Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
In many action-adventure games, abilities unlock new areas for the player to
explore, but often it is the player's level of skill that determines whether he is able
to reach a certain location in the game world. Use the environment to measure
your player's ability. Children do this all time in the real world, trying to walk on
low walls, jump over fences, or set themselves challenges such as not stepping on
cracks in the pavement. Many games use this learning instinct to great effect. When
players see a collectable coin in an odd location in a platform game, most will
immediately assume the designer intended it to be reachable and will try to find
out how to use their avatar's abilities and their own game-playing skills to get there.
You'll find that this instinctive and playful approach to the environment is a useful
design tool for creating compelling game worlds.
Focusing on Different Structures in Your Mechanics
Large games structure their gameplay into multiple distinct levels because their
mechanics are simply to complex to throw at the player at once, especially in the
early stages when the player doesn't know the game well. By creating different lev-
els or areas in the game that focus on different mechanisms, the game breaks down
its complex machinery into easier-to-manage segments. At the same time, it creates
more variety in the gameplay and can require the player to explore different strate-
gies for playing a particular game.
In some games, each level focuses on a different aspect of the game mechanics. This
requires a mechanics core that is large enough to include multiple structures that
generate their own gameplay—enough gameplay to carry a level. Early levels in the
game highlight different subsets of the mechanics, while later levels might include
all the mechanics.
Figure 10.1
illustrates this. It shows how different subsets of the
mechanics from the basic
Lunar Colony
game economy (Chapter 9) can be used to
create different levels. Because the core set of mechanisms of
Lunar Colony
is not
very large, each of these different versions will probably feel like a new introduction
to the game's mechanics.
StarCraft II
uses this technique to great effect
.
As with most real-time strategy games,
the economy of
StarCraft II
is extensive and includes resource harvesting, base build-
ing, and technology researching to create an effective strike force. The first level
doesn't involve any building. It simply lets you learn to manage your combat units
and focuses on movement and combat. The second level introduces the base and
resource-harvesting mechanics, but only a handful of buildings are available at this
time. Only after completing particular levels do more buildings and unit upgrade
options become available. After the first three levels, players get to choose which
level they would like to do next, allowing them to pursue specific goals.
