Immutably Me

Design Lessons: What I Learned Last Week

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:56:16 -0400

I am a Top Down Designer. Meaning I approach designs with:
- High concept
- Vision
- Overall story
- Characters
- Etc.

Need to balance it out with Bottom Up approach:
- Input
- Moves
- Challenges
- Mechanics
- Scoring
- Etc.

Benefits of a Top Down Approach: The designer has a clear idea of what the game is, what it should accomplish and who it’s for. Throughout development of a project, it’s maintaining a clear line of sight on the vision that keeps everything on track.

Drawbacks of a Top Down Approach:
Without the mechanics to compliment the vision there is only a nice idea and eventually the design stalls when descriptions of how it’s all supposed to work are lacking.

Bottom line: Top down approach works if the designer(s) can follow through and describe everything from vision to function. Moreover, there is a more focused approach because everyone on the team will know precisely where they are going and what is expected.

Benefits of a Bottom Up Approach: Regardless of concept or nuance, the designer has a firm handle on what the intended platform is, how the game will function and what systems it will use. Furthermore, the mechanics are often much easier to apply to a variety of concepts with very little alteration required. This is ideal for tight deadlines and last minute changes that can dramatically alter a concept.

Drawbacks of a Bottom Up Approach: Being able to apply systems to any concept is a definite plus but without a firm grasp on the overall vision the project is left wide open to interpretation. Without clear direction a team will stall as everyone will attempt to develop in different directions.

Bottom line: By designing using this method, the designer will be hard pressed to defend a vision when the focus is on the systems and not the idea.

New vs. Old

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:20:23 -0400

Because of the tougher economic times I imagine that publishers are less inclined to take chances on new ideas and gameplay, regardless of their instincts or personal feelings. Money is money and money makers certainly can’t take chances on untested ideas.

What a shame.

"… there are a few tendencies in most reviews which are problematic. The first is the obvious..."

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:51:51 -0400

“… there are a few tendencies in most reviews which are problematic. The first is the obvious problem of a grown-up reviewing a game for kids, or a hardcore gamer reviewing a game for the mass market. I think journalists should have the opportunity to see a focus group playing games, especially kids’ games. They really do play some games in dramatically different manners than a 25-30 year-old game fanatic.”

- Kane & Lynch: How it feels to be critically panned | GamesRadar

Capcom Vows No More "Major" Exclusives | Edge Online

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:56:07 -0400

Capcom Vows No More "Major" Exclusives | Edge Online:

Money talks… if you want to remain competitive, increase revenue and broaden your demographic, developing for multi-platform is the way to go. Perhaps this is a sign of the decline of the console exclusive titles.

A boy can dream…

Heavenly Sword: Brawling to a Standstill

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:57:00 -0400

Played the Heavenly Sword demo and was wowed by:

Gorgeous visuals
Lush environments
Mocap galore
Superb acting
Engaging storyline
Fantastic Controls

So, I went out and bought the game. I’ve been playing it for a few days now and still have a great appreciation for the work that went into this piece of interactive art, but… there are some boss fights in this game that follow the old school design standards that should have been dragged out back and brutally beaten and shot to death ages ago.

I find myself taken gently by the hand and lead along a vivid path of storytelling only to be rudely ripped from the immersion to repeat the same damned boss fights over and over again until a combination of sheer determination and luck overwhelm some extremely poorly designed battle sequences.

What I want is to flow through this cinematic experience, feeling every bit the champion. I do not, however, have any inclination to be savagely beaten in some Ground Hog Day torture session, where my self esteem is run through the meat grinder. I want boss fights that challenge and amuse; I want to feel vindication when I grind my enemies to powder! I don’t want to have to memorize pre-set patterns through miserable failure. If I can only learn how to win through repeated failure, the designer is forcing me to play how he wants me to and this is just wrong. There should be multiple avenues to success, which allow the player to explore their own play style. Most importantly the boss should not break established rules that the player has been asked to learn up to that point. If the player is taught how to block, attack and counter attack against enemies, these rules should apply to the boss as well. Use of unblockable attacks by enemies should be used sparingly and every single boss must be beatable with the same rules and methods that got the player that far in the first place.

These same frustrating road blocks also appear in scripted interactive cut-scenes and challenges that very clearly can only be overcome by those who have a solid understanding of the genre or have failed a hundred times and memorized what needs to be achieved. Either way it stinks and is a rotten way to treat such an interesting story.

Heavenly Sword is a truly impressive work of art and it’s honestly a shame to see that old and faulty design methods have put a damper on my experience thus far. Here’s hoping I can finish this game on an a high note instead of pitching it out the window, because I really really want to love this game.

Note: I did finally get through the game and despite my grievances with the boss fights and obstacles to the overall flow, it was worth it. This is truly an exceptional game with a bold story and it took balls to publish it.

The Force Unleashed Demo Unimpressive

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:26:50 -0400

In The Force Unleashed you can:

alter (read: destroy) your environment
hurl massive objects at your enemies
grab objects 10x + larger than you (tie fighters)
use the force to wreck or move massive doors
use force lighting to electrocute people and vehicles
use force push to hurl enemies, objects, and affect your environment
use your lightsaber to basically reduce your enemy’s hitpoints

Yes, I said use your lightsaber to lower your enemy’s hitpoints. No dismemberment (like Luke losing his hand to Darth Vader’s saber), no bodies littering the floor, no chopping crates or doors in twine… In fact, the only way you know your enemy is ready to expire is by watching his green life bar deplete.

Frankly, I’m severly disapointed. The controls are shit; there is no real sense of impact or power (and I play on a 37’ LCD TV with stereo speakers); the demo level is boring and unimaginitive (your character can actually walk right off ledges and fall to his death); the AI lacks any sense of flare until they get Force grabbed and flung about; the HUD is poorly designed; targetting for Force Grab is terrible; there is no real sense of danger or power from a lightsaber and the AI doesn’t seem to fear it as they should and damage dealt is incredibly mundane.

I remain very curious about the story, given that it is, to date, the only thing Lucas has sanctioned that discusses the lives of the characters from his first 3 films (Star Wars, Empire & Return) but I will likely suffer to discover more about it because I’ll actually have to play the game…

Either, the demo does not clearly reveal what to expect from the game (as a demo should) or the game really is as craptacular as the demo seems to suggest. I’ll only know once I play the full game, which will be frustrating if I pay 70$ for garbage.

Gamers « Urf.

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:23:36 -0400

Gamers « Urf.

BMW’s fascinating GINA Light Visionary Model design study...

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:18:23 -0400

BMW’s fascinating GINA Light Visionary Model design study - (37signals)

Splinter Cell: Conviction Not So Convicted

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:59:00 -0400

Splinter Cell: Conviction Not So Convicted:

Rumor has it that Michael Ironside will not reprise his role as Sam Fisher and is no longer attached to the project so I ran a check on IMDB to see if any credits for Conviction were on his page and found nothing.

The official forums had this to say:

With regard to Micheal Ironside not being in the game: As things stand at this moment it is the first I’ve heard of it and there has certainly not been any official statement to suggest this is true. I will however look into it immediately to try and establish where they (Kokatu) got this information from and will post as soon as I have any more info.

I can promise Ubisoft one thing: If Ironside isn’t Sam Fisher I won’t buy the game. For the record, I’ve been a fan since day one and bought and played every game to date… not playing Conviction is something I never thought could happen.

This is possibly the worst choice of music and the most awkward...

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:11:23 -0400

This is possibly the worst choice of music and the most awkward performance used to promote a karaoke game I’ve ever seen. It’s the epitomy of weird.

Emotional robot has empathy - Engadget

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:52:38 -0400

Emotional robot has empathy - Engadget:

A robot with a combination of empathy and lie detection would be something…

Maybe it’s just me but I think I’ll be replaying this game with...

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:21:00 -0400

Maybe it’s just me but I think I’ll be replaying this game with Jessica Alba any time she wants to play. Shame it can’t be in person.

FFFFOUND! + IIIINVITATION!

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:11:00 -0400

FFFFOUND! + IIIINVITATION!:

I’ve been checking this (invitation only) website out for a few months now. The basic principal of it is that as people surf the Net, they come across interesting photos and images. With a Ffffound account you can tag it and it becomes added to your account as interesting and displayed on the front page of the Ffffound site. It’s a very cool concept and if anyone out there has an invite to offer, I’d love to receive it.

Top Myths About Working in Gaming (according to Electronic Arts' head of European talent acquisition Matthew Jeffery)

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:33:00 -0400

Top Myths About Working in Gaming (according to Electronic Arts' head of European talent acquisition Matthew Jeffery):

I don’t feel that Jeffery actually debunks any myths but rather explains why they happen and what EA is doing to work around the many issues that persist, nevertheless it’s an interesting read.

“Any industry which faces a project deadline will have challenges. Project deadlines face all companies in all industries ranging from financial services, retail, film production, consumer goods - the list goes on. The increase in working hours in project deadline industries is very commonplace. Although no one deliberately schedules for “crunch,” it unfortunately occurs.

While studies indicate that people perform best when under pressure to deliver by a given date, the key is how to minimise longer working hours while still meeting deadlines.”

While reading this article, keep in mind that I just returned to work after a seven week stretch of time off in an attempt to use up my nine weeks of over time accumulated in less than 2.5 years.

Making WoW Players into Lab Rats

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:21:00 -0400

Making WoW Players into Lab Rats

The work that Michael Hollick put into portraying Niko Bellic in...

Mon, 26 May 2008 09:33:51 -0400

The work that Michael Hollick put into portraying Niko Bellic in GTA IV is astounding. Listen to this radio interview to get a better idea of what it took to bring Niko to life.

The Star of Grand Theft Auto IV Finds a Somewhat Small Paycheck - New York Times

Sat, 24 May 2008 12:22:48 -0400

The Star of Grand Theft Auto IV Finds a Somewhat Small Paycheck - New York Times:

Shouldn’t we all be getting a piece of the pie? This article is an interesting spotlight on the lack of proper profit sharing within the video game industry.

With long hours, hard work and often disproportionate pay, perhaps it’s time we take a better look at the issue at hand.

Harrison Ford on Stunts

Tue, 20 May 2008 15:46:00 -0400

“… an ambition of mine … is to keep human scale and reality in the stunt sequences… to stage them and choreograph them, keeping in mind the normal physics that we all live with. I’m less a fan of the kind of matrix-style, fantastic sort of action—which can be really interesting—but, in a way, it draws attention to itself, and you begin to be watching the kinetics rather than watching the character… and my ambition is to have the audience understand the fear, the triumph, the pain, the fatigue… that the character suffers or endures in these fantastic physical sequences.” —Via The Guardian

Playboy Model Reveals Her Love of Games

Thu, 15 May 2008 08:32:33 -0400

Playboy Model Reveals Her Love of Games:

This is a really thoughtful interview with Playboy model, Jo Garcia, about her love of games and her perception of the female demographic.

About console exclusivity

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:36:00 -0400

I’m disappointed to see developers publicizing that their upcoming AAA titles are exclusive to one particular console over another as though it were a perk for gamers.

Would PS3 owners really care if God of War III were available on the 360? Would the Xbox 360 crowd care if Gears of War 2 could also be played on PS3? Certainly, it would be odd to see a Sony title, such as GoW, available to Xbox players but, frankly, Sony would make more money by selling their game to other console owners.

I suppose it’s obvious enough that this is simply a matter of publishers baiting hooks with AAA titles to lure gamers over to one console over another but I’m not convinced it’s smart marketing at all.

Grand Theft Auto used to be Playstation console exclusive but have now opened it up to include Xbox 360. Bad decision?