Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
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Mechanics.
Lopez uses this term to refer both to the core mechanics of the
game and the actions available to the player. This topic organizes these concepts
differently, so we'll look at core mechanics here and actions later. Generally speak-
ing, the core mechanics should become richer as the game goes along. In the early
levels, especially the tutorial levels, the internal economy of the game should be
easy for the player to learn. Later, the mechanics can become more intricate, as in
games like the
Civilization
series. Many games also exhibit economic growth through-
out the game, so the player is dealing with larger and larger quantities of resources—
money, hit points, horsepower, or whatever the game deems to be of value.
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Experience duration.
Except for the occasional atypical level (see the later sec-
tion “Make Atypical Levels Optional”), it should take more and more time to play
through each subsequent level. This rule is not absolute, but generally speaking,
levels later in the game should be longer than those earlier in the game.
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Ancillary rewards and environmental progression.
Ancillary rewards
are unre-
lated to the gameplay: cut-scenes, trophies, unlockable content, and so on. (When
the player gets to the end of
Silent Hill 3,
she earns the right to dress Heather, the
avatar character, in new clothes and play the game again wearing them. This has no
effect on the gameplay.) By
environmental progression
Lopez means enjoyable changes
in the landscape of the game world, which makes sense when the game involves
travel. Both of these provide novelty, one of the ways that video games entertain.
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Practical gameplay rewards.
These are rewards that directly influence the play-
er's future gameplay: new vehicles in driving games; new gear or skills in role-playing
games; new moves or characters in fighting games; new technology in strategy
games, and so on.
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Difficulty.
Generally speaking, the perceived difficulty of the game should go
up, remaining flat only for games for small children and some casual games.
Chapter 11 dealt with this issue extensively.
In addition to Lopez's list of features, you may wish to consider a few more:
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Actions available to the player.
Lopez lumped these together with mechanics,
but they aren't quite the same. A game can possess core mechanics that don't
change much from level to level, yet still offer players new moves or other activities
to perform as the game goes along. This is particularly noticeable in platform
games. It's always a good idea to introduce new actions through a series of tutorial
levels so that players can become skilled with one before learning the next one.
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Story progression.
As your player progresses through the game, he should also
progress through the story, if it has one. Exactly how this happens depends on a
number of design decisions you must make: whether the plot is linear or not, and
what mechanism causes the plot to advance. Chapter 7 addresses these details.
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Character growth.
Video game characters often become more powerful through
practical gameplay rewards, and sometimes they become more visually interesting
