Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Discuss the design of the puzzles. Was the reward for solving the puzzles bal-
anced with the difficulty of the puzzle? Did any of them require you to be familiar
with the culture of the designer/developer/publisher?
How does the designer get the personality of the lead characters across to the
player? Is visual style, language, or behavior most important?
Briefly document the interface for the game. Does the player interact with the
world in a direct or indirect manner? How well does the interface allow the player
to interact, or does the interface inhibit or limit interaction?
Address the game's progression. Does it include a growth path for the avatar? Is
the story linear, branching, or foldback (see Chapter 7)? Support your answer with
a diagram documenting some of the locations available in the game and the way
they are connected to each other.
The design questions in the next section may help you think about these issues. In
your report, use screen shots to illustrate your points. End the case study with sug-
gestions for improvement or, if you feel the game cannot be improved, suggestions
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 can 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; I recommend from five to twenty pages.
Design Practice
QUESTIONS
1.
Who is the central character in the game—the player's avatar? What is the ava-
tar's sex? (For the purposes of these design questions, assume that the player is
male and the avatar is female.) What does she look and sound like? What are her
personal qualities: strengths, weaknesses, interests, likes, and dislikes? What sort of
vocabulary and grammar does she use? What are her ethnic, social, religious, polit-
ical, and educational backgrounds? What is her personal history? What is her
family like?
2.
What is the story of the game? What is the avatar's ultimate goal? What will
occur at the dramatic climax? What things must she collect, learn, or achieve for
the dramatic climax to take place?
3.
Where does the game take place? What sort of a world is this? Is the player free
to move around these areas continuously throughout the story, or do one-way ele-
ments prevent him from returning to earlier areas?
