A buddy of mine, Yudhanjaya (the ALC3HMIST on Yoyogames) wrote up this article for me. I guess it is for all that work on IndieGraph. Either way, here it is, and it is awesome. I will most likely split it into parts. Enjoy.
If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my ax.
– Abraham Lincoln
The first step: Design.
Before you start to make your game, you need to design it. “Dude, it’s gonna be like Counterstrike, only 2D and with aliens like in Halo,” is not going to be enough. And architect does not say “Dude, it’s gonna be like the Eiffel Tower, only three feet higher and painted red.” And artist does not say “Dude, it’s gonna be like Mona Lisa, but way hotter.”
To start off, you need to have a clear idea of your game laid out in your head. What is my game’s genre? What’s the gameplay like? How will it handle, look, and sound? What’s my theme? That’s the game design. Game design is a complex and very large subject; there are entire degrees on the field, so don’t assume I can impart to you all the game design wisdom in the world in a few pages. Or even in a few years. One learns about good game design by experience; and experience comes from building games, not reading about them. To start you off, I’ll give you a set of basic questions to ask yourself:
1) What is my game about?
2) What is its theme?
3) What emotions and challenges am I going to bring to the player?
4) What are the gameplay elements?
5) How will it look? [Visual feel]
6) How will it sound? [Audio and music]
7) How will it handle? [Controls and player-game interface]
8) What innovative features does it have? In other words, what’s special about my game?
9) Lastly: What is its genre?
Seems like a lot? Yes, it probably is. That’s because building a good game is a lot of work. Anyone can blunder about and build a game. But to build a good game takes thought, dedication and hard work –good design. It doesn’t matter if you have the shiniest, flashiest graphics – everything else needs to be on par, especially the gameplay. That’s why people still play Super Mario, after 30 years. It’s why gamers stick to Counterstrike, even though the graphics are almost worthless in these in this HD age. They were designed well. Great games are made or broken at this initial phase itself. Let’s look at the questions a bit closer.
1) What is my game about?
Obviously. Like, duh. It’s a racer. Or maybe it’s a shooter. But what’s it about? Is it about evading cops, modifying your car and taking down your rivals in fierce street races [Need for Speed: Most Wanted]. Or is it about playing as a bunch of American Spec Ops operatives hell-bent on stopping a Russian madman bent on nuclear war? [Call of Duty: Modern Warfare]. Is it about a plumber trying to save his girlfriend / princess, platforming over tons of levels to reach said damsel? [Super Mario]
This is the starting point. Every other question will be based on this one. Think carefully. Strip your game idea down to its core and cast it as an answer. Your game’s not going to be about magic, monsters, 50+ weapons and endless hours of gameplay; it’s going to be about building and playing as a character in an online world, leveling up, getting together with other players and kicking the hell some undead noggin [World of Warcraft]. The 50+ weapons and magic are all subordinate elements to this one. So get the answer straight.
2) What is its theme?
Building on the first question. Is it going to be medieval? Futuristic? Fantasy? Horror? Action? Here’s usually a one-word reply to this question. It’ll help you decide which direction your game will take. At points you game will divert from your design – this happens; sometimes you get lost in technological ninja-ing and forget what you set out to make. The theme defines how the game will “feel”, and will keep you on track.
As an example, take Darksiders. The theme is action. The developers did a good job of sticking to that, allowing users to experience the power and thrill of moving down enemies with the vastly powerful, mythical character of War,
3) What emotions and challenges am I going to bring to the player?
The question is two-fold. Great games are great because they inspire emotion n a player and provide challenge. Often the two are done in the same stroke. Portal, for example, gives you challenges – the mind-breaking portal puzzles – and the triumph when you’ve figured out that puzzle that seemed damn near impossible. Need For Speed gives you the thrill of speed and mastery of powerful, high-speed vehicles. To get down to GameMaker games: Battleships Forever gives you that feeling of victory you get when you pit a well-chosen fleet of starships against a sky full of enemies and win. It gives a challenge in controlling, balancing the strengths and weaknesses of your team, and picking a strategy that works.
That concludes part one. I hope you enjoyed it.
4250Games: http://4250games.wordpress.com/
IndieGraph: http://indiegraph.wordpress.com/
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