Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURe 10.2
during the night cycle
in the “Outbreak”
level of StarCraft II ,
you must defend your
base against hordes of
mutants.
StarCraft II is a great example of how to build varying levels from the same core of
game mechanics. By changing goals, disabling certain mechanisms, or adding a
novel mechanism that works in a level only, you can get a lot of gameplay out of
the same core. These changes to the circumstances of individual levels will require
players to explore a wider variety of strategies—they can't use the same approach to
every level.
Storytelling
As we discussed in Chapter 2, games of progression often tell stories as part of their
entertainment. Storytelling helps to structure levels and guide players. Stories give
players a motive for achieving goals that otherwise would remain abstract or mean-
ingless. Killing orcs in a fantasy game obtains emotional significance when the
game's story frames it as an act of vengeance or self-defense.
Stories in games work best when the mechanics, the level structure, and the dramatic
arc interconnect seamlessly. The typical dungeon structure in The Legend of Zelda
works because it creates synergy between story, level layout, and game mechanics.
Link nearly always fights a mini-boss halfway through the level to obtain a special
weapon that he'll need to defeat the dungeon's end boss. This structure gives the
player ample opportunity to explore the new mechanics associated with the special
weapon. It creates variety by introducing the new mechanics partway through the
 
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