Level Up.pdf

314 LEVEL 11 They All Want You Dead
fighting stormtroopers no matter what planet I am on. Other villains
can appear, but the player should be constantly reminded of their
arch - nemesis.
• Come up with a way to tie them together. What ’ s the one visual or
behavioral cue that will differentiate your enemy from the others in your
game? Or from other games? Within your game, you can create groups
of enemies based on shapes, color, physical attributes, weapons, or
uniforms.
• Be economical with your enemies. Re - use models, animations, and
textures wherever possible to get the most bang for your production
buck. When creating similar enemies with different behaviors and
attacks, make them look different at a glance. I call this design mentality
“Red Ninja/Blue Ninja” as a red ninja enemy may be set to hop and
throw shuriken, while a blue ninja may use dash attacks with sai. Sub ­
Zero and Scorpion, two of the most famous characters from Mortal
Kombat series, were originally just reskinned versions of each other 12 .
• Does the enemy belong in your world? You wouldn ’ t expect to find a
cybernetic death - mecha in a Super Mario game; that world is too
whimsical for such “ serious ” enemies. Conversely, a goomba would be
seriously out of place in a realistic Medal of Honor style title.
• Make your enemy look like an enemy. Glowing red eyes, demonic
horns, fangs, clawed hands, spikes, skull ornamentation, ragged capes,
fearsome masks and helmets that obscure faces. Sure, this is
stereotypical imagery but if your player sees a character in the world with
any of these visual traits, they ’ re going to shoot first and ask questions
later. Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason: they ’ re easy for the
viewer to understand. Don ’ t be afraid to use them to your advantage.
• … Or go against expectation and type. You can go against “ type ”
and juxtapose your enemy ’ s visual with their behavior. How about a cute
bunny that turns into a slavering killer? Or a hulking troll that will burst
into tears when attacked? The more personality you can add to make
your enemy feel and look unique, the better 13 .
I Hate You to Pieces
When introducing your boss to the player, do it in a memorable fashion.
Who can forget Darth Vader ’ s entrance in Star Wars? Make sure the player
12
Of course, in the case of Sub - Zero and Scorpion it would be “ blue ninja, yellow ninja ” ,
which doesn ’ t quite have the same zing.
13
Just remember not to violate the triangle of weirdness.