Multimedia Games
Development
COM429
Week 7 Game design issues
(Genres)
Lecture overview
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Review design issues related to specific
game genres
Student should be able to assess and weigh
factors that influence the design of games in
the different genres
Game genres
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Action games
Role playing games
Adventure games
Strategy games
Simulations
Sports games
Fighting games
Casual games
God games
Educational games
Serious games
Online games
Genre: Action games
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Objective is to keep the player engaged and
active at all times
Player skills are hand to eye coordination
and quick reflexes
Limited deep thought required
May require puzzle solving abilities and
tactical/strategic decision making
Action games: perspective
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Player must have a good view of the game action
to be able to respond quickly
Typically first or third person perspective
First person perspective allows fast paced action
Better player immersion
Lacks player identification with game character
Action games: perspective
Third person perspective
 More appropriate for action adventure
 See the character you are controlling
 Personalise and identify with the
character
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Action games: level design
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Good level design is crucial to the success
of an action game
Level must be visually appealing and
functional
Focus on fast action
Consistent with storyline
Well structured to regulate action and flow of
game
Careful balancing required
Action Games: Weapons
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Weapon design an integral part of an action
game
Needs to be consistent with setting and
storyline
Must be balanced with other weapons and
be appropriate to the challenge
Include features attractive to users
Must have good audio/visual features
Action Games: Weapons
Call of Duty
Energy sword Halo
BFG Doom
Action Games: Game engines
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Choose game engine
Option to make your own (time consuming and
costly but will have only the functionality
required)
License from a developer, cheaper option
(maybe) but will be feature heavy
Unreal engine
“A non-refundable, non-recoupable license fee is due on execution of the agreement.
The cost is US $350,000 for one of the available Unreal Engine 2 platforms, plus US
$50,000 for each additional platform. A royalty of 3% is due on all revenue from the
game, calculated on the wholesale price of the product minus (for console SKUs)
console manufacturer fees. In the case of massive-multiplayer online games, the
royalty is also due on the additional forms of revenue including subscriptions and
advertisements.”
Action Games: Game engines
Game engine selection considerations
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Cost
Ease of use
Cross-platform capabilities
Look-and-feel
Support
Availability
Extendibility
Genre: Role playing
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Genre revolves around storyline, characters
and combat.
Ensure correct balance
Usually situated in large virtual worlds
Large overhead in terms of time
commitment
Need to ensure intuitive design
Genre: Role playing
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Focus on character development
Starts vulnerable and unskilled
Grows in strength and abilities through challenges
Develops to a point where any challenge/boss is
surmountable
Essential to ensure player choice
Class or clan of character
Attributes e.g. skill or magic (game balance
limitations)
Player empathy important to bond with character
World of Warcraft classes
Paladin | Rogue | Priest | Hunter
Genre: Role playing
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Based on statistics of game elements and
interaction
Ability to micromanage character development or
facilitate action and adventure
Genre: Role playing
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Strength of storyline central
Delivered in digestible chunks through quests and
mission
Lets players explore worlds and interact
Option of linear or nonlinear storyline
Range of short, mid and long terms goals with a
final objective
Genre: Role playing
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Player development typically central
Requires intuitive interface to ensure smooth
control
Can be real time or turn based with meaningful
choices in combat
Difficulty levels need to be managed carefully
Initial stages of game important to master basic
survival skills and hook player
Genre: Adventure Games
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Story driven and puzzle based
Requires gripping storyline
Players activities based around theme
Must maintain interest (tasks, places, people)
Genre: Adventure Games
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Appropriate puzzles/ obstacles must be
overcome to achieve players goals
Puzzles must be challenging but not
impossible
Short period of frustration leading to inspired
solution
God of War
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Minotaur step puzzle
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You need to use Medusa's Gaze to freeze the
Minotaur as it steps on the button to open the
gate on the other end. From there, quickly roll to
the open gate before it un-freezes.
Crate pushing puzzle
Bow and arrow puzzle
Etc….
Genre: Adventure Games
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Each puzzle should be logical and
appropriate to the setting
Derived from the game villain to hinder hero
progress
Sensible approach with adequate clues
Should advance storyline or deliver reward
Genre: Adventure Games
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Simple intuitive interface
Maximum flexibility with minimum effort
Trade off of complexity versus usability
Appropriate to game progress (Puzzle solving)
Elements include inventory and interaction
Genre: Adventure Games
Linear or nonlinear storyline
 Player freedom to make meaningful
choices
 Excessive choice may lose player
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Design large open areas
Include activities that can be completed in
any order
Level ends with summary and moves on
Genre: Adventure Games
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Players should be given the chance to explore the
game world (with storyline constraints)
Staggered access
Typically as rewards for task completion
Genre: Strategy Games
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Essential element is game balance
Requires extensive iterative testing
Prototype and test early
Balance essential in all elements
Must be fair with equal chance of winning
Genre: Strategy Games
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Focus on resource management of materials
(Gold, oil, supplies)
Careful balance for thoughtful and strategic
spending
Resources should be renewalable and
accessible
Balanced consumption across factions or
classes
Genre: Strategy Games
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Typically multiple opposing teams
All teams should have equal chance to win
Based on good strategic decisions a good
player should be able to ensure victory for
any team
Genre: Strategy Games
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Relationship between weapon and unit strength is
critical
Clear distinguishing characteristics (functional and
aesthetic)
Limit access (Not given to all sides)
Balance between defensive and offensive (must be
a way to defend against any weapon)
Genre: Strategy Games
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Good artificial intelligence is essential (Strategy
Action Game Engine for C&C Generals)
Sometimes best choice should not be used
(Location of advanced weapons)
Balance of difficulty
Some element of randomness
Actions must be logical
Essential to test, test and test to get balance right
Possible public beta programs
Genre: Strategy Games
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Have variety of missions based on a single
objective
Quality over quantity
Clear objectives, outcomes and deliverables
Appropriate use of cut scenes and cinematics
Genre: Games Simulations
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Simulations require a substantial amount of
depth
Involves extensive research
Simulations need to accurately model
experience
Necessary to maintain player interest levels
Provide interesting tasks or objectives
Increase immersion with feedback
Genre: Simulations
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Microsoft Flight simulator X
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Blazing Angels
Genre: Simulations
Focus on target audience, determines level of realism
Casual gamer
 Ease of use a priority
 Simplified controls
 Main objective is immediate gratification
 Mastering game requires more attention to detial
Dedicated fan
 Total realism
 No level of detail too trivial
 Must mirror real life experience
 Pull in real time weather (Microsoft flight simulator X)
Genre: Simulations
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Interface design can be challenging
Functionality++ = Interface complexity++
Objective is to simplify interface while
remaining faithful to functionality
Genre: Sports
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Sports games typically played by sports fans
Players have good knowledge of sport,
history and rules
High level of accuracy
Madden NFL 2007
Genre: Sports
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Critical to get rules and nuances of the sport
correct
Have awareness of history and traditions
Allow rules to be changed (within balance
constraints)
FIFA 2007 Turn off penalties for tackles
Genre: Sports
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Sports games have an on-field and off-field
element
May need to include training, coaching and
management decisions
Football Manager
Genre: Sports
Copyright and trademarks
 Legal minefield
 Real people, stadiums and uniforms
 Requires licensing and permission to use
Genre: Sports
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Sports games require accurate representation of
motion
Budget for motion capture into design and budget
Extensive use of camera angles
Allow player to see action at all times
Genre: Sports
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Interface optimized for individual game
Ambience key in game to increase
immersion (stadium/arena noises,
commentary)
Genre: Fighting Games
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Intense and fast paced
Levels of controller complexity
Essential to ensure character balance
Fights should be appropriately timed
Virtua Fighter 5
Genre: Fighting Games
Can include high level of strategic decision
making
Genre: Fighting Games
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Visuals are important
High level of design in venues
Each character has unique moves
Fast paced action requires smooth animation
Genre: Fighting Games
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Standard moves should be easy to master
e.g. punches, kicks and blocks
Special moves, combos and finishing moves
harder to master
Difficulty level important to get right
Victory always just within reach
Mastering complex moves key to progress
Video of Mortal Combat finishing moves
Genre: Casual Games
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No in-depth game play
Played for short period
Simple rules and simple interface
Popcap games
Genre: God Games
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Players need to be involved in compelling
activities without being over directed
Include diverse range of tasks and flexible
building blocks
Careful design of interface required to
balance functionality and range of activities
Genre: God Games
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Interface should allow players to easily navigate
game world
Core of games is a complex set of rules that
determines game play
Provide instant feedback on player activities.
Vary speed of game play
Genre: God Games
Complex AI
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A creature's mind is made up of desires, beliefs and actions:
Your creature has beliefs and desires. Hunger is one desire. He
might believe that he should eat when hungry, should eat
villagers, should not eat children. These beliefs add up into a
possible action — in this case, the action is eating an adult.
There are several actions possible at a time — eating a child,
eating an adult, eating a fish. Your creature chooses which
action, based on which has the strongest "should." Then it
performs the action — in this case, eating the adult.
Black and white 2 game AI
Genre: Educational Games
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Objective to teach player a specific skill or
learning outcome
Design game to meet this objective
Have clear goals for the player
Ensure adherence to key curriculum in game
content design
Design game for player capabilities e.g. age
and skills
Genre: Educational Games
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Designing for children should have a high
level of interactivity and instant feedback
Interface and control should be simple to
account for motor skills
Engage emotions and include rewards
Wrap content into goal-oriented behavior
Ensure content that is appropriate for age
Genre: Serious Games
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Serious games share characteristics of
standard games
End objective is not entertainment
“America's Army, the Official US Army Game (AA), provides young Americans with
a virtual web-based environment in which they can explore Army career...”
Genre: Serious Games
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Realism more important than entertainment
Accurate and precise real world events
critical e.g. emergency response training
Usually corporate based, hardware not state
of the art
Users may not be game players
Genre: Serious Games
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Interface design/game play must be
accessible to the target audience
http://www.totemlearning.com/
Genre: Serious Games
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Stay focused on the game objectives
Avoid over complication
Realism paramount
Be aware of deliverables and costs
Tracking and assessing user progress
important
Ensure learning outcomes met
Player must see benefits of experience
Genre: Online Games
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Most games now include an online element
Business model and income generation
Monthly billing/in-game ads
World of Warcraft monthly billing
Genre: Online Games
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Ensure game play is consistent
Stop cheating
Breaking game rules has negative effects
Ruins immersion
Ruins consistency
Not fair
PunkBuster Anti-Cheat software
Genre: Online Games
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Game lag a huge problem
Effects game play
Game design should allow drop in/outs
Facilitate updates
Multimedia Games
Development
COM429
Week 7 Game design issues
(Genres)