Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
This time, the “death” is merely a setback rather than a complete loss, and doesn't generate as
intense a negative emotional response for the player. Meanwhile, respawning encourages the player
to try again by putting them right back into the game.
Another way to accomplish this would be to allow the player character to lose health points with
each hit, so it takes an accumulation of hits to finally kill the player character. The player can thus
afford to make a few mistakes as they attempt the obstacles.
Positive Reinforcement
Relief from negative consequences turns the direction of emotions into the positive, but might only
go so far and leave the player in the neutral zone. Neutral is, well, neutral. Bland. Boring. Better than
angry or frustrated, but not particularly fun.
Positive reinforcement is fun, and it can come in many forms. The most common is earning points
toward the classic achievement of a high score. Unlocking a minigame or new level, collecting loot
or money, achieving a higher skill level, obtaining a more powerful weapon or better gear, earning
achievements, and activating power-ups are all forms of positive reinforcement. Depending on the
nature of your game you might find a place for some comic relief or just plain silliness.
Easter eggs
get their name from the classic Easter egg hunt where the egg, once found, contains
a surprise. The surprise could be anything: an extra power, a joke, a secret message, a funny image
or video clip, a cheat code, or anything you like. Easter eggs add to the fun, but don't necessarily
positively reinforce anything having to do with the gameplay. In fact, since by their nature Easter
eggs are hidden in unusual locations in the game environment, the player may explore seemingly
uninteresting corners on the off chance they might come across one.
Explicit praise is also positive reinforcement—who doesn't like to hear how awesome they are?
Praise can be text, dialogue, a response from an NPC, or come in other forms such as sound and
particle effects.
In our obstacle course example, positive reinforcement might take the form of collecting coins (since
we have a coin asset readily available in the Sample Assets), where obtaining a certain number of
coins means adding an extra life or more health. Underneath the ramp is a perfect place to hide an
Easter egg.
The Game Design Document
The game design document (GDD) is the actual blueprint for the game. How did we get from
scripting all the way over to the game design document? The GDD describes gameplay—that is,
how the player interacts with the game. “Gameplay” is similar to “fun” in terms of the difficulty in
finding a clear, all-encompassing description. Definitions include factors such as the choices and
tasks presented to the player, the emotional connection and responses while playing, the storyline,
and the overall experience while playing, but most agree on player interaction as the fundamental
component of gameplay. Since player interaction is governed by scripting, the GDD explains what
the game designer wants as the outcome of the code that you, the programmer, will create.
The GDD describes everything about the game. It doesn't have a specific format, but it typically has
three parts: a summary, a conceptual overview, and the nitty-gritty details. It conveys the gameplay
