Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
immediately. This way, you can almost create the game as you play. Iteration cycles
do not get shorter than this.
Paper prototyping has two disadvantages: It is more difficult to involve test play-
ers, and not all mechanics translate to board games easily. If you are going to test a
paper prototype with new players, you will need to explain the rules to them your-
self—it's not worth the time to write them down, because you'll be changing them
all the time. In addition, test players, especially if they have little testing or board
game experience, might find it difficult to see how your paper prototype is related to
a video game.
More problematic is that not all mechanics translate to paper prototypes easily. As
we mentioned, mechanics that deal with a game's physics are difficult to translate.
Continuous mechanics, which are computationally intensive, really need to be
implemented on a computer. This is something to take into account when creating
a paper prototype: It is best used to test discrete mechanics. Paper prototyping is
more suited to designing mechanics that govern a game's economy or progression.
Physical Prototyping
Prototyping is not restricted to creating software or paper games; simply drafting
rules and playing the game out in real life can be just as effective. This is especially
true when a game has many continuous, physical mechanics. Running around an
office building armed with laser-tag guns can give you a fairly good idea of what a
first-person shooter game might feel like. Most of the time, this requires even less
preparation than paper prototyping. As with paper prototyping, physical prototyp-
ing is fast and adaptable. Some game designers mix physical and paper prototyping
techniques to great effect. However, again as with paper prototyping, physical pro-
totyping is not easy: Getting it right requires some skill and expertise from both
designers and players.
T IP
To appreciate the
opportunities offered
by physical prototyping,
it can be a good idea
to join (or observe) a
live-action role-play
(LarP) session. LarPers
employ a wide variety
of techniques to deal
with physical combat
safely and have come
up with ways to include
things that are not part
of our physical reality,
such as magic spells.
Because LarP takes
place in a specific loca-
tion, you will have to
find a LarP community
near you. The website
lists a few.
Prototype Focus
Apart from choosing the appropriate medium for your prototype, another critical
aspect of effective prototyping is finding the right focus. Before you start building
a prototype, you must ask yourself what you intend to learn from the exercise. If
you are trying to find out something about the balance of the economy, you will
need a different prototype from one intended to test a new user interface. Look
at the prototypes of
Spore
(
www.spore.com/comm/prototypes
).
Each was created for a
specific reason.
Choosing a single focus should help you create prototypes faster. If you are focusing
on one aspect, you do not have to prototype the entire game. A tight focus should
also help you get the right feedback from test players: They will be less distracted by
features (or bugs) that are unrelated to the issue you are studying.
