LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!

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An Intro to Prototyping Video Games

Hi I’m Tristan Angeles

• Board member IGDA Manila • A level designer for Chronicle Games (Caves and Chasms) • Indie Developer at Unravel Games and Party Animals • Ex-Game Designer at Gameloft(Order and Chaos Duels) • 2013 Manila Game Jam Best in Game Design( IAcademy) • Participant at Casual Connect Asia 2013 Indie Prize.

"I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."

Like invention game design involves experimentation.

Sums up the root of most of your indie problems.

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What do you need to know before embarking on thejourney?

The point of no return.

Core mechanics

Features

Game EconomyPhysics

Aesthetics

Dynamics

Paper Prototype!

To answer questions.

To generate new ones.

To reveal surprises.(good and bad)

Scratch that itch. Validate ideas.

Paper Prototype!

Example: Party Animals, a game about third world politics.(In development)

Mechanic Paper Prototype QuestionsBasic Gameplay(Core)Action Assignment Player tokens Too easy? Too complicated?

Turns How many turns

Gold Production Gold tokensHow much? When to produce?

Amount of Districts District CardsHow many districts?

District Stats Sample District stats xls

District Reputation Sample District stats xls How should reputation affect votes?

Kapitan RelationshipSample Kapitan Relationship xls, Kapitan Cards

Random EventsList of random events which has: stat goal, turns to complete, rewards How often random events should appear?

Votes How should we calculate votes?District InteractionSortie Action descriptions and effects Simpler or complex?

Educate Action descriptions and effects Simpler or complex?

Contest Action descriptions and effects Simpler or complex?

Smear Action descriptions and effects Simpler or complex?

Bribe Action descriptions and effects Simpler or complex?

New Kapitan Interaction(Core)Manipulate Sample formula for manipulate Fun? Necessary?

Convince Sample formula for convince Fun? Necessary?

Shift Sample formula for shift Fun? Necessary?

Gift Sample formula for gift Fun? Necessary?

Favor Points Favor tokens Fun? Necessary?

Kapitan Agendasample agenda for Kapitans, formula for agenda Fun? Necessary?

Kapitan Events Fun? Necessary?

Kapitan Relationship effects Fun? Necessary?Evil Actions(Core)Tags Sample list of possible tags

Discovery Formula for discoveryStaff(Core)Staff actions Staff tokens How many people in staff?

We made a list of questions.

Then made a very quick prototype to find the initial ‘feel’ of the game, the game flow etc.

Cards to represent districts.

Poker chips and various tokens to represent resources.

We play tested the game beginning with core

mechanics, then added new features with each

play testing session.

We learned a few things from play testing that would have cost us valuable resources had we started development

immediately.

1. Choose the fastest or easiest implementation. 2. Keep it ugly.

Event System AI

For more info on this project check out: !

http://heypartyanimals.com

Thank You Very Much! !

Tristan Ansel T. Angeles Game Designer at Chronicle Games

http://www.chroniclegames.com

Designer/Developer at Unravel Games and Party Animals Twitter :@unravelgames

Email: caladan21ph@gmail.comTwitter : @tristanangeles

Linkedin: http://ph.linkedin.com/in/tristanangeles/