Level Up.pdf

More documents

Recommendations

Info

428 LEVEL 17 And Now the Hard Part • Don ’ t rely on emergent gameplay to make your game fun. All good design is preplanned. • Use the 30/70% rule when creating sequels: repeat all the stuff that was great in the first game, throw out everything that didn ’ t work. • Don ’ t let legacy keep your sequel down. Take a hard look at what can be improved from the first game. • Don ’ t let the player down.
Time To <strong>Level</strong> <strong>Up</strong>! Continue? So, let ’ s see … We’ ve thought up some game designs, we ’ ve written some game design documents, we ’ ve eaten some chili, and we ’ ve pitched our game. Congratulations! You ’ ve leveled up! And just like in games, you ’ re just getting started. Now it ’ s time for you to learn firsthand that making video games is the best job in the world. Do me a favor, as you zoom ahead and make your own games, keep this book in your back pocket; hopefully it will come in helpful the next time you get stuck. Finally, always remember these three things: • Take a break every once in a while. You ’ re only human and you ’ re only making games. You ’ re not a heart surgeon. No one is going to die if you leave something until tomorrow. • Always be fair and generous. This is a very small industry and word gets around very fast when you aren ’ t. • Always keep playing games — even the bad ones. • Not many people make games for a living, so enjoy every minute of it: after all, you could be flipping burgers instead. OK, so I lied, there were four things.
Page 4 and 5:
Copyright Information Please note t
Page 6 and 7:
This edition first published 2010
Page 8 and 9:
Publisher’s Acknowledgments Some
Page 10 and 11:
viii Contents Level 2 Ideas 23 Idea
Page 12 and 13:
x Contents Level 8 Sign Language—
Page 14 and 15:
xii Contents Level 15 Some Notes on
Page 16 and 17:
About the Author After discovering
Page 18 and 19:
xvi Press Start! You obviously don
Page 20 and 21:
xviii Press Start! video games shou
Page 22 and 23:
xx Press Start! to me. Why would yo
Page 25 and 26:
T LeveI 1 Welcome, N00bs! This chap
Page 27 and 28:
So, let ’ s ask this basic questi
Page 29 and 30:
A Brief History of Video Games Earl
Page 31 and 32:
A Brief History of Video Games A co
Page 33 and 34:
Game Genres Game Genres Over the ye
Page 35 and 36:
Game Genres 11 Puzzle: puzzle games
Page 37 and 38:
Who Makes this Stuff? One programme
Page 39 and 40:
Who Makes this Stuff? many, many sk
Page 41 and 42:
Who Makes this Stuff? 17 problems (
Page 43 and 44:
Writer Have You Thought about Publi
Page 45 and 46:
Have You Thought about Publishing?
Page 47 and 48:
T LeveI 2 Ideas Let ’ s talk abou
Page 49 and 50:
Ideas: Where to Get Them and Where
Page 52 and 53:
28 LEVEL 2 Ideas • Space Panic’
Page 54 and 55:
30 LEVEL 2 Ideas them credit for. O
Page 56 and 57:
32 LEVEL 2 Ideas 3. Something to wr
Page 58 and 59:
34 LEVEL 2 Ideas Breaking Writer
Page 60 and 61:
36 LEVEL 2 Ideas others are clear l
Page 62 and 63:
38 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story 2. Our
Page 64 and 65:
40 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story 6. An
Page 66 and 67:
42 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story they s
Page 68 and 69:
44 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story The Tr
Page 70 and 71:
46 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story What d
Page 72 and 73:
48 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story Howeve
Page 74 and 75:
50 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story game.
Page 76 and 77:
52 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story Death
Page 78 and 79:
54 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story Comedi
Page 80 and 81:
56 LEVEL 3 Writing the Story great
Page 82 and 83:
58 LEVEL 4 You Can Design a Game, B
Page 84 and 85:
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96:
Page 99 and 100:
The Game Design Document (and the A
Page 101 and 102:
The Beat Chart The Beat Chart 77 Th
Page 103 and 104:
Above All, Don’t Be a Schmuck 79
Page 105 and 106:
Level 4’s Universal Truths and Cl
Page 107 and 108:
T LeveI 5 The Three Cs, Part 1 —
Page 109 and 110:
Personality: Do We Really Need Anot
Page 111 and 112:
Personality: Do We Really Need Anot
Page 113 and 114:
Let’s Get Personal 89 an internat
Page 115 and 116:
Let’s Get Personal While video ga
Page 117 and 118:
Finally, We Talk about Gameplay 93
Page 119 and 120:
Why Walk When You Can Run? 95 The t
Page 121 and 122:
Why Walk When You Can Run? 97 with
Page 123 and 124:
The Art of Doing Nothing 99 When yo
Page 125 and 126:
Might as Well Jump 101 1. The playe
Page 127 and 128:
Might as Well Jump 103 The target t
Page 129 and 130:
What Goes Up, Must Fall Down 105 Jo
Page 131 and 132:
What Goes Up, Must Fall Down 107
Page 133 and 134:
Be Kind to Our Four-Legged Friends
Page 135 and 136:
We Are Not Alone 111 player, who is
Page 137 and 138:
We Are Not Alone 113 While companio
Page 139 and 140:
We Are Not Alone 115 Scout Engineer
Page 141 and 142:
Who Are the People in Your Neighbor
Page 143:
Page 146 and 147:
122 LEVEL 6 The Three Cs, Part 2—
Page 148 and 149:
Page 150 and 151:
Page 152 and 153:
Page 154 and 155:
Page 156 and 157:
Page 158 and 159:
Page 160 and 161:
Page 162 and 163:
Page 164 and 165:
Page 166 and 167:
Page 168 and 169:
Page 170 and 171:
Page 172 and 173:
Page 174 and 175:
Page 176 and 177:
Page 179 and 180:
T Levei 7 The Three Cs, Part 3 —
Page 181 and 182:
The Three Cs, Part 3—Controls 157
Page 183 and 184:
Dance, Monkey, Dance 159 • While
Page 185 and 186:
Dance, Monkey, Dance 161 • Clasp
Page 187 and 188:
Dance, Monkey, Dance 163 Maximo ’
Page 189 and 190:
Character or Camera Relative? 165 W
Page 191 and 192:
Shake, Rattle and Roll 167 characte
Page 193:
Page 196 and 197:
172 LEVEL 8 Sign Language—HUD and
Page 198 and 199:
Page 200 and 201:
Page 202 and 203:
Page 205 and 206:
Icon Has Cheezburger? 181 The first
Page 207 and 208:
Don’t Get QTE 183 • Red cross:
Page 209 and 210:
HUDs, and Where to Stick ‘Em 185
Page 211 and 212:
There Are Other Screens Than the HU
Page 213 and 214:
The Pause that Refreshes 189 • Th
Page 215 and 216:
The Pause that Refreshes 191 screen
Page 217 and 218:
The Pause that Refreshes 193 • Fi
Page 219 and 220:
A Final Word on Fonts 195 out of th
Page 221 and 222:
T LeveI 9 Everything I Learned Abou
Page 223 and 224:
Everything I Learned about Level De
Page 225 and 226:
The Top 10 Cliché Video Game Theme
Page 227 and 228:
Page 229 and 230:
Page 231 and 232:
The Name Game 207 While designing M
Page 233 and 234:
Page 235 and 236:
Page 237 and 238:
Page 239 and 240:
Relic Raider beat chart The Beat Ch
Page 241:
The Gary Gygax Memorial Mapping Sec
Page 244 and 245:
220 LEVEL 9 Everything I Learned ab
Page 246 and 247:
Page 250 and 251:
Page 252 and 253:
Page 256 and 257:
Page 258 and 259:
Page 260 and 261:
Page 262 and 263:
Page 264 and 265:
Page 267 and 268:
T Levei 10 The Elements of Combat E
Page 269 and 270:
400 Quatloos on the Newcomer! 245
Page 271 and 272:
400 Quatloos on the Newcomer! 247 C
Page 273 and 274:
400 Quatloos on the Newcomer! 249 L
Page 275 and 276:
400 Quatloos on the Newcomer! 251 Y
Page 277 and 278:
400 Quatloos on the Newcomer! 253 W
Page 279 and 280:
On Moving On Moving 255 If you take
Page 281 and 282:
On Moving 257 Many games allow the
Page 283 and 284:
On Guarding 259 to decide whether a
Page 285 and 286:
State of the Art Bang Bang 261 does
Page 287 and 288:
State of the Art Bang Bang 263 •
Page 289 and 290:
The Best Gun for You 265 Here are a
Page 291 and 292:
The Best Gun for You 267 • Automa
Page 293 and 294:
Run and Gun 269 to a main gun and a
Page 295 and 296:
Not Just Shooting 271 Rail shooter
Page 297 and 298:
Not Just Shooting 273 Wherever ther
Page 299 and 300:
Dammit Jones, Where Doesn’t It Hu
Page 301 and 302:
Death: What is It Good For? 277 the
Page 303 and 304:
Level 10’s Universal Truths and C
Page 305 and 306:
T LeveI 11 They All Want You Dead V
Page 307 and 308:
They All Want You Dead 283 All of t
Page 309 and 310:
A shooter is an enemy that fires a
Page 311 and 312:
They All Want You Dead 287 A telepo
Page 313 and 314:
• A guard and a bomber. While the
Page 315 and 316:
They All Want You Dead 291 Medium s
Page 317 and 318:
They All Want You Dead 293 Let ’
Page 319 and 320:
Bring on the Bad Guys 295 You are w
Page 321 and 322:
Bring on the Bad Guys 297 like a ma
Page 323 and 324:
Bring on the Bad Guys 299 They ’
Page 325 and 326:
Bring on the Bad Guys 301 ricochet.
Page 327 and 328:
Bring on the Bad Guys 303 Leech: th
Page 329 and 330:
I Love Designing Enemies 305 A is f
Page 331 and 332:
I Love Designing Enemies 307 I hate
Page 333 and 334:
I Love Designing Enemies 309 M is f
Page 335 and 336:
I Love Designing Enemies 311 Spaces
Page 337 and 338:
I Love Designing Enemies 313 Behold
Page 339 and 340:
I Hate You to Pieces 315 gets a goo
Page 341 and 342:
Non-Enemy Enemies 317 comes dialogu
Page 343 and 344:
Who’s the Boss? 319 At first glan
Page 345 and 346:
Size Matters 321 father in order to
Page 347 and 348:
Size Matters 323 safe for them to a
Page 349 and 350:
Size Matters 325 When the player gi
Page 351 and 352:
Why Not to Create the World’s Gre
Page 353:
Page 357 and 358:
The Nuts and Bolts of Mechanics 333
Page 359 and 360:
Holy Death Trap! 335 Cranks are lik
Page 361 and 362:
Holy Death Trap! 337 I was designin
Page 363 and 364:
Time to Die Time to Die 339 we are
Page 365 and 366:
The Music of Mechanics 341 Gaming w
Page 367 and 368:
The Music of Mechanics 343 characte
Page 369 and 370:
A Nice Little Calm Spot 345 The whi
Page 371 and 372:
Riddle Me This 347 While Mr. Kim ha
Page 373 and 374:
Riddle Me This 349 another player s
Page 375 and 376:
A Short Word on Minigames and Micro
Page 377 and 378:
Page 379 and 380:
T LeveI 13 Now You ’ re Playing w
Page 381 and 382:
Now You’re Playing with Power 357
Page 383 and 384:
Now You’re Playing with Power 359
Page 385 and 386:
“Love Thy Player” 361 Most powe
Page 387 and 388:
“Love Thy Player” 363 the playe
Page 389 and 390:
More Wealth Than You Can Imagine! 3
Page 391 and 392:
Page 393 and 394:
Page 395 and 396:
Page 397 and 398:
Page 399 and 400:
Page 401 and 402: More Wealth Than You Can Imagine! 3
Page 403: Level 13’s Universal Truths and C
Page 406 and 407: 382 LEVEL 14 Multiplayer—the More
Page 417 and 418: T LeveI 15 1 Some Notes on Music Wh
Page 419 and 420: Some Notes on Music 395 the rights
Page 421 and 422: Some Notes on Music 397 game? A tra
Page 423 and 424: Some Notes on Music 399 • Warning
Page 425 and 426: Sounds Like a Game to Me 401 • We
Page 427 and 428: Sounds Like a Game to Me 403 Be car
Page 429: Level 15’s Universal Truths and C
Page 432 and 433: 408 LEVEL 16 Cutscenes, or No One
Page 442 and 443: 418 LEVEL 17 And Now the Hard Part
Page 454 and 455: 430 Continue?
Page 456: 432 Bonus Level 1 The One-Sheet Sam
Page 460 and 461: 436 Bonus Level 2 The Ten-Page Desi
Page 470 and 471: 446 Bonus Level 3 Game Design Docum
Page 485 and 486: • Abandoned city • Air/clouds
Page 487: • Ship/boat deck/interior • Sky
Page 491 and 492: T Bonus Levei 7 Enemy Design Templa
Page 493 and 494: T Bonus Levei 8 Boss Design Templat
Page 495 and 496: Slide 1: Cover Page T Bonus Levei 9
Page 497 and 498: Slide 4: Game Story Slide 4: Game S
Page 499 and 500: Slide 6: Gameplay Summary Slide 6:
Page 501 and 502: Slide 7: Gameplay details Slide 7:
Page 503:
Slide 9: Production Specs Slide 9:
Page 506 and 507:
482 Achievement Unlocked: Exactly L
Page 508 and 509:
484 Index boss battles, 319-329 bos
Page 510 and 511:
486 Index Fat Princess, 422 F.E.A.R
Page 512 and 513:
488 Index Little Red Riding Hood, 4
Page 514 and 515:
490 Index resistances/vulnerabiliti
Page 516:
492 Index walking, 25, 34, 94-97, 2
show all

Level Up.pdf

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?