.
Liz England's Blog - Types of Designers
The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. “So who writes the story? In an effort to help clarify “what does a game designer do?” The truth is, any general definition of design has flaws because the actual responsibilities of a designer varies depending on the size of the studio, the platform, the genre, the size of the game, the studio culture regarding roles, how specialized people are, and even whether there is a “design department” at that studio. Designer / Game Designer Generic term to mean any or all of the design specializations, used at any size studio, any genre, etc. Overall, designers are concerned with the rules of the game, what ways a player can interact with the game, how the mechanics and story work to provide a desired experience to the player. Junior Designer / Associate Designer Senior Designer Lead Designer Writer
Slaton White's Blog - Tools of a Game Designer: What I use and What is out There
The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. There are a variety of ways to go about designing a game. Luckily enough I’ve had enough projects to work on and enough freedom to try different ways to design them. Some ways have completely failed me and others have shown real promise. Come up with the aesthetic(s)Find what dynamics support the aesthetic(s) Build mechanics that make the dynamics workUse iterative design to test how close my idea of the game is to the actual gameGo through the entire game with player empathy in mindSee what target market works best for the game Testing, testing, testing, and more testing Before you start building your game you need to decide what the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics (MDA) are. As a game designer, iterative design is my favorite method for solving problems and testing new ideas.
What Games Are: Is Formal Game Design Valuable?
Editor’s note: Tadhg Kelly is a consultant game designer and creator of leading game design blog What Games Are. You can follow him on Twitter here. There’s a number of us who claim the title of “game designer” but we aren’t really a contiguous group. Three Design Ideals In my travels I’ve encountered three ideas of what game design is or should be. The first could be described as the “architect” model. The second model could be described as the “maker”. Then the third model could be described as the “engineer”. Three Design Problems All three approaches have significant advantages depending on the type of game being made, but they also have their shortcomings. The architect-designer runs into disconnects. The maker-designer runs into a very different kind of problem. Meanwhile the engineer-designers’ problem is that groupthink leads to conservatism. Formal Game Design There is a fourth model. There are some people who consider game design to be an emerging formal discipline. …Maybe
Combat Game Designer: What Do Combat Designers Do? What Unique Skills Are Required for Combat Design?
Did you know... Each year more than 25% of the student population of The Digital Animation & Visual Effects School (DAVE School) comes from outside the US to attend the school at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. There are currently students attending from Saudi Arabia, England, South Korea, Russia, Venezuela, and Dubai. DAVE School can provide assistance in securing student visas and student housing. Do you have aspirations to become a game designer on a game like God of War, Mortal Combat, or Devil May Cry? The combat designer's main job or any designer’s job is to keep the design true to the pillars of the game. Let’s take, for example, that you are tasked with creating a giant elephant mini-boss. DamageThe heavy attack should do more damage than the light attack, enough that any player could instantly tell a difference between attacks. Animation All attacks should have a tip off period to give the player time to react.
