Brent M. Dingle
Game Design and Development Program
Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science
University of Wisconsin - Stout
Content Based on Lecture by Diane Christie
There are many ways to plan out a game
By now you should have
seen
and tried
many
This is just one in case you get “stuck”
“Writer’s Block”
1.
Describe the game in one or two sentences
2.
Draw out a wireframe of the game’s menus or screen transitions
3.
Core game mechanics
•
Start with the rules and goals
•
•
•
4.
List the high level assets
•
5.
What can the player do? What can enemies do?
What does the environment look like/do?
What are the objectives?
coding scripts/classes, art, animation, sound, video
What are the technical requirements
•
•
What hardware will it need?
What tools will you need?
See implementation at
http://www.thepcmanwebsite.com/media/pacman_flash/
Pac-Man is the game
we will use to illustrate the steps
Move through a maze collecting food while
avoiding ghosts that are trying to catch you
This step should
Help you get in the “right mindset”
Provide some focus
Menus may/will change later, but it is a place to start thinking
Start simple and build from there
Establish Basic Mechanics by answering
What’s the environment?
What/Who is the player? What can the player do?
What/Who are the enemies? What can they do?
We can answer these from step 1
Move through a maze collecting
food while avoiding ghosts that
are trying to catch you
Start simple and build from there
Establish Basic Mechanics by answering
What’s the environment?
What/Who is the player? What can the player do? To accomplish?
What/Who are the enemies? What can they do?
Establish Fundamental Mechanics
What does this game need to make it (more) fun?
What is missing so far?
These are the less obvious points.
Extensions of Basics to increase ‘fun’
or required Additions from early sketch
prototype testing or thought experiments
All Required elements to play/define the game
Start simple and build from there
Establish Basic Mechanics by answering
What’s the environment?
What/Who is the player? What can the player do?
What/Who are the enemies? What can they do?
Establish Fundamental Mechanics
What does this game need to make it (more) fun?
What is missing so far?
Some extras become Core
Establish Extra Mechanics
May or may not become core
Add more fun/excitement/twists
Explain storyline better
Again extensions of basic or fundamentals
Not often part of “Initial Planning”
May be discovered in planning by sketch
prototype play or thought experiments
May help to define the game idea
Capture its essence better
Borderline-optional, vaguely required
May identify things that need testing/tried first
Environment
Maze
Nothing moves through walls
Open spaces are filled with pick-ups
Movement is up-down-left-right
Left-Right Pass Through Tunnel
Collision Management
Maze walls – Player
Maze walls – Ghosts
Pick ups – Player
Ghost – Player
Enemy Ghosts
AI Moves through maze
Chases or Flees
Start in Cage in maze center
Speed increases with levels
Pick-ups
Food
Power ups, 4 per maze
Bonus Food
Scoring
Points for food, bonus food, ghosts
Player
Moves through maze
Arrow keys control direction
Stops only when runs into a wall
Automatically Picks up food
Win/Lose Conditions
Lose = Ghost touches player
Level Complete = All food picked up
Win = Best Score
This too goes through refinement
Assets start as placeholders
Code-wise and Art-wise
List begins as words first
Refinement allows improvement
Art becomes “better”
Code becomes more advanced and clean
Asset lists can be used to create Task Lists
Assets often have a state
Not started, placeholder, marginal, fair, good…
Game Animations
Pac-Man
Movement
Power-up
Death
Ghosts
Movement
Static
Maze walls
Food
Power-ups
Bonus Food
Point Displays
Non-Game Screens
Main Menu
Title
Buttons
Play
Directions
High Scores
Directions
Rules text
Rules artwork
Button: Back to Main
High Scores
Scoreboard table artwork
Button: Back to Main
Post Score Screen
Textbox for user entry
Buttons
OK
Back to Main
Audio
Music
Sound Effects
Eating Food
Eating Power-up
Eating Bonus Food
Defeating Ghost
Pac-Man Death
Level Begin
Level End
Game Over
Omitted here for brevity
Code Scripts
Omitted here for brevity
Audience System Requirements
Flash player version -- 10.0.2.13
Screen resolution--1024 x 768 or higher
Connection speed--DSL or higher
RAM--512 MB+
CPU--1.5 GHz+
Host Server for game also required
See also
xxxx_Example_PlanningAGame.docx
xxxx_PlanningAGame_take2.pptx