Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FiGuRe 6.9
In this example of a main menu, the spooky look and feel of the game are
clearly evident from the snowy tombstone behind the buttons that access different aspects of
the game.
instructions
Providing instructions for gameplay can be a slightly tricky undertaking. As
discussed previously, part of the fun of a game is figuring it out. Designers need
to make gameplay clear without boring the player with too much detail.
At this stage of game development, the genre and demographic should be
fairly well established, so begin by putting yourself in the shoes of your target
player. Try to anticipate players' needs and questions.
Instructions can come in the form of tutorials at the beginning of the game.
They can be either static images with words describing what the player needs to
do or movies explaining how to play. These tutorials can also be interactive. For
example, at the beginning of a game, players may be allowed to play through part
of a level, with help; their performance won't affect the final score they achieve
for the game as long as they're in the tutorial mode.
