Principles of Game Design Squirrel Eiserloh Technical Director MumboJumbo Games [email protected]

Principles of Game DesignPrinciples of Game Design

Squirrel EiserlohSquirrel Eiserloh

Technical DirectorTechnical DirectorMumboJumbo GamesMumboJumbo Games

[email protected]@eiserloh.netwww.ALGDS.orgwww.ALGDS.org

IntroductionsIntroductions

Who am I?Who am I?

Game designer / programmerGame designer / programmer Started writing games on the Apple Started writing games on the Apple

IIe around 1980IIe around 1980 1997 – 2001: Ion Storm1997 – 2001: Ion Storm 2001 – 2006: Ritual Entertainment2001 – 2006: Ritual Entertainment 2007 – Present: MumboJumbo2007 – Present: MumboJumbo

Who am I?Who am I?

Worked on games in wide variety of Worked on games in wide variety of genres:genres: Casual games Casual games Role-playing gamesRole-playing games Action/Adventure gamesAction/Adventure games First-person shootersFirst-person shooters

Who am I?Who am I?

Published games include:Published games include: AnachronoxAnachronox Star Trek: Elite Force IIStar Trek: Elite Force II Counter-Strike for XBoxCounter-Strike for XBox Counter-Strike: Condition ZeroCounter-Strike: Condition Zero 25 to Life25 to Life Quake 4Quake 4 Medal of Honor: AirborneMedal of Honor: Airborne Luxor 3Luxor 3

Other projects have included: Lord of the Other projects have included: Lord of the Rings, Legacy of Kain, Tomb Raider, Rings, Legacy of Kain, Tomb Raider, Brothers in Arms, etc.Brothers in Arms, etc.

Who am I?Who am I?

ALGDS (Ad Lib Game ALGDS (Ad Lib Game Development Society)Development Society) Game Jams: Make a Game Jams: Make a

Game in 48 HoursGame in 48 Hours

ICS (Immersion ICS (Immersion Composition Society)Composition Society) Music Jams: Make an Music Jams: Make an

album in 24 Hoursalbum in 24 Hours

Teacher / mentor / Teacher / mentor / lecturerlecturer

First Things FirstFirst Things First

Very few hard and fast rulesVery few hard and fast rules

ElizabethElizabeth: Wait! You have to take : Wait! You have to take me to shore. According to the me to shore. According to the Code of the Order of the Code of the Order of the Brethren... Brethren...

BarbossaBarbossa: First, your return to : First, your return to shore was not part of our shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing. And so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply and the pirate's code to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the code you're not. And thirdly, the code is is more what you'd call more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules"guidelines" than actual rules. . Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner.Miss Turner.

Collision of Classical vs. Collision of Classical vs. RomanticRomantic

Trying to deliver Romantic quantities (fun / beauty / excitement) through Classical means (programming, computers, game mechanics, scheduling, budget, etc).

There Is No Wise Old ManThere Is No Wise Old Man

Wil Wright (Sims, SimCity) Sid Meier (Civilization)

Shigeru Miyamoto (Mario, Zelda) idiot

Start With the Big QuestionsStart With the Big Questions

Why are you doing this?Why are you doing this? Self-fulfillment?Self-fulfillment? To share part of yourself with others?To share part of yourself with others? To create an experience for others?To create an experience for others? To make money?To make money? To gain renown?To gain renown? To change the world?To change the world?

Who is the intended “consumer” of your Who is the intended “consumer” of your work?work?

Start With the Big QuestionsStart With the Big Questions

What is it that you’re actually providing What is it that you’re actually providing (selling)?(selling)? WRONG:WRONG:

A paintingA painting A gameA game A piece of softwareA piece of software A musical recordingA musical recording

RIGHT:RIGHT: An experienceAn experience A messageA message A lessonA lesson Fantasy fulfillmentFantasy fulfillment EscapeEscape Sense of accomplishmentSense of accomplishment EmotionEmotion

Principles of Game DesignPrinciples of Game Design

Marketers, Teachers, Game Marketers, Teachers, Game DesignersDesigners

Axiom for all three of these types of Axiom for all three of these types of people:people: FIRST, you must GRAB their interestFIRST, you must GRAB their interest THEN, you must KEEP their interestTHEN, you must KEEP their interest

You have 3 secondsYou have 3 seconds ...in which to interest them for 30 seconds......in which to interest them for 30 seconds... ...in which to interest them for 30 minutes......in which to interest them for 30 minutes... ...in which to interest them for 3 hours......in which to interest them for 3 hours... ...in which to get them hooked for life...in which to get them hooked for life

Focus on the User ExperienceFocus on the User Experience

Constantly remember to ask yourself:Constantly remember to ask yourself: ““What does the user do?”What does the user do?” ““What does the user feel?”What does the user feel?”

Constantly put yourself in the user’s Constantly put yourself in the user’s shoesshoes This is one of the hardest things in the worldThis is one of the hardest things in the world This is also what makes a great Teacher This is also what makes a great Teacher

greatgreat

Feed People’s Fundamental Feed People’s Fundamental NeedsNeeds

CreationCreation

Roller Coaster Tycoon


CreationCreation DestructionDestruction

Medal of Honor


CreationCreation DestructionDestruction ExplorationExploration

Super Metroid


CreationCreation DestructionDestruction ExplorationExploration BelongingBelonging

Second Life


CreationCreation DestructionDestruction ExplorationExploration BelongingBelonging FantasyFantasy

Final Fantasy

Make the Player Feel SmartMake the Player Feel Smart

Players like to be Players like to be challenged...challenged...

...but they NEVER like ...but they NEVER like being made to feel being made to feel stupidstupid

...and they really love ...and they really love feeling smartfeeling smart

A good challenge is A good challenge is one that is:one that is: Easy enoughEasy enough that it that it

won’t stump the playerwon’t stump the player Hard enoughHard enough that the that the

player feels really good player feels really good when she overcomes itwhen she overcomes it

Make the Player Feel SmartMake the Player Feel Smart

This is true in other art forms as well:This is true in other art forms as well: Visual ArtsVisual Arts MusicMusic

Understanding lyricsUnderstanding lyrics

If a user has to “earn it”, the experience is If a user has to “earn it”, the experience is often much more satisfying and rewardingoften much more satisfying and rewarding Referencial jokesReferencial jokes Discovery of layered content or meaningDiscovery of layered content or meaning Recognition of underlying structural relationshipsRecognition of underlying structural relationships

Usability is KingUsability is King

FamiliarityFamiliarity leads to... leads to... ComfortComfort, which leads to..., which leads to... Open-mindednessOpen-mindedness, which leads to..., which leads to... UnderstandingUnderstanding, which leads to..., which leads to... AcceptanceAcceptance, which leads to..., which leads to... AdoptionAdoption, which leads to..., which leads to... AddictionAddiction

Leveraging MetaphorLeveraging Metaphor

Game #1 : Game #1 : FifteensFifteens

Rules:Rules: Two playersTwo players 9 numbered cards, face up: 9 numbered cards, face up:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,91,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 Players take turns picking one Players take turns picking one

card eachcard each First player with 3 cards summing First player with 3 cards summing

15 wins15 wins E.g. 1,5,9 or 2,6,7E.g. 1,5,9 or 2,6,7

Strategy:Strategy: Try to collect cards summing to 15 Try to collect cards summing to 15

while at the same time denying while at the same time denying your opponent the card(s) she your opponent the card(s) she needs to complete her own sum needs to complete her own sum (e.g. she has 3,8 – steal the 4)(e.g. she has 3,8 – steal the 4)

Dude, that game sucksDude, that game sucks


Game #2 : Game #2 : Tic-Tac-ToeTic-Tac-Toe

Rules:Rules: Two players, X and OTwo players, X and O 3x3 grid3x3 grid Players take turns putting Players take turns putting

their mark in an empty celltheir mark in an empty cell First player with 3-in-a-row First player with 3-in-a-row

winswins

Strategy:Strategy: Block your opponent’s Block your opponent’s

lines while attempting to lines while attempting to complete your owncomplete your own

My 5-year-old can play thisMy 5-year-old can play this


Game #1 : Game #1 : FifteensFifteens

Rules:Rules: Two playersTwo players 9 numbered cards, face up: 9 numbered cards, face up:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,91,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 Players take turns picking one Players take turns picking one

card eachcard each First player with 3 cards summing First player with 3 cards summing

15 wins15 wins E.g. 1,5,9 or 2,6,7E.g. 1,5,9 or 2,6,7

Strategy:Strategy: Try to collect cards summing to 15 Try to collect cards summing to 15

while at the same time denying while at the same time denying your opponent the card(s) she your opponent the card(s) she needs to complete her own sum needs to complete her own sum (e.g. she has 3,8 – steal the 4)(e.g. she has 3,8 – steal the 4)

FifteensFifteens and and Tic-Tac-ToeTic-Tac-Toe are the are the SAME GAMESAME GAME


Science fiction writers do this a Science fiction writers do this a lot:lot:

LaForgeLaForge: "So, this alien space-: "So, this alien space-baby, which is about the size of a baby, which is about the size of a four story building, four story building, reallyreally felt the felt the Enterprise was its mother." Enterprise was its mother."

ScottyScotty: "Oh, you're pulling an old : "Oh, you're pulling an old man's leg!" man's leg!"

LaForgeLaForge: "No, really! It was : "No, really! It was suckling power directly from suckling power directly from ship's fusion reactors. So Doctor ship's fusion reactors. So Doctor Brahms and I changed the power Brahms and I changed the power frequency from twenty-one frequency from twenty-one centimeters to point-zero-two centimeters to point-zero-two centimeters." centimeters."

ScottyScotty: “You soured the milk!" : “You soured the milk!"

Using Direct / Natural Using Direct / Natural MappingsMappings










≠


Buying weapons and equipment using a Pie Menu in Counter-Strike for XBox

Using Natural MechanismsUsing Natural Mechanisms






Usability is King!Usability is King!

It should always be It should always be intuitively obviousintuitively obvious to the user: to the user: What she can do at any timeWhat she can do at any time What results to expect from her actionsWhat results to expect from her actions

My mother and double-clickingMy mother and double-clicking


Make it Make it hard to hard to misunderstandmisunderstand the the systemsystem

Make it hard (or Make it hard (or impossible!) to use the impossible!) to use the system the wrong waysystem the wrong way

The system should The system should forgive mistakes forgive mistakes easily, and it should easily, and it should be easy to undo a be easy to undo a mistakemistake


Enumerate different Enumerate different possible interactions possible interactions the user might the user might expect / assume, and expect / assume, and ask “ask “what are the what are the consequences if the consequences if the user assumes user assumes reasonable interaction reasonable interaction A and the system A and the system actually uses B?actually uses B? What What about the reverse?”about the reverse?”

e.g. Double-clicking e.g. Double-clicking when only a single when only a single click is neededclick is needed


Make consequences of player Make consequences of player actions predictableactions predictable

Things that look alike should Things that look alike should behave alikebehave alike

Symmetry and ConsistencySymmetry and Consistency






All colossi have these weakness pointsAll colossi have these weakness points All weakness points look, and are, identicalAll weakness points look, and are, identical Each colossus has points in different locationsEach colossus has points in different locations


Three different control schemes!?!?Three different control schemes!?!?

Hedgehog ConceptHedgehog Concept

Hedgehog ConceptHedgehog Concept

Pick one thing and do that really, really, wellPick one thing and do that really, really, well Don’t try to be everything to everyoneDon’t try to be everything to everyone Make the “core” activity really, really funMake the “core” activity really, really fun

Mechanics vs. DynamicsMechanics vs. Dynamics

DynamicsDynamics emerge out of the use and emerge out of the use and interaction of interaction of MechanicsMechanics

Better to apply 2 mechanics 5 ways Better to apply 2 mechanics 5 ways each than to have 10 different each than to have 10 different mechanicsmechanics


Few Mechanics, Many DynamicsMany Mechanics, Some Dynamics


You can build a lot of stuff with these few You can build a lot of stuff with these few toolstools

Summary and TakeawaySummary and Takeaway

There’s no wise old man out thereThere’s no wise old man out there You never know if it’s good until after You never know if it’s good until after

you’ve made ityou’ve made it Think about your userThink about your user Make them feel goodMake them feel good Make your designs “self-evident”Make your designs “self-evident” Dynamics are better than MechanicsDynamics are better than Mechanics Keep it simple, stupidKeep it simple, stupid

Summary and TakeawaySummary and Takeaway

““Everything should be made as simple as Everything should be made as simple as possible - but no simpler”possible - but no simpler”

Questions?Questions?

Documents

Principles of Game Design Squirrel Eiserloh Technical Director MumboJumbo Games [email protected]