Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Describe the challenges that the game offers and any rewards that it gives for
achieving them.
Compare the physics of the behavior of the real vehicle to that of the simulated
vehicle. Try to find the performance characteristics of the real vehicle online, and
see if you think the simulated vehicle accurately duplicates them or exaggerates
them. If it diverges sharply from the real thing, explain why you think the design-
ers made that decision and what it does for the game.
Discuss the effects of weather and damage on the vehicle.
Briefly document the steering mechanism that the game implements. Note
important indicators that appear on the screen and explain how they improve the
playing experience.
Address the game's progression. Does it include a growth path such as a career
mode or campaign mode? If so, describe it. What challenges and actions are avail-
able when the player is not actually driving the vehicle? If the player's decisions
when
not
driving can affect the driving experience, indicate how.
The design questions in the next section may help you to think about these issues.
In your report, use screen shots to illustrate your points. End the case study with
suggestions for improvement or, if you feel the game cannot be improved, sugges-
tions for additional features that might be fun to have in the game.
Alternatively, choose a game that you believe is particularly
bad
. Do the same case
study, explaining what is wrong and how it could be improved.
A case study is neither a review nor a design document; it is an analysis. You are
not attempting to reverse-engineer the entire game but simply to explain how it
works in a general way. Your instructor will tell you the desired scope of the assign-
ment; we recommend from five to twenty pages.
Design Practice
QUESTIONS
1.
What vehicle are you going to simulate? Is it an existing car, plane, boat, tank,
and so on, or is it a fantasy vehicle?
2.
If it is an existing vehicle, are you aiming for the purist player who knows all its
technical specifications or for the casual player who simply wants to enjoy using it?
How detailed is the physics model going to be?
3.
How will the game handle damage to the vehicle? Can it be visually shown to
be damaged? (Licenses for real vehicles sometimes forbid this.) Will damage be
treated globally, like hit-points, or locally for individual parts of the machine?
