Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Under-the-hood mechanics.
Besides the mechanics the player can actually see,
there are a host of other mechanics that he can't.
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How hit points work with combat.
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Weapon damage .
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Ranking systems and how to keep track of rewards.
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Accuracy in combat.
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Reputation systems.
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How traversal works, for instance, how a player dismounts from a climbing
surface to the ledge above.
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How the player moves from one discrete area to another (is it streamed? Loaded
during a cutscene?).
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And much, much more!
The interface and heads-up display.
Also included are mockups of the interface,
the menu screens, and the heads-up display (HUD) that the player encounters while
playing the game. In complex games, the menus are normally presented in a flow
chart that allows the players to see where they're going when they choose a certain
option. Menus include the following.
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Front screen menu.
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Character creation menu/choose character menu.
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Multiplayer menu.
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Play mode menu (story mode, campaign mode, 1v1 mode, etc.).
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Save/load menu.
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Extra features menu.
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Options menu for controlling technical specifications.
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Credits screen.
The interface mock-up shows the placement of different meters, graphs, and
maps that the player sees when playing the game. It also shows where text is placed
on the screen (if text is shown) and possibly examples of interface-based systems such
as conversation trees and on-screen help text.
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